Staff Council Update: January 10, 2024
| by Nicole Veilleux
Announcements
The Staff Council Survey is going live on Friday, January 12. Participating in the Middlebury Staff Council’s (MSC) survey is a great way for you to influence positive changes in professional development, workplace equity, and more. Check your email on Friday for the survey link sent from scouncil@middlebury.edu.
Need help accessing the survey? Connect with your staff council representative.
Meet Our Newest Staff Members
Welcome Lynda, Phoebe, and Kahar!
- Lynda Reiss – Nurse Manager in Health Services
- Phoebe Martell-Crawford – Athletics
- Kahar McCullum – MIIS Library
Upcoming Events (Vermont)
Snowbowl Day! Friday, Jan 19, 12-4pm. Enjoy skiing, hot chocolate, cookies, and conversation. Employees who join will receive a ski pass for the afternoon. A limited number of free rentals will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis. *Release time has been approved for this event.
Midd’s Got Talent: Middlebury’s First All Campus Talent Show Friday, Jan 26 @ 7pm in Wilson Hall (Middlebury campus). Have a talent you want to share with the campus community? Enter Midd’s Got Talent: Middlebury’s First All-Campus Talent Show! Performers will include staff, faculty, and students. A drum kit, guitar, bass amps, and a piano will be available for use if needed. The event is free to all and no tickets are required. You can sign up to showcase your talent at go/Middsgottalent24. Contact Sam Hurlburt with any questions: shurlburt@middlebury.edu
Daffodil Days 2024. Staff Council presents a springtime flower sale benefiting the American Cancer Society. Orders are due February 13 and flowers will be delivered across Middlebury’s Vermont campus the week of March 18. Place your order using this form.
Upcoming Events (California)
Meet and Greet with Steve Snyder and Michelle McCauley. January 30, 12:45-1:45pm PST, Holland Center. Meet our interim VPAA team and enjoy an informal lunch. Staff and Faculty welcome. RSVP at https://forms.gle/VkjN1GhujLH78oh46.
Staff Council Meetings in January
January 8 - Meeting with Senior Leadership Group (closed)
January 17 - Staff Council Working Meeting (closed)
January 31 - Staff Council Working Meeting (closed)
Committee Updates
Learn more about Staff Council committees and who is serving on each in 2023-2024.
Communications is now preparing bi-weekly updates and survey outreach for January. We are discussing adding district pages to the website and are working on collecting feedback on how communications are going.
Events: December event report! Food Drive collected 149 lbs of food, one toy, and $66.00 donated to HOPE. Thanks to all who participated in the Gingerbread House competition. You can check out the photos here. Special thanks to our judges! Dan Gaiotti, Collen Norden, and Shane Lawton. We are working on Daffodil Days and Midd’s Got Talent for our upcoming events.
HR6 Committee will meet in January for the first time this academic year, stay tuned for more news in future updates.
Resources Committee: David and Alberto provided an overview of the state of finances during 11/28 meeting. The annual debt chart shows how serious our debt was between 2008 and now, the impact of increased financial aid demand over the last few years, and improvement in our debt profile (aided by low interest fixed rate loans).
Conflict Transformation Committee will be meeting with the Faculty Council, stay tuned for a report on the outcome.
Representative Spotlight: CAROLINE CRAWFORD (VT)
Caroline (she/her/hers), is the senior writer for institutional marketing communications and the District B representative for Middlebury Staff Council. The Mar/Com team is based in Painter House (the one next to the traffic circle in town, not the residence hall on campus), where they work mostly remotely.
Caroline joined Middlebury eight years ago after 15 years as the editorial director at Saint Michael’s College and two years as a consultant on marketing projects at Champlain College. She’s a New York City native who impulsively moved to Burlington, Vermont, 30 years ago from Staten Island, thinking she would stay for a year. “It was the least thought-out decision I ever made, and it completely changed the trajectory of my life—definitely for the better!”
She joined Staff Council in 2023 and serves on the communications committee. Why did she join? “I was on the Staff Welfare Committee at St. Mike’s and I was looking to find a similar way to serve at Middlebury. When we had an opening for the representative in our district, I was encouraged to run! So far, it’s been great—I’m enjoying making new connections and feeling like I am making a difference.”
Her favorite Middlebury tip is to visit the New Releases section in the Davis Family Library. “There are so many great books to borrow. Our library is a fantastic resource for staff, and wandering around the stacks is a great way to de-stress and clear your mind.”
Caroline lives in Burlington with her husband, Brian, and two spoiled cats. Her son Carl is a recent UVM graduate and her daughter Liz is a junior at Middlebury.
*District B represents: Advancement, Communications, Printing, and Mailing Services