The U of A Staff Senate will be accepting nominations for senate seats from April 6 through 5 p.m. on April 12. A link to the nomination form will be published on Tuesday, April 6.

As the representative voice for staff, the Staff Senate serves to advise campus administration on policy matters such as benefits, parking, campus safety, working conditions and compensation. The Senate also coordinates recognition programs such as Employee of the Quarter and the Outstanding Team Award, as well as conducting the annual Staff Celebration Picnic and managing the staff scholarship program.

Staff members may nominate themselves or any other non-faculty member of their division, or may nominate for an at-large vacancy. One staff senator serves to represent each 100 staff members of an administrative division, while at-large senators represent the entire staff of the U of A.

Requirements for nominees to Staff Senate service include:

• Must have at least one continuous year of 100 percent appointed services as of Jan. 31;
• Must be a member of the division from which they are nominated;
• Must be willing to serve a full three-year term;
• Must be able to attend all regular Staff Senate meetings, held at 9:30 a.m. on the second Thursday of each month;
• Must receive no less than two valid nominations for inclusion on the election ballot.

More information is available in the Staff Senate bylaws at https://staffsenate.uark.edu/about/bylaws.php.

Twelve Senate seats in the following divisions are available for nomination during the 2021 election cycle. They are:

• Chancellor's Office (including Athletics, Economic Development and University Relations) — 1 seat.
• Academic Affairs — 6 seats.
• Finance & Administration — 2 seats.
• Student Affairs — 1 seat.
• At Large — 2 seats.

Staff Senate encourages anyone interested in serving the greater good of the staff at the U of A to seek nomination and run to serve your fellow Razorback staff.

Voting will begin on April 16 and close at 5 p.m. on April 22. Runoff elections, if necessary, will take place between April 26 and May 3. Winning candidates will be announced at the regular Staff Senate meeting on May 13.