Membership
This includes representatives from dining service, facilities management, health services, security, library, academic department coordinators, administrative secretaries, etc. The committee will remind support staff that vacancies become available when terms expire in June and encourage support staff interested in serving on the committee to join.
Membership Details
- Members shall serve for up to three academic years.
- Terms begin at the start of the academic year.
- Vacancies that occur due to resignations may be filled at the committee's discretion from the list of interested support staff.
- In advance of their appointment to the committee, new members shall discuss their membership on the SSAC with their supervisors.
- At the end of the term, a member will retire from the committee. After a full year, former members will become eligible for the committee once again.
- Members who are consistently unable to attend meetings of the committee may be replaced at the discretion of the chairperson(s).
Purpose and Responsibilities
The Support Staff Advocacy Committee is a standing committee of the College that: serves as a resource for support staff; advises the administration on issues of importance to the staff; and strives to make working at Bowdoin an even more enjoyable and productive experience. The Committee accomplishes this through a range of activities:
- A forum to bring support staff concerns and interests to the attention of the administration (i.e., creation of the Emergency Sick Time Bank)
- Facilitate open lines of communication between the administration and staff
- Propose ways to improve College work life
- Act as a sounding board for administration
- Recommend support staff representatives to other College committees and searches
- Responsible for coordination of employee events such as the Fall Social and programming for staff throughout the year
A chairperson and/or cochairpersons will be chosen by the committee to serve for a minimum of one academic year.
The chairperson will:
- Develop an agenda for each meeting
- Provide copies of the agenda to SSAC members in advance
- Facilitate the meetings, paying particular attention to the time limit
- Suggest subcommittees as necessary
- Delegate tasks as appropriate
- Follow up as required
A secretary, chosen by the committee, will:
- Take notes and prepare minutes for distribution to members either in advance or at the next meeting.
- This job may rotate or be shared.
Members will:
- Regularly attend scheduled SSAC meetings
- Serve as representatives of their particular group
- Participate actively in crafting the agenda and carrying out the work of the committee
- Assist in promoting and producing SSAC events
- Foster communication within the Bowdoin community
These guidelines may be modified or changed by majority vote of the committee.
Revised April 2014