August SOSC Highlights

Aug. 27, 2021

The System Office Staff Council held a regular business meeting on Monday, Aug. 9. Below are highlights from the meeting. 

August 2021 SOSC Meeting Highlights:

  1. Brittany Pleau-Richardson from the Employee Transitions and Benefits team attended the meeting to talk about the new program TouchCare that recently replaced DirectPath, a healthcare concierge service that is part of employee healthcare benefits. Keep an eye out for upcoming information sessions on TouchCare to learn about the many features and services it provides to employees. You can access TouchCare via links from this page: https://www.alaska.edu/hr/benefits/health/touchcare.php
  2. Staff Council discussed the progress of the HR-led remote work/post-COVID workplace project. Please see the project website for regular biweekly updates. Reminder that the feedback period for the updated regulations ends Sept. 9. You can send feedback to the governance office email ua-sogov-office@alaska.edu.
  3. Staff Council determined a process for developing a proposal for how to use the money from the new Staff Development Fund. An email went out to all System Office employees asking to submit their ideas through a feedback form. Staff Council received several good ideas, and will discuss next steps at our next regular meeting. If you would still like to submit ideas for the Staff Development Fund, please email any SOSC representative, or ua-sogov-office@alaska.edu.
  4. Staff Council got an overview of the final report for the System Office administrative review.
  5. Staff Council heard updates on Staff Alliance activities, including:
    1. Staff Alliance recently passed a resolution establishing a process to form affinity groups at UA.
    2. The Staff Alliance compensation committee has been working on an FY23 compensation memo. Since this meeting it has been submitted to Staff Alliance for consideration.
    3. The ad-hoc committee on shared governance continues to meet to review policy and consider proposals to improve shared governance.
  6. Staff Council discussed the events they would be planning over the coming year, including potential alternatives to in-person holiday potlucks, a holiday giving effort, food bank drive, and the annual employee recognition and longevity event. The council always welcomes any suggestions or ideas for staff events. 

SOSC will meet next on Monday, Sept. 13, from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. All staff are encouraged and welcome to attend. Reach out to SOSC representatives to share your ideas and/or concerns. Additional information about SOSC and the Zoom link for regular meetings is available on its website.