-ship opportunity by becoming a sena-tor.”

Senators are elected to serve two-yearterms, with approximately half electedeach year. Staff Senate is comprised offive percent from each job category(broadband) of regular benefitedemployees.See graphicfor numberof vacanciesby broad-band cate-gory.

You areencouragedto nominateyourselfand others.Pleasecheck withthe personyou are

nominating before submitting his or hername. Staff Senate is an opportunityavailable to employees and is supportedby President Chapman. Nomineesare encouraged to discuss the opportu-nity of serving with their supervisorsbefore being nominated.

Nominations are accepted online atthe Staff Senate Web site, or by usingthe back page of this newsletter. ThisWeb site provides a list of all eligiblestaff employees. Monday, March 21, isthe deadline for nominations.

MESSENGER

By Pam HommenCo-Chair, Staff Senate Election Committee

Staff Senate is seeking nominationsfor 2005-2006. Why consider the posi-tion of “Staff Senator”?

According to Bob Peterson withFacilities Management, “Over the yearsI have had the privilege to expressopinions and concerns of staff to agroup of my peers. This Senate repre-sents us as a unified unit to address thefaculty and administrators on ourbehalf.”

Janine Trowbridge with the Office ofTrio Programs and Staff Senate Vice-President states, “Staff Senate has pro-vided me the opportunity to becomeinvolved in the NDSU community andwhat a wonderful opportunity it hasbeen to network with my peers oncampus. Becoming a senator is one ofthe best ways to become informed onUniversity issues and to have a voicein how we as staff can help theUniversity exceed our students’ expec-tations, continue to grow both profes-sionally and personally. I highlyencourage all staff to take a look at ourWeb site, ask questions of any currentsenator, and take part in this leader-

Volume 1, Issue 2 March 2005www.ndsu.edu/staff_senate

NDSU STAFF SENATE

Broadband Title Total Vacant

1000 & 3000 Admin/Mgr/Professional

25 14

4000 Technical/Paraprofessional

12 4

5000 Office Support 14 9

6000 Crafts & Trades 3 1

7000 Service 11 6

Totals 65 34

Staff Senate vacancies:

By Paul Froeschle

An upgrading of NDSU’s physicalenvironment will be the emphasis of theuniversity’s “Earth Week” celebrationApril 18 – 22.

Events will begin Monday, April 18,with a workshop on the “GreenworksProject,” which is related to waste man-agement and reduction.

Ken Pental, former Green Party candi-date for Minnesota governor, will bespeaking April 19, and KimChristianson will be speaking April 20about geothermal energy and windpower.

“We’ve got to realize we’re one of thelast universities in the country to have aresponsible recycling program,” TroyBock, president of NDSU’s Student

Environmental Advisory Council(SEAC), said. “NDSU is good in someareas, but overall the program is lack-ing. Especially in consumables like plas-tic and aluminum.”

“Working up to Earth Week we’ve gota project that we’re sponsoring,” KristiLupke, vice president of NDSU SEAC,said. “We’re working with the residencehalls and the students on campus tomake them aware of the recycling facili-ties that are available right now.

“Our idea is that if we can use whatwe already have, we’ll be more able toconvince the administration to purchasemore (recycling) bins for us.”

Earth Day information tables — spon-sored by students from NDSU, the citiesof Fargo and Moorhead and area organ-izations and high schools — will be ondisplay at the Moorhead Center Malland West Acres Mall April 15 – 23.

CelebrateEarth Day

April 22

THE MESSENGERPublished twice each semester by the Staff Senate Public

Relations Committee and staff volunteers. Articles can be submitted to Heather Heger, 209 Ladd Hall,

via phone (231-8293) or e-mail (Heather.Heger@ndsu.edu).

NDSU Staff Senate Mission:To represent broadbanded staff on matters and proposalsthat would improve the status of broadbanded employees,and to improve communication between the staff and other

university personnel.

Web site: www.ndsu.nodak.edu/staff_senate

Printed on recycled paper. So please recycle it, OK?

Earth Week at NDSU

Staff Senate seeking ‘05-’06 nominations

Get a massage, save a life, find outif you have high blood pressure andget your body fat measured all in oneplace!

NDSU students, faculty and staffwill be able to do all this and moreon Tuesday, April 12, at the NDSUHealth Fair 2005 in the MemorialUnion Ballroom.

More than 50 interactive boothsand displays will be promoting thisyear’s theme, “Treasure YourHealth,” between the hours of 10a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

The health fair is as much fun as itis educational. Participants can dis-cover their love style, check their skinfor signs of sun damage, put ondrunk goggles, try out body andhand lotions, visit with the policeand their special canine officer andmuch more.

Participants will also be able tosave a life. United Blood Services willbe on hand for blood donations allday.

Appointments will be encouragedbut walk-ins are also welcome, andevery donor will receive a free T-shirt.

Every person who attends thehealth fair will receive a bottle ofwater and a healthy snack, and canalso enter to win more than 50 doorprizes. There will also be a drawingfor one grand prize winner.

The 2005 health fair is sponsoredby the NDSU Wellness Center,YMCA of NDSU, Wellness EducationLeaders (WELs), HNES Department,Counseling and Disability Servicesand United Blood Services.

Information about the Health Fairwill be on the Wellness Center Website beginning March 7 atwww.ndsu.edu/wellness/healthfair.

Treasureyour health

Coping with stressNDSU HealthFair 2005

By Ronni Arensberg, Psy.D.Licensed Psychologist,

NDSU Counseling Center

Changes at work can be stressful. As counselors in the NDSU

Counseling Center, we are used tohelping students deal with the stressof changes from semester to semester.

But stresses in the work place canbe at least as stressful because, as astudent, one can always say, “In a fewmonths the semester will be over.”

Whereas, in a workplace environ-ment, the stress can seem never-end-ing and relentless.

Lately, there have been many majorchanges on our campus with theintroduction of PeopleSoft, and adapt-

ing to these changes can be stressful. (The box below has information fromthe American PsychologicalAssociation for dealing with stress.)

If you feel that the stress begins tofeel unmanageable or that you are notcoping well with stress, NDSU offersan Employee Assistance Program as abenefit for NDSU staff.

For more information on the EAP,please contact The Village EmployeeAssistance Program (the counselingservice that NDSU contracts with forfaculty and staff) at 1-800-627-8220 (1-888-510-7433 TTY Access) and identi-fy yourself as a member of TheVillage EAP.

Please see NDSU policy 134 for fur-ther details.

HEALTHY BEHAVIORS TO HELP CURB STRESS· Make connections Good relationships with family and friends are important. Makean attempt to reconnect with people. Accepting help and support from those whocare about you can help alleviate stress.

· Set realistic goals Take small, concrete steps to deal with tasks instead of overwhelming yourself with goals that are too far-reaching for busy times.

· Keep things in perspective Try to consider stressful situations in a broader context and keep a long-term perspective. Avoid blowing events out of proportion.

· Take decisive actions Instead of letting stressors get the best of you, make adecision to address the underlying cause of a stressful situation.

· Take care of yourself Pay attention to your own needs and feelings. Engage inactivities that you enjoy and find relaxing. Taking care of yourself helps keep yourmind and body primed to deal with stressful situations.

For more information, visit www.helping.apa.org.

Staff Senate ScholarshipsThe NDSU Staff Senate will again be offering scholarships to eligible

NDSU broadbanded staff and children of broadbanded staff.

Three $300 scholarships will be available for children of NDSU broadbanded staff and three $200 scholarships will be available for

NDSU broadbanded staff for the 2005-2006 school year.

The scholarships are only available until April 8 on the Staff Senate Web site (www.ndsu.edu/staff_senate).

Letha Cattanach has beenwith NDSU 18 years, thelast four of which havebeen in the position ofadministrative assistantfor the library. “I like allthe students we get tomeet in the library,” shesaid. “The library offers anice, low-key atmosphere.It’s like we’re a little fam-ily here, and I love it!”

The FISH Award (Friendly, Initiative, Smile, Helpful) is given out by the Council of State Employees.

For more information about it, or to nominate someone, go to www.state.nd.us/cose.

Over the weekend of Jan.7 – 9, 2005, MatthewWalker served as the on-call plumber for campus.

Sevrinson and PavekHalls both experienced sig-nificant water issues thatbrought Matthew to cam-pus several times. Thisincluded extensive workboth in the middle of thenight and throughout largeportions of the day.

Matthew exemplified customer service and assisted inkeeping stressful facility concerns manageable and calm.

In October, Paul McIntosh, a Residence Life custodian,was honored with an OTM.

OTM is a monthly recognition through NationalResidence Hall Honorary (NRHH). It is given to out-standing residents, staff or campus programming. Paul isa custodian in both Stockbridge Hall and Dinan Hall.

His nomination read: “Paul is a great guy. He cleans upafter us, which is no small feat. I have been trying to helphim by taking my garbage out during the weekend, sohe does not have to come to work with an overpoweringsmell of garbage. Paul helped a South Korean woman onour floor correct her paper; this struck me as extremelygenerous.

“In general, Paul is an awesome guy who spends timewith the residents trying to get to know them on a morepersonal level!”

This nomination will advance to regional NRHH com-petition.

By Teresa Sonsthagen, BS, LVTInstructor, Veterinary Technology Program

Every year, President Chapman offers a professional devel-opment grant of up to $1000 to all NDSU employees. I haveused the grant several times to attend the National VeterinaryConference in Florida — in January!

This meeting offers cutting-edge seminars on how to becomea better teacher and mentor, as well as providing great oppor-tunities to network. Without this grant, I probably wouldn’t beable to keep up to date on all the new medicine and proce-dures being done in veterinary medicine.

Going to these meetings always gives me a boost, and I thinkhelps me to develop other interests, which prevents boredomwith my job.

To take advantage of the president’s development grant, sub-mit a one-page proposal outlining the conference/training,dates, a breakdown of anticipated expenses and a brief expla-nation of why you wish to attend. Have your supervisor(s),department head, dean or director approve and sign your pro-posal and send it to the president’s office for final approval.

Throughout the month of December, Staff Senate spon-sored a Valentine drive for the troops overseas.

Generous donations were made, and 167 pounds ofitems varying from personal hygiene to food to bookswere collected.

Part of the shipping costs were collected from dona-tions; the rest was covered by a family support group.

Thank you to Jane Lofberg for all of her help in themailing process — as well as everyone who made adonation.

Valentine drive for troops

Utilizing the development grant

Congratulations!CAMPUS KUDOS

Melanie Milam is a per-son who goes out of herway to accommodate theneeds of everyone whocome across her desk.

She is an example ofgoing the extra mile,whether counseling a stu-dent, finding a package ormatching the need withthe correct expertise.

FISH AWARD

OTM (Of the Month)

20 05 NOMINATION FORMN D S U S T A F F S E N A T E

Nominations are accepted online atwww.ndsu.edu/staff_senate,

by faxing this form to 231-8176or sending it to Pam Hommen, Old Main 100.

March 21 is the deadline for nominations.

I nominate myself for Staff Senate:Name: Department, address and phone number:

I nominate the following (with their permission) for Staff Senate:Name: Department, address and phone number:

Name: Department, address and phone number:

Name: Department, address and phone number:

Name: Department, address and phone number:

Name: Department, address and phone number:

Your Signature (Required)