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May 26, 2011

SAC officer elections to begin

The Staff Association Council (SAC) will have a new president following officer elections, which begin May 31 and continue until 5 p.m. June 7.

Results of the elections, which are being conducted electronically for the first time, are expected to be announced at SAC’s June 8 meeting.

Voting for SAC officers is open to full SAC members. (New members serve six months as associate members before becoming eligible to vote.)

Officers serve two-year terms beginning at the conclusion of SAC’s June meeting.

Candidates for president are Libby Hilf, vice president for marketing and communications, and Deborah Walker, chair of the newly formed staff mentoring committee and a member of the program and planning committee.

Vice president of steering candidates are Rich Colwell, immediate past president of SAC, and incumbent Jon-Paul “J.P.” Matychak, who in March replaced Colwell in this position.

Colwell told the University Times that he had resigned as vice president of steering when his work responsibilities increased; those responsibilities since have abated somewhat, he said.

Following Colwell’s resignation, SAC elected Matychak to serve out the remainder of the term.

Candidates for vice president for marketing and communications are Monika Losagio, vice chair of the salary and job classification committee, and Jesse Nicholson, who chairs the newly formed diversity and inclusion committee. Nicholson also is a member of the governance committee.

Candidates for SAC treasurer are Monica Costlow and Amy Elliott, both of whom serve on the program and planning committee, with Costlow serving as committee chair.

The new president will succeed Gwen Watkins, who said that time constraints make it impossible for her to continue as president.

In her final report to Senate Council May 11, Watkins touted some of SAC’s recent achievements. During her two-year term, SAC:

• Held an event marking the 40th anniversary of SAC’s founding. (See July 22 University Times.)

• Replaced its paper newsletter with an electronic version.

• Updated its bylaws.

• Introduced electronic voting via a recently launched online portal restricted to members.

• Aided local charities with clothing and book drives.

• Created two new standing committees.

• Collaborated with students in a recent letter-writing campaign to lobby against cuts in Pitt’s commonwealth appropriations.

—Peter Hart


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