Aloha UHM staff,

We hope you have had a successful and productive semester and are looking forward to some well-earned rest and family time over the holidays. Here’s a short update on what your Mānoa Staff Senate (MSS)  has been working on this semester. We welcome your feedback and invite you to share any comments or suggestions about ways to improve our campus climate.

MSS Virtual Forum

The MSS held an open forum via Zoom on September 29, 2021. Thanks to all who logged in for the virtual session that attracted about 100 participants! The lively discussion provided an opportunity for staff to meet their senators and hear about the senate’s current priorities which include: 

1. a safe post-pandemic return to campus, 
2. the Mānoa reorganization, and 
3. the impact of football on the campus. 

We also covered other topics of concern raised by staff in previous forums such as 

•  flexibility of daily office hours, and
•  mentorship opportunities for staff. 

Mahalo for sharing your thoughts and concerns with us. Your responses will help us better advocate for you in future discussions with campus leadership. 

New Feedback button on MSS website

The MSS is eager to hear from you! We are happy to announce a new feature at the top banner of our website at https://manoa.hawaii.edu/staffsenate/. The permanent feedback button links to a google form where you can share comments or suggestions about a variety of subjects. Rather than send out a new form each time an issue arises, we want you to be able to provide feedback at any time on any topic. We hope you will use this new feature to amplify your voice and let us know how we can help foster a healthy work environment for all! You can also reach us at any time through our MSS email: uhmstaff@hawaii.edu.

Letter to Provost Bruno

This past November, the MSS sent a letter to Provost Bruno to apprise him of various issues concerning our staff employees. To see a summary of the discussion from the most recent forum, please check out the recap summary here.

Telework Agreement and Ratification

Finally, you have probably seen an announcement that the University of Hawai‘i and HGEA have reached a tentative agreement (TA) on a supplemental agreement (SA) and policy relating to telework for HGEA, Bargaining Unit 8 (APTs). If you haven’t already seen it, please read Therese Nakadomori’s email from Thursday (Dec. 16, 2021) morning for more information about the agreement and about how to vote.  The electronic voting deadline is 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 23, 2021.

We wish you all a happy holiday season and hope you return rested and refreshed in the new year! See you all in 2022!