The final Employee Council meeting of the calendar year took place in the business school, Dec. 13. The two-hour meeting featured a pair of guest speakers and closed with the council’s holiday party.

Guest speaker Terry Eiesland, associate director of International Student and Scholar Programs, opened the meeting by asking staff to participate in a Universitywide world issues workshop scheduled for April 5.

The workshop, a Year of Reconciliation event, will put its 200 participants in charge of the world for four hours with the intent of employing them as global problem solvers.

Participants will take on roles as leaders in the United Nations, world health and environmental organizations, or members of the international media, for example. They will negotiate with other role-players to help solve the world’s problems.

Eiesland said that the goal is to recruit 150 students, 25 faculty members and 25 staff members to participate. Spots will be offered on a first-come-first-serve basis.

"I don’t think any campus event is totally successful unless staff members are involved," Eiesland said. "Students need to see staff members participate."

One of the main hurdles to staff participation, Eiesland said, was ensuring participants would receive work credit for participating (the event is scheduled after hours, from 5:30–9:30 p.m.). He asked the council to lobby "the powers that be" so that staff participants could possibly work a half-day on April 5, then spend four hours in the evening at the workshop. The council leadership agreed to look into the matter.

Eiesland reiterated that he was not asking for funding, only participation and promotion. Several council members expressed interest in taking part.

Following Eiesland’s presentation, the council shifted to internal business. The council heard reports from its representatives on the University Senate and the Lullwater Task Force committee.

After Laquanda Jackson, co-chair of the membership committee, made a final call for nominations for next year’s officer elections, Bill McBride, chair of the special issues committee, discussed an upcoming seminar open to the entire Emory community entitled "Servant as Leader," which the council will sponsor in February.

McBride said the event would be especially good for supervisors because it will present workplace situations from the perspective of employees.

The meeting’s final guest speaker was Bob Ethridge, associate vice president and director of Equal Opportunity Programs, which sponsors the council. Ethridge discussed the responsibilities of the EOP office. "We have a right to meddle in everybody else’s business," he quipped.

Ethridge then got serious. He stated the office’s mission—to help University administration interpret federal and state laws concerning equal opportunity and affirmative action.

Ethridge also outlined the program’s growth and discussed its relationship to the council. When staff members make a formal accusation of sexual harassment against another staff member, Ethridge said, EOP forms a panel to investigate the allegation. Employee Council members often sit on these panels.

Ethridge added that EOP prefers to resolve issues, including those involving allegations of sexual harassment, informally. But procedures are in place to address problems of all sorts.

The next Employee Council meeting is scheduled for Jan. 17, from 2–4 p.m., in the Jones Room of Woodruff Library.

If you have a question or comment about Employee Council, send e-mail to Susan Cook-Prince at scook01@emory.edu.