Seventeen seats are open this spring for new members of the Employee Assembly (EA), with voting scheduled for April 10-12.

The EA ensures staff involvement and representation in nonacademic and work-life matters, identifying concerns relating to staff and working with the university administration to seek solutions.

Applications to become a candidate will be available online March 19 and must be completed and submitted to the Office of  the Assemblies, 109 Day Hall or online by noon on March 26. All regular full-time and part-time staff members in nonexempt, exempt or academic non-professorial staff categories, who are employed at either the Ithaca or Geneva campus, are eligible to run as candidates.

The EA consists of 27 Cornell employee members and an additional retiree seat, currently shared by two retirees. Representation is needed for the following colleges and schools:

• Agriculture and Life Sciences;
• Graduate, Law and Cornell SC Johnson Schools;
• Hotel Administration;
• Industrial and Labor Relations;
• Human Ecology; and
• Veterinary Medicine.

Representatives are also needed for the following divisions, units and affinity groups:

• Alumni Affairs and Development;
• Financial Affairs, Budget and Planning;
• Research, Tech Transfer and Information Technology;
• Student and Campus Life;
• University Relations;
• Exempt representative;
• LGBTQ;
• Nonexempt staff;
• Staff representative with less than five years of service to Cornell;
• Veterans; and
• Women’s representative.

Interested employees must indicate on the candidate registration form the seat for which they are running. Should more than one candidate register for a particular seat, a vote by the staff body will be held. Those who are not voted in may be offered other empty seats for which they qualify.

The EA aims to ensure collaboration with key university stakeholders, advocate for all staff interests and improve the staff experience through regular engagement at every level of the university. Working closely with members of the administration, the EA encourages a higher visibility for employees as community members and more equal participation with faculty and students in the policy process.