NIU’s Supportive Professional Staff Council again will petition to gain representation on the Joint University Advisory Committee during the Dec. 13 University Council meeting.

SPSC Chairman Joan Greening said SPSC represents over 400 NIU employees. “SPSC is the voice for all counselors, coaches, librarians and even administrative offices such as the University Programming and Activities and University Legal Council. In other words, any member of the NIU administration that is not a tenured faculty member.

“SPSC represents a very large and diverse group, who presently have no way to voice their opinions on important matters which directly affect them,” Greening said.

SPSC petitioned the UC for JUAC representation last year, however the issue was tabled after a lengthy study by a UC committee. The committee report discussed possible options to grant SPSC representation, but the commitee did not endorse any of the alternatives.

“JUAC currently has a size limit of five members set by the Board of Regents,” Greening said. “One option would have asked the Board of Regents to increase the size of JUAC, but it was not included as a feasible option because all other schools under the Board would have to change their JUAC representation as well.”

J. Carroll Moody, UC executive secretary, said, “The main purpose of JUAC is to advise the Board of Regents on topics that affect NIU. JUAC members attend all Board meetings and present a formal reports to the Board. JUAC also reacts and comments on issues discussed by the Board.”

The Regents govern NIU, Illinois State University in Normal and Sangamon State University in Springfield.

JUAC is composed of four NIU faculty representatives and one representative of the operating staff.

Although the Board dictates the number of seats on JUAC, it does not require the council to maintain a specific composition, Moody said. He added some schools have student representatives on JUAC, although NIU does not.

Moody said the final decision on SPSC representation is up to the UC. “The way I see it, the only way to give SPSC a seat would be to reduce the representation of another group, which would have to be faculty since operating staff only has one seat as it is,” Moody said.

“The question is whether or not the faculty are willing to give up a seat,” Moody said, adding faculty, students and staff administrators will be able to voice their opinions before changes are made.