Claims of inadequate representation on the University Council by NIU operating staff and supporting professional staff have resulted in a committee to study the problem.

The action followed pressure in spring of 1989 by the staff councils for a stronger voice in university governance.

The committee has assigned two members from the UC Internal Affairs committee and two members from the Rules committee to choose people to study the representation issue.

J. Carroll Moody, UC executive secretary, said both staffs have representation, but they have requested membership on certain committees.

At the last UC meeting on Sept. 6, the UC approved both operating staff and supporting professional staff representation on the bookstore advisory committee and library advisory committee.

Supporting staff has asked for representation on the Joint University Advisory Council. Operating staff has JUAC representation, Moody said.

The JUAC currently has a five-member Board of Regents advisory group with four NIU faculty members and one operating staff member. Each regency university is allowed to have five members on its advisory group. The board does not specify who should comprise this group, Moody said.

NIU, Illinois State University in Normal and Sangamon State University in Springfield are the three regency universities.

Last spring, the supporting staff’s request to have representation on the JUAC was tabled, and “there is no movement to take it off the table,” Moody said.

The issue of giving representation to someone who does not have it currently means “someone else loses, something has to give,” Moody said. “People are not yet ready to confront (the issue).”

The UC has requested that both operating staff and professional staff enter into a dialogue on how they might cooperate. They might share representation on a rotating basis, so that one time there is operating staff representation, and another time there is professional staff representation, Moody said.

The two staff councils have entered into some discussion, cooperation and sharing, Moody said.