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Forum looks at staff/faculty common ground

Faculty and staff have much in common and common cause.

That was the word from Sue Estroff, faculty chair, who spoke at an Aug. 2 meeting of the Employee Forum.

Faculty and staff both claim Carolina as their workplace, and therefore both have a vested interest in seeing that Carolina is a good place to work, Estroff said. Employee benefits issues such as rising health insurance costs are a common concern as well as the physical state of campus, given the amount of campus construction, she said.

Estroff said faculty and staff also could work together to improve Carolina's image in the eyes of state legislators. Employees need to show lawmakers that they're working hard, not playing in a "sandbox," she said.

And Estroff said employees have a prime chance to shape Carolina's future, given changes in top leadership in the chancellor's and provost's offices as well as in finance and administration.

"This is an opportunity for us to think about how we've done things for 200 years," she said.

Interim Provost Richard "Dick" Edwards also addressed the forum, saying that he appreciates the work staff does on behalf of Carolina.

"We couldn't do it without you," he said.

Forum Chair Joanne Kucharski said she was heartened by the overtures from the academic side of campus.

"The doors are open," she said.

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