Marina Amaran is the College of Law’s Digital Communications Manager. She has been in her role for over six years, creating clear communications that entice, delight, and inform. She is a member of the local community.
In 2024, the College of Law decided to implement a Staff Advisory Council (SAC) so a few staff members could meet for an hour a month to discuss how we can make a real impact on employee morale.
I was nominated to the council and accepted a two-year term. At first, it felt like another meeting on my calendar. It felt daunting. I thought to myself: What was I going to do about morale? Isn’t that a leadership problem to solve?
At our first meeting, we began to find our footing as a council. Inaugural members included Jesse Alvarez, Rhonda Bleisner, Timothy Innes, Kelly Kovacic, and John Resotko. We asked ourselves questions like, “How can we ensure this is effective?” “How do we ensure staff members are being heard, and how do we ensure it’s a safe space for them?”
In my first year, the SAC focused on making sure staff members were heard, and we planned events that could bring a light atmosphere of community to College of Law staff. In my second year, we continued that work and created opportunities for all staff to spend an afternoon volunteering.
Being a member of the Staff Advisory Council may have added a few more tasks to my workday, but the fruits of the labor were always so rewarding. It was nice to see the impact small gestures, like hot dogs in the Castle Boardroom, had on morale. Our biggest event, the annual Resource Fair, was a collaborative effort that brought joy and knowledge about the community surrounding us, both on and off campus.
Beyond seeing and feeling a positive change in morale at the law college, it was also a great gift to have the opportunity to get to know staff members I did not regularly interact with in my role. That new interaction gave me a broader perspective on how other departments worked and what they were up to.
I would certainly encourage anyone to accept a nomination to a Staff Advisory Council position. The positive impact it has had on me is something I hold dear. It allowed me to be part of something bigger through small acts of kindness.