Join us for our annual Halloween event on Monday, October 31. This year's event we will be working to raise donations to the United Way of the Bluegrass, an organization that focuses on fighting for the basic needs, education and financial stability of every person in Central Kentucky.  

Potluck Sign-up  (no entry fee)

Costume Contest (no entry fee, just show up!) 

United Way Fundraising Activities: 

Corn Hole Tournament 

• $5 Entry Fee 
• Deadline to enter: October 21 
• Win the “Boss of the Toss” Trophy and a $50 Ramsey's Diner gift certificate! 
• Sign-up here 
• There will also be a bracket contest after the first round of players are chosen
•  $1 bracket entry 
• Win swag! 
• Bracket ranks will be released October 24. You will have till October 31 at 11:30 am to submit your bracket 

Chili and Dessert Cook-off 

• $5 Entry fee
• The chili cook-off winner will win the "Battle of the Bowl" Trophy" and a $25 Bourbon & Toulouse gift card
• The dessert cook-off winner will receive the "You Take the Cake" Trophy and a $25 gift card to European Delights bakery
• Sign-up here 

Count the Candy Contest 

• $1 per guess 
• Vote at the event 
• Win the candy! 

Pumpkin Decorating (Virtual Event) 

• Free entry 
• Deadline to enter: October 24
• Pay to vote (bidpal)

• • Vote October 24 – October 28 

For more information about the United Way go to: https://unitedwaycampaign.uky.edu/ or contact Teresa Smith (teresa.smith@uky.edu).

On Tuesday, May 4th, the Arts and Sciences Staff Council will be hosting the second iteration of 'Conversations with the Dean'.  This event will involve a very small group (approximately 6 staff members) meeting with Interim Dean Brady in a calm, low-key, digital environment to get to know one another and ask questions.  While each of us is very appreciative of the townhalls and webinars hosted by University leadership, the A&S Staff Council thought an event in this format would be a better opportunity to truly connect and get to know the Dean.

That said, we also understand that many people do not enjoy public speaking, but that their questions and voices are just as important.  

With that in mind, and if you are willing, we would ask that each of you read through and fill out the survey at the link below:

https://forms.office.com/r/MQyRWBu5xK

We will be accepting survey responses through Wednesday April 28th and hope to have staff attendee selections finished by Friday April 30th.  Invited staff will be sent a separate email containing a Zoom link.  Finally, if there are a high volume of staff members interested in attending, selections will be made at random and a second, similar event will be considered for some point in the future.

Again, and as always, please let us know if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.  Thank you!

Due to the pandemic the Staff Council was unable to host the 2019 Outstanding Staff Awards this past summer. Nonetheless, the Staff Council and the college still wish to identify and honor staff for their work from the 2019 calendar year. The 2019 Outstanding Staff Awards will take place via zoom on Friday April 23rd 2021 from 2-3 pm. Please note this is for the delayed 2019 Outstanding Staff Awards. The 2020 Outstanding Staff Awards will take place later this calendar year. Please register for the event via https://uky.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwrc-2oqz4tGNHpKpYxtGfV-BlOdEr-0e51.

Completed nomination forms must be submitted by Friday April 2, 2021.  Information on eligibility/criteria and the nomination form can be found here.

Please view the eligibilty requirements and award details here.

Please reach out to the Staff Council with any questions.

The Staff Council is offering March Madess Trivia! Watch the NCAA tournament and get into the spirit! (Even if we won't be able to cheer on the Cats very much this year).

There will once again be two opportunities to win a bundt cake. The first trivia is generic March Madness/basketball/UK trivia. Many various fun questions to answer! The link can be found via https://uky.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_d6FbijxK8rFXXfw. The deadline to submit the trivia link is Friday April 2nd by the end of the day.

The second March Madness Trivia link can be found via https://uky.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5AR5IPelGDE3ZTU. This is based on the outcome of the tournament. You will pick the Final Four, Championship teams, and overall Championship winner, along with some other questions. This trivia is due Friday March 26th by the end of the day. 

Big Blue Slam – 2021

JANUARY 25 - JANUARY 29

Save a Life and Beat the Gators During Big Blue Slam!

Save a life, and show your Wildcat pride. Donate blood Jan. 25-29 to help Kentucky slam the Gators in the 13th annual Big Blue Slam blood battle. Donate at any of the below drives on campus and you’ll receive a long-sleeved Slam T-shirt, perfect for showing your Wildcat pride during basketball season, and a $5 Starbucks gift card (campus drives only).

About Big Blue Slam

Big Blue Slam is a friendly competition between the blood donors of Kentucky Blood Center and LifeSouth Blood Center in Gainesville, Fla. It’s a fun tradition, but most importantly, Slam donations help ensure enough blood is on the shelves for the thousands of Kentucky and Florida patients who will require transfusions during the winter months. Florida won last year and tied the series at 6-6! Click below to sign up for a time slot.

2021 Big Blue Slam Mobile Blood Drives

Monday, Jan. 25

UK Lewis Honors College – 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

UK Buell Armory (College of Arts & Sciences) – 6 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 26

UK Lewis Honors College – 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

UK Patterson Hall – 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 27

UK Lewis Honors College – 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

UK Patterson Hall – 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 28

UK Lewis Honors College – 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

UK Patterson Hall – 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 29

UK Lewis Honors College – 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

UK Buell Armory (College of Arts & Sciences) – 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

On Tuesday, January 26th, the Arts and Sciences Staff Council will be hosting the first ever 'Conversations with the Dean' event.  This event will involve a very small group (approximately 6 staff members) meeting with Interim Dean Brady in a calm, low-key, digital environment to get to know one another and ask questions.  While each of us is very appreciative of the townhalls and webinars hosted by University leadership, the A&S Staff Council thought an event in this format would be a better opportunity to truly connect and get to know the Dean.

That said, we also understand that many people do not enjoy public speaking, but that their questions and voices are just as important.  

With that in mind, and if you are willing, we would ask that each of you read through and fill out the survey at the link below:

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=C1MwK7ZpV0S4GEgctT1CruZbNC0HWRhPkM4W9x_54lxURFJVMDY2VDYwNFlVSlA5MTZTR1NXMkwwWS4u

We will be accepting survey responses through Wednesday, January 20th, and hope to have staff attendee selections finished by Friday, January 22nd.  Invited staff will be sent a separate email containing a Zoom link.  Finally, if there are a high volume of staff members interested in attending, selections will be made at random and a second, similar event will be considered for some point in the future.

Again, and as always, please let us know if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.  Thank you!

The Arts and Sciences Staff Council will be joining forces with the University of Kentucky Children's Hospital for their annual Holiday Donation Drive. Between now and Thursday December 17th at 3 pm, we will be accepting donations to benefit the kids and young adults in the UK Children's Hospital. A list of needs can be found here . Amidst the pandemic, there are three different ways to donate:

1. Donations can be dropped off at Becca Roark's office, POT 271, anytime between 7am and 4pm each day.
2. If you are uncomfortable or unable to come to campus, you can also send funds to Becca via Venmo and she will go shop for items still on the list. Please Venmo @beccaroark with the subject "Staff Council Holiday Drive"
3. You may also shop online and have the donations shipped directly to the hospital via the Online Wish List.

If you have any questions, please reach out to any member of the Staff Council board. Let's wrap 2020 up by helping kids and families right here in our own UK community!

The Arts and Sciences Staff Council will be hosting its own Holiday Trivia 2020 style via an online link. Complete the trivia quiz the last week before the break Thursday December 10th - Friday December 18th. Questions range from holiday music, movies, food, treats, traditions, etc. Winners will be announced Friday December 18th and will be featured on the A&S Staff council Instagram page! Be on the lookout for the link emailed out on the 14th! 

There are twenty questions ranging from holiday music to history to food. You will have until December 17th at 5pm to answer the questions and on December 18th we will announce the winners.  Only the first attempt will count. The winner will receive a homemade Bundt cake by our own Catherine Brereton. You can choose from Peppermint Chocolate Mocha, Gingerbread and Pear, Eggnog, or Citrus Spiced Fruit.

The trivia can be found via this link.

Happy Holidays from everyone in the A&S Staff Council!

Big Blue Crush 2020 – UK Campus

NOVEMBER 16 - NOVEMBER 20

Roll up your sleeves, Cats fans! It’s time for Big Blue Crush, our annual blood battle against Tennessee. Save a life, and help Kentucky win by donating blood Nov. 16–20.

Campus blood donors will receive a limited edition long-sleeve Big Blue Crush T-shirt and a $5 Starbucks gift card.

Due to COVID-19 and to maintain social distancing, appointments are preferred. However, walk-ins will be accepted and processed as space allows. To schedule an appointment, call 800-775-2522 or scroll down and click on a blood drive listed below.

UK CAMPUS DRIVES

Monday, November 16

Buell Armory (6 a.m. – 3 p.m.)

Lewis Honors College (10 a.m. – 5 p.m.)

Tuesday, November 17

Lewis Honors College (10 a.m. – 5 p.m.)

Patterson Building (10 a.m. – 2 p.m.)

Wednesday, November 18

Lewis Honors College (10 a.m. – 5 p.m.)

Patterson Building (10 a.m. – 2 p.m.)

Thursday, November 19

Lewis Honors College (10 a.m. – 5 p.m.)

Patterson Building (10 a.m. – 2 p.m.)

Friday, November 20

Lewis Honors College (10 a.m. – 5 p.m.)

Buell Armory (10 a.m. – 5 p.m.)

Between now and October 28^th, please submit Halloween photos via email to asstaffcouncil@uky.edu of the following categories: 

1. Best Individual Costume (Can be a full body shot or in a zoom frame)
2. Best Pet Costume 
3. Best Decor
   1. Can be a zoom background
   2. Can be a window or a door
   3. Any decor is encouraged!

From October 29^th to October 30^th we will open polling for all staff to vote on their favorite costumes in each category.  Winners will be announced (and fun trophies awarded!) on October 30^th!