Allyson Holliday has been an employee of UA Libraries for over 20 years. She catalogs rare books and published materials for special collections. She is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary community studies through UA’s New College LifeTrack program.
Holliday is serving her fifth term as president of the Office, Clerical and Technical Staff Assembly.
What were some of OCTSA’s highlights this past year?
OCTSA hosted a variety of guest speakers from across campus last academic year. These included colleagues from the Alabama REACH, New College LifeTrack, Human Resources, University Club and Crossroads. The staff reclassification and compensation plan implementation was a high priority. Thank you to Susan Norton for attending multiple meetings to answer questions and solicit feedback.
Professional development-wise, we offered a Harbor training session by the Women and Gender Resource Center, and a session on effective communication and respect for differences presented by Crossroads.
Our outreach activities included a book drive for House Tuscaloosa and supporting Alabama REACH students by purchasing items from their Amazon wish list.
In May 2024, the Outstanding Staff Awards were presented to Shelly Davis, administrative specialist for the Capstone Center for Student Success, and Casey Evans, registrations services associate. The annual awards recognize two employees from among the office, clerical and technical staff whose exceptional ability, performance and attitude have advanced the mission of The University of Alabama.
We also applaud the opening of the Capstone Learning Academy for the child care needs of faculty, staff and students. The Faculty Senate, PSA, OCTSA and SGA all worked together for many years to bring this to fruition!
What are some of OCTSA’s goals and major projects for the 2024-2025 academic year?
Addressing salary compression and career advancement opportunities with the reclassification and new compensation structure is a goal of high priority. Projects will include a revision of the assembly by-laws to reflect evolving best practices and our current structure. We will also continue to provide professional development and outreach opportunities for staff members.
An exciting development for this year is the first OCTSA Endowed Scholarship for hourly staff who are also students at UA. We are currently working on establishing the award criteria and application process.
OCTSA will continue to work closely with members of the Faculty Senate, PSA and Student Government Association to engage in projects and policy recommendations aimed at addressing employee concerns and improving campus life.
What was the biggest lesson OCTSA learned from the past year that will impact the assembly going forward?
Unfortunately, not all representatives are able to leave their offices to attend meetings. Therefore, assembly meetings will continue to be held in a mixture of Zoom and in-person formats. We have also switched the assembly meeting schedule to the second Tuesday of each month. This will allow for the OCTSA president to attend Faculty Senate meetings going forward. The OCTSA vice president will attend PSA meetings. Sharing of information and ideas between the employee groups is of utmost importance!
How can more employees get involved with OCTSA?
All full-time OCT staff employed by UA for at least six months are eligible to serve on the assembly. Anyone interested in joining OCTSA can send an email to octstaff@ua.edu or contact any officer. For more information and announcements visit the OCTSA website or one of our social media pages on Facebook or X, formerly known as Twitter.
What is one thing you would like for members or potential members to know about OCTSA?
OCTSA seeks to support a vibrant UA community through interactions with other employee groups, UA standing committees, campus programs and peers. Serving on the assembly is a great way to make connections with colleagues across campus.
Contact
Jennifer Brady, UA Strategic Communications, jennifer.brady@ua.edu