With Election Day approaching, employees may have questions about engaging in political campaign and public advocacy activities on campus. Political Activity and Public Advocacy on Campus: Guidelines for Fall 2024 provides information on rights, restrictions, and resources. Employees and students should use this information to guide their decisions in this election season and to find answers to questions about permissible campaign and political activity.

The Pringle Award, named for Elizabeth S. Pringle, is an acknowledgment of University Staff excellence. The winner of the Pringle Award is selected from all submitted nominations reviewed by a five-person committee of University Staff Shared Governance. Nominations may be submitted by anyone and can be up to 600 words in length to tell the story of the nominee from the perspective of the nominator. Any employee designated as University Staff who has completed their final probation is eligible to be nominated. The winner of the award receives $1,000 in compensation (subject to normal tax deductions). Nominations should be sent to John Lease, secretary of University Staff, at john.lease@wisc.edu by 1 p.m. on Monday, November 11.

As part of UW–Madison’s ongoing commitment to maintaining a professional and respectful work environment, the university upholds policies on nepotism and consensual relationships. These policies outline the guidelines and expectations regarding employment and supervisory relationships among family members and close associates. These policies are in place to ensure fairness and transparency in our workplace, as well as to prevent any potential conflicts of interest or perceptions of favoritism. All members of the UW–Madison community are encouraged to review these policies and ensure that they are in compliance. The Nepotism policy is available at policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-5046 and the Consensual Relationships policy is available at policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-5048. A form to report possible conflicts of interest is available on both policy pages.

Go Big Read, UW–Madison’s common reading program, is seeking suggestions for next year’s book. Visit the Go Big Read website to suggest a book relating to contemporary issues of broad interest to the campus community. Suggestions will be accepted through Nov. 13.