The Classified Staff Council at Colorado State University-Pueblo operates largely unknown at times, but has gone to great lengths to improve the lives and financial situations of all its employees through astute and calculated measures.

There are three categories of employees at CSU-Pueblo: faculty, administrators and the classified staff. The council was formed in order to aid classified employees, which covers everything from custodial services and maintenance workers to secretaries and information technology workers.

Council president Vicki Becker, who has worked extensively for the board, detailed what the council sets out to do.

“It’s to make sure classified employees have a voice,” Becker said, summarizing the general focus of the group.

The formation of this council has allowed its employees to serve as an advisory group for the university president, which in turn has allowed the employees to actually be able to control some aspects of their position and possibilities at the university.

This group has also accomplished the often elusive goal of communication. With “classified employees” covering a broad range of workers, creating a forum for workers to truly communicate may be difficult but the classified council has been able to excel in that capacity reaching out by meeting every month and being readily available at the Administration Building.

One of the most significant functions that the council accomplishes is looking out for the families of classified employees. The best example of this would be the various scholarships that the council awards in each semester that are made exclusive toward family members of classified employees at the campus.

Awarding up to four $1,000 scholarships each year, the council has put an emphasis on how important it is to aid members’ families and that starts at the very institution that the council operates.

To get this scholarship money, the council has conducted a litany of creative projects and events that initiate student, faculty and general community engagement.

Some of these events include selling various items. This could be anything from basic food and crafts that are made by council members to actual cookbooks.

One unique event that pulls in the community is the Craft Fair that the council holds every fall to gain awareness to several artistic projects. This coming fall may face difficulties for the fair due to the ongoing construction of the new Occhiato University Center Building but Becker has reassured that they are still planning on holding the Craft Fair.

Some close upcoming events that the council is holding include two unique raffles that are open to the general campus and community.

The first raffle is what the council calls a “50/50 Raffle” where half of the proceeds will go toward the raffle winner and the other half will go toward the scholarship fund.

The tickets are currently being sold for $1 for one or $5 for six, with the winner being announced at the Employee Recognition Luncheon on April 21, 2016.

The other raffle is what Becker is calling a “Dollar Prize Raffle” where people buy tickets for prizes that were donated by the community and council members. The tickets for this raffle are being sold for the same prices as the “50/50 Raffle.”

To purchase a ticket, contact a classified staff member at the administration building, such as president Becker or Vice President Loretta Cisneros.

With big events going on at this very moment, the Classified Staff Council continues its efforts to make their members and employees lives better as well as connect with the community.