UNC employees build literary connections

UNC staff members are fostering relationships across departments at monthly meetings of the Employee Forum’s book club.

Since October 2013, the Employee Forum has held free book discussions for all staff members on topics ranging from Native American identity and ethnicity to politics and what it means to be happy.

Katie Turner, chairwoman of the public relations and communication committee of the Employee Forum, said the book discussions help connect departments within the University.

“I think that it serves a social function. Staff that don’t usually get out from across the University get to come and meet staff from across the University,” Turner said.

Turner, who also frequently engages in the book club, said the discussions provide an environment for participants to express their opinions.

“There is also this great intellectual discussion in these meetings. Most of us are in offices from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. sitting in front of our computers, and we don’t get to have these rich intellectual discussions,” Turner said.

“The main benefit is that staff get to have their intellectual contributions heard and listened to and exchanged. Faculty get a lot of interaction with different ideas, but sometimes staff being siloed into their departments don’t get that opportunity.”

Charles Streeter, chairman of the Employee Forum, said he also enjoys participating in the discussions.

“It’s very interesting to talk to people and get different perspectives,” Streeter said. “We definitely talk about the book, but we also talk about deeper issues that come up depending on what the reading is.”

Since the book club’s creation in 2013, it has been held in the back of the Bull’s Head Bookshop. Stacie Smith, manager of the Bull’s Head Bookshop, said she appreciates having the discussion group at the store every month.

“We’re really pleased to have them here,” Smith said, “I’m impressed with the selections they’ve had so far, fiction and non-fiction. It’s a great thing.”

Turner said some of the books that yielded the most participation were “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot and “Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead” by Sheryl Sandberg, which dealt with medical ethics and women’s empowerment respectively.

A typical book club meeting begins with pizza or other catered food. Members then sit in a circle and delve into the subject at hand. Through friendly discussion, book club participants said they began to feel closer to their colleagues.

“It’s a good way to see how other people think of different topics,” said Margie Scott, administrative support specialist for Diversity and Multicultural Affairs.

Participants, including Employee Forum Executive Assistant Matthew Banks, say the book club is immensely important to them.

“It’s a chance to speak instead of being spoken to,” Banks said.

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