‘Purdue Pursuits’: Becoming a CSSAC member

Rendi Tharp thrives on interactions with others, but when the COVID-19 pandemic caused her to shift to temporary remote work shortly after being hired at Purdue, building those connections became a bit more challenging.

“Purdue is such a huge community, and I just didn’t feel like I was finding the connection,” says Tharp, now the senior program assistant in the College of Engineering’s Master of Engineering Management program. “I didn’t even know where to start. When the university shifted to remote work for the pandemic shortly after I started working, I wanted to find a way to connect with the community and see what else was here at Purdue.”

In her search for new opportunities to connect and interact with other Purdue employees, Tharp spotted a callout for the annual Campus Support Staff Advisory Committee (CSSAC) membership drive. She had considered joining CSSAC the previous year, but after stashing away the orange callout flyer, the opportunity came and went. This time, she was ready to step out of her comfort zone and dive in.

She filled out a brief application, completed a 30-minute interview and landed herself a spot on the committee a few months later. Tharp thought her time with CSSAC would be similar to past volunteer work she had completed for local schools, churches, the March of Dimes and Leadership Lafayette, but she quickly discovered that the committee and its members would completely reshape her experience as a Purdue employee.

“I figured it would be like the other committees I’d been on; I would just be a volunteer, we’d have our meetings and do our things,” Tharp says. “I never imagined what it would become for me, but I’m excited it did.”

Created in 1965 to provide an effective line of communication between campus support staff and the university administration, CSSAC offers engagement and professional development opportunities for clerical and service staff interested in contributing to conversations happening on and around campus.

The 25 voting members of CSSAC can join one of four subcommittees focusing on communication, outreach and education, activities for employees, and professional development and grants. In her two years as a CSSAC member, Tharp has had the opportunity to develop and enhance her leadership, organization, writing and presentation skills by serving on more than one subcommittee.

Starting out as a regular member of the outreach and education subcommittee, Tharp assisted others in organizing and presenting CSSAC information sessions to employees on campus. When the communication team needed support, she shifted gears and took on writing assignments for the spotlight stories in Campus Connection, CSSAC’s monthly newsletter. For Tharp, the frequent meetings and assignments aren’t just additional tasks she completes alongside her position; they’re activities that have helped her excel as an employee.

“I’ve gained more confidence because it’s helped me broaden my scope of who I know and what I do,” Tharp says. “I do more speaking now. I can be a social butterfly, but sometimes stepping out of your comfort zone into an area, especially writing, can be intimidating. I’m a talker, not a writer, so doing the writing piece really helped me grow. Writing is essential to my new role, and CSSAC prepared me for that. At my core, I love meeting new people and getting to know them outside of what they do at Purdue.”

Tharp’s networking opportunities aren’t ending any time soon. As the current vice chair of CSSAC, she’ll be stepping into the role of chair during the 2023-24 academic year. Working with current chair Laurie Hitze, Tharp strives to generate awareness about Purdue resources with other committee members and the employees they represent. After a recent presentation from the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences during one of CSSAC’s monthly meetings, a committee member let Tharp know just how much her work has helped others on campus. 

“He said, ‘I didn’t know about the services they can provide to Purdue employees until you guys brought that to the meeting. I’ve shared that with so many people, and it’s helped them save money on the cost of their hearing aids,’” Tharp says. “That makes me feel so good because we are getting important information out that’s actually helping people.”

Tharp never would have guessed that her CSSAC roles and responsibilities would eventually propel her to leadership of the committee. Over the past two years, she’s formed relationships with employees from all corners of campus, and now, she feels like she’s truly found her place. Tharp is confident that joining CSSAC can help others do the same.

“Even though the university seems so large, we’re really a tight-knit group,” she says. “I’ve met so many people that have become my mentors and cheerleaders in what I’m doing with the committee. I truly feel like what I first thought was just a huge organization has now become more like a big family. You’re going to meet a great group of people that you’ll be connected to for a long time, but also, I don’t think you’ll truly know what impact you can have unless you step out of your own comfort zone and try.”

How you can participate 

Applications for CSSAC’s spring 2023 membership drive are open through April 7.

Five positions are open for three-year terms, which will begin June 13. Clerical and service staff should expect to dedicate at least 10 hours a month to serving on the committee. All applicants must have supervisor approval to be considered.

Questions about CSSAC or the membership drive can be directed to tharpr@purdue.edu.