Ted Potter: Hello, I'm Theodore (Ted) Potter, the Staff Council representative from the College of Law.  I'm pleased to be speaking with Mr. James Jorris, councilor in his second year.

Hi, James. Thanks for joining me.

James Jorris: Thank you for having me.

Ted: Please tell us about yourself, where you work, how long you've been at the university and what you like about your work.

James: Well, I've been a proud member of the University of Iowa Community for over 20 years, first as a student and since 2007 as an employee at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Patient Financial Services. I've worked in various areas in the PFS Department and am currently a Revenue Cycle Coordinator for the imaging and payment posting teams.

Ted: So how did you hear about Staff Council and what inspired you to run for election?

James: Well, I heard about Staff Council through a former coworker who had retired and thought I'd be a good fit for Staff Council. All my life since growing up in Washington, D.C., I've been interested in politics and public service. I learned at an early age how important it is to serve your fellow man and make your community a better place.

As I've stated before, I've been a proud member of the UI community and that community has molded me from my days as a bright-eyed freshman to the adult I am today. So when I was approached to be a part of the University of Iowa Staff Council to help make a difference, I felt it was my duty to give back to a community that has given so much to me.

Ted: You’re the Co-Chair of the Staff Council Awards Committee. Tell us about your experience on that committee.

My experience on that committee has been very rewarding. We live in unprecedented times, sometimes tough times, and during these times I always think it's vitally important to honor the above and beyond deeds and efforts by our fellow colleagues across campus and celebrate that hard work,

Ted: Briefly, how would you encourage another staff person to run for Staff Council?

James: Well, I would definitely first tell them how rewarding it has been for me personally to be a part of Staff Council. It has been an honor to be part of this body and inspiring to see and hear all that my fellow members at Staff Council are doing for their own constituents. That passion and activism towards their fellow Hawkeyes by representing them at the university and at the University hospitals and clinics is a sight to see and has really drawn me more in and made me more proud to be a part Staff Council.

Secondly, I'd probably say it's been a great experience where you get to meet fellow staff from all over the university and learn all different aspects of UI around campus that make our community work. You get to visit different facilities. You get to attend great events.

As a council member as well, it's really rewarding to get out of your own little workplace bubble and experience the university as a whole and probably I would also lastly, tell them how great it is to be part of the solution and not sit on the sidelines. I like to get in there and be active and make my workplace and my community as best as can be, especially, like I said before, these are some unprecedented times, so I believe now more than ever, public service is important and it's vital to making our community a better place.

So thanks to Staff Council, our community is a great place to live in and our university is one of the finest institutions around which we're all proud to be a part of.