(CALLED) STAFF COUNCIL MEETING
Thursday, February 5, 2004
2:00 p.m., Chappell 102
Present: Rose Murner (presiding), Carol Brown, Barbara Monnett, Neil Jones, Ann Portwood, Kathy Hill, Susan Demmon, Kim Ireland, Jennifer Brooker, Paula Jefferson, Sheryl Snow, and Teri Hollar. Excused: Cindy Potts. Absent: Mike Augustine. Guests: President Dorothy Leland and Quintus Sibley.
Call to Order. Rose Murner called the meeting to order at 2:00 p.m.
Approval of Minutes. A motion was made, seconded, and approved to accept the minutes of the December meeting as written.
New Business
Dress Down Day for the American Heart Association. The week of February 23-27 will be a Week of Wellness on campus. On that Friday, February 27, we will have a “Dress Down Day” to benefit the American Heart Association. Employees may purchase ribbons for $1 that allow them to wear jeans on February 27. President Dorothy Leland approved. More information will be forthcoming.
Carol Chaklos. A staff member recently asked whether or not Staff Council has done or could do anything as a group for Carol. We talked about some different needs Carol has and decided that we could give her a special Valentine’s Day gift. Neil Jones and Barbara Monnett will coordinate this gift from Staff Council.
Cemetery Tours. Barbara had received a suggestion about touring a local cemetery. She has talked with Dr. Bob Wilson about hosting the tour. He’ll be glad to host a spring tour of Memory Hill Cemetery for interested staff. He could host both a morning and an afternoon tour to allow more employees to participate. Barbara will draft a proposal to send to Rose and Dr. Leland. Dr. Leland will have to discuss the proposal with her staff before she is able to give employees permission to take time away from their jobs to attend the tours. More information will follow.
Comprehensive Online Calendar. Mitch Clarke was unable to attend the meeting, so we will table this item until the next meeting.
Paula Jefferson items. Paula brought forth several items for inclusion on the agenda. Some of them have already been addressed under the feedback issues section of these minutes. Others were:
1. Create or make available certificate programs to allow employees to move in to better paying jobs within GCSU. Tabled until the next meeting.
2. Review rules with all administrators concerning staff promotions. Tabled until the next meeting.
3. Update the personnel handbook and organize it to be more user friendly. RESPONSE: The handbook has recently been updated, and Human Resources is investigating the possibility of putting an even more recently updated version on the web.
4. Educate new faculty, staff, and students about the crosswalks. RESPONSE: Ken Vance meets with new students and their parents each year at the beginning of fall term and talks with them about the crosswalks. Rose will check with him about getting signs posted near the crosswalks that alert motorists that it is illegal to run through crosswalks when pedestrians are there.
5. Ask the president to have a “Friday with Dr. Leland” to allow staff to schedule a short meeting with her during an allotted time on Friday afternoons. Staff could use this time to discuss any issues with her they’d like. Tabled until the next meeting.
Opportunities Brochure. Our Staff Council opportunities brochure needs to be updated. This brochure is intended for our new and prospective staff members. Barbara volunteered to chair the committee to update the brochure, and Ann Portwood, Susan Demmon, and Teri Hollar volunteered to serve with her.
Feedback Issues
The following items have been submitted via feedback avenues:
Parking
Number of Staff Representatives
Salary Ranges at GCSU
Preferred Status
Staff Excellence Ceremony Process
Mail Service
Wellness Depot
All of the items (with the exception of the Wellness Depot) have been addressed on the Staff Council website at the Q&A section. To see these questions and answers, please go to http://info.gcsu.edu/intranet/staff_council/fy2003_qa.htm.
In addition to the answers already posted on the web site, the following actions were taken on some of the items:
1. Rose will send out another message listing ways in which staff may keep themselves informed on Staff Council meetings and discussions.
2. Paula Jefferson will chair a committee to gather more information on salary ranges and preferred status/promoting from within. Teri will serve on the committee with her. They will report their findings at the next meeting.
Someone wondered why faculty and staff were not allowed to use the new Wellness Depot. The facility will be available to faculty and staff after this semester, but there will be an as yet undecided fee associated with the use of the facility. The fees will also be paid on an annual basis. Interim President Dave Brown wanted to get some idea of how much students would use the facility, so they were the only group allowed to use it during its first semester of operation. To open up the facility to faculty and staff will require more resources. More information will be forthcoming.
One delegate asked about the possibility of moving the workout equipment from Centennial Center to the Health Sciences building to allow easier access from the main campus. There is not enough room in the Health Sciences building for the equipment. The Centennial Center is easily accessible for those who want to use its facilities, and it’s open from 7:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. unless otherwise noted.
Old Business
Shared Leave Program. Rose distributed handouts of a draft for the Shared Leave Program: Purpose, Policy, and Procedures. Delegates are to carefully consider the proposal and send their feedback to Rose and Quintus Sibley. Revisions will be made if needed. Then the draft will be considered further by Staff Council, President Leland and her executive staff, university governance, and finally the Board of Regents. The shared leave program will benefit all employees, not just staff.
Pay Study. President Leland is well aware of our concerns about the pay study. Rose has met with her about it, and President Leland is reviewing the background information on the study now. She wants to work with her staff to develop some multi-year strategies for addressing the problems that emerged from the study. President Leland will be in contact with the consultant to get a clear picture of the study so she can present a proposal before the Board. Rose thanked her for her work on this study and for attending the meeting.
The meeting was adjourned at 3:30 p.m. Proposed dates for upcoming meetings are: March 18, May 20, and June 17. All meetings will be at 2:00 p.m. in Chappell 102 unless otherwise noted. Other meetings may be added as needed.