STAFF COUNCIL MEETING
Thursday, March 25, 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 Mike Augustine. Excused: Cindy Potts. Absent: Doris Henderson. Guests: Monica Wood and Tammy Shelton.
Call to Order. Rose Murner called the meeting to order at 2:01 p.m.
Approval of Minutes. A motion was made, seconded, and approved to accept the minutes of the February meeting as written.
Present Employee Priority follow-up. As a follow-up to items discussed at our last meeting, Paula Jefferson shared information she had collected from other USG schools concerning present employee priority for job openings, promotion information, and posting of minimum/maximum salaries for open positions. Paula indicated that the collection of this type of information was very time consuming and too much for one person to handle. (The person who originally volunteered to help her collect the information is no longer an employee.) She asked for a committee to be formed to check into this information further. Rose will check with Quintus Sibley to see if we would be able to form an ad hoc committee and see if we could get people outside Staff Council who would be willing to serve. We would have more than one Staff Council representative on the committee.
There was some discussion about the best way in which to get more information without forming a committee. Listserves are generally helpful in gathering information from a particular group. It was agreed that the Human Resource Directors at each institution would be the best contacts. A generic e-mail could be posted to the listserve for that group, and Bonnie Sims could be the point of contact for the information and forward it to Paula.
After Rose talks with Quintus about the possibility of the ad hoc committee, we will move forward on this issue.
Suggestions received from Susan Daniels. Susan Daniels made several suggestions about possible classes and/or training opportunities. We no longer have a training coordinator available, and there are no plans to reinstate that position due to budget cuts. Since we have numerous resources for training opportunities available here on campus, several delegates volunteered to talk with different people in their areas to see what types of training we could secure; for example, inviting faculty to give a talk during a brown bag luncheon, asking Continuing Education about offering specific courses for employees, and asking our graduate students to offer talks and training. Ann Portwood will check on resources in the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Carol Brown will check with Eve Puckett in the Centennial Center. Rose will check with Artis Williamson in Continuing Education. Depending on the outcome of that conversation, Neil Jones will check with Bonnie Sims. Paula will check with faculty in the School of Business.
We still have funds available for staff development, and we want to encourage staff to use these funds before the end of the fiscal year.
Parking. As always, parking is an issue. Someone sent a parking question to Rose, she forwarded it to President Leland, and then Rose will post the Q&A on the Staff Council web page.
There will be a new master plan drawn up this summer, and parking will be included. A Staff Council representative will have input in the master plan.
Spring Staff Excellence Award Ceremony update. Ann gave an update on the spring ceremony. It will be on Thursday, April 22, at 9:00 in MSU Lounge. Plans are progressing nicely thanks to the hard work of the committee that includes: Neil Jones, Kathy Hill, Susan Demmon, Carol Brown, Cindy Potts, and Sheryl Snow. The deadline for nominations for the award is 5:00 p.m. on April 7.
Shared leave pool update. Bonnie reported to Rose that we won’t need to develop our own guidelines for the shared leave. The BOR is developing a system-wide policy and will vote on it at the meeting on April 20 & 21.
Nomination/election schedule. Rose discussed the schedule for nominations/elections, and the information about the process will be distributed after our next meeting on May 20. The following delegates are ending their terms this year: Ann Portwood, Kim Ireland, Susan Demmon, Kathy Hill, and Jennifer Brooker. Doris Henderson is confirmed to take the opening recently vacated by Terri Ann Hollar.
Other Business
Neil introduced Tammy Shelton, Administrative Assistant in the Office of Academic Affairs. Tammy is scheduling the Adopt Carol nights for Carol Chaklos, and she gave the group an update on the success of this endeavor. Sheryl Snow made an offer on behalf of the Grounds Crew to provide yard work for Carol, and Tammy will coordinate that effort. Kim Ireland also shared a thank-you from Carol for the Valentine’s Day present she received.
We received a nice thank-you note from the family we adopted at Christmas. The card is posted on the Staff Council web site.
Barbara Monnett let the group know that the Staff Opportunities brochure is being updated.
Rose shared information on the upcoming Staff Advisory Council Annual Conference that will be held October 7 and 8 at Columbus State University in Columbus, Georgia.
There was a question about whether or not Kid’s University was offered at a discount to university employees. Employees don’t get a discount, but those who purchase the entire package of activities do pay a lower price.
Susan Demmon gave a budget report. We still have staff development funds available, and we would like to encourage staff to take advantage of development opportunities. We have encumbered funds for the ice cream social, the award ceremony, and the updated staff brochure.
Sheryl shared some suggestions she had received from employees in her area. Some of the grounds crew employees are in need of walkie talkies. Stop signs are needed at West Campus Drive at the West Complex. (Update from the last meeting: Rose told the group that the DOT is going to post signs at the crosswalks around campus at no charge to the university.) Sheryl also posed a question about going back to a 4 ½ day workweek on campus since there are lots of other USG schools that are on this type of schedule. We are a residential campus and don’t want to go back to being a commuter campus. It would be too difficult to fulfill our mission if we were seen as a commuter campus, so there are no plans to change our work schedule. Most of the schools that are on a modified work week are commuter campuses.
The meeting was adjourned at 3:30 p.m. Proposed dates for upcoming meetings are: 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.