MINUTES UAF STAFF COUNCIL MEETING #114 Wednesday, February 2, 2000 Wood Center Ballroom I Irene Downes called the meeting to order at 8:35 a.m. MEMBERS PRESENT: MEMBERS ABSENT: Anderson, L. Candler, R. Baergen, A. Culbertson, S. Baumann, M. Dekerlegand York, D. Brown, E. Hazelton, G. Comstock, S. Parzick, J. Downes, I. Renfro, C. Evans, LJ Rogers, P. Hagen, D. Simmons, H. Heineken, H. Wilson, K. Lewis, M. Martyn, P. OTHERS PRESENT: Powell, D. Branley, C. Scholle, M. Gatterdam, R. Seymour, M. Hardenbrook, J. White, P. Huddy, K. Kelly, T. Lind, M. McCrea, S. Mosca, K. Williams, F. B. The minutes to Meeting #113 (December 3, 1999) were approved as distributed C. The consent agenda was adopted as distributed via e-mail. 1. Staff Affairs report was submitted with the agenda. 2. Motion to Amend Bylaws MOTION PASSED (unanimous approval) ============ The UAF Staff Council moves to amend the Bylaws as follows: ADD = Caps DELETE = (( )) BYLAWS Staff Council Sect. 4 ARTICLE VI. COMMITTEES b. PERMANENT COMMITTEES 2. Staff Affairs Committee a. ((The president shall appoint a chairperson from the elected representatives.)) THE CHAIRPERSON SHALL BE ELECTED FROM THE COMMITTEE. EFFECTIVE: Upon Chancellor's Approval RATIONALE: The changes to the committee charge adequately reflect the committee's work. ******************* D. President's Report - I. Downes President Downes welcomed the new and returning representatives. Representatives received a packet of information that included the training schedule, membership directory, unit directory, parliamentary procedures, public opinion messages (POM), and a listing of the interior delegates. Representatives were encouraged to send POMs to their legislators regarding support for the University budget. Staff Alliance President Hamilton addressed the Staff Alliance on January 11 regarding University funding. It is imperative that each member of the University take and active role in getting the word out regarding the University budget. The Alliance will focus their efforts on educating the legislature on the importance of the University to the State of Alaska. The Alliance is addressing the Information Resource (IR) policy, as well as staff fees. Orientation Meeting All the new representatives and alternates attended an orientation meeting on January 28. Board of Regents President Downes will attend the February 17 and 18 meeting in Juneau. Chamber Luncheon A list of dates for the Chamber luncheons was circulated for representatives to sign up. The Chamber luncheons are a good opportunity for staff members to network with the community. II Governance Reports A. Faculty Senate - R. Gatterdam The notations of honorıs will now appear on the diploma and on the transcript. Unit Criteria is being addressed in regards to promotion and tenure. Dual enrollment is another issue that the Senate is addressing. Dual enrollment is when a student is enrolled in high school and the University. The Senate passed a motion on GPA requirements for dual enrolled students. The Senate passed a certificate in Accounting Technology, masters in Rural Development, and deleted a masters of arts in teaching geology. At the February meeting, the Senate will address a unit criteria proposal from Alaska Native Language Center. Other issues being addressed by the Senate include a student policy for appeals when not admitted to a major or deleted from a major, the roll of the department head in the promotion and tenure process, review of administrators, and GPA and residency requirements and their uses across MAUs. Information Resources Policy Concerns have been expressed regarding the privacy issue. It was pointed out that when you use a network computer, the is no privacy. This policy tries to protect the need for individual privacy, by requiring protection against hackers into the system. The Faculty Alliance recommended to the SAC that they fund meetings every few years with department heads from each MAU. The point of the meetings is not to make the majors look alike, but what the students can expect when they transfer. Faculty Fellow - A faculty member will serve for one year in the Presidentıs office and provide academic input to the President. The deadline for applying is March 1. For more information, contact the Governance Office at fysenat@uaf.edu. B. ASUAF - S. Banks Stacey Banks was not able to attend the meeting. Joe Hardenbrook, Government Relations Director for ASUAF gave the ASUAF report. Students passed a motion supporting the Information Resource Policy. ASUAF elections will take place February 22 and 23. The ASUAF presidential elections will take place in April. Lobbying - Students are taking an extremely active roll in legislative lobbying. Information was distributed regarding adopt a legislator campaign. Students, faculty, and staff adopt a legislator from their home district and write, phone, or e-mail them once a week until the end of the session. If you participate in the adopt a legislator campaign, you'll receive a set of legislative trading cards. ASUAF is working with the UA Scholars where the scholars talk about their UAF experience. These campaigns are being offered statewide in conjunction with the coalition of student leaders. UAF is Good Business Local businesses will be contacted for their support. Williams Petroleum and BP are going to make statements supporting the University and these will be used in lobbying efforts. President Hamilton will address the joint finance committees and this will covered by gavel-to-gavel. Six students will travel to Juneau in February and April to lobby. C. Alumni Association - C. Branley Sour Grapes 2000 - The Alumni annual fund raiser will be on Saturday, February 5 at the Westmark. There will be dinner and dancing and tickets are $30. Alumni will also be assisting ASUAF with the adopt a legislator campaign. Cindy Branley and Mary Mitchell, Alumni board president will be in Juneau this month to lobby on behalf of the University. Job Shadowing Program In conjunction with Career Services, Alumni will provide students the opportunity to job shadow March 13-24. Area businesses, faculty, and staff will be asked to participate in this program. Time commitment is only a half day. If you are interested, contact Career Services. III Committee Reports A. Staff Training - A. Baergen and D. Powell The revised spring supervisory training schedule was distributed. Running Effective Meetings has been changed from March 1 to March 22. Longevity Awards Program The awards program is on May 11 at 1:30 p.m. in the Wood Center Ballroom and the theme will be Unity Through Diversity. The staff picnic will immediately follow the award program. Due to accreditation, Human Resources will now coordinate staff training. A few years ago, Staff Council stepped in to provide training when budget cuts eliminated the training position from Human Resources. Debra Hagen is the new training coordinator. The Training Committee had a problem with the suggested wording from the Chancellor that the committee was "advisory." The committee does more than just advise with regards to training. The committee is recommending the wording be changed to assist. A motion was made and seconded. The vote was unanimous. MOTION PASSED (unanimous) ============ The UAF Staff Council moves to amend the Bylaws as follows: ADD = Caps DELETE = (( )) BYLAWS Staff Council Sect. 4 (ARTICLE VI. - COMMITTEES) B. PERMANENT COMMITTEES 4. Staff Training and Development a. ((The president shall appoint a chairperson from the elected representatives.)) THE CHAIRPERSON SHALL BE ELECTED FROM THE COMMITTEE. b. A representative from ((Personnel Service)) HUMAN RESOURCES will serve on the committee. c. The committee shall have the following responsibilities: 1. ((Coordinate with Personnel Services a half day training session in October and May each year.)) ASSIST THE OFFICE OF HUMAN RESOURCES WITH PROVIDING STAFF TRAINING THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. 2. ((Review and recommend training sessions for UAF staff both in Fairbanks and at the rural sites.)) ORGANIZE THE STAFF LONGEVITY AWARDS PROGRAM ANNUALLY. EFFECTIVE: Upon Chancellor's Approval RATIONALE: The changes to the committee charge adequately reflect the committee's work. ****************** B. Elections, Membership & Rules - M. Scholle President-Elect Scholle is drafting changes to the bylaws to submit to the committee for consideration and begin the process of review. The bylaws will be reviewed and updated this year. C. Rural Affairs - H. Simmons The audio conferencing was not working, thus no rural sites were on line. D. Ad Hoc Committee on Parking - T. Gruenig Terry Kelly gave a brief report. Parking have been moved to Contract Services. Changes that have recently been made to improve parking on campus include a park and ride bus that goes from east Ballaine lot to Wood Center. Hopefully this will increase the usage of Ballaine lot. The practice of impounding cars when there is snow removal has stopped. The cost was roughly $160 per car. The vehicles are now being relocated and the student will only be charged the tow fee, approximately $60. The abandon vehicle policy is being looked at also. The Beluga pad by the Student Recreation Center will be opened shortly. This will take off the strain on parking at the Patty Center for individuals who use the SRC. Parking is developing a web site to assist in the communication of parking issues. Representative Anderson asked about the communication of snow removal pertaining to department vehicles. A recommendation was made to visit the parking web site and have the updated information sent via e- mail. The budget will also be streamlined and will offer more accountability. When Terry Kelly asked the Chancellor to take over parking, he asked for as much authority as he has accountability. The Parking Committee will be calling Terry Kelly to speak at their next meeting. E. Ad Hoc Committee on University Advocacy - S. McCrea The students were commended on their outreach program. There is a large audience that doesnıt hear much information regarding the University, specifically the south side of Fairbanks. The committee is developing a UAF day at the south side community center either in the spring or early fall. Various departments from campus will have a booth at the south side center. Another project the committee is working on is to increase staff's knowledge of what is available on campus. The student ambassador group provides walking tours on campus and faculty and staff are encouraged to participate in these tours. President-Elect Scholle asked that the committee work on the graduation bash in April. Closing enrollment for fall 1999 is 8,250, which is a slight increase over fall semester 1998. The decrease from fall 1997 to fall 1998 was 800 students. So this slight increase in a positive note. F. Technology Advisory Board - P. Sowell - No report. G. Food Advisory Board - D. Powell The committee met last week at the West Ridge Café and the food was very good. The request for proposals (RFP) are in and if site visits are needed, they will be scheduled during February. The food services contract will be awarded in early to mid-March. In the mean time, the committee is addressing what to do with the Pub. During the last meeting, there was discussion about closing the Pub until the food service contract is awarded, but at this time the Pub will remain open. The Pub will have a partnership with the TVC culinary arts and will offer food service. IV Chancellor's Remarks - M. Lind The Chancellor thanked Staff Council for the opportunity to speak at the monthly meetings. Mission Statement - A message was distributed to the university community asking for input. The mission statement will be revised in light of the accreditation. The current mission statement is 12 years old. UAF would like to present the Board of Regents with a revised mission stated at their April meeting. Chancellor Lind and his wife will be hosting the three exceptional student employees, Jenny Darnell from the Provost Office, Lori Schoening from GI Information Office, and Melissa Lee-Hinojos from School of Management. Student Survey - First-time freshman stated that 90.5% would recommend UAF to others. This is an increase of 5%. And 95.1% said they feel they are welcome here at UAF, which is an increase over last year. Staff makes a big difference in this and attitude is everything. Also, the number of students who intend to transfer has decreased. Gavel-to-Gavel - President Hamilton will make a representation to the joint finance committees on Thursday, February 3 at 9:00 a.m. The Universityıs partnerships with the private industry will be highlighted. Representative Brown recommended that President Hamilton also focus on technology development that the University has developed and used in private industry, such as BP and the fishing industry. Holiday Closure - UAF will be closed next year during the holiday. There will be special exceptions as in the past. This year, there was too much confusion on who was open and who was not. The advance notice will allow employees to plan their holidays. Communication throughout the University was an issue in a previous survey and the Chancellor is going to do everything in his power to improve this. The Chancellor also asked Staff Councilıs assistance on increasing communication within the University. President Downes stated that Staff Council will be putting out an electronic newsletter to further the lines of communication. V Vice Chancellor for Administrative Services Remarks - F. Williams Reverse Osmosis Water on the UAF Campus - Vice Chancellor Williams distributed an informational sheet. The reverse osmosis water that is delivered at the reverse osmosis taps on campus is NOT safe to drink. Although drinking water supplies on campus are disinfected, the reverse osmosis water is NOT. While the reverse osmosis water can be safe to drink at the Power Plant, once it travels into the warm utilidor system it can grow bacteria that may make some people sick. Reverse Osmosis water, even if taken directly from the Power Plant, is not suitable for storage. Again, because it has not been disinfected, reverse osmosis water placed in a 5 gallon jug or other container will probably grow bacteria. People with very strong immune systems may be able to drink the reverse osmosis water without suffering ill effect. However, people with weaker immune systems may become sick. Phone Bills - There has been some software changes. Long distance rates have decreased. Technology changes had pushed the long distance rates down. Departments will be receiving phone bills shortly. Deferred Maintenance - Duckering deferred maintenance will begin in May. Deferred maintenance for the old section of Duckering will take approximately 15 months. Deferred maintenance for Brooks and Library are in the planning stages. VI New Business A. Motion to Establish Ad Hoc Picnic Committee After a brief discussion, the motion was passed with the following volunteers. MOTION PASSED (unanimous) ============ The UAF Staff Council moves to established an Ad Hoc Picnic and Raffle Committee to organize the 2000 staff picnic on May 11 and raffle for the Carolyn Sampson Memorial Scholarship. The raffle drawing will take place at the October 6, 2000 Staff Council meeting. The following people have agreed to serve on the committee: 1. Julia Parzick 2. Shellie Baumann 3. Debra Hagen 4. Carol Renfro 5. Gabby Hazelton 6. Heidi Simmons 7. Lyza Fonte EFFECTIVE: Immediately RATIONALE: The 2000 staff picnic will take place on May 11 immediately following the Staff Longevity Awards Program and planning needs to begin immediately to organize the event and raffle. Also, the raffle will begin at the picnic and the drawing will be at the October 6 Staff Council meeting. The change in raffle drawing will better utilize the use of the Alaska Airlines tickets. B. Make Students Count - I. Downes The Make Students Count award recognizes a staff member from each MAU who provides outstanding service to students. Nomination forms and an informational sheet was distributed. Deadline for nominations is 5 p.m. February 25. Sue McHenry from Rural Student Services was the 1999 UAF recipient. For more information on this award, contact the System Governance Office at 474-7323. C. Confirm Committee Membership After a brief discussion, the motion was passed with unanimous approval. MOTION PASSED (unanimous) ============= The UAF Staff Council moves to confirm the following committee membership: ADMINISTRATIVE RURAL AFFAIRS Lydia Anderson Paula Carroll Alice Baergen Irene Downes Rudy Candler Kelly Dickerson *Irene Downes Paula Carroll Heidi Simmons Martha Glore Darlette Powell Margaret Guinn Marie Scholle Barb Oleson Pam Sowell Byrd Norton *Heidi Simmons ELECTIONS, MEMBERSHIP & RULES Crystal Wilson DeShana Dekerlegand York Carol Renfro STAFF TRAINING Patty White *Alice Baergen *Marie Scholle Michelle Baumann Rudy Candler STAFF AFFAIRS Sarah Comstock *Lydia Anderson LJ Evans Evelyn Brown Debra Hagen Joyce Cain LaTanya McClellan Scott Culbertson Kathy Mosca Dixie Emery *Darlette Powell Gabrielle Hazelton Diane Gray Heather Heineken Pete Rogers Michael Lewis Tonya Trabant Parker Martyn Karen Wilson Nici Murawsky Julia Parzick Matt Seymour Jeannette Skrob Pam Sowell *Chair EFFECTIVE: Immediately ******************** D. February Meeting Schedule February 22 - Supervisory Training--Violence in the Workplace, 10 a.m., Wood Center Conference Room C February 23 - Administrative, 9 a.m., Wood Center Conference Room A February 24 - Staff Training, 2 p.m., Chancellor's Conference Room March 1 - Rural Affairs, 11 a.m., Wood Center Conference Room A March 3 - Staff Council, 8:30 a.m., Wood Center Ballroom E. Retired Employees Educational Benefits - I. Downes The logistics on how this proposal would be administered was questioned. The motion defines policy and not the process. Each MAU would have to decide on the process. After a brief discussion a motion was made and seconded. The vote was unanimous. MOTION PASSED (unanimous) ============ The UAF Staff Council moves to endorse the UAA proposal to provide retired employees educational benefits. UAA Proposal: The UAA Assembly realizes that any benefits proposal will have to be approved by Statewide Administration, and will require modifications to Board of Regents' Policy and Regulations, if approved. It should be noted that Emeritus faculty have educational benefits (Regulation 04.09.03), and so do Alaska residents over 60 years of age (Page 26 of the 1998-1999 UAA catalog). PROPOSED POLICY Retired Employee Educational Benefits All retired employees of the University of Alaska who have retired under TRS, PERS or ORP, and who have worked for the University of Alaska on a full-time or part-time basis for a minimum of 15 years are permitted a tuition waiver for undergraduate and graduate credit courses only. This waiver would be for a maximum of six credits per semester, on a space available basis. Tuition is not waived for non- credit, CEU, or self-support courses. The retiree must pay all additional course fees. EFFECTIVE: Immediately RATIONALE: Employees have educational benefits until retirement. Emeritus retired faculty have educational benefits. This would only effect employees under age 60 who do not have emeritus status. It is estimated that the number of retirees the proposal would cover would actually be few. There is no cost to the university for doing this, since these retirees would only take up seats that would ordinarily go unfilled. VII Comments and Questions A. President Downes encouraged the representatives to report to their constituents the activities of Staff Council. Communication is an essential element to the success of staff at the University. B. On behalf of Staff Council, President Downes will be sending a sympathy card to the Morris Thompson family and to Alaska Airlines. VIII The meeting was adjourned at 10:35 a.m. Tapes of this Staff Council meeting are available in the Governance Office, 312 Signers' Hall, if anyone wishes to listen to the tapes. Submitted by Kathy Mosca, Staff Council secretary.