MINUTES UAF STAFF COUNCIL MEETING #121 Wednesday, November 8, 2000 Wood Center Ballroom I Scott McCrea called the meeting to order at 8:50 a.m. MEMBERS PRESENT: MEMBERS ABSENT: Anderson, L. Bywater, C. Candler, R. Culbertson, S. Carlson, K. Evans, L. Comstock, S. Hagen, D. DeKerlegand York, D. Parzick, J. Gray, D. Renfro, C. Hazelton, G. Rogers, P. Ledlow, L. Seymour, M. McCrea, S. White, P. Murawsky, N. (for E. Brown) O'Neill, R. OTHERS PRESENT: Oleson, B. (for H. Simmons) Branley, C. Powell, D. Mosca, K. Skrob, J. (for A. Baergen) Thomas, D. B. The minutes to Meeting #120 (October 13, 2000) were approved as distributed via e-mail. C. The agenda was adopted as distributed via e-mail. D. President-Elect's Report Election Results - The University did very well with the local election results. Joe Hays and Hugh Fate have been long time supporters of the University. The Interior Delegation has been strong supporters also with the exception of Representative Coghill. Last year he introduced a bill to delete tuition waivers. Apparently he has changed his mind and realizes the benefit of the tuition waivers. Also, the tax cap initiative did not pass. University Holidays A list of University holidays was included in the agenda. There has been some confusion on the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday. This is now an official university holiday. UAF LIFE Program and Student Recreation Center President- Elect McCrea met with Michelle Combellick, chair of Health Issues Committee; Darlette Powell, and Kathy Mosca regarding possible changes to the LIFE program and the Student Recreation Center. If you have any recommendations/comments please forward them to President-Elect McCrea or Darlette Powell. Compensation Executive Summary President-Elect McCrea has not received any comments regarding the executive summary on compensation from the Statewide administration. This will be addressed at the December meeting when Dale Seay from Statewide Human Resources is the guest speaker. The Staff Alliance agenda has not been distributed, so it is uncertain if it will be on that agenda. Carolyn Sampson Memorial Scholarship - Denise Williamee, the 2000-01 recipient of the Carolyn Sampson Memorial Scholarship sent a thank you letter to Staff Council. The letter was circulated during the meeting. II Governance Reports A. ASUAF - S. Banks no report B. Faculty Senate - L. Duffy - no report C. Alumni Association - C. Branley Alumni Wreath Fund Raiser - The Alumni Association sold 125 wreaths for their annual fund raiser. If you would like to purchase a wreath, contact Daisy A Day Floral. Top of the World - Alumni Association encouraged staff to attend the basketball tournament November 16-19. UAF will play all their games in the evening. EDGE Program - The EDGE program will have a dessert social on Thursday evening to bridge the gap between faculty, staff, and students. The three alumni associations met with President Hamilton and talked about the importance of keeping the pressure on the legislature. All three alumni associations will be working on this item throughout the legislative session. III Guest Speakers - Dana Thomas TOPIC: Accreditation Dana Thomas encouraged staff participation in the UAF self study process for accreditation. Some areas were written by staff and some areas were written by administrators and faculty. All areas are encouraged to have faculty and staff participate in the process. A working draft of the self study is in process. A copy will be available on the web mid-February. Dana Thomas and Ron Gatterdam will be guest speakers at the March and April Staff Council meetings asking for input on the drafts. Faculty, staff, and student input is needed in all areas. These notebooks will be used in the planning process. The Master Plan Committee is looking at these notebooks to see what space will be needed. The self study information is typically used for two or three years after it is completed. Issues of concern The issue of red lined staff is not coming up in the notebooks, as well as understaffing. Dana Thomas encouraged staff to make sure their views are represented in these notebooks and asked Staff Council for the top four or five issues for the institution over the next three to five years. These issues will be highlighted in the self study report. The self study report will be a guide used by the administration, and will be viewed by the Board of Regents and legislature. Contact Hild Peters or Katrina Klaussen in the Provost Office in order to review the accreditation notebooks. The accreditation process is open and input is welcome. IV Committee Reports A. Staff Affairs - G. Hazelton The committee met on October 24 and addressed compensation, take children to work resolution, and questions for Dale Seay. Representative Hazelton has not received a reply from Wendy Redman regarding Senate Bill #9. Also there is no new information regarding the geographic differential. The Committee has addressed the Staff Council survey and Staff Affairs will report on the various issues that came up in the survey. The next meeting is November 28 at 9:00 a.m. in Wood Center Conference Room B. 1. Resolution on Take Your Children to Work After a brief discussion, the resolution passed with unanimous approval. RESOLUTION PASSED (Unanimous) ================= WHEREAS, the Staff Council recognizes the importance of its employees and their children; and, WHEREAS, the Staff Council supports the future educational and professional interests of these children; and, WHEREAS, the Staff Council believes in the importance of exposing these children to different opportunities in the business and educational world to boost self-confidence and self esteem; and, WHEREAS, the nationally recognized "Take Your Child to Work" day is an occasion to introduce these children ages 5-15 to the varied careers and employment possibilities; now, THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That UAF Staff Council requests the UAF recognize and encourage participation in "Take Your Child to Work" day on the fourth Thursday of April. Effective this eighth day of November. ********************* 2. Questions for Dale Seay on the Reclassification Process Dale Seay from Statewide Human Resources will be the guest speaker at the December 8 Staff Council meeting. Staff forwarded the following questions on the reclassification process. Where is he in the process? Who has he talked with, specifically, to get input for the new system? What is the new, adjusted timeline? What are his recommendations so far and/or observations? What are the stumbling blocks to completion of the process and are they being dealt with? Can we obtain quarterly status reports (can be very brief) to keep our constituents informed? What are some of the mandates and/or boundary conditions within which this issue is being worked? For example, is the UA Administration now trying to position its compensation above that of the State of Alaska so as to reduce the loss of trained staff to that employer? Similarly, is the study required to recommend only that which UA can afford (this year, or some other year)? If this is a staff-driven, bottom-up effort, then what goals has the UA Administration acknowledged and thus considers as satisfactory to bring successful closure to this effort? B. Elections, Membership & Rules - D. Dekerlegand York The Committee met on Friday, October 13 to address revisions to the Bylaws. The Committee will be working on the Bylaws throughout the year. The Committee addressed the issue of co- presidents and decided that this was not an issue they are going to pursue because they are not in favor of co-presidents. Proxy voting was also addressed. The alternate should attend the meetings when a representative is unable to attend. However, a concern was expressed about units that do not have an alternate or other representatives. The issue of recall is being worked on and a section will be included at the end of the Bylaws that addresses recall. The Committee will also address various topics related to Robert's Rules of Order. 1. Motion to Amend Bylaws After a brief discussion, the motion was passed with unanimous approval. MOTION PASSED (Unanimous) ============= The UAF Staff Council moves to amend the bylaws as follows. EFFECTIVE: Upon Chancellor's Approval RATIONALE: The changes to the bylaws are editorial changes reflecting terminology changes in employee classification, as well as changes that reflect the current actions of the Council. ADD = CAPS DELETE = (( )) Revised 5/23/00 BYLAWS of the UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA FAIRBANKS STAFF COUNCIL Preamble The UAF Staff Council is a representative organization for all ((Classified)) NON-EXEMPT and ((APT (Administrative, Professional, and Technical))) EXEMPT employees of the University of Alaska Fairbanks in accordance with Article I of the Constitution. The UAF Staff Council's structure provides a means of dealing with issues concerning the welfare of employees and facilitates our role in the self governance process. Sect. 1 (ARTICLE III. - Purposes, Rights, Responsibilities and Authority) A. The UAF Staff Council representatives to the UAF Governance Coordinating Committee shall be the President and the President-Elect. Sect. 2 (ARTICLE IV. - Membership) A. REPRESENTATION 1. The UAF Staff Council shall be composed of representatives elected by permanent full-time and permanent part-time non-faculty, non-student employees. University employees who hold executive appointments shall be excluded from representation by the UAF Staff Council. 2. Representatives and alternates must be from the unit they represent. 3. Unit representation shall be as follows: 1 representative for units of 1 - 50 people 2 representatives for units of 51 - 100 people 3 representatives for units of more than 100 people B. ALTERNATES 1. There shall be one non-voting alternate for every representative. 2. Vacancy of a representative's seat shall be filled by the first alternate of that unit and the alternate shall serve the remainder of the term. 3. Vacancy of the alternate seat will be filled in good faith by the representative(s) choosing an eligible person from their unit. 4. If an elected representative is unable to attend a meeting, the representative will request that a (the) designated alternate attend and act as proxy. C. LENGTH OF TERMS 1. Elected representatives and alternates shall serve two-year terms beginning January 1 and ending December 31. 2. Even numbered unit representatives shall begin their term on an even numbered year. Odd numbered unit representatives shall begin their term on an odd numbered year. D. ELECTIONS 1. The Elections, Membership, and Rules Committee shall be responsible for conducting elections. 2. The elections for representatives and alternates shall adhere to the following time frame: a. September - obtain current list of UAF staff employees and prepare nomination ballots. b. THE FIRST WEEK IN October ((, first pay period- ))distribute request for nominations, which are due two weeks later, and prepare election ballots from the nominations. c. THE FIRST WEEK IN November ((, first pay period - )) distribute the ballots which are due two weeks later. The votes shall then be counted and verified. d. December, during the Staff Council meeting - a report shall be presented on the outcome of the elections. e. JANUARY 1 ((, during the Staff Council meeting - )) newly elected representatives take office. 3. Elections for President-Elect shall be conducted as follows: a. Notice of election to fill the office of President-Elect shall be announced in the regular meeting in March for the election to be held in May. b. Suggestions for possible candidates shall be presented to the Elections, Membership and Rules Committee in order to prepare a slate of serious candidates for presentation to the Staff Council. c. Call for nominations will take place during the May meeting where the slate of candidates will be presented and any further nominations from the floor will be accepted. d. Voting shall be limited to representatives and designated alternates by using secret ballots on site and using voice vote for the outlying areas. e. Three non-candidate representatives shall count the ballots. 4. Special elections for President and President-elect shall be conducted as follows: a. One month notice of election for the President- Elect shall be given if that office is vacated. b. In the event that both offices are vacated simultaneously, one month notice shall be given for elections to be held for both offices and the chairperson of the Staff Affairs Committee shall assume the duties of President until a person is elected. Sect. 3 (ARTICLE V. - Officers) A. PRESIDENT 1. The duties of the President shall be to: a. preside over meetings. b. serve as chairperson of the Administrative Committee. c. serve on the UAF Governance Coordinating Committee. d. serve on the System Governance Council, OR APPOINT A DESIGNEE. e. meet with the Chancellor. ((f. approve an operating budget for submission to the Chancellor.)) F((g)). appoint ad hoc committees. ((h. appoint chairpersons of the standing committees.)) G((i)). provide leadership in issues of concern to UAF staff. H((j)). report to the Staff Council on the outcome of all relevant meetings and events in which the President participates. I((k)). appoint a representative to the System Governance Council and TWO REPRESENTATIVES TO STAFF ALLIANCE ((UAF Budget Council)). 2. Term of office shall be for one year, beginning June 1 and ending May 31. B. PRESIDENT-ELECT 1. The duties of the President-Elect shall be to: a. serve on the Administrative Committee. b. serve on the UAF Governance Coordinating Committee c. assume the duties of President when the President is absent. 2. Term of office shall be for one year beginning June 1 and ending on May 31. Sect. 4 (ARTICLE VI. - COMMITTEES) A. STANDING COMMITTEES 1. The Standing Committees shall be: a. Administrative Committee b. Elections, Membership, and Rules Committee 2. Administrative Committee a. The President shall be the chairperson. b. Other members of the committee shall be: 1. Chairpersons of the standing and permanent committees. c. The committee shall have the following responsibilities: 1. Prepare the agenda for Staff Council meetings. 2. Provide a committee report to Staff Council. 3. Represent and act on behalf of the Staff Council between Staff Council meetings. 3. Elections, Membership, and Rules Committee a. THE CHAIR PERSON SHALL BE ELECTED FROM THE COMMITTEE. ((The President shall appoint a chairperson from the elected representatives.)) b. The committee shall have the following responsibilities: 1. Conduct elections for unit representatives, alternates, and President-Elect. 2. Review unit composition and maintain a membership list. 3. Review the Bylaws and Constitution to reflect the needs of the body. 4. Responsible for parliamentary procedure of the Staff Council meetings. B. PERMANENT COMMITTEES 1 The permanent committees shall be: a. Staff Affairs Committee b. Rural Affairs Committee c. University Advocacy 2. Staff Affairs Committee a. The chairperson shall be elected from the committee. b. The committee shall work on policies related to the following: 1. Benefits 2. Compensation 3. Grievance procedures 4. Position evaluation and hiring procedures 5. Any matters which effect the health and welfare of the staff. c. The chairperson of the committee shall establish a subcommittee structure relevant to the issues and to the expertise. 3. Rural Affairs Committee a. THE CHAIRPERSON SHALL BE ELECTED BY THE COMMITTEE. ((The president shall appoint a chairperson from the elected representatives.)) b. As an ex-officio member of the committee, the president is charged with communicating concerns of the Rural Affairs Committee to the Chancellor and System Governance Council. c. The committee shall have the following responsibilities: 1. Oversee the general welfare of the UAF community not residing on the Fairbanks campus. 2. Monitor all activities affecting compliance with the Rural College mission statement of the University of Alaska Fairbanks. 4. University Advocacy a. The chairperson shall be elected from the committee. b. A representative from the Alumni Association and ASUAF will serve on the committee. c. The committee shall have the following responsibilities: 1. Organize events and functions to help make the public aware of the value of University staff, as well as students and faculty. 2. Organize events and functions that increase staff morale and awareness of the University. 3. Other items to be determined by the committee on an annual basis. C. AD HOC COMMITTEES 1. Ad hoc committees shall be appointed by the President and shall report to the UAF Staff Council. 2. Membership is not limited to representatives. 3. A time frame shall be established for the longevity of the committee and a deadline determined for their final report. Sect. 5 (ARTICLE X. - AMENDMENTS) A. Amendments to the bylaws must be proposed in writing by members of Staff Council at an Administrative Committee or Staff Council meeting. B. The Administrative Committee shall schedule a vote on the proposed amendment at the first Staff Council meeting after the proposal is submitted. The proposed amendment must be distributed with the agenda for the meeting at which a vote is scheduled. C. Approval of amendments to the bylaws requires a two-thirds vote of the Staff Council members present. D. Suspension of bylaws must cite the specific section to be suspended and be approved by a two-thirds vote of the Staff Council members present. ********************* 2. Election Information Ballots for odd numbered units were distributed and are due back in the Governance Office by November 22. Write-in candidates are acceptable; however, their written consent must be on file with the UAF Staff Council Election Committee or accompany the ballot. Results from the election will be announced at the December 8 Staff Council meeting. A special orientation meeting will take place in January for all new members. The meeting will consist of information on various committees, Roberts Rules of Order, and audio conferencing. If you have any questions regarding the election process, contact DeShana Dekerlegand York at fndd@uaf.edu or the Governance Office at fystaff@uaf.edu. Get involved and make a difference! C. Rural Affairs - B. Oleson Rural Affairs met on November 7 and Jennifer Youngberg from Human Resources was the guest speaker. A recap of open enrollment was received. Staff members under the UA 2000 plan will not be charges for medical benefits for FY01 and dependent charged have decreased. The next meeting is scheduled for December 5 and topics include training for rural staff, spring break, and stress management. The February Rural Affairs meeting will include information on Family Medical Leave. All rural staff are encouraged to participate in the meeting. D. University Advocacy - S. Comstock Campus Tour - The campus tour will be November 17 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. The tour will start at Wood Center and travel to Chancellor's house, McLean house, Hutchison Career Center, Student Recreation Center, Patty Gym, Natural Sciences Facility, and end at the Museum. There are a few spaces available. If you are interested in attended, contact Sarah Comstock at 6025. Faculty and Staff Olympics - The committee is working on this item to coincide with meltdown. If you have any recommendations, contact Alice Baergen at fnajb@uaf.edu. UAF Day The committee is organizing a UAF Day at the Southside Community Center in February. This outreach program will highlight the various departments at UAF. Participation - The committee encourages all staff to get involved. If you are interested in serving on the University Advocacy Committee, contact the Governance Office at 7056 or fystaff@uaf.edu. V New Business A. Upcoming Meetings November 15 - University Advocacy, Noon, Hutchison November 23 - Happy Thanksgiving November 24 - University Holiday November 28 - Elections, Membership & Rules, 8:30 a.m., Chancellor's Conference Room November 28 - Staff Affairs, 9 a.m., Wood Center Conference Room B November 29 - Administrative Committee, 10 a.m., Wood Center Conference Room B November 29 - University Advocacy, Noon, Alaska Coffee Roasting Company December 4 - Elections, Membership & Rules, 10 a.m., Wood Center Conference Room A December 5 - Rural Affairs, 9 a.m., Wood Center Conference Room A December 8 - Staff Council, 8:45 a.m., Wood Center Ballroom December 13 - University Advocacy, Noon, Gambardella's VI Comments and Questions United Way Kick-Off Representative Anderson stated that today is the United Way kick off. The second annual chilly cook off is December 1 at the Wood Center Multi Level Lounge. President Culbertson will assist in the judging. After the judging is done, staff can taste some good chili and corn bread for only $2. Career Ladders - Tanya Trabant will be presenting a training session on career ladders on November 15 at 10 a.m. VII The meeting was adjourned at 9:27 a.m. A tape of this Staff Council meeting is available in the Governance Office, 312 Signers' Hall, if anyone wishes to listen to the complete tape. Submitted by Kathy Mosca, Staff Council secretary.