MINUTES UAF STAFF COUNCIL MEETING #126 Wednesday, May 16, 2001 Wood Center Carol Brown Ballroom I Scott Culbertson called the meeting to order at 8:50 a.m. MEMBERS PRESENT: MEMBERS ABSENT: Allen-Luopa, J. Esters, Y. Armstrong, K. Parzick, J. Baergen, A. (for M. Seymour) Renfro, C. Brown, E. Sowell, P. Burkhead, T. Whitehorn, J. Bywater, C. Carlson, K. OTHERS PRESENT: Comstock, S. Bovee, N. Crews, J. Bussey, J. Culbertson, S. Lind, M. Dekerlegand York, D. Mosca, K. Gray, D. Sharpton, S. Hagen, D. Hazelton, G. Howdeshell, S. Jackson, V. Ledlow, L. Lind, A. McCrea, S. Moore, D. O'Neill, R. Simmons, H. B. The Minutes to Meeting #125 were approved with the notation that Angela Linn was present. C. The agenda was adopted with the addition of a motion on the 1.5% increase to the staff salary scale under New Business. D. President's Report - S. Culbertson Staff Longevity Program - President Culbertson encouraged all staff to attend the staff longevity program on May 17. Chronicle of Higher Education - President Culbertson distributed the article "They Also Serve Who Cook and Collate" which describes the role of staff in higher education. The article appeared in the May 4, 2001 Chronicle of Higher Education at http://chronicle.com/weekly/v47/i34/34b00501.htm. President Culbertson presented the following certificates of appreciation and thanked Staff Council for their hard word this year: Gabby Hazelton, chair of Staff Affairs; Heidi Simmons, chair of Rural Affairs; Sarah Comstock, chair of University Advocacy; DeShana Dekerlegand York, chair of Elections, Membership and Rules; and Scott McCrea, president-elect. II Governance Reports A. ASUAF S. Banks - No report. B. Alumni Association C. Branley - No report. III Chancellor's Remarks M. Lind Chancellor Lind thanked staff for an outstanding year and for assisting with commencement. Representatives stated that commencement at the Carlson Center was very enjoyable. Legislative Session - The University didn't receive all the funding they had requested, but did make out pretty well. Funding was received for the classroom expansion at Bristol Bay Campus. Also, the University received $8 million for the Museum expansion. Construction will start next year with completion in 2004. Renovations - Library and Brooks renovations will begin this summer. Representative Bywater thanked the Chancellor for increasing the number of windows in the Library renovation. Enrollment - Enrollment is up for transfer students for the coming fall and that the entire enrollment will increase for the coming year. Cooperative Extension Service - Chancellor Lind addressed Cooperative Extension employees May 15 at a ceremony and thanked them for their hard work. Cooperative Extension provides an essential service to the community. 1.5% Salary Increase - Representative Carlson asked for the Chancellor's input on the salary increase since the University didn't receive full funding. Chancellor Lind stated that he will know more about this after he meets with the President and other chancellors on May 18 in Anchorage. College of Rural Alaska Dean - Representative Simmons asked for an update on the dean's position. Chancellor Lind stated that this position is very unique and reports directly to the Chancellor. This position is key to advising the Chancellor's Cabinet on needs of the rural students and issues of concerns to the Alaska Native peoples and their University of Alaska experience. This position needs to fill all these needs. A traditional academic search will not be used and Chancellor Lind will be making a direct appointment. An announcement will be made at the beginning of the fall semester. Filling Positions - Representatives expressed concerned regarding difficulties filling faculty positions in the sciences and technology fields. Availability and salaries are a problem, but Chancellor Lind has not had any departments come to him and say they are having problems hiring. IV Vice Chancellor for Administrative Services Remarks F. Williams No report. V Guest Speaker Nevada Bovee, Northern Schools Federal Credit Union Nevada Bovee, marketing director at Northern Schools Federal Credit Union, updated staff on the services of the Credit Union. The primary benefit of a credit union is that members are owners and have a say in how things are run. The Credit Union provides financial services with lower fees and interest rates on loans. Currently, there are 12,000 members of the Credit Union. Accounts can be accessed via the web and telephone. E- statements, e-teller, ATT line, Alaska Option, direct deposit, Alaska cache debit card, money market account, certificate of deposit, market index certificates, visa and master cards are available at the Credit Union. The Credit Union web site is: http://www.northernschoolsfcu.org Financial calculators are available on the web site, also. Northern Schools Federal Credit Union has a full service loan department and can accommodate members with home loans. Northern Schools Federal Credit Union has an ATM in the Wood Center and in the IARC building. The Credit Union currently has a special on auto loans which are 1% under the current rate. The Geist Branch will be expanding this summer to provide better customer service and will be able to provide loan services. Representative Brown stated that the Constitution Hall branch staff are very friendly. VI Guest Speaker Jeanne Bussey, Magellan Behavioral Health TOPIC: Employee Assistance Program Jeanne Bussey from Magellan Behavioral Health distributed some information regarding the employee assistance program. An employee assistance program is a comprehensive service to assist employees in dealing with personal and work-related problems early on before they impact the employee's productivity, attendance, and health. What an employee assistance program can do for the employee is improve productivity, lessen absenteeism and turnover, promote workplace cooperation, decrease work-related accidents, reduce health insurance claims of employees and their dependents. The employee assistance program can help employees with work stress, anger management, family/parenting issues, marital or relationship problems, anxiety or depression, alcohol or drug dependencies, coping with change, and grief or bereavement. Representatives asked what type of services are provided for the rural sites and will Magellan provide a presentation at the rural sites. Ms Bussey stated that all employees are entitled to three sessions per person/per problem in a calendar year. Magellan contracts with therapists in areas throughout the state to provide service for all University employees. The service is a prepaid benefit and is confidential. Magellan provides utilization reports for the University which include the types of service that is provided with no identifying data on the employee. Representatives recommended mailings to employees reminding them of the services that are available. Representatives recommended that Magellan provide presentations to the rural sites. Ms. Bussey stated that it is possible to provide presentations, but that there would be an additional expense involved. The Magellan Behavioral Health web page is located at: www.magellanassist.com. Contact Magellan at 1-800-478-2812. VII The Council took a five minute break. VIII Committee Reports A. Staff Affairs G. Hazelton The committee met on April 25 and worked on geographic differentials. The topic of annual leave cash out is at Staff Alliance. The committee presented a motion on staff writing grants. Staff Council would like to review any policy changes at an early stage. There are a number of staff who write grants and limiting the Principle Investigator would adversely affect staff. The next Staff Affairs meeting is May 23 at 9 a.m. in Wood Center Conference Room B. 1. Motion to Encourage Committee Review of Policies Concerning Allowable Principal Investigators MOTION PASSED (unanimous) ============= The UAF Staff Council encourages Provost Reichardt and Ted DeLaca, director of the Office of Sponsored Programs to allow committee review of any drafted policy concerning allowable Principal Investigators for grants. Staff Council believes it can provide valuable input and help prevent unforeseen negative affects on implemented policy. EFFECTIVE: Immediately RATIONALE: Policy that allows submission of proposals only through faculty may eliminate the ability of some staff members to obtain soft money funding for a wide variety of projects. Since this policy would directly affect those staff members, it is appropriate that Staff Council be allowed the chance for review of such policy. ******************* B. Elections, Membership & Rules D. Dekerlegand York The committee has not met recently because of schedule conflicts. The committee will be addressing the issue of IARC staff as a separate unit, along with the issue of recall. 1. Election of President-Elect Larry Ledlow was nominated and accepted the nomination. Gabby Hazelton was nominated but declined the nomination. Rural representatives were encouraged to run for president-elect in the future. MOTION PASSED (unanimous) ============== The UAF Staff Council moves to approve the election of Larry Ledlow as president-elect. EFFECTIVE: Immediately ******************* C. Rural Affairs H. Simmons Rural Affairs met in May with a high attendance of 12. The committee is working on the rural class schedule. Rural Affairs has a subcommittee working on Title 3 funding. The additional funding will enable rural sites to address student support service issues. The committee worked on getting an ergonomics visit at the rural sites. Kuskokwim Campus was visited and the other sites will receive a visit. D. University Advocacy S. Comstock The committee had a long and successful year with the two campus tours and UAF Day at Southside Community Center. A number of departments participated at the Southside Community Center. E. Ad Hoc Staff Longevity A. Baergen Debra Hagen gave a brief update on the convocation tomorrow with Steve Gilligland on "Cultivating Winning Attitudes" at 8:45 a.m. in the Davis Concert Hall. There will be shuttle service for this events. The staff longevity awards program and picnic have been combined this year and all staff are encouraged to attend. There are a number of outstanding door prizes this year, including two tickets on Alaska Airlines and you must be present to win. Terry Vrabec is the mc. Chancellor Lind sent a memorandum to all deans and directors to provide release time and encourage their staff to participate in this program. F. Ad Hoc Picnic Committee S. Howdeshell The Picnic Committee has a number of outstanding door prizes including two tickets on Alaska Airlines and a parking decal. Representatives are encouraged to attend the convocation, longevity program, and picnic. A food listing was provided in the agenda and staff are asked to bring a dish. Hamburgers and hot dogs will be provided. IX New Business A. Proposed revisions to University Regulations R04.05.010 Human Resources, Chapter V Salary Administration Statewide Human Resources is proposing revisions to section R04.05.010 of University regulations that deals with salary administration. These proposed changes can be found on the web at: http://gov.alaska.edu/staff/2001-02-20-r0405.pdf Janet Jacobs, Director of Statewide Human Resources, will not be able to make the meeting. Representative Carlson recommended the following amendments to the motion. Change the motion to read endorse instead of approve. Also include the following statement, "We are concerned with the removal of statements of responsibility. The University administration is responsible for analyzing the effectiveness of compensation programs and should be held accountable for the analysis and recommending and implementing appropriate changes. The existing statement is vague and perhaps unsuitable for regulations, but some statement of responsibility seems appropriate. Some guidelines for will consult with the appropriate governance groups should be documented. This applies to the policies and regulations in general and should be working guidelines documented external to regulations." A motion was made and seconded to approve the amendment. The vote was unanimous. The amended motion passed with unanimous approval. MOTION PASSED AS AMENDED (unanimous) ========================= The UAF Staff Council moves to endorse the proposed changes to University Regulation 04.05.010 Human Resources, Chapter V Salary Administration with the following comments. We are concerned with the removal of statements of responsibility. The University administration is responsible for analyzing the effectiveness of compensation programs and should be held accountable for the analysis and recommending and implementing appropriate changes. The existing statement is vague and perhaps unsuitable for regulations, but some statement of responsibility seems appropriate. Some guidelines for "will consult with the appropriate governance groups" should be documented. This applies to the policies and regulations in general and should be working guidelines documented external to regulations. Also, Staff Council appreciates Statewide Human Resources getting the proposed changes out in a timely manner which enables review by the governance groups. EFFECTIVE: Immediately ****************** B. Upcoming Meetings June 1, Staff Council, 8:45 a.m., Wood Center Carol Brown Ballroom C. Statewide Staff Development S. McCrea President-Elect McCrea has been asked to sit on a statewide committee on staff development. Statewide has hired Roxa Hawkins to address staff development. The committee consists of Roxa Hawkins, Human Resources directors, and a member from each MAU governance group. D. Turn in Raffle Tickets Representatives are asked to turn in their raffle tickets at the meeting. Any remaining tickets will be sold at the Longevity Awards Program and picnic. E. Motion to endorse 1.5% Increase to Staff Salary Scale After a brief discussion a motion was made and seconded. The motion passed with one abstention. Representatives expressed their disappointment that the 1.5% does not make staff salaries competitive. MOTION PASSED (1 abstention) ============== The UAF Staff Council moves to support the 1.5% increase to the exempt and non-exempt salary scale and to endorse the action of the Faculty Alliance on May 11, 2001. EFFECTIVE: Immediately ***************** The University of Alaska Faculty Alliance moves to strongly recommend that the Board of Regents fund the 1.5% salary increases for staff compensation. This action is effective May 11, 2001. ****************** X The meeting was adjourned at 10:53 a.m. Tapes of this Staff Council meeting is available in the Governance Office, 312 Signers' Hall, if anyone wishes to listen to the complete tapes. Submitted by Kathy Mosca, Staff Council secretary.