Staff Senate Meeting Minutes

September 7, 2005

10:00 a.m. SMB

Present: Julia Biglin, Melissa Busby, JoAnn Fischer, Mary Hittle, Leonor Mendoza, Anita Rios, Adele Springer, Sylvia Villegas

Proxy: Elaine Howard

  1. Open Meeting
    1. President Hittle called the meeting to order at 10:08 a.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance.
    2. Secretary/Treasurer Springer took attendance of senators present.
  1. Approval of the Agenda

    2. Senator Fischer made a motion to approve the agenda with Senator Busby seconding. Motion carried.

  2. Approval of the Minutes

    3. Senator Fischer asked for an update to the previous meeting minutes. She asked the secretary if the memo from Randy Jones had been received to send out with the minutes once the minutes are approved. Secretary Springer responded that she had not received a memo about the insurance percentages. President Hittle will send a memo to Randy Jones about getting the memo sent to all staff.

    Senator Fischer stated that the Salary Report was put on reserve at the library on August 15, 2005.

    Senator Busby made a motion to approve the minutes with the above updates with Senator Fischer seconding. Motion carried.

  3. President’s Report

    4. One of the visions of Staff Senate for 2005-06 will be growth opportunities for staff members through personal development workshops.

    The three main focuses from the Strategic Planning Session held in August were: Recruitment of New Students, Retention of Current Students, and Improvement of Community Relationships. The focuses will be the focus of the Assessment Convocation in January.

    President Hittle passed out a slide from Duane Elm’s presentation at the Cabinet meeting. Mr. Elms was using the presentation to show that the university could fall below the 5% and still retain state funding. If the Staff Senate would like President Hittle would invite Mr. Elms to a meeting at a future date.

    Senate Fischer asked about the credit hours generated from the students coming to WNMU because of the hurricane. Dr. Kathie Gilbert stated these students would be considered temporary students. President Hittle will look into the question.

  4. Old Business
    1. Committee Reports
      1. Staff Handbook—Fischer—The next meeting of the committee will be held on September 16, 2005. There was no report from the committee.
      2. Reward and Recognition—Biglin—The Employee of the Month for the month was Mary Billings from the Extended University.
      3. New Employee Orientation—Hittle—The orientations were held during the last month. Each participant received a university catalog, staff directory, and a "who to ask" check sheet.
      4. Election Committee—Rios—The committee met and found several errors in the list. Senator Rios asked all in attendance to vote and send it back to the committee. She also asked that those who are elected to consider the position before the say no right away. President Hittle thanked Senator Rios for all her work with this committee.
      5. Assessment—Hittle—No Report.
    2. Union Issues—There is nothing new to report on the labor board.
    3. Other

    Staff Senate Goals for 2005-2006—President Hittle will send out the goals to all staff members.

  5. Open Forum
    1. Dr. Gilbert handed out flyers explaining what the position of Ombudsman

      2. does and does not. The handout gave the contact number to call Dr. Gilbert.

      Vangie Chapin asked Dr. Gilbert how she was chosen for this position. She stated that she was asked by the Executive Council. Dr. Gilbert is in the process of talking to others with special skills such as counseling to help her with special situations.

      Mary Hittle asked if this position will eventually become a full-time position. Dr. Gilbert is not sure at this time about the questions. She will be going to a training session in April to learn more about Ombudsman positions.

      Mary Hittle asked about how the school will measure effectiveness of this position. Dr. Gilbert stated these will be address at a later time.

      Sylvia Villegas asked if all ombudsman position are affiliated with their employer. Dr. Gilbert stated from the research she has done shows that most are. The person must know or learn policies and procedures of the organization.

      Mary Hittle asked Margaret Soucy to explain the AQIP Communications Team recommending that this position be put into place at the university. Ms. Soucy stated that this request was made due to the fact that people did not feel comfortable taking their concerns to the AA/EEO officer.

      Dr. Gilbert stated that the person who is appointed to this position must gain the trust of all employees. She stated that the person does not work with the AA/EEO. She can give the person help before they go and meet with the AA/EEO officer.

    2. Handout from Senator Fischer—Senator Fischer asked that the handout be a FYI item.
    3. Leadership Academy—Dr. Gilbert will be coordinating a class for those who are interested in leadership.
    4. Career and Professional Development Committee—This committee needs to be put into place during the next year of the senate. This could give the staff more opportunities for professional development.
    5. Staff BBQ—The barbeque will be held on the Friday of Homecoming Week.
    6. Garage Sale for Hurricane Relief—A garage sale will be held on Saturday, September 10th from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. If you have any donations, please take to Gough Park.
  6. Next Meeting—The next meeting will be held on October 5th at 10:00.
  7. Adjournment—Vice President Biglin made a motion to adjourn with Senator Rios seconding. Motion carried.