University of Nebraska Kearney

Staff Senate Minutes - October 24, 2000

Employee of the Month: Cheryl Bressington, Assistant Director, Human Resources.

Present:
Directors: Livingston, Roth
Managerial/Professional -- Bargen, Danube, McMullen, Mumm
Office/Service -- Choplin, Ellingson, Hines, Jones
Ex Officio -- Lakey

Absent:
Director -- Huryta

Newly elected members present: Jim Lange and Glenda Wilson, service; Jan Mitchell, office; Michelle Roggasch, director.

1. Call to Order

2. Adoption of Agenda
   1. Agenda - A survey for Cheryl Bressington was added to the agenda under New Business. Amended Agenda Adopted. Bargen(Jones)

   2. Since newly elected members, out-going members, and continuing members were present, Mumm asked everyone at the meeting to introduce themselves, tell what department they are in, and which category of employees they represent.

3. Minutes and Correspondence
   1. Minutes of the September 19, 2000 meeting were approved as printed.

4. Unfinished Business
   1. Homecoming - November 11th
      Mumm noted at the last meeting we had talked about participating in the parade. She stated she did have the go ahead to use the yellow Mumm truck (antique '55 Ford). The theme of the parade is "Celebrating Our Heritage" and Kathy Livingston suggested four possible ideas which are: Diversity - Building a Heritage of Acceptance, Staff Senate-A Heritage of Loyalty and Dedication to UNK, Staff Senate-Building on Generations of Support, and UNK-A Heritage of Education for Generations to Come. Mumm noted we could use balloons and signs to decorate the pickup. This would give Staff Senate some exposure to the public. Possible riders besides Staff Senate members could be our children (or grandchildren), or invite Employees of the Month. It was also mentioned that some staff members have parents and grandparents that used to work at UNK or were graduates and we could also have them ride. After some discussion, it was decided to go with "Staff Senate-Supporting the Heritage of Education for Generations". Tim Danube volunteered to make the signs for the truck. Mumm asked about having candy. Danube noted we can't throw candy, but we can have individuals walking along side handing out candy. Mumm stated we have about $30 that was left from a project several years ago and asked if members wanted her to purchase candy with that money. It was decided to go ahead and use the money for candy. Danube stated he could get some bags for candy or some popcorn buckets to use. Bargen volunteered to take the money and purchase the candy. Livingston asked if we definitely have people to walk and distribute candy. She noted she would need to stay in the truck with her small grandchildren. Several individuals volunteered. Danube stated he would have some balloons for the truck if someone could stop and get them. Danube stated he would also get the form filled out and turned in to enter the truck in the parade. He stated people will need to come about 9 a.m. to get lined up for the 10 a.m. start. Mumm will get the notice as to where Staff Senate's entry will be and she will send out an e-mail to everyone.

5. Committee and Search Reports
   1. Elections
      Livingston passed out a report that provided all the election statistics for each category. It is broken down into how many employees are in each group and how many participated in the election. Of concern is the low participation in the service category. However she noted this was the first year office and service have been separated. So we do not know if this was unique to this year or if that has been the case in prior years too. The total number between office and service is comparable to previous years. So that makes us think that they have not been participating as we would like them to. But we do not know that for sure. One of our goals for next year is to increase participation in that group. The participation in the office group is very good; it was over 71%. The director group and the managerial/professional group are all right with about 50% participation. Participation by the service group was a little under 19%. Livingston stated the Procedures Committee needs to address the issue of what to do if not enough people accept the nomination. This year we had only two people accept the nomination in the service group and there were two slots open. The other issue of concern is the timeline and the mailing especially for the service group. The director, managerial/professional, and office groups were contacted by e-mail as directed by the bylaws. But many in the service group do not have e-mail. So in order to treat them all the same, they were all contacted by campus mail.

      Information/forms were mailed out on Friday and some individuals told her they did not receive it until Wednesday. The deadline was Tuesday so what can we do to improve that process? Do we lengthen the timeline or do we go back to calling just that group, etc.? We need to look at what our options are. Also an additional concern is again in the service group. Both individuals who agreed to serve were elected and there is no one on standby if one of the two individuals should leave or resign. Normally if someone leaves, for example a director, then whoever is next in the voting process is asked to serve the remainder of the term. So the Procedures Committee needs to think about that as well. Otherwise the process was much easier for the Election Committee this year since they could rely on e-mail contacts instead of personal contacts. Livingston called attention to the difference in numbers between those nominated, the number that accepted the nomination, the number that rejected the nomination, and the larger number that didn't even respond. Livingston noted having said all that, she was turning all the concerns over to the Procedures Committee to work on in the next year and noted the Election Committee would be willing to work with that committee or talk to the committee. Bargen asked if there was a way to announce who got elected - such as an e-mail to all subscribers. Mumm noted she had planned after election of officers today, she would send out a notice to all subscribers listing the new representatives and who the new officers are. Lakey asked if we are supposed to contact the News Bureau or the Communicator? Livingston noted she has not seen a Communicator issue for some time, so she felt what Mumm suggested would work the best. Mumm stated she had sent a letter to the Chancellor indicating who the new members are and who is going off Staff Senate. McMullen noted it is stated in the bylaws that results will be published in the campus newsletter. Livingston noted then we need to do that, but she wasn't sure if that newsletter still existed. Lakey suggested having the Chancellor include that information in her weekly newsletter over e-mail. Mumm stated she would ask the Chancellor to do that instead of sending out an e-mail herself. Hines mentioned that on the ballots that go out, it states that they are to be returned to Human Resources. She noted a lot of people are confused as to how to do that. She suggested instructions should state ballots should be put in an envelope and sent though campus mail or taken to the Human Resources Office. Livingston asked if it would be possible to have a ballot box at Facilities or tell them to turn it into their supervisor. Livingston suggested we might want to have a sub-task force to work on the issue of how we get the service group to participate. Lakey noted that issue is not limited to just elections; he noted we miss out on a lot of issues with the service group. He asked how do we get service people involved and noted mentoring is an example. There have been several things over the years that show that service employees are not reached as much as the other categories. Choplin stated since a supervisor hands out the mail, he could give employees a little pep talk about voting and turning them back into him. He noted that some do not have any interest in voting, but if you have a supervisor involved who encourages them to participate, they would be more likely to do so.

   2. Employee Recognition
      Bargen noted this is a very active committee and very fun to work on. He noted they just got in a lot of new applications over the last three weeks. He stated he had given Mumm the final report that listed the committee's goals for the year and the report tells about the progress towards those goals. Bargen said that November's Employee of the Month and the Department of the Month have already been chosen.

      Mumm told new members that by the next meeting everyone would have a copy of the year-end report. She noted the committees will all be listed and the functions of those committees. Mumm suggested members look at those and decide on which committees they would like to serve. Mumm noted that the reason members did not have the report for this meeting is that we wanted to include the minutes from the last meeting of the Senate year in the report.

   3. Professional Development
      1. Making a Difference
         Ellingson reported that 173 individuals attended "Making A Difference" and 24 individuals helped with the half-day event. A total of 100 prizes were given out and evaluation sheets showed very high marks. With one as the lowest and five as the highest marks available, the averages were as follows: program offerings, 4.55; promotional materials, 4.39; half-day format, 4.64; time of the event-fall break, 4.80; and refreshments, 4.47. Ellingson noted they were very pleased with the event and feel that those attending are enjoying the event. Ellingson read some of the comments from the evaluations and noted the comments were very, very positive. She stated we really need to work hard to continue and improve every year. Mitchell noted she liked the half-day format that was used this year. Roggasch, who was a speaker, stated the event was well organized. Ellingson stated Staff Senate would have their work cut out for them since Brenda Jochum will probably not be in charge next year since the committee will have to be chaired by a Staff Senate member next year. However everyone is planning on her being an active member of the committee.

      2. Mentoring
         Ellingson noted her report would be brief since there are two meetings scheduled for this week so she will provide more information later. Plans are continuing for the Mentor Workshop on November 17 at 2 p.m. There will be a dry run for presenters on November 10th. Ellingson stressed there is still a need for more mentors. At the moment, there are 19 people signed up. Currently there are no directors on the list; she noted she needs some directors to sign-up. There are currently five managerial/professional, 12 office, and two service employees on the list. She noted that is enough to get started, but we do need the list to grow. She encouraged Staff Senate members to get involved as mentors. Or if members have a suggestion of someone you feel would make a good mentor, please get in touch with her or anyone on the committee. Plans are to have the program implemented in January with the new semester. In the mean time, John Lakey and Brenda Jochum have been meeting with various groups on campus promoting the UNK Mentor Advantage Program. This program will not be successful if we do not have the support of supervisors, directors, administration, etc. Ellingson noted soon she would be taking Jochum's place doing that. Mitchell mentioned that a lot of people don't realize just which employees are in the service category. Ellingson noted we would have to do some more education in the area. The people who are listed as service was explained in previous minutes, but we need to get that information out. Jim Lange noted that a lot of service people don't get all that information. Ellingson noted that is probably true and we need to find a way to get them that information. She stated that is a lot of the problem; either they aren't getting the information or they are not reading it. She suggested that maybe the mentor program itself would help in that area. It will create better communication between employees. Mitchell noted maybe going to supervisors and asking them for assistance will also help. Either way, Ellingson stated, we need to get the word out.

   4. Strategic Planning
      Mumm noted she didn't have much to report other than they are still working on prioritization. Livingston stated that includes defining what a program is and working on the indicators that will be used to evaluate a program. She noted that is probably what they will be doing most of the year.

      Mumm informed new members that Staff Senate is asked to provide representatives to sit on various committees on campus. The Strategic Planning Committee also has representation from off campus as well as on campus. All campuses in the university system will be evaluating their programs as instructed by Central Administration.

   5. Information Technology
      Bargen noted the committee met yesterday and they will be doing a survey of all faculty who are using Course Info to find out how they are using it and what kind of problems they are having, how successful it is, what their students think of it and what kind of impact it is having on academics here. Right now they are putting that survey together and they are also re-examining their Strategic Plan for Information Technology. This committee has the task of overseeing all technology items on campus. It also administers the student technology fees and does the overall technology plan for the campus whether it be for students, faculty, or staff. So they are looking at what they have accomplished in the past and what they want to accomplish in the future. Bargen showed members a new brochure that showcases Computer Services; the brochure will be handed out to prospective students. Bargen asked now that he is going off Staff Senate would he need to be replaced on the committee. He noted if it is permissible, he would be interested in remaining on the committee and would be willing to report back to Staff Senate. Mumm noted that is a decision for Staff Senate to make and stated there are other committees where that decision will also have to be made due to current members going off Staff Senate. Livingston mentioned she thought the Chancellor made those decisions for certain committees. Lakey noted we forward names to the Chancellor and then she selects from those. Lakey stated he didn't think there was anything in writing that states those individuals have to be members of Staff Senate but it needs to be someone who is willing to report to Staff Senate. Mumm noted it does help to have others involved or it stretches members if we have to serve on all the committees.

   6. Diversity
      Mumm noted this committee was developed after the Chancellor's Retreat this fall. One of the goals is to increase awareness and diversity issues on campus. Mumm noted the official title is Diversity Plan Coordination Committee. The diversity-related goals for the committee were established during the administrative retreat. Those goals are to be accomplished either this year or next. The complete list of goals includes: 1) Establish an Ethnic Studies Program 2) Revise Hiring Guidelines 3) Develop and Present a Workshop for Administrators Dealing with Minority Issues 4) Develop a Plan for a Common First-Year Experience 5) Develop and Implement a Faculty Workshop on Working with Minority Students 6) Work with Chamber of Commerce to Facilitate Minority Employees and/or Students in the community. 7) Highlight Diversity Activities 8) Engage Student Government in Process 9) Use Minority Faculty and/or Students to Recruit 10) Assessments for NCA Process 11) Develop a Reward System 12) Give Periodic Report to Administrative Council 13) Develop a Multi-Cultural Office 14) Develop a Mentoring Program 15) Establish Coordinating Committee. For each goal there is a point person(s) designated to lead efforts to reach the particular goal. Dr. Harrold is the chair of the committee whose assignment is to monitor and coordinate activities. Mumm discussed how things are progressing with those goals - four goals have already been met.

6. New Business
   1. Survey - Bressington
      Bressington asked out-going and current members to complete a survey She is working on her master's degree and has to do several research papers. In this instance, she is looking at group dynamics. She is surveying both Staff Senate and Office Service Advisory Council since the two groups merged. She noted she would be happy to share the results with Staff Senate. She stated the survey is confidential and you don't need to put your name on it. Bressington asked that everyone get them back to her by November 3 since the paper is due by Thanksgiving.

   2. Volunteer for Learning Center Review Committee
      Mumm stated she needed a volunteer who would be willing to serve on this committee. The Chancellor has asked for a representative of Staff Senate to be on the committee. The inquiry will take several months. This will be similar to the Student Life Functional Review Committee. She noted that committee surveyed various groups and came to various conclusions as to the direction of that division. Bargen noted this committee would review the current functions of the Learning Center and how they correlate to functions in other campus offices. Jan Mitchell volunteered. Mumm noted it does take a lot of time to serve on committees, but it is worthwhile. You learn a lot about what is going on on campus and you get to know other people.

   3. Faculty Senate Professional Conduct Committee
      The chair of Faculty Senate asked Staff Senate to elect two members to serve on this committee from the managerial/professional and/or director categories. Tim Danube and Ron Roth are currently on that committee. After looking at Staff Senate by-laws which states that two representatives are to be elected at the December meeting with their one-year term to begin January 1, that election will be delayed until December and the current members will continue to serve until then. Livingston noted the reason for that time frame is to coincide with Faculty Senate's year.

   4. Search Committee for the Vice Chancellor of Student Life
      Bargen noted the Chancellor has activated this committee again and members were asked to serve again and a few additional people were added. Bargen noted he would be happy to report back to Staff Senate unless the Chancellor would prefer to appoint someone who is currently on Staff Senate.

   5. End of Year Report
      Mumm noted the report would list all the Staff Senate members for the year, an overview of the year, committee reports, the bylaws, employees of the month, and all the minutes. Mumm noted this is really a good reference to go to when wanting to know what happened during the year. Mumm stated she would like to also add the Departments of the Month and the Staff Award for Excellence. Mumm noted Ellingson added the history of the mentoring program in her report so this will be a complete history of the past year's activities. Mumm stated she would get that printed before the next meeting.

   6. Election of Officers
      Mumm turned the meeting over to John Lakey to conduct elections. Lakey stated we needed to elect a president, vice president, and secretary. Lakey read the bylaws concerning elections and out-going members were reminded to refrain from voting. Lakey opened the floor to nominations for president. Hines (Ellingson) nominated Kathy Livingston. Lange (McMullen) nominated Tim Danube. Livingston was elected by secret ballot. Lakey opened the floor for nominations for vice president. Danube (Hines) nominated Tim McMullen. Jones (Livingston) nominated Carol Hines. Hines was elected by secret ballot. Lakey opened the floor for nominations for secretary. McMullen (Mitchell) nominated Dee Ellingson for secretary. There being no other nomination, Ellingson was elected by acclimation vote. Lakey thanked Mumm for her outstanding job as chair for the past year. He noted he hoped she would continue to be involved with Staff Senate activities and stated he was sure she would. Mumm gave Certificates of Appreciation to the following out-going members: Dennis Choplin, Dave Bargen, and Bonnie Mumm. Mumm will deliver one to Deb Hurtya who was not able to attend today. Mumm thanked everyone for allowing her to serve as chair for the past two years. She noted they have been great years and interesting ones. Mumm stated that Staff Senate does provide communication for the staff which is very important and we have tried to get recognition as a group that does have input into activities.

7. Announcements
   Next meeting November 21, 2000

8. Adjourn
   The meeting was adjourned at 11:50 a.m. Danube (Bargen)