Minutes for February 2009

Thursday, February 19, 2009
Avaya Auditorium, ACES 2.302

Members present:  Denise Berry, Ben Bond, Steve Brahm, Lewis Bowen, Patrick Buckner, Stephanie Cardenas, James Cooper, Jackie Dana, Lara Eakins, John Goutier, Joe Gregory, Chrissi Guerrero, Lori Hamilton, Martha Harrison, Phillip Hebert, Janice Hejl, Keith Hill, Charles King, Dianne Kline, Vicki Kullberg, Janet Larsen, Sarah Lind, David Macha, Gary Martt, Jennifer McClain, Jimmy Moore, Rita Moreno, Louise Nelson, Amy Olson, Linda Overton, Pamela Owen, Eric Patkowski, Cynthia Podolnick, Cindy Posey, Martha Ramey, Janet Reed, Jo Ann Richmond, Ben Rodriguez, Janell Ross, Tracy Saenger, Chris Scherer, Madison Searle, Candace Shye, Rachel Sidopulos, Mindy Thompson, Heather Vacek, Robert Walker, Bobby Wawak, Barbara Welch, Brandy Whitten, Ashley Williams, Blake Willms, Brittany Wilson, Sunni Zuniga

Members Absent with Notification:  Danielle Fournier, Sarah Kitten, Tina Radke, Mark Smyth, Meredith Taylor

Members Absent:  Jose Barroso, Tony Bumpass, Mary Campbell, Nellie Cano, Suzanne Ewing, Bobby Hemby, Troy Johnson, Jennifer McAndrew, Robert Meyer, Peter Telck

CALL TO ORDER

With a quorum present, Chair Ben Bond called the business meeting to order at 2:00pm. in the Avaya Auditorium, ACES. 2.302.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Mr. Bond announced that there is an event scheduled to begin directly at 3:30pm in Avaya Auditorium today.  In order to accommodate that event, today’s Council meeting will end at 3:15pm.

Next month's meeting is scheduled on Thursday, March 12, 2009 from 2-3:30pm in the Avaya Auditorium, ACES 2.302.

OFFICER REPORTS

CHAIR

Ben Bond reminded Council that the next meeting is scheduled on Thursday, March 12, 2009 at 2pm in Avaya Auditorium, ACES 2.302.  He asked committee chairs to schedule committee meetings before March 5 in order that updates could be prepared and presented at the March 12 general assembly.

Mr. Bond announced that President Powers is tentatively scheduled to speak to Staff Council at the July 16, 2009 meeting.  Meeting will be conducted in a “town hall” format with a question and answer time.

Mr. Bond queried the Council about other certifications that could or should be offered as part of the CareerSmart program:

Representative Ashley Williams suggested a certification for under-management skills training, for employees who are behind their supervisors but not on a track to move into management positions.

Representative Jennifer McClain suggested a certification for employees interested in a career change from one area to a completely different one within the UT network.

Representative Jackie Dana suggested a certification in technology and skills training for employees who don’t have those skills; also a certification in communication strategies.

Cindy Posey (District 522):  The Professional Development Center offers communication and technology classes.

Jackie Dana:  Those classes seem to be very high level; I’m suggesting classes that would teach employees the very basics in different programs.

Representative Louise Nelson suggested that Human Resource Services provide career counseling, offering assessment tests for employees in order to help identify their strengths, areas of interest and possible areas for future career growth within the University.

Representative Brandy Whitten suggested a certification in 21st century communication methods, including group email and communicating with students using on-line sites such as Twitter and social networking sites like Facebook, to meet students’ needs and expectations.

Mr. Bond reported that Human Resource Services will be implementing a new evaluation form, which will include a rebuttal area directly on the form.  Roll-out for the new form is scheduled for sometime around April 2009.

Ben Rodriguez (District 130.2):  Could we see a sample of the evaluation form?

Ben Bond (District 160.1):  I’ll make a note of that and see if we can’t provide that to everyone.

Mr. Bond reported that Human Resource Services is working to schedule a demo of the computer terminals that will be provided for staff that do not have departmental access to a computer on a regular basis.  Demo will be scheduled during a future Staff Council meeting.

VICE CHAIR

Steve Brahm reported that he made a presentation at the Town Hall meeting on Monday, February 9, 2009.  In his presentation, he shared the following UTSC highlights:

1. Election of new Chair Ben Bond and Vice Chair Steve Brahm.  Janice Hejl remains as Recorder/Secretary.

2. Review of past accomplishments, including:

a. Staff Educational Benefit

b. Employee Discount Program

c. SharePass Parking Program

d. New CareerSmart initiative

3. Staff Council Executive Committee Retreat to discuss communications plans, and review a recent survey distributed to Council members, which revealed areas of priority as:

            a. Staff ombudsman

            b. Workplace environment (survey is in process)

            c. Staff benefits

            d. Educational opportunities (CareerSmart initiative)

            e. Wellness

            f. Campus safety and security

            g. Communication

4. President Powers’ address to Staff Council on January 22, 2009.  He provided updates on:

a. The budget

b. Upcoming legislative session

c. Domestic partner benefits – UTSC issued resolution in support of Pride and Equity Faculty/Staff Association and their pursuit of domestic partner benefits.

Mr. Brahm shared an update on the upcoming Barbara Jordan statue unveiling on April 24, 2009.  There was moderate interest from Council members to participate.  A suggestion was made to find a common “thread” in Ms. Jordan’s life that correlates to a core value of Staff Council.  Due to time and schedule constraints, details of participation could not be finalized.  Mr. Brahm encouraged Council members to attend the event if at all possible.

RECORDER/SECRETARY

Approval of Minutes
Recorder/Secretary Janice Hejl sent out, prior to today’s meeting, the December and January meeting minutes via email.  After making edits suggested by Brandy Whitten and Erin Waneck, and with a quorum present, Ms. Hejl asked for a motion to approve the December minutes.  Chair Ben Bond asked if a final draft had been distributed to representatives for review, following these edits.  As a final draft had not been sent out for review following edits, Mr. Bond asked that approval of the December and January minutes be postponed to the March 12 meeting.   Ms. Hejl advised she would distribute the final draft of December and January minutes, along with the February 19 meeting minutes for representatives to review, prior to the March 12 general assembly meeting.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Ad Hoc Committee on Ombudsman

Committee Chair Erin Waneck reported no new updates at this time.

Bylaws Committee

Committee Chair Eric Patkowski provided a printed handout that outlined two proposals for bylaws change, the first regarding the current attendance policy.  The change involves a change in the definition of unexcused absences, to be defined as “absent without prior notice to the Secretary”.  This change is suggested in an effort to diminish the number of notifications submitted post-meeting and without sufficient reason for missing a Council meeting.  Mr. Patkowski opened the floor for discussion:

Ben Rodriguez (District 130.2): A reminder that with 3 absences, members are not automatically removed; after 5 absences, it is assumed that a member has vacated his/her position on Staff Council.  There is also an appeals process in place, and this proposal does not impact that process.

Chris Scherer (District 511):  I’d like to say that for those of us who are shift workers, it’s often hard to plan ahead and know whether or not we’ll be able to attend a meeting until the very day of a meeting; even then, we may plan to attend and then something comes up last minute that prevents us from doing so.  That said, the Executive Committee has an opportunity to review each individual’s situation on a case-by-case basis during the appeals process and consider the circumstances of the absences on record in order to determine whether or not a member should be removed.

Ben Bond (District 160.1):  This change is being suggested with the intent of resolving the situation in which members email the Secretary after the start time of the meeting and claim that they simply forgot about the scheduled meeting.

Motion 1:  Joe Gregory – that Council accepts this proposal.

Second:  Chris Scherer

There were no objections; the motion passes unanimously.

The second proposal for bylaws change focuses on defining the purpose of the Workplace Environment Committee to delineate the service of the committee. 

Motion 2:  Lara Eakins – that Council accept the revised definition as outlined on the handout.

Second:  Chris Scherer

There were no objections; the motion passes.

Benefits Committee

Committee Chair Danielle Fournier was unable to attend today’s meeting.

Committee on Committees

Committee Chair Blake Willms reported no new updates at this time.

Communications Committee

Committee Chair Ashley Williams reported that the Staff Council organization now has an account on www.twitter.com, which is a site through which members can provide and receive quick updates of information, such as upcoming meetings and events scheduled.  She encouraged Council members to sign up on the site at their earliest convenience.  Administrators of the site are Ben Bond and Ashley Williams.

Ms. Williams reported that the committee has its first “working mode” of the updated UTSC web site.  The committee has been working with Human Resource Services staff to modify the current site, instead of implementing a complete overhaul, which would require much more time.  The updated web site will feature new formats with the same information provided.  More extensive re-design can be discussed in the future if desired.

Faculty Council Update

Due to time constraints with today’s meeting, this report has been postponed until the March 12 meeting.

Infrastructure & Parking Committee

Committee Chair David Macha reported no new updates at this time.

Issues Committee

Committee Chair Cindy Posey reported that the committee met a few weeks ago.  The committee is working on an electronic spreadsheet with which to track issues submitted.  They are working to address issues and then post them to the web site.

Ms. Posey also reported that the committee has been reviewing the process of submitting and researching issues.  The committee proposes that a submitted issue be assigned to an individual committee member, who then conducts research to include discussions with an expert in the field of the issue.  Following completed research, the committee then assigns the issue to the appropriate committee.  This change is proposed to allow the committee to provide more detailed information to the committee to which it is ultimately assigned for better understanding and clarification.

Ben Bond (District 160.2):  Changes to the submission process is a bigger issue that the Executive Committee should review before anything new is implemented.

Eric Patkowski (District 291):  Our bylaws require that any changes be reviewed by the

Executive Committee before being implemented.

Erin Waneck (ex-officio):  The committee’s proposal is not in line with the original intent of the Issues Committee upon its creation.  Changing a committee’s function is against bylaws.

Phillip Hebert (District 342):  That’s not the original intent of the Issues Committee; it changed during Erin’s term as Staff Council Chair.

Jennifer McClain (District 660.1):  I like the idea of one person on the committee talking to an “expert” in the field related to the issue submitted, as I think it would allow for better use of Council’s time.  There are many things that we, as a Council, can and cannot do.

After more questions arose pertaining to this proposal, Chair Ben Bond announced that the Council would re-visit the discussion on this proposal.

Nominations & Elections Committee

Committee Chair Joe Gregory reported that the committee has been preparing for the upcoming elections in approximately one month.

There will be 39 seats up for election this cycle.  The committee met with Human Resource Services to review the elections process.  He encouraged Council members to engage their constituents in the process and vote.

Mr. Gregory reminded Council members to communicate with their constituents the importance of including an email address in their electronic Employee Record on-line.  Employees who have not provided an email address on their record will receive a paper ballot on which to cast their vote. 

Resources Committee

Due to time constraints with today’s meeting, this report has been postponed until the March 12 meeting.

Workplace Environment Committee

Due to time constraints with today’s meeting, this report has been postponed until the March 12 meeting.

OLD BUSINESS

There were no Old Business items to discuss at this time.

NEW BUSINESS

Chair Ben Bond introduced guest speaker Jeff Stellmach, Senior Social Worker with the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), in the Office of Human Resource Services.  Mr. Stellmach began his presentation with a brief history of the EAP, a program that offers individual counseling in various areas as well as manager training classes.

Work Life Services is a newer program that is a component of the EAP, and focuses on supporting healthy balances between employees’ professional and personal lives.  Wellness is an area of interest that the program would like to add, but funding has not been secured as of yet.

EAP and Work/Life Services employ psychologists and social workers who possess doctoral level educations, are licensed by the state of Texas and make use of continuing education classes to maintain knowledge and expertise in their field.  They are required to maintain confidentiality with clients.

Work/Life Services offers programs that focus on areas involving feelings/emotions, thoughts and attitudes, actions/behaviors, interpersonal relationships, communication techniques and manager coaching/training.  EAP offers group services including manager consultations, personal/work related counseling, critical incident stress management (i.e. loss of employee or employee’s family member in the workplace), threat assessment, fitness for duty (i.e. employee is observed to have an impairment that is a danger to him/her in the workplace), group presentations on a variety of topics, and the Staff Emergency Fund.

Staff Emergency Fund is a program that aids employees in various situations, including loss due to fire.  The program does have restrictions and does not include loss of employment.  EAP/Work Life Services staff evaluates information in these situations and confidentially forwards it for consideration of application to the Staff Emergency Fund.  The program is funded by donations from UT staff through the Hearts of Texas campaign.

EAP/Work Life Services offer “Lunch Box” programs that feature a Child Development and a Stress Less series, both of which focus on various parenting topics.  Classes focusing on eldercare, flexible work arrangements, work/life balance training are also offered through the program.

In partnership with the Office of Employee Services, EAP/Work Life Services is working on the implementation of “lactation rooms”, also called “quiet rooms”.  Designated purpose of these rooms is to provide a private area in which employees can go for medical respite or new mothers can go to provide lactation for their new infants.  Inclusion of these types of rooms into the design of new buildings is mandatory.  Current buildings are evaluated for the possibility of implementing these rooms into existing spaces.

Following his presentation, Mr. Stellmach opened the floor to questions:

Stephanie Cardenas (District 322):  What office can we contact if we have a room/space that we want to get designated as a “quiet room”?

Mr. Stellmach:  You may contact Connie Deutsch, Director of EAP program, or Linda Millstone, Associate Vice President for Institutional Equity and Workforce Diversity; either one of them will be able to give you the specifics on the process for designating a space as a quiet room.

Linda Overton (District 190.2):  Does the program also offer conflict resolution classes?

Mr. Stellmach: Employee and Management Services in the Office of Human Resources offers these classes.

Linda Overton:  Has there been thought given to incorporating meditation space into these quiet rooms?

Mr. Stellmach:  The rooms have been initially designated for employees to use as part of a medical recovery or who are new mothers who need a private place to provide lactation for their new babies.  The decision to designate these rooms as multi-use spaces, such as meditation, would be left to the individual departments.

Linda Overton:  Is there a group meditation schedule available?

Mr. Stellmach:  Mental Health Services offers a meditation group that meets weekly on Tuesdays at 12pm noon.  Contact person for that group is Carrie Tucker.  We can also arrange to do a single instructional meditation group, and offer yoga classes as well. 

Brandy Whitten (District 712):  The group meets on the 5th floor of the Student Services Building.  All UT staff and faculty are welcome to attend regardless of previous experience with meditation.  Instruction is available to those who would like that as well.

Martha Ramey (District 610.3):  When are the manager consultations done – annually or after a complaint has been submitted?

Mr. Stellmach:  We conduct consultations anytime; we operate as a mechanism of the Dispute Resolution Office.

Brandy Whitten (District 712):  Does the EAP assist staff members who are taking care of spouses with an illness or disability and/or elder parents?

Mr. Stellmach:  Yes, Work/Life Services counselors can also provide counseling and referrals to assist those who are caring for spouses with illness or disability.

Ben Bond (District 160.1):  Do you have any recommendations for employees who may meet resistance from their supervisors regarding the suggestion of implementing a flexible work schedule?

Mr. Stellmach:  I would recommend that employees will need to make a business case to managers in order to further an understanding of a flexible work schedule, and how it will benefit respective departments.  Ultimately, it is the decision of the managers whether or not to allow flexible work schedules in the department.  Any staff member who would like help in making a business case for a flexible work schedule with their supervisor is welcome to schedule an appointment with a Work/Life Services counselor.

Following his presentation, Mr. Bond thanked Mr. Stellmach for speaking to the Council at today’s meeting.

Mr. Bond opened the floor for discussion of any other New Business items.  He began discussion with an idea of implementing a 10-15 minute “brainstorming” session at the start of New Business items, in an effort to invoke more participation and input from Council members.  He opened the floor for questions from Council members:

Robert Walker (District 660.3):  What does the district number mean?

Ben Bond (District 160.1):  Districts group employees campus-wide, and the district numbers simply identify those groups.

Robert Walker:  It would seem a better idea to have Council representatives to identify themselves by the department in which they work – when I say “Division of Housing and Food Services”, people can identify better with that than they might when I say “District 660.3”.

Ben Bond:  That seems like a good idea, however, since some Council members represent multiple districts, that could be more difficult for some than others.

Chris Scherer (District 511):  I would submit that Roberts’ Rules of Order are used in an effort to maintain order in business meetings, so we probably don’t want to stray too far away from the designated order of business with this idea of a brainstorming session during meetings.

Ben Bond (District 160.1):  The idea of a brainstorming session was suggested in an effort to perhaps invoke more energy into the meetings and input from members who may not have an opportunity to do so otherwise.  That’s certainly something to keep in mind though.

Jackie Dana (District 262):  Could we make it a regular function of our meetings to send out information to constituents on current staff situations campus-wide; for instance, the recent statement from President Powers regarding the “flexible hiring and salary freezes”?

Ben Bond (District 160.1):  UT institutions do not always have time to think through various situations in order to immediately provide clarification on every piece of information disseminated.

Jackie Dana:  I would propose a “translation” of information as it is sent out.

Ben Bond:  Because institutions sometimes have little time to disseminate information, it would be impossible to provide a translation or interpretation of everything that is distributed campus-wide.   It is the responsibility of the area making the announcement and the leadership of the departments impacted to seek and provide that clarification.  For UTSC to attempt a clarification and/or interpretation of information would be beyond the scope of its purview, and any misinterpretations could cause a problem.

Erin Waneck (ex officio):  The meeting agendas should be sent out to staff sooner than 1-2 days prior to the meeting as a way of increasing attendance.  The agendas used to publish any issues scheduled for discussion at each meeting, so staff would know what is being addressed.  Also, we discussed previously that the UTSC brochure would be offered at new employee orientations so new employees would be aware of UTSC’s existence on campus.  We also discussed putting together a list of various tasks/assignments that Council members can take care of as needed.

Ashley Williams (District 220.1):  I had been bringing the UTSC brochures to our monthly meetings, but very few were being picked up and I ended up carrying the large majority of them back to HR Services where they are stored.  If anyone would like to request a handful of brochures for display in their work areas, please contact me through the communications_chair@utsc.utexas.edu email address, and I’ll be happy to get some to you.

Cindy Posey (District 522):  The schedule for new employee orientations is so full that it would be difficult to allow every organization that wants to speak to do so.  We have decided to change the schedule to a half-day orientation, and then allow new employees to browse organization booths where they can get information about various campus groups.  Human Resource Services has also decided to change orientations somewhat, and make that the time in which new employees will receive their office keys, submit hiring documents etc.

Martha Ramey (District 610.3):  What does that mean for supervisors who are responsible for initiating employee appointments?

Cindy Posey:   All appointments will have to be completed and the documents printed and given to employees before they come to a new employee orientation.  Jim McElroy is handling this new change, so he’ll have more information as we get closer to launching these changes.

Ben Bond:  You mentioned organization tables at new employee orientation sessions.  Would those have to be staffed by members of the organization, or would the brochures and information just be available on a table for new employees to pick up?

Cindy Posey:  The tables would be staffed by organization members who can answer questions that new employees may have.

Ben Rodriguez (District 130.2):  I would suggest that UTSC purchase a table sign or banner to use at the new employee orientations, and even the “brown bag” events from time to time; the banner could be stored in the closet in Human Resource Services Office.

QUESTIONS FOR THE COUNCIL

There were no questions for the Council at this time.

ADJOURNMENT

Motion 2:        Chris Scherer – that the meeting be adjourned.

Second:           Joe Gregory

There were no objections; the motion passes.

The Staff Council general assembly meeting adjourned at approximately 3:15pm.