Minutes - June 15, 2006

In attendance: Timothy E Barber, Sharon A Bernard, Linda M Breining, Layne D Brewster-Smith, Lisa Jean Camero, Vanessa L Cobb, James A Cogburn, Johnnie M Conley, Tommy J Downey, Victoria L Drake, Lara Ellen Eakins, Danielle S Fournier, Patrice Fox, Christine R Gauger, Claudia Gerardo, Marco A Gonzalez, Philip A Guerrero, Bretna M Hackert, Thomas H Horn, Sara L Jackson Watson, James B Janknegt, Troy L Johnson, Mari M Johnson, Amy Jones, Shelton B Lewis, Keke Kelly Liao, Gary E Martt, Cynthia L May, Alan D McKendree, Kimberly J Montroy, Terry D Moore, Joyce A Moyer, Heather L Pafk, Eric H Patkowski, Billie E Pierce, Elaine A Rafferty, Martha L Ramey, Ben Rodriguez Jr, Carl Roell, Christopher G Scherer, Sandra M Sleeper, Olen Smith Jr, Allison C Supancic, Barbara C Thompson, Salwa Uzri, Kimberly A Wallace, Erin H Waneck, Deborah D Warden, James R Watson, Ashley S Williams, Kimberly D Williams, Blake A Willms

Absent with notification: Gregory D. Browning, Melba J Catchings, Nelson K Fahlund, David P Haney, Dreya L Johannsen, Debra A Madden, Michael J McFarlin, Rita C Moreno, Linda K Overton, Pamela R Owen, Monica M Pena-Mercado

Absent: Jennifer L Betancourt, Maria E Hernandez, Victor C Herrera, Richard Lee, Candace K Legge, Collin M Logan, Robert D Micks, Felix N Sanchez Jr, Nadine M Schulte

Guests: Sarah Y Shafer (HRS), Julien Carter (HRS), Monica Reed (HRS), Debra Kress (HRS), Peggy Mueller (LIS), Glen Worley (LIS)

Announcements:

New name tags for any new members are available at the front table – anyone wearing a pace maker should not wear one because the name tags are magnetized.

Sarah Shafer has compiled UTSC notebooks for new reps. Continuing reps can pick up updated bylaws, calendar, list of updated issues and other updated information.

Meeting called to order at 2:05 PM upon verification of a quorum.

The Chair recognizes Frank Simon, the first Chair of UTSC, is invited to explain the process of the UTSC election.

Mr. Simon explains that the process for election will involve a table where ballots are issued. You will sign for the ballot on a roster. The table by the window is setup if you would like to fill out your ballot there or you can take it back to your chair. There will be a list of write-ins eligible to be elected on the table. Only people on the list are eligible to be write-ins. You must have served one year in UTSC according to bylaws to be eligible. Once you fill in the ballot you will return it to the ballot box. Mr. Simon shows UTSC that the ballot box is empty. There will also be a roster that will indicate that you have cast when you submit your ballot. This is only to ensure that integrity of the ballot and to ensure that when you submit a ballot you are eligible. You can not tell who submit each ballot.

There are three sections on the ballot: Chair, Vice-Chair, and Recorder/Secretary. All candidates are listed alphabetically and there is a blank for a write-in candidate. You must print if you have a write-in and put an x on that line. The names must be legible to be counted. Once you have filled out your ballot you should fold it in half from top to bottom and put it into the ballot box. Do not submit others’ ballots and do not offer to take others’ ballots. Ballots can not be counted of folded together according to Robert’s rules. Simply put it into the slot on the ballot box. Once everyone has voted the Chair will declare the polls closed. The tellers will then collect the ballots and count them. A tellers report will be filled out for each election that will count the number of ballots cast, the number of votes required for an election. A simple majority is required. Each candidate will show how many votes were cast for them. The report will also list any votes not counted because they were illegal or rejected. Once the report is done the tellers will return to the meeting and read the report into the minutes. The report will be given to the Chair who will declare who the winner is for each section. If there is no majority in a section the Chair will declare that there is no winner. The tellers will then meet and discuss who will be in a run-off. From the ballot it appears on only the Recorder/Secretary position has this possibility.

There are 70 UTSC members. This number will be used for all calculations. We have provisions for a recount if required. Once the elections are final you can not ask for a recount. You have to move for a recount before the Chair declares the results final.

Mr. Simon asks is anyone has questions. A UTSC member asks who is eligible to vote. Mr. Simon explains that anyone who is a sitting UTSC member is eligible to vote. Mr. Simon recognizes Tom Horn who tells Mr. Simon that Mark has counted the number of UTSC members as 48 and asks anyone who has not signed in to please do so.

The Chair asks for a brief three-minute speech from candidates.

Recorder/Secretary

Vicki Drake – 130.1
Worked for UT libraries since 1999 Engineering and now Geology
Background in Library Sciences
Helped found Texas Labor party in Denton
Very passionate about labor and staff issues
Recorder/Secretary position most important because the only link for many staff is thru the minutes and highlight of the minutes

Mark Anthony Gonzalez
Work for School of Biological Sciences in the College of Natural Sciences
Graduated from UT in 2000
Well aware of campus and procedures
Here to improve staff issues and UTSC has done a lot for staff, 72 people changing the lives of thousands on campus
Minutes should go out sooner and look forward to working with UTSC in the future regardless of position

Bretna Hackert
Works for UT since 1987 as a systems analyst now in the office of accounting
Worked in various areas at UT
Much more than just taking minutes, but minutes are very important – minutes need to go out in order to get others more involved. Meetings are open to the public

Vice-Chair

Danielle Fournier – 210.1
Works in Mechanical Engineering as Alumni and Industrial Relations Coordinator
Works with many people on campus; we all have a lot of common interests
Wants to bring enthusiasm from outside interests to UTSC; feels strongly about insurance and health benefits; wants staff voice heard regardless of position in UTSC
We need to have a well informed staff
Vice-Chair has been underutilized; fill vacancies, best fit for committees and resolve outstanding issues. Help the Chair in duties. Good luck to all. We have elections, some win and some lose but at the end of the day we all shake hands and move forward together.

Amy Jones – 160
Works for the Business School
Past year has been Issues Chair
The meat of UTSC is the issues – we need more focus on completing the issues. Help UTSC be more effective body.

Chair

*Sandra Sleeper
Hi. My name is Sandra Sleeper and I have been with this university since 1994. I am not an original Texan; I am a Californian and Floridian. Since I have been here in Austin I have very much been involved in bringing solutions to problems. I came as a mother under difficult circumstances and I saw that there was a need in my predicament so I got involved with city council and state to get some changes made. People told me no and I said I would just try. As a result I was successful in getting some changes made in regards to children’s advocacy and women’s issues in the Travis County. Also once I got here in UT, I got involved in different areas, committees, associations, Hispanic associations, steering committees. Again, I saw there was a need, I wanted to help, I got involved. I have been here with the Staff Council now four years. I came in as an interim rep. I think you came in as interim rep too. So Erin and I both same boat, both came in as interim reps, kind of quiet the first year, trying to get our bearings, didn’t know what was going on, you know. Then once we saw what was what and who was who and where there was a need we stated participating. In my case I started participating in the area of compensation and classification as well as nominations and elections. I have served as chair of comp and class for about three years and have worked on literally dozens of issues and am very proud that my committee has been responsible for getting a lot of these issues passed as well setting the bar on how this committee responds to an issue and reports an issue. I am very proud to say that our committee has been used as an example of how other committees should work. What I see right now in council, I think that we should be concentrating on two arenas; interior communications as well as exterior. I think all three officers should have more of a cross-training to each other. Their roles should not be solely divided into each category. There should be more exchange between them so there is no single point of failure. I think there should be more communication between executive committee, working, standing, ad-hoc committees. There should be more of a push to get more people in attendance and more people actually doing the leg work in the committees. We have a very small percentage of people actually doing the work. Unfortunately, what is happening is that they are ageing out, reaching their term limits and once they are gone the council can not stop. I would like to see some succession planning and some cross training so the good work we are doing can continue.

Erin Waneck
Elected Chair last year – a native Austenite
Degree from UT and just celebrated her 25th year. Worked with current supervisor for 17 years. Was lovingly called a thorn in his side and Erin takes this as a compliment because people know when they have an issue that they can go to Erin to get issue resolved. As a new rep she observed an attendance issue. With her leadership attendance is up and we have had a quorum at all our meetings. We have gone into more, deeper issues. Erin rides the bus and wants to talk to others about getting involved with UTSC. Issues include equity in pay. Gone out into campus to help spread the word about UTSC; bring someone from the office to help spread the word. Chairs have been asked to give updates in order to help get issues resolved in a timelier manner. With transitions in the VP for HR and President of UT Erin asks for a vote of confidence for another year as Chair of UTSC. With the UTSC’s help we can take this to the next level.

Mr. Simon tells UTSC that they can pick up a new ballot if needed. Your old ballot will be marked VOID and issue you a new ballot. The tellers are introduced: Julian Carter from HR, former Recorder Peggy Mueller, and Glen Worley, 2nd Chair of UTSC.

The Chair opens the polls.

The Chair closes the polls.

Committee sign-up sheets should be returned to the front table or they can do them online. There is a link on the UTSC web page.

The Chair reads a letter from President Powers regarding extending the Staff Educational Benefit to half-time employees. The University Budget Council discusses that because the University’s budget has come under significant pressure the University Budget Council has decided to defer making a decision on this issue.

Sandra Sleeper discusses an ad-hoc mentoring committee. Sandra would like to make this a standing committee or working committee. Standing committees exist from year to year with a continuing function. Working committees are given a specific charge to work on a specific issue. The mentoring committee is an ad-hoc committee to offer help to new reps from older reps. Because of the nature of servicing UTSC reps it should have permanent standing.

The Chair discusses this will have to be a bylaws change in order to create a standing committee from an ad-hoc committee.

Tom discusses the need for this committee is right now. The vast majority of the work will happen right after the elections and believes this should be a permanent working committee and not a standing committee. A standing committee would create a new member to the EXCOMM as a chair and Tom does not believe that is needed at this time. Also, there is a committee that exists – the outreach committee or University and Public Relations Committee. EXCOMM had voted to dissolve the committee and combine the duties with the Communications Committee. The EXCOMM does not have the authority to do this. Therefore, the committee still exists if needed.

Amy – 160 – thinks a mentoring committee is a good idea and should be a standing committee. Amy asks if the Bylaws Committee to perhaps clean up the committees. Also, she asks whether the Facilities Committee has been put into the bylaws. Things we just voted in UTSC meeting. The Chair remarks that since it was voted and passed in a general UTSC meeting that it binding.

Gary – 540 – no opinion on standing or working committee but thinks that mentoring goes beyond just orientation but a group that can help UTSC throughout the year with issues and how to do things.

Chair asks for a motion. Sandy makes a motion. The motion is seconded. All those in favor of making the current ad-hoc Mentoring Committee a standing committee and thus a member of EXCOMM say aye and oppose say nay. A rising vote is required. The motion carries – aye’s have it. The Chair asks that the Bylaws Committee write it into the bylaws.

The Chair asks Mark Anthony Gonzalez to come up for approval of the minutes. The minutes are approved as is.

Amy Jones – Issue Chair – 2006-1, Traffic Safety on Campus
Vicki wants issue amended to motion to include all safety and traffic issues
Issue is validated and referred to UTSC Parking and Transportation
UTPD officer explains this is a City of Austin issue

2006-2, Compensation for UTSC members to participate in UTSC
Sandra asks where funding will come from. The affected departments would have to pay this additional funding request. Mark warns of the slippery-slope affect if we pay for meeting times. Comp time may be awarded. There is motion to carry and is seconded. It is passed. Referred to EXCOMM.

Chris – 511 – TRS requirement for SSN’s on petitions – Issue 2004-25 – says that they are in the process of doing away with SSN’s as identifiers and will use the last four and address. He moves to have this issue resolved. Motion is passed.

Bretna – Issue 2005-35 – campus computer discounts for retirees. If the discount is extended current employees would not get a good discount if at all possible. Recommendation is to take no further action. Motion is passed.

New Business:

Sandra asks what committee assignments are looking like thus far. The Chair discusses how all the real work is done in committees.

Chair thanks Chris for the tour of the power plant.

Member asks what the two hours of UTSC work is – the Chair explains that those two hours are within the 40-hour week – not comp time or overtime, unless you work shift work then you get comp time.

Tom reminds UTSC that Mark will be willing to help get the tape of the minutes online.

Election Results:

Chair - 51 votes cast – 26 needed for election – 14 for Sleeper, 36 for Waneck and 1 write-in for Hackert.

Vice-Chair – 51 votes cast – 26 needed for election - 33 for Fournier, 17 for Jones, and 1 write-in for Philip Guerrero.

Recorder/Secretary – 51 votes cast - 26 needed for election - 16 for Drake, 24 for Gonzalez and 11 for Hackert.

Chair names Erin Waneck as Chair, Danielle Fournier as Vice-Chair and a runoff is required between Vicki Drake and Marco Gonzalez for Recorder/Secretary.

Frank Simon asks that we can do a division of the house election – Tom reminds that we must have secret ballots according to the bylaws.

Motion to have paper ballots is presented and seconded and is passed.

Frank Simon asks if the tellers can count the votes in the room. The motion is presented, seconded and past.

In the vote for Recorder/Secretary – 48 votes cast – 25 needed for election - 18 for Drake, 30 for Gonzalez. The Chair declares Mark the winner. The election is final.

Adjournment:

The meeting was adjourned at 3:37 PM.

*P.S. Sandra Sleeper's address was transcribed in its entirety due to concerns expressed about misrepresentation of her comments.

Prepared by Mark Anthony Gonzalez
UTSC