OPERATING STAFF COUNCIL MEETING
MINUTES
3/10/05
8:30AM –
Present: Elizabeth Buck, Gay Campbell, Sara Clayton,
Michele Crase, Marcia Dick, Margie Foshe, Linda
and Rachel
Turner.
Absent: Joe Koch
Guests: Jodi Tyrrell, Tim Griffin
President Donna Smith called the regular meeting of
the Operating Staff Council to order at 8:45 a.m. on Thursday, March 10, 2005.
A motion was made to accept the agenda. The motion was seconded and passed.
III. Approval
of Minutes of February 10, 2005, Meeting
A motion was made to accept the minutes with two minor changes. The motion was seconded and passed.
IV. Treasurer’s Report
The treasurer’s report was presented for discussion.
A motion was made to accept the Treasurer’s report. The motion was seconded and
passed.
1. Smith reported that she, Shey Lowman, president of the SPS
Council, and Paul Stoddard, president of the Faculty Senate met with President
Peters for lunch on February 22, at Peters’s request. Peters discussed the budget situation,
pension issues, summer hours, Monsanto, and Board of Trustee appointments. A final decision has not yet been made about
summer hours. Smith, Lowman and Stoddard
requested that a decision be made soon so that employees can plan accordingly. They also met with Steve Cunningham, as well
as Debbie Haliczer on March 3, for a presentation on pension issues.
2. Donna Smith passed around the ISU newsletter. She also presented several e-mails including President Peters’ s e-mail on state pension systems; an e-mail from a constituent about summer hours; and e-mail from Diana Ramp regarding medical billing. Ramp said that screening exams such as mammograms are covered 100%. She also said that school physicals are also covered 100% provided the proper code is entered at the time the service is rendered. There was also an e-mail from Debbie Haliczer about the next University Benefits Committee meeting on March 31 in AL 212. Steve Cunningham has been invited to speak at the meeting, but if he can’t attend, it will be re-scheduled. There was also an e-mail from Kathy Buettner about the legislative hearing in DeKalb. The event will take place March 14 at Kishwaukee College. President Peters, as well as the presidents of the councils at NIU, will present testimony regarding the governor’s budget proposals. The hearing is open to the public and will be held from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
3. Marcia Dick reminded the Council about the library’s penny drive on campus. The library is trying to raise much-needed funds. They have set up a wishing well in the library and have also placed receptacles around campus for employees to donate their pennies. She also reported that the carpeting in the library will be replaced. A piece of it will be archived.
4. There was a lengthy discussion about the state budget crisis and the proposed changes to the SURS system. Proposed pension options and the process of determining individual benefits is very confusing for most people. There has been a lot of misleading information disseminated about the cost of the SURS system and the percent of returns on SURS investments. Smith pointed out that employees receiving benefits under the current system are protected under the Illinois Constitution, but there is concern about what the changes will mean for future employees. There is also a proposal that state agencies would be responsible for paying for increases in benefits that exceed 3% in the last three years of employment, possibly affecting the number of employees being promoted at the end of their careers. All of these questions will be addressed to Steve Cunningham at a future meeting.
A.
Personnel/Staff Developments/Benefits
1. Debbie
Haliczer attended the committee meeting.
Haliczer said that the Presidential
Commission
on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity has been working for more than a
year on a
proposal about domestic partner benefit issues.
A proposal has finally been sent to
President
Peters, as has the Fitness Release proposal.
The committee also talked about the
prescription drug policy and how HR worked with local pharmacies to make
it more
accessible
for NIU employees. Haliczer also said
that if anyone is getting erroneous
information from HR or not getting through to HR staff, she would like
specific information
(such as
the date and time called) about it.
B.
Elections and Appointments.
1. Rachel Turner passed out the candidate sheets
for review. In the “Requirements”
section, it
was suggested that instead of “negotiated”
and “non-negotiated”, the wording be changed to
“union” or “non-union” employees. The deadline for submission is April 8. There are six
Council members whose terms expire this
year.
2. Turner
also presented an interest sheet from Doreen Mace who expressed an interest in
serving
on the Presidential Commission for the Status of Women. The Council
recommended that we send her application to the President’s Office for
consideration of an
appointment to the commission.
C. Public
Relations.
1.
Theresa Kinniry presented a new version of the new member
handbook. The Council was asked to
review the latest draft and to let Kinniry know of any changes that are
needed. It was decided that all the past
presidents be listed instead of the few that were listed in the handbook. Kinniry pointed out that it would cost about
$23 to have 10 of the handbooks copied by Document Services, or a copy card can
be purchased from Document Services so that we can make our own copies. Smith said she thought she had a copy
card. She will check and let Kinniry
know. Andy Small suggested that copies
be sent to various departments and officials on campus. If any changes are received from the Council,
Kinniry will make them and proceed with the copies so that the handbook will be
ready for any new Council members.
2.
Jay Monteiro pointed out that the committee voted to change the
deadline for the Operating Staff Dependent Award to September 30. By changing the deadline, the Council will
have the opportunity to verify that the student is in fact enrolled and will
allow the Council to award the money in the fall for the entire academic
year. Fliers about the award will be
available at the annual StaffFest luncheon.
3. Monteiro also reminded everyone about the Wellness Fair. He sent around a sign-up sheet so that all
Council members could choose a time that they would like to work at the
fair. If someone is running late, or is
unable to attend the event, they are asked to call Kinniry because she works in
the building and can easily let other Council members know what has
happened. Monteiro will send reminders
to all Council members prior to the event.
There will be “comment” sheets at the table, as well as a 50/50 drawing
and StaffFest fliers. Turner said that the display boards are old and worn
looking. She suggested that the boards
be covered with black fabric. Name
plates can then be made with Velcro backings and easily attached to the board
for a more professional look. The
improvements would cost between $80-$100.
A motion was made and passed to upgrade the display boards. Sara Clayton said she has purchased some door
prizes already and will purchase a few more before the event. Dick will bring pencils.
4. Nancy
Schuneman reported that there were 14 applications for the Outstanding
Service
Award. The number of applicants
is down considerably from past years.
Schuneman
pointed
out that an e-mail reminder was sent out, but it was included in a message with
a
number of
other things and may have been overlooked.
The committee has received the
nomination
packets and committee members are to have their evaluations done by March
25.
The
committee will meet again on March 31 to finalize the results and choose the
winners.
D. Visiting Committees/Guests – None.
E. EAC –
1.
Jodi Tyrrell said that the Non-Status Work
Study Committee had proposed possible changes for Extra Help employees, such as
being able to extend the 900 hour rule.
She said departments often hire Extra Help for specific projects, but
when they reach the 900 hour limit, the employee has to leave for 30 days
before they can resume working. She also
pointed out that there are many people who enjoy the flexibility that extra
help allows and they do not want to become full-time status employees.
F. UAC -
1. Smith reported that there was a special
meeting on February 16 of the BOT to discuss the
purchase of the Monsanto building. They also talked about establishing a special
account
for the neutron therapy lab. The Finance, Facilities & Operations and
Academic Affairs,
Student Affairs & Personnel Committees
of the Board to Trustees met on March 3.
Issues
discussed included sabbatical leaves for
2005-2006 for faculty and SPS personnel; the
implementation of a new degree at the
Naperville campus – a M.S. in Industrial
Management; requests for new
specializations in undergraduate programs; and requests for
new minors.
The committee also received a report on the state requirement for oral
English
proficiency exams. NIU is in compliance with this requirement
and has seen a decline in the
number of complaints related to English
proficiency.
G. University Council .
1.
Clayton reported on the March 9 University
Council meeting. President Peters
announced that he has spent his time traveling between DeKalb, Springfield, and
Washington, D.C. He will be reporting
before the House Appropriations Meeting in Springfield on March 10. In Washington he has met with the members of
the Illinois Delegation. Peters reported
there is a proposal to increase the Pell Grant, but it would mean eliminating
the Perkins Loan. Peters announced the
purchase of the Monsanto building. He
mentioned the local hearing on the budget at Kishwaukee College, hosted by
Representative Bob Pritchard. Speaking
for NIU at the hearing with President Peters will be presidents of the four
senate/councils on campus. Peters spoke
about the elimination of August commencement, saying the decision came after years
of discussion about commencement ceremonies.
There is a lot of work by a lot of people to put the department
graduation ceremonies together.
2. Smith reported on the February 16 University
Council meeting. The President’s
Report was similar to the March meeting
and dealt with state budget concerns and
President Peters traveling to Washington,
D.C.
H.
Special Events
1. LaRonda Thuestad passed around the drafts of
the notices for StaffFest for review by the
Council.
Thuestad said that this year they made different colored sheets for
current
employees and retirees to make the process
easier at check in time. The theme for
this
year’s event is “Salute to the Operating
Staff.” Thuestad said a request for photos of
Operating Staff from various departments
will be sent out. If a department
doesn’t have
photographs, members of the Council will
try to go to departments and take photos.
The
photos will be displayed on one of the
screens at the StaffFest event. The
other screen will
have the names of the winners of the door
prizes. There was some discussion about
whether or not Extra Help personnel should
be allowed to attend the StaffFest.
After much
discussion, it was decided that Smith should
contact Dr. Williams to see if the funding would
be available to allow them to attend.
VII. Old Business
A.
Retirees on
Committees - Larry Sallberg has served as the SURS rep for
several years and he is getting ready to retire. He would like to continue to serve on the
committee, but it is not clear if he can continue to serve even though he is
retired. Smith asked Steve Cunningham,
but has not heard back from him. Smith
will continue to investigate the matter.
B.
Wellness Fair
- **See report of Public Relations Committee**
C. Digital Camera
- Clayton reported that she has purchased a digital camera for $148. Turner will look into getting memory cards
for the camera.
VIII. New Business – None.
IX. Adjournment – The meeting adjourned at 10:55 a.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
Theresa Kinniry
OSC Secretary