OPERATING STAFF COUNCIL MEETING

MINUTES 9/8/05

8:30AM – Holmes Student Center 406

 

Present:    Elizabeth Buck, Gay Campbell, Sara Clayton, Marcia Dick, Margie Foshe, Linda Jennings,

    Glenda Jones, Theresa Kinniry, Nancy Schuneman, Julia Sober, LaRonda Thuestad, and  

    Rachel Turner.  

 

Absent:      Joe Koch, Jay Monteiro, Andy Small, and Donna Smith

 

Guests:     Jodi Tyrrell, Tim Griffin

 

I.                    Call to Order

 

The regular meeting of the Operating Staff Council was called to order at 8:35a.m. on Thursday, September 8, 2005, by Vice President Rachel Turner.   President Donna Smith was attending the University Benefits Committee meeting.

 

II.         Approval of Agenda

 

A motion was made to accept the agenda with one addition.  The Resolution about Break Usage was moved to the Benefits Committee report.  The motion was seconded and passed.   

 

III.        Approval of Minutes of August 4, 2005, Meeting

 

A motion was made to accept the minutes with a few clarifications. 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.  Elizabeth Buck (treasurer) pointed out that the cost of coffee and donuts for our meetings has risen sharply from approx. $70 to almost $100 per month.  She asked the Council if we should consider reducing the refreshment order.  Theresa Kinniry suggested that the Council not have coffee and donuts at all.  Nancy Schuneman also said the refreshments should be stopped.  After some discussion, a motion was made to reduce the order to include only regular coffee, ˝ dozen donuts and a dozen mini-muffins.  This should cut the cost in half.  The motion was seconded and passed, with one against. 

 

V.         Announcements/Correspondence

 

A.         Turner passed around the bound notes/agenda from the University Council meeting since

Smith was not at the meeting.

 

B.         Marcia Dick passed around flyers about a show at the Nehring Gallery and also information about Lego camps being held through LA&S External Programs.

 

C.         Kinniry passed around copies of two letters received by one of the food service personnel from Sen. Barack Obama regarding the Social Security Windfall/Offset program.  The food service employee had written Sen. Obama with her concerns and she was impressed to get not only one, but two letters from him. 

 

VI.        Committee Reports

           

A.         Personnel/Staff Developments/Benefits

 

Clayton presented the Council with a written proposal for the fitness release program.  The proposal is similar to the University Benefits fitness proposal and would allow employees to take additional time from work to participate in a fitness program.

 

B.         Elections and Appointments.

 

Turner announced that the annual photo for the Council has been scheduled for October 13 at 8:15 a.m., just before the regular meeting.  All Council members are required to be there.  The photo will be taken in the Alumni Court, which is the fountain area of the Holmes Student Center.  In case of rain, the photo will be taken inside on the stairs near the north entrance to the Holmes Student Center.

 

C.         Public Relations

 

Committee chair Jay Monteiro was not present, but Linda Jennings reported that

there is one application for the Dependent Award.  We will continue to promote

the award in the hopes that more people will apply.

 

            D.         Visiting Committees – None.

 

E.         EAC –

 

Clayton reported that EAC did not meet, but the Merit Board met August 17 in Chicago.  Clayton said that the newest Board of Trustees member (Mark Strauss) is very interested in what is going on at the Systems Office and he was asking questions of Tom Morelock at the meeting.  Strauss also told Clayton that if she ever wanted to discuss anything with him to let him know.  Clayton also reported that there were no discharge hearings.

 

F.         UAC – Turner sent around the meeting minutes, but Smith was not available to give a full  

                         Report.

 

            G.         University Council – No Report.

 

H.         Special Events –

 

LaRonda Thuestad reported that there were 1534 meals served at $8.50 each.  She said there was $114 in AV charges, which the Council felt was very reasonable because they did a nice job running the three screens.  Thuestad suggested that next year there should be colored tickets available for those who arrive without tickets.  That way, it will be easier to get a more accurate count.  Thuestad also reported that there are only 15 hats and one visor left in our supply.  More will have to be ordered for the many people who help to serve.  Kinniry said that maybe the Council should recognize the catering staff for all of their hard work.  It was decided that the Council will try to get a list of names of those who worked that day and send “Thank You” cards to them.

 

VII.       Old Business –

 

            A.         Meeting Attendance

 

Joe Koch was going to double check the bylaws regarding the policy about meeting attendance.  Since Koch was not at the meeting, the Council voted to table the discussion until the next meeting.

 

            B.         Council of Councils

 

Turner passed around a sign-up sheet for the Council of Councils meeting on October 7 at ESU.  Turner asked Council members to indicate whether they want to travel the night before and stay overnight or whether they want to leave the morning of the event.  Buck said there is some money available in the Support Account to get 2 hotel rooms if people wanted to stay overnight.  The deadline for hotel reservations is September 21 and the deadline for registering for the Council of Councils meeting is September 30.

 

VIII.      New Business –

 

A.         Turner passed around the FY 06 Holiday Schedule.  The Council has been asked by Steve Cunningham to review it and make any recommendations. 

 

B.         Turner said there are new revisions to the discharge process.  The process itself has not changed, but the procedure is easier to understand.  Turner referred the matter to the Benefits Committee for further study.

 

IX.        Other Discussion –

 

            A.         Mail Distribution

 

There was some discussion about the fact that some Operating Staff are having difficulty receiving their mail.  Tim Griffin suggested that the Council might want to look into this problem because all employees should be receiving their mail.  The problem seems to be especially prevalent in the Building Services area.  Thuestad said that in the Building Services department, supervisors collect bulk mail and distribute the information to employees, but because of the constant reassigning of personnel to different buildings/ areas on campus, it is difficult to always know where to send the mail.  As a result, not everyone gets the same thing at the same time.  Gay Campbell suggested the Council send a letter to Ruth Murphy, the business manager for the custodial staff, with a courtesy copy to Bob Albanese, seeking clarification on the mail distribution practices.

 

            B.         Ride-Share Program

 

Dick said that in light of the high gas prices, there may be some interest in establishing a Ride-Share Program. Dick suggested that perhaps there could be some sort of electronic bulletin board where interested parties could leave a message stating they are either looking for a ride, or could provide a ride to others.  Interested parties could then contact one another directly to work out the details.  Schuneman asked if there might be expanded bus service to Sycamore, but Turner said it is unlikely since they have tended to shorten their routes in recent years. 

           

X.         Adjournment – The meeting adjourned at 9:45 a.m.

 

 

Respectfully Submitted,

 

                                   

Theresa Kinniry

OSC Secretary