OPERATING STAFF COUNCIL MEETING
MINUTES 10/12/06
9 AM –
Present: Elizabeth Buck, Gay Campbell, Sara Clayton,
Marcia Dick, Linda Jennings,
Glenda Jones, Theresa Kinniry, Jay Monteiro, Dorothy
Razniewski, Nancy Schuneman, Andy Small,
Julia Sober, LaRonda Thuestad, Rachel Turner
Absent: Judy Burgess, Joe Koch
Guests: Jodi Tyrrell
President Rachel Turner called the regular meeting
of the Operating Staff Council to order at 9 a.m. on Thursday, October 12,
2006.
A motion was made to accept the agenda with one
addition. The motion was seconded and
passed.
III. Approval
of Minutes of the September 14, 2006, Meeting
A motion was made to accept the minutes with minor spelling and grammatical 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.
A. Turner
passed around SAC notes.
B. Turner passed around the minutes and agenda from the Faculty Senate.
C. Glenda Jones talked about the Presidential Commission on the Status of Women luncheon on November 3.
D. Jodi Tyrrell reported that Ethics Training is coming up and to pass an employee must get
100%. The amount of time taken to complete the test will also be monitored. She said the SUCCS audit was completed. A final report is expected soon. She also said the E-testing version of the typing test is coming Oct. 27.
E. Linda Jennings reported that flu shots are available for students at the Health Service for $15.
A.
Personnel/Staff Developments/Benefits –
Turner said the group talked about mandatory supervisory
training and evaluations. The group
discussed what other issues (such as what consequences would there be for
failing to comply) would have to be addressed if supervisor training were made
mandatory. Clayton pointed out that SIU Carbondale has recently approved
mandatory supervisor training.
B. Elections and Appointments –
Clayton said one interest sheet was received for the
Presidential Commission for People with Disabilities. She will forward the information to the
president’s office. She said there are
still openings on the Campus Security and Environmental Safety Committee, the
Parking Appeals Committee, the Presidential Commission on Status of Minorities,
and the Computing Facilities Committee.
An announcement about the vacancies will be included in the next
newsletter.
C. Special Events – No report.
D. Public
Relations –
Jay Monteiro reported that
three applications were received for the dependent scholarship. Two winners were chosen. The winners are Sarah Burke and Steven
Clark. Both are previous winners
of the award. Monteiro will contact the
winners and invite them to the next Council meeting.
E. Visiting Committees/Guests. – President
Peters.
President Peters
addressed the Council. In terms of the
budget, he said if the current governor gets re-elected the budget will be out
by December. If there is a new governor,
it could be January or February. Peters
anticipates there will be an increase in the General Revenue line, which is
primarily used for salaries. He said one
of the biggest issues right now is pensions.
He said when it comes to funding for education, the emphasis is on K-12
and higher education is not even on the radar screen. He said it is hard to get policymakers to pay
attention to higher education. He said
the university has a discretionary budget and can raise tuition and fees in
response to budget cuts.
Peters said that in terms
of funding, the university is going to have to look at alternatives. He said NIU is way behind in fundraising and
alumni relations. He said some
institutions have gone quasi-private in order to raise funds, but he said if a
university does that, then the mission changes and the institution starts
targeting students who are qualified, but also have money. He said NIU is launching a public capital
campaign in May to raise funds. He said
that private monies should never be used for operational expenses. Operational expenses are the responsibility
of the state. Private donors are more
likely to support a scholarship, endowment, program or building than
operational needs. In terms of grants,
the president said more work is needed in the competitive research and
development grants and in the area of corporate fundraising.
Small said that the Civil
Service system continues to lose positions to the SPS line. He pointed out that we have lost a lot of
Civil Service positions over the years.
President Peters said the university needs to rationalize the ratio of
CS to SPS. He said administrators will
always try to find an easier way, but he would raise the issue in his cabinet
meeting.
The president said plans
are being made for the
F. EAC
Clayton reported that the
meeting was held October 4 & 5 at the SIU School of Medicine. Topics discussed included:
- E-testing. The test for building service workers is supposed
to be available soon.
- Merit pay and
evaluations were discussed.
- Systems web page is changing daily.
G. UAC – No Report.
H.
University Council
–
Marcia Dick reported on
the meeting. Most items discussed at the meeting were discussed in President
Peters address to the Council.
VII. Old Business
–
A.
Council
of Councils
The 9th annual
Council of Councils meeting was held at SIU School of Medicine in
VIII. New
Business -
A.
Strategic
Planning Task Force
Turner said up to three
representatives from the operating staff may be chosen to serve on the
Strategic Planning Task Force, but a final decision has not yet been made.
B.
Parking
Fees
The Secretary Advisory
Council has proposed that a sliding fee scale be adopted for parking
permits. In a report to the Council, the
SAC outlined the proposed structure that would result in an increase in revenue
for Parking Services. The Council
supports the premise of a salary-based fee structure.
IX. Adjournment – A motion was made to adjourn at 11:40.
Respectfully Submitted,
Theresa
Kinniry
OSC Secretary