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Northern Illinois University

President Commission on the Status of Women

Minutes: February 9, 2005

Present:  Stacy Allie, Barbara Burrell, Sally Conklin, Valerie Guyant, Deborah Haliczer, Sharon Howard, Carol Patch, Jan Rintala, Lise Schlosser, Denise Schoenbachler, Lorraine Scurti, Leslie Simmons.

Absent:  Karen Baker, Virginia Cassidy, Joanne Dempsey, Kathy Hotelling, Glenda Jones, Julie Robertson, Josephine Umoren, Randi Wolfe.

The meeting was called to order at 1:05 p.m. by Chair Barbara Burrell in Lowden Hall 304. Denise Schoenbachler made a motion to approve the minutes from the January 12, 2005 meeting and Carol Patch seconded the motion. The minutes were approved unanimously.

Old Business:

Campus Climate and Quality of Life: Carol Patch reported that there is a university task-force investigating alcohol use and abuse on campus, so the committee has tabled that issue. Patch also reported that Human Resources is working on a verbal abuse policy, and so the committee has also tabled that issue.

Personal and Professional Development: Lise Schlosser reported that the February Networking lunch is Friday, February 25, 2005. Lametra Curry, Architect of a new student support effort housed at the Center for Back Studies, will be the presenter. Schlosser also reminded the committee that the International Women’s Day lunch is Wednesday, March 9, 2005. Gulsat Aygen, a professor of linguistics at NIU will be the speaker.

Research: Barbara Burrell reviewed the graphs and numbers which she had distributed via email to the commission. She solicited comments and questions from the commission to help the committee in additional analysis. One of the concerns that the commission expressed was that we do not have data about adjunct faculty.

Awards and Recognition: Sharon Howard reported that we are now past the deadline for the Outstanding Women Student Awards. They had about 125 nominations and nearly all of the nominees have submitted materials. The selection committee will meet again on March 18. Stacie Allie agreed to serve on the Outstanding Women Student Awards committee as the other PCSW representative.

Honors day will be Sunday April 17. Our awards will be at 11:00 a.m.

The deadline for the Wilma Stricklin Award is March 14. The deadline for the Martha Cooper Journalism Award is March 21.

Salary Equity Task Force: Deborah Haliczer reported that the focus groups have been conducted and the report is due to Steve Cunningham during the first week of March. The two subcommittees (qualitative and quantitative) will then meet. Haliczer suggested that once the report is done, the commission could ask Steve Cunningham to visit the commission to review it.

Affirmative Action Diversity Resources Report (AADR): No report.

New Business:

Women’s Leadership Workshop: Sharon Howard reported that there will probably be a meeting in April to consider what event possibilities exist for the fall of 2005.

Announcements:

  • There will be an email out to faculty and staff announcing that the Caremark contract has been cancelled and there will be a new drug provider as of July first.
  • The SPS Presidential Awards have been announced and the recipients are Joanne Dempsey, president and executive director of the Illinois Council on Economic Education, and a member of this commission; J. Daniel House, director of the Office of Institutional Research; Lori Marcellus, director of undergraduate studies in the College of Business; and Judy Skorek, assistant director of the Women’s Resource Center.
  • The ad hoc committee on domestic partner benefits has sent their proposal to Steve Cunningham. It is similar to other policies around the state, except that this policy goes further than some others by extending benefits to both same and opposite sex partners.
  • The Benefits committee voted to urge President Peters to look at calling children of domestic partners "step children" in order to make them eligible for dependent tuition waivers.
  • The tenure clock proposal has worked its way through the University’s legal council, UCPC, and is up for a vote at the University Council for approval. Bill Minor deserves a commendation from this commission for all of the hard work he did to make this proposal a reality.
  • The benefits committee is working on a proposal to allow for work release for fitness programs during the work day. They would like to allow 30 minutes five times a week to participate in activities at the rec center or through the FIT program. This proposal has been sent to the president and will be discussed.

Adjournment:

A motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Carol Patch and seconded by Denise Schoenbachler. The motion was approved unanimously. Barbara Burrell adjourned the meeting at 1:55 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Lise Schlosser