February 2008

 

1:00 – 3:00 p.m.

 

Notre Dame Room, Lafortune Center

 

 

Present: Mo Marnocha, Penny McIntire, Andrew Mason, Shari Herman, Amie Davis, Rebecca Reeves, Joy Schosker, Marie Revak, Patricia Smith, Frederick Sonneborn, Diana Singleton, Victoria Chidister, Kathy Stopczynski, Joe Wheeler, Kathy Troth

 

Excused: Laura Gerber, Sharon Konopka, Janice Owens

 

Unexcused: John Mackowicz, Char-anna Koblick, Adele Almaguer, Barb Wadley

 

HR Liaison: John Whelan

 

Call to Order

 

The meeting was called to order at 1:07 p.m. by Patty Smith.

 

Approval of January 10, 2008 Council Minutes

 

Joy Schosker made a motion to approve the minutes and Kathy Troth seconded.

 

Committee Reviews

 

Benefits Committee

No news.

 

By-laws Committee 

No news

 

Parking Appeals

Kevin Jones will stay on until remainder of school year but then a new SAC rep will be added.

 

Election Committee

 

SAC will send a letter to the unrepresented districts inviting volunteers. The unrepresented districts are 1, 20 & 29. 

 

Promotions Committee 

 

The promotions committee has been looking at staff advisory councils on other campuses, particularly IUPUI, Ohio State and Penn State, to see how they handle promotions. One possible idea discussed is to collect old cell phones and donate them to a local charity, such as St. Margaret’s House. This idea will be explored further.

 

Another idea is to hold a raffle for gas cards to support the Relay for Life. SAC members will ask different businesses in the community to donate gas cards and other gift cards to be raffled off by SAC with all of the proceeds going to the Relay for Life.

 

ECDC 

No news.

 

Webpage Committee 

No news.

 

Compassion Fund

 

A recent request has come in from one employee. A decision is set up for today.

 

IV. Additional Business

 

Medco

 

Some concerns were raised that about employees not feeling that they are receiving good service from Medco. This information will be passed on to Human Resources. 

 

Early retirement

 

A question was raised about whether Notre Dame would consider offering an early retirement option for employees similar to the program 6 years ago. At this time, there are no such plans.

 

Hesburgh Library circle

 

Concerns were raised that the circular driveway at the Hesburgh Library is too fast and it was suggested that a speed bump should be added. Joy Schosker will contact Jeff Korros from ND Security Police.

 

Staff/Faculty shuttle

 

Feedback from employees in the Mason Building is very positive regarding the new staff/faculty shuttle.

 

Funeral leave

 

Questions were raised about Notre Dame’s funeral leave policy. Members of SAC will identify any concerns they have with the current policy and discuss them with Denise Murphy at the next meeting.

 

FMLA process

 

Questions were raised about the new FMLA process and specifically about the requirement that employees on leave sign their forms in order to use sick or vacation time. Denise Murphy will address at the next SAC meeting.

 

Sick and vacation accrual

 

One member from SAC asked about whether the accrual process has changed for sick and vacation time. Denise Murphy will address when she attends the next meeting. 

 

A second question was asked about the accrual process for employees who work fewer than their regularly scheduled hours in a particular week. Denise Murphy will also address this issue.

 

Communication of policy change

 

Suggestions were made about ND having a formal communication plan for policy changes. A university task force is currently looking at all policies on campus and determining a process for changing, creating and communicating policies. When the task force is complete, they will share their findings. It is expected that these changes will address the concerns raised within SAC.

 

Pension formula

 

One SAC member presented a question by an employee in her district about Notre Dame adjusting the formula it uses to calculate pension payments so that it is more generous than the current formula. Denise Murphy will address when she attends the next meeting. 

 

FOAPAL security

 

A question was raised about the regular use of FOAPAL numbers on campus and the apparent lack of security around them, particularly when they are used at restaurants on campus for business meals. It was discussed that a swipe card might be more secure than writing down the numbers on paper. John Whelan will contact the Controller’s office for a response to this question.

 

Retiree health insurance

 

A SAC member raised a question about whether ND is planning to change the current retiree health insurance plan to make it more favorable for retirees. Denise Murphy will discuss this when she attends the next SAC meeting. 

 

Meetings with John Affleck-Graves

 

John Whelan is looking into the possibility of having John Affleck-Graves meet with various SAC districts throughout the year to share information about the university’s plans as well as to hear from the staff.

 

V. Adjournment

 

With no further topics to discuss, Mo Marnocha made a motion to adjourn at 2:35 p.m. The motion was seconded by Penny McIntire and passed.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

Human Resources