August 2000

 

Notre Dame Room - LaFortune Student Center 

 

 

Present: Debra Bennett, Dan Brazo, Dona Coggins, Norma Frost, Connie Gard, Rita Grontkowski, Kay Herrity, Pam Jobin, Bobbi McMahon, Nancy Mitchell, Lou Parks, Sue Penrod, Maria Pozzi, Marv Pruett, Samantha Qualls, Valerie Schroeder, Marcy Simons, Fred Sonneborn, Kathleen Stopczynski, Leona Strickland, Cindi Sykes, and Melodie Wise. 

 

Absent: Angeliek Anderson, Deb Fox, Beverly Harbor, Norma Mezykowski, Terron Phillips, and Doris Smuda. District #22 and District #25 are currently unrepresented. 

 

HR Liaisons: Sarah Misener and Pam Zarazee. 

 

Guests: Paul Henry, Sue Prister, and Rita Winsor 

 

Dan Brazo, Chair called the meeting to order at 1:04 p.m. 

 

Dan Brazo shared with the Council that he has been promoted to an exempt position in Athletics as the Manager, Athletic Facilities. Dan stated that according to the Council By-Laws, the Vice-Chair, Melodie Wise, will become Chair and a new Vice-Chair will be nominated and voted upon. 

 

Dan wanted to wrap-up a few items that he was working on for the Council. Dan stated to the Council that the letter to Fr. Beauchamp, C.S.C. was sent out on behalf of the Council thanking him for all of his support over the Council inception. Dan told the Council that copies of the letter as well as Fr. Beauchamp's response will be given to each Council member. Dan took a few minutes and read aloud the response by Fr. Beauchamp. 

 

The next item Dan discussed involved something discussed at the end of the last Council meeting stating that the Executive Committee would draft a letter to the University Administration regarding retirement benefits at the University. Dan handed out the draft to the Council. The Council made some recommendations on the draft and set it aside to be discussed later in the meeting. 

 

Dan also explained to the Council that he was asked by the Department of Human Resources to give input into investment options for the Supplemental Retirement Account plan. Dan stated that as a result of the research completed by the Department of Human Resources and the work of the 403b Committee on which he served, a new selection will be available for staff who are in the Supplemental Retirement Plan. Sarah Misener stated that information will be forthcoming to all University staff on this new option. 

 

Dan gave the gavel to Melodie Wise for her direction as the new Chair of the Council. Dan then thanked the Council for all of their time and effort put forth to such a great initiative for nonexempt staff at Notre Dame. Dan wished the Council well and left the meeting. 

 

Melodie Wise, Chair, shared with the Council that Sue Prister was in attendance at the meeting to observe Pam Zarazee taking the minutes, since Sue will be Pam's backup. Melodie also welcomed Nancy Mitchell to the Council. Nancy is the representative for District #3 - College of Arts & Letters. 

 

I. Approval of the Thursday, July 13, 2000 Minutes 

 

Deb Bennett made a motion to accept the Thursday, July 13 minutes. Pam Jobin seconded this motion. A vote was taken and all the members present were in favor of the motion. 

 

II. Committee Reports 

 

- Executive Committee 

 

Maria Pozzi read the duties of the Vice-Chair position on the Executive Committee of the Council. Rita Grontkowski nominated Marcy Simons for the Vice-Chair. Kay Herrity seconded the motion. A vote was taken to have Marcy Simons be the new Vice-Chair and all present council members were in favor. 

 

- Elections Committee 

 

Deb Bennett stated that District #1 is up for self-nominations. Deb also updated the Council that District #22 is currently unrepresented due to no self-nominations after two letters were sent out. 

 

- Promotion Committee 

 

Melodie Wise shared that the committee met and would like to discuss the idea of having some open Council meetings in the future. Melodie mentioned having this discussion take place at the September meeting. 

 

- Parking Committee 

 

Nothing to report at this time. 

 

- Parking Appeals Committee 

 

Dan Brazo was replaced by Samantha Qualls for this committee. Sarah Misener will contact Phil Johnson in Security to notify them of the change. 

 

- Ad-Hoc Committee on Women's Issues 

 

Marcy Simons shared with the Council that 95 women have signed up for the luncheon with Carolyn Woo, Dean of the Mendoza College of Business kicking off the new lecture series involving notable women across campus on September 20 in the Hospitality Room of the South Dining Hall. Marcy also stated that 27 women were in attendance at the August Lunch & Learn which discussed the issue of dealing with teenagers. Events to come include Gardening in September, a Campus Tour in October and Care taking for the elderly in November. 

 

- Ad-Hoc Committee on Drug Testing 

 

Leona Strickland updated the Council that a meeting was held and the committee is on track with their progress. Leona stated that the next meeting will be held in September and the target is to bring all the researched information together at the October meeting. 

 

- Ad-Hoc Committee on Redistricting 

 

Melodie Wise told the Council that she will be taking the lead on this committee replacing Dan Brazo. She will organize a meeting prior to the September Council meeting. 

 

- Miscellaneous Information 

 

Melodie Wise handed out the updated phone and email listing of Council members and the updated By-Laws to have the second reading. A second reading was conducted and a motion was made by Valerie Schroeder to accept the second reading of the By-Laws. Maria Pozzi seconded the motion. A vote was taken and all present members were in favor of this motion. 

 

The Council discussed the web page and stated that Samantha Qualls will be taking over the web page maintenance for the Council. 

 

II. Position leveling and posting discussion 

 

Sarah Misener introduced Paul Henry, Manager, Compensation and Statistical Analysis to the Council. 

 

Paul Henry referenced the web address containing the Classification Project update and hourly and salaried ranges and zones. Available on it. The address is www.nd.edu/~hr/classification.htm 

 

Paul shared a number of overheads that explains the process of classifying a job. Paul explained to the Council that up-to-date Position Descriptions are necessary to the market based system. The process is as follows: 

 

Step 1: 

 

Individual and Supervisor review PD and revise 

 

content to encompass current responsibilities. 

 

If changes are significant, PD is sent to Chair / 

 

Department Head to authorize reclassification request. 

 

Step 2: 

 

Chair/Department Head obtains signature from 

 

Dean/Officer and forwards request for reclassification 

 

Position is reviewed by Manager, Compensation to 

 

ascertain if all information has been provided and follow 

 

up with Chair/Department Head regarding any questions. 

 

Step 3: 

 

Position is reviewed to obtain the appropriate level. If the position has a survey market match in local, regional or national survey sources it is market-priced using the most appropriate survey source (geog., industry) 

 

If the position by its nature has no close survey market 

 

match comparisons the position is "slotted" based on 

 

knowledge/skill, judgement, & impact of decisions. 

 

The position is classified into Notre Dame's 20-level 

 

classification structure 

 

Step 4: 

 

Classification result is communicated verbally 

 

and in writing to Chair/Department Head. Any 

 

additional issues are discussed at that time 

 

Step 5: 

 

Result is communicated to Supervisor and to individual impacted. If a reclassification has been indicated, an 

 

employee status form is sent to the department to Human Resources to implement the change. 

 

Paul stated that nearly 75% of positions on campus have a market match. The other 25% of jobs are slotted. Slotting a position means that factors considered include skill/ knowledge, judgment, and impact of the decisions. 

 

The term market means a number of things and is defined as the following: 

 

· Who else employs people doing similar jobs? 

 

· Where would the University of Notre Dame find new people? 

 

· What companies does the University of Notre Dame lose people to? 

 

Paul shared an example with the Council on the process with a specific job. 

 

Paul briefly commented on the posting process. He stated that the postings are sometimes brief. The idea of the job posting is to highlight the most important responsibilities are noted in the Position Description. Sarah Misener stated that the hiring manager will sometimes give us a hiring pay range and we do include that information on the posting. 

 

Paul then opened up the floor for questions and a discussion ensued. 

 

Key points covered in the discussion include: 

 

· There are no criteria that determine levels. Levels are determined by market matches and by the slotting process. 

 

· The job responsibilities are the primary factor used to classify a job although education, experience and impact of decisions are also taken into consideration. Every effort is made to provide feedback to departments regarding the appropriateness of minimum requirements submitted in the Position Description. 

 

· When the classification system was looked at initially by the administration it was decided that supervision in a Position Description would be recognized by adding a level. 

 

· There are several factors that determine the range placement (where a job is paid within the level). Credentials of the incoming incumbent, performance reviews, longevity, etc… For this reason there are overlaps between the end of one level and the beginning of another. 

 

· The matrix as it is currently configured is being discontinued. Human Resources is in the process of reviewing options regarding the new performance based pays system. 

 

· The Council requested that additional information regarding the classification project be available in order to understand the process better. This information will be posted to the website in the near future. 

 

Melodie Wise suggested that based on the scope of questions it seems communication of the process is needed to further understand the classification system. 

 

Melodie Wise thanked Paul for coming and educating the Council on the process of classifying a position. 

 

IV. Discuss and review draft of retirement benefits letter 

 

The Council discussed the letter and made recommendations/suggestions. Maria Pozzi will be putting a final draft together and send it to all Council members. Sarah Misener will have Vivek Kumar review the questions the Council would like answered. Depending on the depth of the responses, Sarah will relay the answers to the Council or have Vivek Kumar personally come and present the information. 

 

V. Meal Plan discussion 

 

Melodie Wise stated the Council will begin discussing at the next meeting. 

 

Sarah Misener shared with the Council that the Non Notre Dame Tuition Benefit unused funds will not roll over to the next year. Sarah stated that the unused dollars will be reabsorbed into the University's overall budget. She also added that unused funds do not go into the Human Resources Department budget. 

 

III. Set Agenda for Thursday, September 21, 2000 Meeting 

 

I. Photo of the Council 

 

II. Approval of the Thursday, August 24, 2000 Meeting 

 

III. Committee Reports 

 

IV. Holiday Hour Proposal Discussion 

 

V. Meal Plan Discussion 

 

VI. Set agenda for Thursday, October 12, 2000 meeting 

 

Cindi Sykes made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 2:54 p.m. Deb Bennett seconded this motion. A vote was taken and all were in favor of this motion. 

 

Sincerely, 

 

Promotion Committee