May 2002

 

Notre Dame Room, LaFortune Student Center 

 

1 p.m. to 3 p.m. 

 

Present: Kimberly Ault, Debra Bennett, Becky DeBruyn, Tricia Ford, Norma Frost, Jim Gloster, Paula Horne, Stephanie Maenhout, Bobbi McMahon, Dee Milzarek, Nancy Mitchell, Jane Nielson, JoAnn Norris, Marv Pruett, Samantha Qualls, Jimi Sholty, Fred Sonneborn, Kathy Stopczynski, Holly Webb, Maria Wilk and Melodie Wise. 

 

Absent: Martha Sue Abbott, Amy Dorn, Mattie Malone, Susan McGonigal, John Saylor. 

 

HR Liaisons: Sarah Misener and Sue Prister. 

 

Melodie Wise, Chair called the meeting to order at 1:06 p.m. 

 

I. Approval of the Monday, May 6, 2002 Council Minutes 

 

Dee Milzarek made a motion to accept the Monday, 6, 2002 Council minutes. Deb Bennett seconded this motion. A vote was taken and all present Council members were in favor of this motion. 

 

 

II. Committee Reports 

 

-Elections Committee 

 

Melodie Wise, Chair, shared with the Council that District # 30 was still unrepresented. 

 

-Promotion Committee 

 

Deb Bennett shared with the Council that the next meeting of this sub-committee would be in May. 

 

-University Parking Committee 

 

There was no information to be shared at this time. 

 

- Parking Appeals Committee 

 

Samantha Qualls shared with the Council that during the summer appeals are submitted through the mail. 

 

-Ad-Hoc Committee on Women's Issues 

 

Norma Frost shared with the Council information on Staff Advisory Council members that served on this committee. Maria Wilk served as Chair and Norma served as Vice Chair. Norma went on to say that on May 29 the Park Department will present information on summer programs for kids and seniors. 

 

- Drug Testing 

 

Sarah Misner shared with the Council that the recommendation of the committee was discussed at the Officers meeting. They are ready to move forward with the enhanced for cause testing, which includes training for supervisors and increasing employee awareness of resources available on alcohol and drug issues. A meeting of the ad hoc committee will be convened to provide further information on the status of the recommendation which will then be reported on at the next Staff Advisory Council meeting. 

 

-Web Page Update 

 

Samantha Qualls referenced the hits on the Staff Advisory Council web site stating that there were 87 hits in March, 83 in April and 6 so far in May. 

 

-StaffNews Article 

 

Sarah Misener shared with the Council that the StaffNews was under review by the Office of Human Resources. They are seeking to redefine the purpose of the publication, what it should contain and frequency of publication. Sarah asked for input from the Council. A discussion took place in which members shared the following ideas. Positive responses were given to continuation of such things as the service anniversaries, trip information, RecSports happenings and, condolences. There was an overall positive reaction to the content of the StaffNews. Suggestions for improvements included having drop off boxes for StaffNews on campus like the Observer. A comment was also made regarding the possibility of including the shuttle schedule. Staff Advisory Council members were asked to bring any other feedback obtained from constituents to the June meeting. 

 

-Shuttle Update 

 

There was no information to be shared at this time. 

 

III. Miscellaneous 

 

Sarah Misener asked the Council for their reaction to the recent Total Compensation Statements that were put on line to be viewed privately by employees. These statements were provided by Human Resources to enable employees to see the total value of benefits and compensation received from the University. A discussion took place in which Council members offered comments. A point was raised about the security of having this information online. Although an AFS ID is required council members voiced concern about unauthorized employees viewing each other's information because of shared AFS IDs. Reaction overall to the concept of these statements was positive. 

 

 

IV. Discussion with Fr. Timothy Scully 

 

Melodie Wise introduced Bob Foldesi, Associate Vice President for Human Resources who shared with the Council Fr. Scully's intention to get out on campus and interact with people to hear what is on their minds and see what we can do better. Fr. Scully has conducted several of these sessions and they have proven to be a good opportunity to collect information and obtain feedback. 

 

After an introduction, Fr. Timothy Scully, C.S.C., Executive Vice President, addressed the Council. Fr. Scully started off the discussion by thanking members for serving on the Staff Advisory Council, a valuable avenue of communication. Fr. Scully went on to say that the University is doing well despite a down turned economy. Fr. Scully shared with the Council the University's involvement in strategic planning this summer, which will shape the future direction of the University. 

 

Fr. Scully then opened the floor for discussion. Stephanie Maenhout thanked Fr. Scully for the opportunities afforded her at Notre Dame including the ECDC childcare option. Jim Gloster spoke of questions from employees at the Morris Inn regarding the plans for the new Notre Dame Inn. He shared with the Council that the new Inn would be approximately double the size of the current Morris Inn and stated that it would be a very important asset. He stated that he holds opinions against the idea of outsourcing this work and a decision has not yet been made by the Board of Trustees. He did indicate that employment for the Morris Inn employees was secure. Fr. Scully then went on to speak of a meeting with employees of the Morris Inn about their concerns. 

 

Nancy Mitchell asked Fr. Scully if there was a trend to attract more graduate students to campus. Fr. Scully responded saying that Notre Dame is a strong undergraduate institution. Undergraduate enrollment has been stable in order to maintain personalized attention to students. There will be modest growth in graduate programs. 

 

Fr. Scully was asked a question regarding why retirement benefits were not the same for staff and administrators. Information was shared with the Council regarding the "defined benefit plan" for staff and the "defined contribution plan" for administrators. Fr. Scully made the suggestion of having Scott Malpass address the Council on the University's investment strategies at a future meeting. Regarding retiree health insurance, it was explained that the University continues to look at plan options 

 

A question was raised regarding the closing of Juniper Road. Fr. Scully commented that a committee is looking into this with local government and it is the University's intention to remain a pedestrian campus with safety as a priority. 

 

Samantha Qualls asked Fr. Scully about the possible merger of OIT and Telecommunications. Fr. Scully responded saying that there was no timetable set for this merger. He encouraged dialogue between the areas as a part of the merge process. 

 

V. Set the Agenda for the June 5, 2002 Council Meeting 

 

Photo of Council members will be taken. 

 

All committee reports excluding the Elections Committee 

 

Compensation Discussion 

 

Bobbie McMahon made a motion to adjourn the Council meeting at 3:09 p.m. Deb Bennett seconded this motion. A vote was taken and all present Council members were in favor of this motion 

 

Sincerely, 

 

Promotion Committee