February 2010
Staff Advisory Council Minutes
Thursday, February 11, 2010
1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
LaFortune Student Center
Present: Tami Springer, Roxie Litteral, Diana Singleton, Kathy Troth, Sandy Sarber,
Char-anna Koblick, Barb Wadley, Jody Klontz, Sharon Konopka, Shari Herman, Marie Revak, Penny McIntire, Patty Smith, Joe Wheeler, Fred Sonneborn
Excused: Peggy Lant
Unexcused: Bill Peck, Adele Almaguer
HR Liaison: Lori Maurer
I.Call to Order
The meeting was called to order at 1:03 p.m. by Patty Smith
Approval of January 2010 Council Minutes
Minutes were approved - motion by Shari Herman and 2nd by Roxie Litteral
II.Committee Updates
Elections Committee
There was further discussion on the idea of emailing ballots to employees along with paper copies to those without computer access. An idea was raised to have an announcement in ND Works about SAC elections. In addition, a ND Works article may assist in filling current SAC vacancies.
A discussion was held on how to effectively deliver ballots to employees. Would email be a possibility? This discussion on evaluating the election process was tabled for a future meeting.
Benefits Committee
Nothing to report
By-laws Committee
Nothing to report
Parking Appeals/Parking
The committee is hearing approximately 40 appeals per meeting. It was noted that some appeals are not reviewed because the committee cannot read the employee’s hand writing; therefore it is important to write legibly.
Fee Based Parking Committee
The first meeting was January 15 and the next one will be held on February 12. It was noted that 66% (through Improve ND survey) of employees said they were satisfied with their parking. Different ideas/options on the pay for parking issue were discussed by SAC.
There was no indication from the committee that free parking would not be available.
Promotions Committee
There was an update on Operation Quiet Comfort. Boxes were distributed for the campus wide jean’s drive that will take place February 17-26. A notice to all employees will go out through the listserv. Students will be encouraged to participate through an article or ad in the Observer.
The logistics of the drive are as follows:
· Jeans should be 100% cotton
· The possibility of collecting donations is being considered
· A table may be set up at the summer staff picnic
· SAC representatives should make arrangements with Sandy Sarber or Marie Revak to coordinate pickup/drop off of the boxes
· Sharon Konopka will send out posters advertising the drive to SAC representatives; thanks to the Nanovic Institute for designing the posters
ECDC
During the recent January 28th meeting, the committee discussed ideas on how to improve the center. Capacity issues were also on the agenda. The committee toured both SMC and ND facilities. The web site is being redesigned.
Webpage Committee
Nothing to report.
Compassion Fund
Two requests were granted this past month to employees who are facing illness and personal emergencies.
III. New Business
· Building Services employees are concerned about the shuttle service that they used to take from Mason Center. Employees will be swiping in at the building they work in so they won’t be commuting from Mason. SAC discussed contacting Marty Ogrenfrom Transportation Services to discuss re-evaluating the shuttle route.
IV.Additional Business
· Due to a change in her position, Sharon Konopka is resigning from SAC. Sharon is seeking a replacement but no one has expressed interest.
· Human Resources will provide nominal funding for miscellaneous SAC expenditures. Requests should be made to Patty Smith and Lori Maurer.
· Final revisions were discussed for the Annual Report to provide clarification. It will be posted on the SAC web site.
· A discussion was held regarding the cost of Catering’s breakfast. It is higher than the guidelines issued by John Affleck Graves. SAC will follow up on this concern.
· In a past meeting, SAC raised a concern with a possible Ultra-time problem. A staff member in Payroll was contacted and a software issue was discovered and resolved.
V.Adjournment
Sharon Konopka made a motion to adjourn at 3:00 p.m. The motion was seconded by Char Koblick.
Respectfully submitted,
Human Resources