IUPUI Staff Council (SC)

Minutes

December 12, 2007 ~ Center for Young Children ~ 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.

 

 

Agenda Item I:  Call to Order

IUPUI SC President Michelle Tansy called the meeting to order at 3:00 p.m.  Center for Young Children Director, Beth Jeglum, welcomed the Staff Council to the Center.  She offered to give a tour following the meeting.  The Staff Council presented Jeglum with gifts for herself and the children.

 

Agenda Item II:  Adoption of the Order of Business for the Day

The Agenda was adopted as the Order for the Business of the Day.

 

Agenda Item III:  Updates from the Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities

No report.

 

Agenda Item IV:  [ACTION ITEM] Approval of SC 10/17/07 Minutes

Hearing no objections, the SC October 17, 2007 minutes stood as written and were entered into record.  SC Second Vice President Chris Walthers introduced Tansy as the new Staff Council President and Karen Eckert as Staff Council Coordinator.

 

Agenda Item V:  Report from the First Vice President

SC First Vice President Sue Herrell recognized the Events Committee who organized the meeting and celebration following.  She provided the following report:

·        Herrell attended the Staff Council Roundtable in Terre Haute and will provide an in-depth report at the January meeting.

·        Chancellor Bantz presented the State of the Campus address at the November 6 IUPUI Faculty Council meeting.  She had a few copies on hand for those interested.

·        Herrell welcomed Eckert.

·        Herrell recognized Heather Chalkley for her work on the day’s program as well.

 

Agenda Item VI:  Reports submitted by Standing and Ad Hoc Committees:

·        Bylaws:  Avis Frieson, Chair, reported on the following proposed changes to the Staff Council Bylaws: 

 

Article II:  In light of the campus’ recent Compensation System Initiative (CSI), the question was asked whether the Definition of Staff was in line with the current classifications of eligible staff.  Frieson had discussions about this with Ellen Poffenberger (Assistant Vice Chancellor for Human Resources) who confirmed the SC Bylaws correctly lists the current staff classifications.  No changes are necessary.

 

Article IV, Section A:  A suggestion to add the election option of absentee voting was presented to the Committee.  Qualifying reasons for members to vote by absentee ballot were:  Death of immediate family member, Hospitalization, and Jury Duty.

 

Article VII:  Suggested change:  proposed amendments will be submitted in writing first to the SC Executive Committee who will approve and refer to the Chancellor for approval before sending to the Council for ratification. 

 

Article VII (continued):  Under Parliamentary Procedures, an update is needed to reflect Robert’s Rule of Order newer 10th edition; copyright 2000.  A notation on the website will be added as well with a link.

 

·        Communications:  Barbara Jarjoura, Co-Chair, is looking for another co-chair.  The communication’s survey results will be given at the next meeting.

·        Diversity:  This committee will meet after the first of the year.  Tansy read the report provided by Amy Jones Richardson.  Highlights are:  Richardson and Frieson attended the Enhancing Minority Attainment conference held in Kokomo.  The conference is IU system-wide occurring annually since the 1990s.  The topic was “A Diversity Assessment and Action Plan for IU Campuses.”  Jones’ report reads:  “The IUPUI representatives who attended were Vice Chancellor Karen Whitney, Gary Pick (of IMIR), Tim Anno and Pam King (of Adaptive Educational Services), Avis Frieson and Amy Jones Richardson.  The focus of this meeting was for each campus to make progress on their diversity plan.  IU Vice President Ed Marshall stressed that President McRobbie places a high priority on all of the IU campuses moving forward on diversity planning and implementation (and on recruiting, retaining and graduating a diverse student body).  He and other presenters stressed that the entire IU community shares responsibility for diversity – the work to be done should be done by each person doing their best job every day.  That responsibility for the climate at each campus is not the responsibility of a specific position or office – hiring a diversity officer does not make a campus have a good ‘diversity climate’.  Having each person aware of diversity issues and committed to positive diversity is what creates a good ‘diversity climate’.  Within our team, we talked about some of the good points (most of the academic units have formed Diversity Councils and most of their reports were submitted by the May 15th deadline and are posted on the IUPUI website; final candidates for the new Vice Chancellor of Diversity position are visiting campus and a selection should be made quite soon) and about some concerns (that the Diversity Councils are not perceived in some units as effective or serious; that the campus has not done a good job of making visible the work that has been done; that diversity progress is more than reports and web pages – but that seems to be all we’re doing; that communication about the Multicultural Center has not been visible).”  Richardson and Frieson met Rob Aspy, who serves on the IUB Professional Council.  Aspy is interested in the work of the ad-hoc group here and to make sure we each take active responsibility for keeping diversity issues visible and that we don’t need/want to wait for ‘official’ sessions.  Tansy participated in the School of Medicine HR liaison meeting and they are putting more awareness on diversity and would like a presentation.

·        Membership:  No updates but they will meet after the holidays and get prepared for SC Awareness Month in March.

·        Rewards and Recognition:  No report.

·        Special Events:  Best said the Blood Drive was a huge success with 135 pints of blood given.  They have also worked very hard on today’s celebration.  She showed a poster of all the donors and added On Your Way Café as well as Bourbon Street Distillery.

·        Staff Affairs:  No report.

 

Agenda Item VII:  Call for Reports from Other Committees

No reports.

 

Agenda Item VIII:  Report from the Chancellor’s Staff Council Academic Designee

No report.

 

 

Agenda Item IX:  A Word of Thanks

Harriet Clare, Director of the Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence Resource Center, thanked the SC for their donation of cell phones and presented a certificate to the Council.  In August, the ICADV merged with the Protective Order Pro Bono Project.  About half of the phones donated are being used by the Pro Bono project, the rest are sent away to be refurbished and distributed to all areas of the country.  She also brought brochures and bookmarks for those who wanted them.  Tansy said that she has been a benefactor of the ICADV and thanked the SC for their donations.

 

Agenda Item X:  Old Business (Unfinished or Pending)

·        Tansy, Poffenberger, and Dan Rives (Associate Vice President for University Human Resource Services) have met about short-term disability.  The discussion continues and if you have questions, you should contact Rives directly (drives@indiana.edu). 

·        The Statement on Sustainability was distributed via email to the Staff Council and comments submitted have been sent to Vice Chancellor Whitney.

 

Agenda Item XI:  New Business

No new business.

 

Agenda Item XII:  Adjournment

A motion to adjourn was made and seconded.  The motion carried.  President Tansy adjourned the meeting and the Council enjoyed a holiday celebration.

 

 

Minutes prepared by Staff Council Coordinator, Karen Eckert

UN 403 / 274-2215 / Fax:  274-2970 / scouncil@iupui.edu / http://www.iupui.edu/~scouncil