IUPUI Staff Council (SC)

Minutes

November 19, 2008 ~ Campus Center, Room 409 ~ 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.

 

 

Members and Guests Present:  Teresa Abney, David Adams, Emily Anderson, Meghann Arnold, Brenda Baker, Sarah Baker, April Bell, Joann Bright, Jennifer Burba, Susan Cauble, Kathy Champ, Melanie Curfman, Karen Dickey, Virginia Dowling, Jim Fiddler, Margo Foreman, Avis Frieson, Kristine Frost, Ali Godby-Schwab, Angela Graves, Nicholas Harris, Deanna Hart, Natalie Harvey, Robin Hawkins, Sue Herrell, Angela Hill, Nikki Holdcroft, Jane Holder, Melanie Hollcraft, Danielle Hull, Leslie Kidwell, Lodema Lines, Jayme Little, Brenda Lawless (for Judith Mathews), Lana Matthews, Megan May, Kyle McCool, Teresa McCurry, Maggie McFarlin, Caroline Miller, Scott Orr, Christine Padgett, Amy Pfaff, Abbey Pintar, Ellen Poffenberger, Andrew Poland, Dale Ray, Colleen Rusnak, Kara Salazar, Amy Sandlin, Jane Schoening, Meagan Senesac, Nathan Siner, Rachel Sipes-Salter, Vicki Slunaker, Pat Stites, Kyle Torgerson, Laurie Turner, Elizabeth Wager, Aaron Woodsworth, Courtney Wooton, Emily Wren, and Debbie Wyeth

 

Agenda Item I:  Call to Order

IUPUI President-Elect Sue Herrell called the meeting to order at 3:00 p.m. 

 

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

Agenda Item V was changed to Agenda Item IV.  The Agenda was adopted as the Order for the Business of the Day.  (The agenda was later changed to allow for the arrival of Ken Durgans.)

 

Agenda Item III:  [ACTION ITEM] Approval of the Minutes of the October 15, 2008, Meeting

Hearing no objections, the minutes of the October 15, 2008, SC meeting stood as written and were entered into record.  (http://www.iupui.edu/~scouncil/documents/minutes/2008-2009/Minutes_SC_10-15-08.htm) 

 

Agenda Item IV:  Updates from the Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities (Emily Wren, Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities)

Wren reported on the following:

·         The parking lots will be restriped in the spring. 

·         A new parking garage will be built somewhere on campus, but the location is not known at this time.  The master planners are working on the location.  Building construction will begin in November 2009.

·         Research III will open in January 2009.

·         Senesac asked about the entrance to the parking lot outside of the Lecture Hall and Vermont Street.  Wren said the change should be made in the next few months. The project design has been approved and the city has approved the design, but funding needs to be identified.

·         The master plan is being developed for the Indianapolis campus as well as the Bloomington campus.  In December, there will be an open forum or a town hall meeting to discuss the plan.  May asked about the timing changes in the plan.  Wren said the projections (enrollment, parking, student space, etc.) are for ten years with a 30-year build out plan.

 

Agenda Item V:  Report from Human Resources Administration (Ellen Poffenberger, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Human Resources)

Poffenberger reported on:

·         Adverse Weather:  Vice Chancellor Dawn Rhodes wants the capability of looking at campus operations and employee safely separately.  Check the IUPUI homepage to get the latest information on the adverse weather.  Campus Closed versus Classes Closed now mean something different and the media do not give the specific information.  You are asked to look at the home page for the ruling.  Kidwell said there is an 800 number you can call if you do not have access to the Internet at home.  The IUPUI emergency notification will also give you the information directly if you have signed up for this service.

·         She thanked everyone for their attendance and service at the Employee Health and Benefits Fair.  Attendance was at its highest this year.  Next year’s event is scheduled for October 30.

·         Economic Status:  President McRobbie spoke of a hiring slow down in his State of the University address.  Poffenberger wanted everyone to know this is not a hiring freeze, but a chance for us to look at positions more thoughtfully to see if a position is needed at this time, or if it can wait until the economy is better.  Foreman asked if the conversation about the need for a position will occur at the posting stage.  Poffenberger said yes and also at the time of position creation.  May asked if HRA has a goal of how long this will take.  Poffenberger and John Murray will look at the position justifications as they come in to help make the determination on the need of the position.  They will not “sit” on a position to delay it purposefully.

·         The Great American Smoke Out is on November 20.  The Campus Center will have some activity between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. 

·         The Police have issued a traffic safety partnership.  The document speaks of the drivers’ role, pedestrian’s role, and the biker’s role.  She will send the information to Eckert who will send to the Council.

·         When there is a death in the family, please let Maggie Stimming, Work-Life Consultant, know.  She has a packet that is useful to the families as they go through the grieving process.

 

Agenda Item VI:  [Discussion Item] Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (Ken Durgans, Assistant Chancellor for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, kdurgans@iupui.edu)

Durgans reported on:

·         Diversity means “where you come from and how you think.”  His office works around strategic initiatives (climate issues, etc.).  They work with HRA and other units on campus to make the environment on campus good for everyone.  Diversity means everyone.

·         They work to help everyone understand different points of view.  It takes everyone to make a difference and the better we can relate to each other, the better off we all are.  If we can help students understand diversity, they leave our doors better people.

·         Durgans works with admissions to help diversity the student body in a problem-free environment.

·         They work with faculty recruitment as well as community outreach. 

·         He has worked on some serious issues down to talking with someone who just needed someone else to talk to about a situation.  He works on a micro and macro level when it comes to diversity.

·         He has an open door policy and his office is open to everyone.  He is located in AO 139.  You can set up an appointment to talk with him or send him an email (kdurgans@iupui.edu).

·         He meets with the Diversity Council.

·         Curto said the Diversity Committee of the SC would like to find a mechanism by which all programs, initiatives, etc., on this campus all get together at the same time.  Who and what do we have to offer?  He asked if Durgans’ office has thought of a public forum.  Durgans said there will be a diversity subcommittee that will meet twice a meeting that will have an open forum.  When he creates committees, he tries to be as inclusive as possible.  He would ask the SC committee talk with him about the kind of structure Curto refers to.  He doesn’t want to create a meeting just to create a meeting; he wants to know there is a clear vision for what will occur at the meeting. 

·         Kidwell asked if there is an umbrella Diversity Council.  Durgans said the chairs of the individual councils make up the larger Diversity Council.  Kidwell said her school’s council was made up of faculty, staff, and students and is now faculty only.  Is the larger council made up of only faculty?  Durgans said that the Council is to be made up of faculty, staff, and students.  Durgans suggested that he and Kidwell talk about this privately.

·         Kidwell asked about the diversity of the United Way campaign.  There was an article in the Sagamore about the campus supporting the United Way when there were problems within the agency regarding the Boy Scouts.  Durgans has seen the article (just today) and would like to talk with the Diversity Cabinet about the issue before making a public statement.  He has the issue on his agenda, however.  Durgans would like to come back to the Council at another time to keep conversations going with the Council.

·         McFarlin asked if there are any plans for the Multicultural Center in Taylor Hall.  Durgans said Sophia Bryant has just been hired as the Center’s director.  The Center will be on the first floor of Taylor Hall.  The Center will be designed to have life.  Affinity Groups will have a portion of the Center and will be part of the external community and IUPUI community.  The goal is to have the physical part of the Center ready by next summer.

·         Foreman asked about staff engagement.  Most of what we have heard is that the Center is for students.  Will it include staff?  Durgans said the Center will be a living center that will touch the entire campus.  Programming will be educational, and it is hoped that people will come there to have meetings.  UC 115 will be shared by the Center as well as University College.  Staff can definitely play a role in the Center.  It will not be a party center, but a place where there will be lively entertainment, education, and cultural programs.

·         The Chancellor and administration has made a strong commitment to diversity.

 

Agenda Item VII:  Report from the First Vice President (Christine Padgett, First Vice President)

Padgett reported on the following items:

·         Please volunteer to help with the Craft Fair scheduled for November 22.  If you have some time, contact Deanna Hart after the meeting.   

·         She thanked everyone who helped at the Employee Health and Benefits Fair and stopped by the Staff Council booth.  We reached many staff as well as faculty.

·         The Staff Council Executive Meeting met at the Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence for their November meeting.  The cell phones we donate are sent to this organization.  The Silent Witness Program is put on by the ICADV and includes wooden “people” figures that tell a story about the violence they endured before death.  It tells their story to enable others to have the strength to make their voice known and save themselves or others before another death occurs.

·         The Staff Council has scheduled the Panel of Vice Chancellors for the January 21 meeting.  Vice Chancellors Rhodes, Whitney, and Sukhatme are on the panel.  Please send any questions or comments for the panel to Karen Eckert (klee2@iupui.edu).  The SCEC will meet with Marilyn Kuhn, HRA, to plan the panel.

·         2009 is the Staff Council’s 30th Anniversary.  We aren’t sure how we will celebrate at this time, but we are open to plans or ideas you might have. 

 

Agenda Item VIII:  Standing Ad Hoc Committee Reports

·         Bylaws:  Frieson (Chair) announced the committee is working on a bylaw change and will have something to report soon.

·         Communications:  Wager (Chair) followed up with the news stations regarding the arts and crafts fair to be sure information appears.  The committee will next meet in December.  If your committee needs anything communicated to anyone, please contact Wager.

·         Diversity:  Curto (Chair) said the committee met and has an idea to have a meeting with all constituents on campus to talk about diversity.  He needs more ideas and action from the committee members.  He needs ideas to take to Dr. Durgans. 

·         Fine Arts and Crafts Fair:  Curfman (Chair) said the Fine Arts and Crafts Fair is on November 22 (10 a.m. – 4 pm).  There are 43 vendors.  The Committee needs volunteers for the entire day as well as the evening before.  Please advertise widely in your departments.  Harvey asked if there would be signs on the street advertising the fair and pointing people in the right direction.  Curfman said there are signs and they will be out on Thursday.  The proceeds of the event will go to student scholarships.  Frieson asked about the pricing of the items.  Herrell said the range of items is from reasonably economic to high end.  Some vendors have donated door prizes. 

·         Membership:  Ray (Chair) reported the following changes in representatives:  Kara Salazar for Myla Langford (Science); Laurie Turner for Terri Cuellar (Law); and Meagan Senesac will take over the role of Michelle Simmons’ as Member at Large.  Nancy Gibson is taking over Michael Jackson’s role in the School of Medicine. 

·         Staff Affairs:  Deanna Hart, gave the report on behalf of Lee Stone (Chair).  The Staff Affairs Committee had a very productive meeting this month and the following is a summary of the progress each of our task force teams have made:

1.      Chartwells/Food Service:  Chartwells continues to meet with us in a focus group on a monthly basis with our most recent meeting being this morning.  Chartwells is working to improve in 4 areas- Improved catering, discount pricing, more vegan options and clarification of the exclusivity agreement.  Our main focus is now on pricing, which is too high and getting clarification on the exclusivity agreement to verify what catering options we have.

2.      Campus Safety:  Alicia Gahimer and her team have been collecting data at key crossings on campus and have scheduled a meeting with the campus police to discuss their findings and come up with some possible solutions.

3.      Fee Courtesy:  Jim Fiddler and his team have collected information from other nearby institutions and have found that the public universities all have some type of fee that is required to be paid by the employees who take classes.  IUPUI does reimburse employees for fewer credit hours than other public universities.  Jim’s team is now researching how many of our employees are taking advantage of the tuition reimbursement program so we can come up with a total dollar amount that would be lost if no fees were paid.  We will compile all of the data and present at a future meeting.

4.      Child Care and Performance Appraisals task force teams have nothing new to report.

·         Rewards and Recognition:  Foreman (Chair) wanted everyone to know the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Diversity will have nominations open in December.  The award, in the past, has been weak on staff recognition and she said it would be a great opportunity to nominate a staff member who is doing good work on behalf of diversity.  The award is given at the Taylor Symposium in February.  Foreman also added that the ICADV has a lending library with resources that you can check out or loan to someone who needs assistance with domestic violence.

·         Special Events:  Ray (Chair) said the October 31 blood drive gathered 77 units with 72 units deferred, for a total of 149 participants.  The next meeting of the Council is on December 17 which will be a holiday party.  This year’s structure will be different in that we will not be giving gifts from donors to ourselves, but we will be giving cold weather accessories to the giving tree at the Center for Young Children.  The Center will distribute our donated items to Dayspring and other agencies in need.  The children will perform for our group following the meeting.  Harvey suggested that if the blood drive is done again at the benefits fair that there should be several blood mobiles on campus.  People could not wait the hour or more it took in order to give blood.  Ray said he will look at the drive differently next year, but will want to keep a mobile at the Safeco building to keep a downtown presence.  Wager said there was a disconnect between the location of the room for giving blood and the health and benefits fair.  It was suggested to have the locations on the same floor and have the blood drawl in the building as well.

 

Agenda Item IX:  Call for Additional Reports / SC Agenda Items from Standing or University Committees

No report.

 

Agenda Item X:  [Discussion Item] STAR Mentors (Chris Maroldo, Coordinator for Academic Success Programs and Gwen Hobley, Program Assistant and Academic Advisor)

The STAR program (Students Taking Academic Responsibility) is an outreach program for students who are on academic probation or in their first semester after being academically dismissed.  Maroldo and Hobley need more volunteer mentors from across campus.  The program provides student mentors from the Bepko Learning Center and the remaining mentors are academic advisors and staff members within University College.  However, the numbers of students are rising and more mentors are needed.  If you decide to help mentor a student, you would be given a manual and orientation.  An Oncourse tab is given to the student and mentor to keep in touch.  Mentors support the students to help them through the issues that got them into academic probation.  The program has taken place over the last six semesters with about 100 students per semester.  The minimum time commitment is 30 minutes each week for ten weeks.  Contact Maroldo or Hobley if you can be a mentor (cmaroldo@iupui.edu or ghobley@iupui.edu).

 

Agenda Item XI:  [Discussion Item} IUPUI Athletics and Staff Night (Nathan Siner)

Siner spoke about Staff Appreciation Week with IUPUI Basketball.  Tickets are buy one get one free.  The games are December 31, January 2, 3, and 5. 

 

Agenda Item XII:  Report from the IUPUI Faculty Council Liaison (Sarah Baker, IUPUI Executive Committee, ssbaker2@iupui.edu)

Baker reported on the following items:

·         The State of the Campus was on November 11.  The largest initiative is the RISE initiative. 

·         The new IT Strategic Plan is being reviewed by the campus and the faculty.

·         The Academic Affairs Committee is looking at the honors college. 

·         The School of Medicine is looking at extending the tenure clock and the Faculty Affairs Committee is looking at this initiative.

·         The IFC is looking at electronic balloting versus mail balloting.

 

Agenda Item XIII:  Old Business

Gary Curto said food pantries around the city are hurting badly.  If you can donate to a pantry, please do so.  Siner said a food drive is being done by the Jags teams as well.  Baker suggested we bring a canned item in addition to mittens, hats, etc. to the holiday party as well. 

 

Agenda Item XIV: New Business

·         Padgett said the ICADV has an event after the fine arts and crafts fair – The Simon Evening of Giving.  Tickets are $10 with $7 going directly to the Coalition and $3 going to the Simon Youth Foundation.  Contact Thacker if you need more information.  Herrell said the School of Engineering and Technology is also selling tickets for the event as well, but the donation going to cystic fibrosis.  Ticket deadline is tomorrow.

·         Schoening said taxis coming off University Boulevard do not watch for pedestrians going from the University Hospital direction to the North Street Garage.  Herrell asked her to email the Staff Affairs Committee.  Angela Hill will bring the issue to the Tom Cappucci to see if he can do anything about this.

·         Angela Hill said Josh Berger has been hired as oversight manager for Chartwells, under the supervision of Cappucci.

·         Herrell said the next meeting of the Council is December 17 at the Center for Young Children.

 

Agenda XIII: Adjournment

President Herrell adjourned the meeting at 4:46 p.m.

 

 

Minutes prepared by Staff Council Coordinator, Karen Eckert

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