The Year in Review…

IUPUI Staff Council 2004-2005

 

 


v     GETTING THE JOB DONE

 

The Council

…initiated the Union Building air quality survey by communicating staff concerns to Environmental Health and Safety.

 

…continued to refine the online elections process and the publicity of the Spring elections, enjoying a voter turn-out exceeding that of the past two years.

 

…engaged Assistant Vice Chancellor for Human Resources Ellen Poffenberger and Associate Vice President for Human Resources Dan Rives in an ongoing discussion of short-term disability insurance and the concept of a crisis leave bank.  In response to work by Staff Affairs Chair Leslie Kidwell, Rives will convene a task force [consisting of staff, administrators, fiscal officers, etc.] in late 2005 to discuss the mechanics of, both, offering short-term disability insurance (either as an optional or standard benefit) and developing a crisis leave bank. 

 

…designed a new, full-color SC brochure.  Thank you to Representative Freida Cormack and the Communications Committee for their outstanding work on this project.

 

…worked with IUPUI Card Service to modify existing policy on Jag Tag replacement fees for staff who are also enrolled as students (and, therefore, may carry two JagTags).  Staff/students will now pay a single $20 fee to replace both JagTags, if lost or stolen, rather than paying a $20 fee for each card.

 

…assigned Communications Committee liaisons to each standing committee to assist in the development, review, and dissemination of publicity regarding SC projects and campus policies.  The SC’s campus profile continued to gain prominence thanks to the publicity initiatives introduced by the Communications and Development Committees.

 

…reviewed and endorsed IUPUI’s response to the Mission Differentiation Project [along with Faculty Council, the Undergraduate Student Government, and the Graduate Student Government].

 

…received and disseminated information from Human Resources Administration [courtesy of Assistant Vice Chancellor Poffenberger and her staff] about the Fair Labor Standards Act, training & development opportunities, Work/Life programming, benefit updates, and potential legislative action relating to state university benefit plans.

 

…participated, as a council, in a four-part series of professional development workshops on the fundamentals of organizational leadership.

 

…reviewed the proposed revisions to the university background check policy for staff, investigating and answering staff concerns.

 

…ensured staff representation on and facilitated regular communication with the IUPUI Public Safety Committee, the Parking Advisory Committee [parking policy development], the External Affairs Coordinating Council, and the Compensation Systems Initiative work group.

 

…sponsored the first cross-campus communication effort among staff governance groups throughout the IU system, including a meeting with staff leadership from IUPUC.

 

…followed up on staff concerns by scheduling presentations on workplace injury protocol, Campus Facilities Services, the marketing of IU and IUPUI, etc.

 

…engaged Vice Chancellor Martin and his staff in an ongoing dialogue on Chartwell’s (campus food services) and the level of service at the University Place Conference Center Hotel.

 

…received and disseminated vital information on the budgetary challenges facing the university in 2005-07.

 

…collected feedback on customer service evaluations for university benefits providers (work continues).

 

…enjoyed a successful July 2004 retreat, which featured an introduction to Staff Council (“SC”) Standing Committees and the first of four workshops on leadership.

 

…filled 6 unit representative mid-term vacancies.

 

…undertook revision and fine-tuning of the bylaws (2 amendments adopted), including the creation of a Special Events committee to plan fellowship and outreach activities. 

 

…explored the possibility of textbook discounts for staff.

 

…developed an online membership packet for newly elected or appointed SC members.

 

…received and responded to hundreds of staff inquiries about campus services and work/life.

 

 

 

 

 


The initiatives above owe much of their success to the hard work of the following committees and the strong and focused leadership of their chairs.

              

Bylaws – Mary O’Neill, Chair

                                             Communication – Rosemary Clark, Chair

                                             Development – Delana Gifford, Chair

Elections – Jan Canganelli, Chair

Faculty Relations – Sharon Grohowski, Chair

Rewards & Recognition – Karen Neely, Chair

Special Events – Lisa White, Chair

Staff Affairs – Leslie Kidwell, Chair

Web – Lena Woods, Chair

              

 

 

 

v     REACHING OUT

 

The Council

…organized and sponsored the second annual Staff Night at the Game as women’s and men’s basketball faced off against Southern Utah University.

 

…planned, organized, and executed another highly successful Staff Council Awareness Month (featuring the Staff Making a Difference recognition, Discover Staff Council information stations, the annual IUPUI-opoly Trivia Game, the initiation of inter-campus communication among staff leaders, etc.)

 

…implemented a new practice: the monthly sponsorship of Discover Staff Council information sessions in different campus locations throughout the academic year.

 

 

 

v     APPLAUDING EXCELLENCE

 

The Council

…awarded the Carol D. Nathan Scholarship for the 2004-05 school year to Rebecca Bunn (School of Nursing), Stephanie Osborne (University College), Emily Robison (School of Medicine), and Yingbin Su (Pathology & Laboratory Medicine).

         

…recognized more than a dozen IUPUI staffers for their valuable contributions to the IUPUI community and their communities-at-large: (in no particular order) Gretchen Hueni, Jennifer Browning, Pauline Graf, Marjorie Aprile, Beth Haggenjos, Becky Thacker, Wanda Colwell, Chizoma Sherman, Carl Rhine, Carlene Webb-Burton, Michele Farris, Erin Kilbride, Lena Woods, Susan Canady, Judy Johnson, and Sheila Walter.

 

…named four Gerald Bepko Staff Council Spirit Award winners in March 2005: Tralicia Lewis (Housing & Residence Life) and Janice Watson (Ruth Lilly Law Library).

 

 

 

 

 

v     MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THE CIRCLE CITY AND BEYOND

 

The Council

…continued a successful cell phone drive to benefit the Indiana Coalition against Domestic Violence.

 

…helped “Jam the Jaguar Bus” with donated canned food during the November drive.

 

 

Council members also

…churned Chili for Charity in October to benefit the United Way.

 

…donated to the IUPUI Campus Campaign.

 

…raced for the cure in April (16 SC members either participated or led teams).

 

…impacted their communities in countless ways (http://www.iupui.edu/~scouncil/spotlight.htm).

 

 

 

 


2004-05 Staff Council Executive Committee

 

Judith Mathews, President

Rosemary Clark, 1st Vice President

Janice Canganelli, 2nd Vice President

Mary O’Neill, Secretary

 

Members-at-Large: Keith Battle, Delana Gifford, Christina Freeman, Leslie Kidwell, Becky Thacker, Lena Woods

 

 

Report prepared by Molly Martin (Staff Council Coordinator) 6/13/05