InTouch: UNC Employee Forum News
Volume 3, Number 8 October 2002
From the Chair, Tommy Griffin…
What We Will Leave Behind
Hello friends here it is October and summer has left us and fall is here. This is the time of the year that we see many changes happening around us, the leaves are starting to change colors and the grass doesn’t need mowing anymore and the days become shorter making it hard for us to get much done outside at home. We start to make plans for the coming new seasons in front of us. Summer memories begin to fade and new ones begin to take their place.
Even our legislature in Raleigh has finally decided it is time to go home. Still, they will be back in the spring to make new plans and decisions that will affect all of our lives in many ways. We need to make sure that we let them know that they need to be thinking about state employees and what they need to do for us. For a change wouldn’t it be nice if they thought about us first instead of last. How wonderful it would be if they could think of state employees first. Please take the time to go to the polls and vote this year it does make America strong and free.
Recently I received a copy of a letter that Chancellor Moeser sent to President Broad on behalf of all University employees stating that he believes that we need to make a strong statement with regards to salary increases not only for our faculty, but for the staff as well. This says a lot for our Chancellor that he sees the needs of employees and is willing to do something about it. This step lets me know that our voices are being heard and our leaders are listening to what we have to say and they know that we are a very valuable asset to the University and the state.
On October 12th we celebrated another University day with great pride and tradition. I was very proud of the Staff, Faculty, and Students involved with this celebration. Even though it was on a Saturday morning many people came out to honor the University’s past and future. I sat on the stage and listen to all of the speakers and was looking out at the audience it brought back many good memories from days gone by and all the hard work that it took for us to get where we are today. I sat there thinking about all the great history and traditions that the University has. I thought of all the staff, faculty, and students that came before us in the past two hundred and nine years and all the folks that will come after us in the future. Will they think the same way we did, will they have the same challenges to face? What will we leave behind for the future generations to build on and add to?
We will leave behind a world respected and successful University with a commitment to education, research, and community service. We will leave the love and caring and dedication that all the staff, faculty, and students have always had for our Great University.
When Chancellor Moeser stood there on that stage and thank the staff for all there hard work and dedication I couldn’t think of a better time or place to honor all of us. It was all that I could do to sit there on that stage and not jump up in the air for joy and shout out how proud we all are to be University Employees.
Prize Patrol Strikes Again!
The Prize Patrol of the Employee Forum’s Recognition and Awards Committee has struck again! On September 25, committee members surprised eighteen deserving UNC staff members around campus with balloons, gift baskets, and framed certificates for jobs well done.
In August, all permanent UNC staff were invited to nominate peers whom they felt deserved special accolades for outstanding service to the University. No justification was needed, just a desire to recognize colleagues. Award categories included:
Customer Service;
Call of Duty;
Back Office Activity;
Rookie;
Milestone;
Big Buddy;
Self-Improvement;
Congeniality; and
Innovation/Initiative.
This year, 436 nominations rolled in. Staff who received the most nominations in any category won. Due to the current budget crisis, the Recognition and Awards Committee was able to award only one winner per category, but a generous donation from a UNC staff member made it so that nine more people could receive an award entitled “Special Recognition.”
As much as the committee would have liked to provide all nominees with awards of this size, it was just not possible. A key chain and letter of congratulations will be sent to every nominee as a token of appreciation for their contributions to their workplace.
This year’s Peer Recognition Program winners included:
| Name | Department | Category |
| Jonathan Leathers | Exercise & Sport Science | Customer Service |
| Cindy Atkins | Exercise & Sport Science | Call of Duty |
| Michael Smith | Exercise & Sport Science | Back Office Activity |
| Joel McLawhorn | Exercise & Sport Science | Rookie |
| Correnthia Hill | Emergency Medicine | Big Buddy |
| Suphronia Cheek | Anthropology | Milestone |
| Blaise Faint | Student Accounts and UNC Receivables | Self-Improvement |
| Laverda Pride | Facilities Services Division | Congeniality |
| Mark Nielsen | Study Abroad | Innovation/Shows Initiative |
| Jerri Coleman | Gene Therapy Center | Special Recognition |
| Don Cooper | Academic Technology & Networking Service (ATN) | Special Recognition |
| Hilda Durham | Office of Sponsored Research | Special Recognition |
| Jean Hughes | VC, Student Affairs (International Center) | Special Recognition |
| Deborah Kuepferle | Psychology | Special Recognition |
| Norma Newton | Financial Services | Special Recognition |
| Lisa M. Parker | Study Abroad | Special Recognition |
| Linda Starr | VC, Student Affairs | Special Recognition |
| Susan Toppin | Arts & Sciences, Dean’s Offfice | Special Recognition |
Click names above to see photos of these winners on their special day (files are large, and make take some time to download).
Educational Assistance Program
Did you know that there is a financial support program in addition to the Tuition Waiver Program? The Educational Assistance program reimburses eligible SPA and EPA non-faculty employees up to $200 per year for taking job-related classes or attending relevant seminars or workshops. The goal of the program is stated on the HR web site:
“The purpose of the Educational Assistance Program is work force planning and development. The program provides management with a means to support educational activities which are deemed beneficial to both the University and employee and which serve to develop the employee’s knowledge, skills and abilities directly related to the current classification or the classification series in which the employee is working.”
Permanent employees of UNC-Chapel Hill working 20 or more hours per week are eligible to receive this assistance. Courses are subject to supervisory approval and the approval of Training and Development. Employees may choose relevant courses at any accredited high school, business school, community college or university.
For the 2001-2002 fiscal year, 124 Carolina employees received assistance under this program. Some examples of the classes these employees attended are:
- Business Law
- Elementary Spanish
- Intermediate Accounting
- Software Development
The Employee Forum, recognizing the importance of providing financial assistance for staff training, voted at this year’s July meeting to approve a resolution that “the University devote earnings from the Staff Development Fund to supplement monies available to the Education Assistance Program in perpetuity, subject to annual review and approval by the Forum Career Development committee and the full Forum.” Chancellor Moeser has endorsed this plan, which raises the maximum reimbursement to $250.
If you are interested in taking advantage of this opportunity for career growth and development, you can find further information and an application form on the web at http://www.ais.unc.edu/hr/spaman/section12/sec12-ed-assist.htm or call Training and Development at 962-2550.
Details on Bonus Leave
We are all very aware of the fact that the state budget did not include any raises for Carolina staff this year. But eligible permanent SPA and EPA employees have been given an additional 10 days of leave time as a one-time provision in this year’s budget bill. (Eligible part-time employees receive a pro-rated amount of bonus leave). This became effective on September 30, 2002.
Everyone should know that this leave time involves some special considerations. If there are any hours of unused leave time on December 31, that time will be retained by the employee and transferred to the next calendar year. (It is not factored into the maximum of 240 vacation hours that can be retained). This time cannot be converted to sick leave. The employee can decide if any approved leave time will be used as regular leave or as bonus leave. Each department is responsible for maintaining records for the bonus leave time.
For other details, see the HR web site:
SPA Leave Provisions
http://www.ais.unc.edu/hr/admin/bonus-leave-spa.htm
EPA Leave Provisions
http://www.ais.unc.edu/hr/admin/bonus-leave-epa.htm
Forum’s Newly Elected Delagates and Alternates
Division 1 – EPA Non Faculty
Term Ending 12/04:
Cheryl Lytle, Amy Gorely, Debra Skinner
Alternates
1)James Curtis, 2)Sherrie Settle, 3)John Adams, 4)Jennifer Hemingway
Division 2 – Service/Maintenance
Delagates
Term Ending 12/04:
Scott Blalock, Jimmie Hart
Alternates
1)Bernice Cradle
Division 3 – Skilled Craft
Delagates
Term Ending 12/04:
Mack Rich, Charles Brink
Alternates
1)John Thomas
Division 4-Clerical/Secretarial (Academic Aff.)
Delagates
Term Ending 12/04:
Mary Johnson, Delita Wright
Alternates
1)Kara Adams, 2)Brett Perry, 3)Frances Stein, 4)John Hewitt
Division 5- Clerical/Secretarial (Health Affairs)
Delagates
Term Ending 12/04:
Dixie Bloom, Jane Teeter
Alternates
1)Linda Allred, 2)Nancy Cripps, 3)Marilyn Timmons, 4)Kim Collins, 5)Jana Carey
Division 6 – Clerical/Secretarial (Other)
Delagates
Term Ending 12/04:
Shanna Fleenor, Cynthia Reardon, Corrie Mimms
Division 7 – Technical
Delagates
Term Ending 12/04:
Cynthia Cowan, Syed Mustafa, Lauren Mangili, Tom Rhyne
Alternates
1))Michael McQuown, 2)Edward Eldred, 3)Dianne Blake 4)Christopher Middleton
Division 8 – Professional
Delagates
Term Ending 12/04:
Joanne Kucharski, Lynn Ray, Mike Hawkins, Stephanie Lombardo
Alternates
1)Kevin Quinlan, 2)Jeanne Hiesel, 3)Robert Schoonhoven, 4)Robert Kintz
Division 9 – Exec/Admin/Managerial
Delagates
Term Ending 12/04:
C.L. Lassiter
Alternates
1)Martha Barbour, 2)Brian White