August 2, 2024 UNC-Chapel Hill Employee Forum Minutes
Delegates Attending: L. E. Alexander, David Barnette, Randall Borror, Sharron Bouquin, David Bragg, Shane Brogan, Bonita Brown, Renata Buchanan, Shavon Carey-Hicks, Tiffany Carver, Gabriela De la Cruz, Kelsey Dillon, Chassidy Dixon, Elizabeth DuBose, Sarah Green, Chrissie Greenberg, Shayna Hill (ex-officio), Keith Hines, Rebecca Howell, Samara Howell, Brigitte Ironside, Sara Kelley, Paige Krier, Daysia Mardré, Torri Mason, Amber Meads, Arlene Medder, Mandy Melton, Katie Musgrove, Natiaya Neal, Ken Nesbett, Joseph Ormond, Lisa Petersen, Allana Potts, Charlissa Rice, Drexel Rivers, Janny Sanchez, Kelly Scurlock-Cross, Audrey Shore, Theresa Silsby, Paige Simpson, Greg Smith, Jake Stallard, James Stamey, Mathew Steadman, Charles Streeter (ex-officio), Matthew Teal, Marianna Tilley, Susse Toro, Ally Wardell, Michael Williams, Tyrone Williams
Excused Absences: Chassidy Dixon, Paloma Eddowes, Adrianne Gibilisco, Megan Harvell, Katherine Neer
Chair Katie Musgrove called the meeting to order at 9 a.m. She was glad to welcome delegates to the first meeting of the year, and she looked forward to having students return in a couple of weeks. She was glad that the July Forum Retreat went well, and she praised all on the call—delegates, dignitaries, the leadership team, and everyone else—for their efforts to improve Carolina. She particularly noted the Forum’s role to represent and advocate for staff employees. She voiced a general assumption that everyone present is working here in service of this place that we all love so much. That said, she was pleased to welcome Interim Chancellor Lee Roberts to speak with the Forum at its first meeting of the year.
Roberts noted the quick progression of time and hoped all present had a great summer. He was pleased to note the dozen or so Tar Heels participating in the Paris Olympics this year, among them two US women’s field hockey players, three women’s soccer players, four swimmers and divers, a wrestler, a rower, and a tennis player. Roberts also noted the 25 student journalists from the Hussman School of Journalism covering the games in Paris. The Hussman School of Journalism is the only school in the US with an Olympic news partnership, Roberts said, a very exciting development for the school and for Carolina.
Roberts further noted the amount of work involved at South Building and throughout campus to get ready for the fall semester. He shared updates regarding UNC System Office guidance. He recalled previous Forum discussions regarding the new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policy and the wait for guidance from the UNC System Office. This guidance has arrived, requiring that the university report back to the UNC System Office on implementation by September 1st. Associate Provost Leah Cox will lead this effort, stepping into a role in the Provost’s Office that had been held by Amy Hertel. Hertel will be at UNC-Pembroke for the next year on a leadership assignment.
In addition, the university’s four strategic initiative working groups reported back to the Chancellor on Thursday, August 1st. Those strategic plan initiatives include efforts around enrollment, engineering, artificial intelligence, and the physical master plan for campus. Roberts thanked all those who provided time and commitment to all these efforts and said that he looked forward to digesting these recommendations, then working forward to the next steps in implementation.
Roberts also recalled the work on the after-action report from the August 28, 2023 shooting. He said that this report’s recommendations include safety measures like more and better cameras, license plate readers, and better coordination among camera systems. These measures also include extra training for faculty and staff, an area identified where the university can do better.
Roberts was pleased to note the new parking pricing structure for faculty and staff employees. He thought that the new parking policy deserves much more attention than it has received to this point. He praised the work of employees on this highly progressive policy in which rates were lowered for many employees and students. The university simplified its parking system, moving from 78 price points to 13, making the system much easier to navigate. He was pleased about the greater affordability and greater simplicity of the system, particularly for the university’s lowest paid employees.
In sum, Roberts was excited about the university’s prospects for a terrific fall semester. He offered to take questions from the Forum and thanked the Forum for the opportunity to speak. Sarah Green asked if the university would roll out a timeline for staff training soon to parallel the announced instructional faculty training related to the after-action report. The Chair said that instructional faculty have received an email regarding classroom training that did not exist previously. She said that training exists for faculty and staff prior to the shooting, but this training required appointments by unit. She was working to understand if the new training is designated just for instructional faculty or whether it will eventually be offered to all faculty and staff employees. She hoped that staff would have the opportunity to take this training and noted her role as a front-line staff member who works with students. L. E. Alexander shared a link in chat: https://www.unc.edu/posts/2024/07/31/instructor-emergency-preparedness-module-now-active/ Chief of Staff Christi Hurt indicated that online staff training would soon debut. Roberts said that more details would be available soon.
Sarah Green asked if there would be a facial recognition component to the camera systems that will be implemented across campus, and if so, how would that work? Roberts said that he was not aware of an automated facial recognition component in the system. He said that the university had a problem with its cameras in that they were not in enough places and that not enough of them were connected to a system allowing officials to view footage in real time. Additionally, there was not a centralized place in which one could see all of the footage that was available. He said all of these factors would lead to a sub-optimal management of any kind of crisis like that of August 28, 2023.
The emphasis should be on merging camera feeds to a central location, rather than facial recognition, Roberts said. He added that the university’s license plate readers lag significantly behind many other UNC System peers and other peers around the country. This technology has been employed broadly on open campuses like UNC-Chapel Hill that are entirely open and where people can drive on and off all the time. The university has installed newer license plate readers since the end of the spring semester.
Arlene Medder asked if there was any word on how the university will handle its deferred maintenance needs. Roberts said that the university’s list of maintenance, repair, and renovation needs will always be greater than its available funding, particularly given the campus’ age. This fact places a premium on having a good methodology for prioritizing these projects along with ongoing deferred maintenance work. The university’s working group on the campus’ physical master plan just identified two other aspects of this work: the need for new capital projects and the quality of data about capacity utilization. One would not know whether the campus needs a new classroom building if one does not know how well existing classroom space is used. Roberts believed that the university was making good progress in prioritizing these deferred maintenance, repair, and renovation needs.
Sarah Green had read that the renaming of certain campus buildings recommended by the relevant university committee has not seemed to make progress recently. She asked if there was an update or a reasoning for this lack of activity. Roberts said that the Commission on History, Race, and the Way Forward had made a series of recommendations, many of which are in implementation. For example, work continues on restoring and repairing the historic cemetery and addressing the Unsung Founders monument which many people think could use a better location and a better platform. The third of these recommendations dealt with the renaming of buildings.
The Commission submitted their recommendation on the renaming of buildings to the Board of Trustees. The Trustees have the responsibility whether or not to take up these recommendations. The Commission submitted its report to the Board, where it now rests. He could not predict what the Trustees would ultimately decide to do regarding this question.
The Chair noted that Rick Wernoski, the university’s operational excellence guru, was present for the meeting. She asked if Wernoski could share an update on his group’s work, similar to the excellent update that the Operational Excellence team sends out every month. Roberts shared the Chair’s enthusiasm for Wernoski and the work of the Operational Excellence team.
Wernoski appreciated the readership of his updates. He said that the Team is very busy right now, wrapping up work on three of the Chancellor’s priorities’ working groups: Enrollment, Applied Sciences, and Generative A. I. He said that the group has also worked on space utilization, in particular on a space project on the demand side and within administrative space work. He said that the group is expanding this work to look at classroom patient space and research space. As a follow-up, the team is looking into establishing a program around utilization that will define low, medium, and high usage across campus.
Wernoski said that another project will address faculty hires. He recalled similar work on staff hires done around five years ago. The Operational Excellence group will consider the whole process around faculty hires. The team is also just starting to explore work creating central dashboards for data usage for the schools, expanding these opportunities as well.
Wernoski said that work on credit bearing certificate programs will follow completed work on the building administrative model. The team is currently studying campus services related to types of non-degree students. Wernoski said that the team has around 10-14 projects ongoing in different stages. The Operational Excellence group also supports the History, Race, and a Way Forward Commission, the Tar Heel Bus Tour, and a number of other projects. He offered to speak offline regarding these projects and anything else that interests the Forum.
Wernoski noted in response to a question that the team is working on the space project on the demand side. He said that the team had piloted this idea through the administrative space and now has developed a kind of process to evaluate clinical or patient-facing space as well as research and instructional space. Elizabeth Dubose said that her department, Ophthalmology, would benefit from these improvements but usually lies outside the awareness of decision-makers. She wondered if Wernoski had a specific department in mind in the School of Medicine or Clinical Research. Wernoski did not have in mind a specific department, but the team has engaged the Schools of Medicine, Dentistry, and Public Health in this work. This work has covered most spaces that have potentially public facing roles. He offered to reach out to Dubose concerning her questions soon.
Tiffany Carver asked if South Building will stay locked down indefinitely. She noted that currently, visitors to the South Building come and end up knocking on the doors in order to get in. She asked if there is a timeline with regard to this lockdown. Roberts said that the plan is to continue OneCard access as the semester progresses. He said that South Building does need a better way of letting people in rather than having them knock on the door. He looked forward to the installation of a buzzer system.
Arlene Medder asked if there was an update regarding upcoming changes in the Pit. Roberts did not have a formal update on this work but said that the big problem there is drainage. He said that real estate construction best practices typically instruct that drainage problems are always challenging and take longer, more time, and more money than originally estimated. As far as he knew, this work is in the design and planning phase. He said that everyone wants to preserve the character of the Pit while also alleviating the flooding problems as well. Carver was initially against the draft plans for this work, but she found the proposal with trees surrounding the Pit most palatable.
The Chair thanked Roberts for his remarks. She welcomed him to stay but granted that he likely has a busy day ahead. Roberts thanked the Chair and wished listeners well for the weekend and the remainder of the summer.
The Chair was then pleased to welcome Chief Strategic Officer and Secretary of the University Christopher McClure as well as Director of State Affairs for the University Amy McConkey to speak about the work their team does advocating for the university with the state legislature and state government relations overall. She thought staff would be eager to hear these remarks given the number of things that impact staff at the state level. She observed that McClure’s and McConkey’s work with the legislature is critical to advancing some of the things that staff employees care about. She was pleased that McClure in particular could also provide perspective from the Board of Trustees and their advocacy work on behalf of the university as well. She noted the interplay of factors involving Carolina, Chapel Hill, up to Raleigh and Jones Street. She was pleased to invite them to speak.
McClure thanked the Chair for inviting the duo to speak about the work of the Public Affairs division. McClure said that his duties as Secretary of the University include working closely with the Board of Trustees as the Assistant Secretary of the Board. Public Affairs work on the federal, state, and local levels reports to him as well. He noted that UNC-Chapel Hill’s status as a state institution means that state affairs is critically important. He cited the Forum as a “critically important” group for the university in advocating for employee raises and other things over the years.
McClure recognized UNC System Staff Assembly Chair and Forum Chair Emerita Shayna Hill as one of the first people he grew to know here at UNC. He was proud to have worked with Hill on a number of different issues. He said that Carolina can be proud of Hill and her systemwide work.
Additionally, McClure said that Carolina is also very fortunate to have Amy McConkey in her role as Director of State Affairs. He said that McConkey is in Raleigh every day advocating on behalf of employees and students about the university and its various needs. McClure said that while discussion can be far-ranging, the university is composed of people, and people are the main topic of discussion in these Raleigh discussions. McClure said that the university is fortunate enough to have a number of Carolina alumni in the legislature. He was proud that the university has friends on both sides of the aisle who understand its importance to the state. He said that disagreements do arise. However, the importance of Carolina being strong and its people being strong is something that everyone agrees with in Raleigh.
Amy McConkey thanked McClure for this wonderful introduction. She said it was an honor to speak before the group, as the Forum is an important stakeholder of the university and its team at Public Affairs. She characterized the advocacy work of the Forum as something that really matters. She said that Public Affairs wishes to serve as a resource for the Forum’s work and she put her contact information into the Zoom chat feature.
McConkey said that every year the legislative process is different as the players and issues change. Thus, Public Affairs wants to be helpful to all groups seeking to navigate this process. McConkey recalled coming to her position two years ago. McConkey graduated from Carolina as a political science and journalism double major, and wrote for the Daily Tar Heel on town and county level deliberations while she was a student. She then moved from journalism to advocacy work, before coming to the university as Director of State Affairs, a position in which she was honored to serve.
McConkey spoke on the two-year biennium of the university ‘s legislative process and how it interfaces with various stakeholders, most foremost the legislature. This process involves hand-in-glove work with the UNC System, with a number of Human Resources issues taken jointly with the UNC System. Following that process, the University arrives at a priority list for the first year of the biennium, which is vetted through the UNC Board of Governors. The UNC System Office then regroups to understand what might be needed to tweak for the second year of the biennium.
The current state budget was approved in October 2023, featuring employee pay raises of 4% for the first year of the biennium and 3% the second year. McConkey said that she was happy to see these raises, as they were overdue given the high rate of state vacancies. The high rate of vacancies continues to be an important talking point for all state employees and the UNC System.
The budget approved in 2023 is the current operating budget. The short session is currently deadlocked in further budget negotiations, with differing views in the House and Senate. McConkey noted that the House released its own version of a continuing budget that included a 1% raise additional to the 7% that was done over two years, with an additional 2% cost of living adjustment for retirees. The State Treasurer’s Office also proposed extra funding for the State Health Plan that was not pursued by the House budget.
The Senate issued a different kind of budget which did not include any changes to raises, a bare bones plan that continued on the 2023 budget. Budget discussions continue in conference with no clear sign as to what will eventually happen. The University’s Public Affairs team continues to monitor these negotiations closely, working with organizations advocating for state employees and also members of the legislature, and weighing in where most appropriate with the needs of the UNC System regarding the campus priorities which have run through the Board of Governors.
As of now, negotiations are in a bit of a holding pattern. The adjournment resolution approved before the summer pause included dates each month in which the legislature will return. The House returned just this week to vote to override several gubernatorial vetoes. There will be additional dates, but it is unknown whether there will be votes occurring. McConkey expects a lame duck session following the November election. The process will start all over again in January 2025, with all members of the legislature as well as the Counsel of State up for election in statewide races.
Public Affairs will wait to see what the dynamic is in 2025 and will work to adjust strategy and think through priorities for the next year. McConkey offered to take questions from the Forum. The Chair asked if McClure or McConkey could provide a primer on what their team does at the federal level. McClure said that Kelly Dockham is the University’s Director of Federal Affairs who works with our partners in Washington D.C., the State’s Congressional delegation and their staff. Dockham also works with the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Education and other federal agencies, along with Vice Chancellor for Research Penny Gordon Larsen. Research folks will look at grants and other things in the university’s research divisions and different schools to build its research portfolios. McClure observed that the university works in many research programs involving federal dollars, thus requiring the federal affairs team to work closely with research personnel on these issues. Public Affairs is rounded out by Director Local Affairs Dr. Ivy Taylor, McClure said.
Arlene Medder asked the impact of the School of Government on the work of the Public Affairs team. McClure said that team members work closely with Dean Aimee Wall and her partners in the school. McClure equates the school with our friends at the North Carolina State Extension Program who have a presence in every county through their agricultural extension programs. The school touches every municipality and county through training of local officials. The school does not directly impact lobbying efforts because of its nonpartisan nature, but it serves as a huge part of the university’s public service portfolio.
McClure recalled that the School of Government does an orientation and training for all newly elected state legislators, detailing what it means to be a legislator and how to draft a bill. Whether Democrat or Republican, any legislator must follow certain processes and procedures which are taught by the school. Mayors, Counsel, Sheriffs, County Commissioners and others are reached by the school through similar training which allows the university access through this work.
The Chair read a question from the chat from Michael Williams asking if the legislature no longer has a supermajority as a result of the November elections, how would this change affect additional salary improvements which are key to recruitment and retention. Williams asked if there were any concern that a resultant lame duck session would lead to punitive or harmful acts against the university or its employees in the interim?
McClure responded that he had not seen any sentiment on either side of the aisle that wants to punish university employees. There are times when a side may not like something about a university, K-12, or community college, be it a policy or something else. However, as far as people in the trenches doing the work, McClure thought that legislators recognize the hard work done. He did not see any potential for what Williams described.
McConkey noted the great tradition for support of higher education across administrations and editions of the state legislature. She said that there is always work to do to fine tune this understanding about the university as the crown jewel of the state. She observed that higher education feels increasingly political, and she certainly understood concerns there given current headlines. Still, overall support for higher education will exist broadly regardless of what happens in November.
Williams appreciated McClure’s and McConkey’s response. He said that the current situation feels more than politicized, rather it feels like a day-to-day matter, with university employees becoming a political football to be kicked whenever is convenient. McConkey heard this concern and felt its importance. She said that these jobs are so important. She said that Public Affairs continues to advocate broadly and remind legislators what the university means to their immediate family members. She said that this work can change and soften hard feelings among many. Still, she heard Williams’ concern.
The Chair noted a chat question from Elizabeth Dubose asking what would happen to the Center of Health Equity Research. McClure was not familiar with this situation and did not know of anything bound to occur with the Center but that it would continue its work. He offered to look into this question and get back to the Forum with more details.
Jay Eubank asked if there is a ballpark number in terms of state funding for UNC compared to 20 years ago. He perceived that while there may be general support for higher education, the amount of money invested in higher education has declined fairly dramatically over the past 15-20 years. McClure did not think that this was the case. He offered to provide the Forum the exact numbers. He thought it important to say that the State of North Carolina, compared to other states, invests heavily in higher education. This fact is one reason the UNC System has kept tuition increases flat over the past eight years. This stasis could not have occurred without strong state support. The State of North Carolina is the university’s largest contributor and has increased its funding, year over year, for the university, McClure recalled.
McConkey added that over $566 million of state funding came to UNC-Chapel Hill in the past year. She offered to provide the Forum a trend line over the past 10-15 years. McClure added that this line would show a steady increase in funding for the university.
The Chair thanked McClure (chris_mcclure@unc.edu) and McConkey (amy_mcconkey@unc.edu) for including their contact information in the chat for delegates’ reference. She offered the Forum’s help to the Public Affairs team, as a lot of work with the state legislature involves telling a story about the awesome work done by the university, with much of it done by staff employees. Should Public Affairs ever need to highlight staff employees and the amazing service that these people provide to the state, the Forum was happy to shine a light on this work. She asked McClure and McConkey to reach out to the Forum when needed. She was glad that the Forum could hear back from the Public Affairs team advocating for the university and its employees at the state level and was grateful for this work. Once again, she thanked McClure and McConkey for their remarks.
At this point, the Chair welcomed Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for Human Resources Linc Butler to present the Forum’s customary Human Resources update. Butler praised the expertise and work of the Operational Excellence and Public Affairs groups on behalf of UNC-Chapel Hill. He said that the legislative increase approved last year had been applied to employee paychecks in the last month in biweekly and monthly paychecks.
Concerning EHRA and EPS range projects in the UNC System Office, work continues with a focus on ensuring that whatever changes are made work for all UNC System campuses, from the largest to the smallest. He hoped to have more details to share soon, perhaps in October, regarding this new structure. Once this framework is in place, the university will begin the planning process for identifying when those future SHRA to EHRA conversion opportunities would occur for people interested in this changeover.
Butler noted Interim Chancellor Roberts’ remarks concerning DEI. He said that OHR is engaged with the Provost’s Office and working with impacted campus units to provide guidance there, noting that the university’s commitments in this area have not changed. Still, the university must be more thoughtful and strategic concerning how it redistributes this work and more deliberate in efforts for student support and faculty and staff development. Butler would have more to come in this area soon, as OHR continues to work with the Chancellor’s Office and the Office of the Provost on this question.
Looking ahead to the fall, Butler said that open enrollment for the State Health Plan would occur soon, with the usual flurry of reminders to come. Butler said that when open enrollment begins, OHR wants to ensure that employees are doing what they need to do concerning benefits. As Wernoski had mentioned earlier, the university has a really engaged design team looking at the faculty hiring process trying to identify possible resources, efficiencies, and ways to make this process easier to navigate. Butler was very excited about sharing the final recommendations once these are in place. He was pleased with the highly engaged group of people across campus working in this area.
In addition, Employee Appreciation Day will occur October 18th. Announcements on this subject will appear in the next WorkWell newsletter from Human Resources. Butler said that the Forum in particular has been amazing in volunteering for this day and helping to pull it off each year. He hoped to see tons of volunteers this year as well. The next Carolina Cares, Carolina Shares fundraising season will also begin October 1st.
Butler said that WorkWell will detail long-term renovations to the OHR website, with thoughtful and strategic changes to sections to make it more focused for faculty and staff to find things more easily. He said that the OHR website is one of the largest ones on campus, with a ton of information included. He thought that the OHR communications team has put together a great plan to evolve the structure of the website over the next 6-12 months to ease navigation and make other improvements.
Butler said that OHR has done an analysis of the impact of university bonus programs for employees. He said that anecdotally, the retention bonuses seem to have had more impact, with sign-on bonuses being helpful but not driving the kind of impact expected in areas like applicant pools. Butler said that OHR will take a deeper dive into these questions in the fall and will endeavor to produce a report after the first of the year regarding trends.
The Chair noted the upcoming open enrollment period with the conversion to Aetna happening as part of that process. She reiterated a request to potentially co-host a listening or information session with OHR and its Benefits team on this changeover. She said that people have asked many questions concerning this change in advance of open enrollment. She thought that this information session would be a worthwhile opportunity to share information and allay fears before the open enrollment process begins. She hoped that OHR would be open to having a joint community meeting on this topic in which employees are invited to attend and ask questions. Butler said that he would be happy to pursue this idea with Senior Director of Benefits Joe Williams. He asked that the Chair consult with him regarding possible dates.
Sarah Green asked about the conversions from EHRA to SHRA, reporting mixed reactions and some frustration and some confusion as to the reasons why the conversion is occurring in general and whether or not people can opt out. She asked if the university could host an information session that discusses the ins and outs of the conversion and the agency that employees still retain in this matter.
Butler said that when these changes began, they were done by functional groups many years ago, starting with I.T. positions. OHR conducted information sessions then in advance of the election period for these groups. The current process is much larger, of course, as it impacts not just one occupational group, but many. Butler said that the initial plan had been to do those information sessions again in advance of any election period scheduled. If Green or the Forum feels that these information sessions are needed sooner, Butler offered to discuss what these might look like and how they might fit into the overall plan. Again, Butler said, the university does not have opt-in sessions scheduled because a lot of that is dependent on the EHRA and EPS salary structure rollout.
Butler reiterated that these conversions are elective, meaning that employees holding SHRA positions that are wage-hour exempt would receive an elective opportunity. These employees will not be compelled or forced into a conversion from SHRA to EHRA. Instead, these employees will decide whether to convert to EHRA or remain SHRA employees.
That said, any vacant positions that come open that are wage-hour exempt are now automatically converted over to EHRA status and are posted as such. Butler said that OHR officials can discuss this issue in information sessions, pending a discussion with the Forum Chair as to the timing of these sessions.
Green asked if the information sessions held or to come will feature language interpreters for those who need this information but are not English first-language speaker. Butler said that populations that work with campus units in this situation are typically in the Facilities area. He said that the university has a variety of dialects and must ensure that these items are translated or feature translator sessions. He said that Green’s question demands additional thought, as this is an area of sensitivity.
Chrissie Greenberg said that during one of the recent conversion rounds, there were four positions of the same position type, with two that were open and unfilled and two that were filled. She said that the department converted the first two open positions and was waiting for more information concerning the final two positions. She asked if conversion would occur with the filled positions so that everyone is the same designation doing the same job.
Butler said that Greenberg was describing the conversion period mentioned earlier. He said that OHR would schedule opt-in opportunities that will come with information sessions, so that anyone in a filled position that is eligible for a conversion from SHRA to EHRA will have the opportunity to make this choice. These employees may choose to remain SHRA, which is fine, Butler said.
That being the case, as vacant positions automatically convert to EHRA, there are emerging shops in which positions working side-by-side doing the same job, with some still holding SHRA status but others that were vacant, converted and recruited for EHRA status. He said that this situation is a challenging one, but the switchover is an elective process. Butler said that the university does not want anyone to feel compelled to choose or to convert to EHRA status. Instead, the university has chosen to give individual employees agency and allow them to make that choice for themselves.
The Chair thanked Butler for his remarks and welcomed Senior Work/Life Director Jessica Pyjas to present wellness updates. Pyjas wished all well and noted the general promotion of “no-meeting days” in fall in line with the scheduled “wellbeing days” for students. These are Tuesday, September 3rd (after Labor Day) and Monday, September 23rd. She said that OHR strongly encourages that these days be no-meeting days in order to allow employees a more peaceful workday. She said that employees are free to use vacation or personal observance leave for this purpose as well.
Pyjas recalled that survey respondents either wanted a free day or a chance to engage in wellness activities on no meeting days. She said that on September 3rd at 10 a.m., OHR will conduct a session on Supporting Employees’ Well-Being that is open to employees and managers. Alternatively, OHR will hold a session on Breathing Techniques to Relieve Stress and Improve Health at noon on September 3rd. These will be featured in the WorkWell newsletters as well as the Total Well-Being on-demand library that contains webinars and resources across a variety of topics.
Pyjas reminded listeners that UNC-Chapel Hill employees can also use their EAP resources to browse their online library and to get connected with certified counselors to discuss issues of relevance. She reviewed the August calendar for Wellness Wednesdays, which are typically held at noon. She also noted the programs featured on the Work/Life tab on the OHR website and noted the new Employee Nutrition program which would debut August 19th and will feature on-site clinical visits from LifeStyle Medical Centers workers at the School of Government. Pyjas said that nutrition consultations are covered 100% by the State Health Plan. Employees can meet with consultants at the school, which will have free parking for the event. The event will move to other schools and divisions throughout the fall. Units interested in scheduling a visit should ensure that six employees are dedicated to participating in the program there.
Pyjas noted that the “Eat Smart, Move More, Weigh Less” program offers a Prevent Diabetes program, which has been offered essentially free to people with a diagnosis of prediabetes or a high risk of diabetes. Pyjas said that the free portion of this program will sunset in September.
Moving to childcare issues, Pyjas said that the Helping Heels registration for childcare provision will be open until August 11th. The Helping Heels list is a collection of students and employees who want to assist UNC affiliates with childcare, pet care and senior care. This list will be updated for the fall later this month.
The University Childcare Center will open for enrolling children in the fall, with openings for children from 3.5 to 5 years old for the kindergarten preparatory program. This center is the closest that the university has to on-site childcare and is exclusive to university and UNC Health employee families.
August is National Make-A-Will month. Pyjas said that wills make everything easier for one’s family when one passes away. Participants in UNC System life insurance have access to free online resources that pull up legal documents walking the employee through steps necessary to create a will. The university also offers through its Perks Connect discount program a discounted Legal Shield monthly membership, which includes will preparation. One can also work directly with an attorney to get a will set up and finalized.In addition, the State Employees’ Credit Union has an estate planning program offered at a discount on typical rates. Fees are for individuals as well as married couples.
TIAA will come to the Administrative Office Building (AOB) in the fall on a monthly basis to meet with people the second Tuesday of each month.
Back-to-School discounts are now offered to employees through Working Advantage. OHR has also partnered with college preparatory programs for children in high school. Additionally, employees can obtain a 20% discount on Spot pet insurance.
The Chair read a chat question asking if a website is available to obtain this discount information, on the OHR website or elsewhere. Pyjas directed listeners to the Work/Life and Wellness tab, which features a “Discounts and Perks” section that provides general pages to larger discount programs. UNC-exclusive programs are on a different page of the website.
Sarah Green thanked Pyjas for her presentation. She asked the reasoning behind so many weight loss programs being offered. Is it due to state trends, medical data, or employee requests? As a new employee, she said that these programs feel like a lot. Pyjas said that these programs are based on available resources, namely a state benefit providing nutrition services at 100% which her department sought to make easier to obtain by bringing clinicians to campus.
Regarding the “Eat Smart” and diabetes programs, Pyjas said that these have been in existence for well over ten years. She was not certain as to the reason behind their initiation, but she noted that historically weight management has been an important issue for state employees.
Green asked if there were any consideration for people with eating disorders for whom seeing these weight-loss programs advertised constantly is triggering. She asked if there is an opt-out part of the newsletter whereby an employee could obtain everything but the weight loss programs. Pyjas said that this option does not exist. She said that the only weight loss program in the current newsletter will be the new nutrition program, which is a lifestyle medical program including nutrition visits. The new “Eat Smart, Move More” program is for preventing diabetes, namely Type 2 diabetes in which weight plays a factor. Pyjas said that there is no way to select which articles will appear in the WorkWell newsletter or to opt out of particular articles.
The Chair noted a chat comment regarding well-being and no-meeting days. She said that no-meeting days have sometimes been well communicated but other times have not been so widely known. The commentor said that the OHR team does disseminate the program idea to leadership, but it can vary widely whether the idea as advocated gets out to boots on the ground employees. The Chair recalled that the policy will go out as an all-campus email from OHR leadership. She advised delegates to share this idea with their constituents to make sure that it reaches as many employees as possible, as the policy does not get to every employee depending on their supervisor.
A delegate mentioned that students may have wellness days, but clinics remain open there. They then asked how the wellness days will affect residents and staff employees who work in the clinic area. Rebecca Howell said that the committee work in this area was completed recently, with additional communication to come at some point. The subject of employees working in patient-facing clinics who do not have well-being days was brought up as a big concern in those discussions. Howell said that the committee suggested that managers, supervisors, and leaders in this area find ways to incorporate well-being options for their staff employees. She said that supervisors might need the flexibility to identify another well-being day or find other ways to support staff, be it through a group lunch or some other team-building activity. Much depends on the individual unit.
Jessica Pyjas added that one part of this confusion is that the well-being day remains a workday for staff employees. She reiterated that students and employees work on different calendars. A no-meeting day for staff depends on one’s position and what role one serves at the university. The important thing is to ensure that employees feel appreciated on that day. She said that the spring wellbeing days may change, as OHR has not received updates on future decisions.
The Chair said that she appreciates no-meeting days, as she can get more done and also work on her personal well-being on these days. She said that it is an individual employee’s preference regarding how they spend and prioritize their well-being days. The no-meeting concept is to allow employees the time to prioritize their well-being but does not mean that employees will not be working. The day is meant to allow concentration on well-being matters. She urged delegates to get word out about the day to encourage supervisors to support the communication from OHR leadership providing this allowance.
David Bragg noted that the dietician visit that Pyjas mentioned treats more than weight loss matters. Low-sodium diets, cancer-specific calorie dense diets, organ transplants, and athletic-specific diets are among the potential areas advised by nutritionists. Pyjas said that the WorkWell newsletter does not mention weight loss at all, but rather refers to an “employee nutrition counseling program.” She said that for some employees that could mean weight loss but for others that could mean diabetes nutrition to avoid a negative outcome.
Elizabeth Dubose said that working with diabetic eye patients there is a lot of emphasis on nutrition and sedentary natures of people’s lives. She echoed that there is never anything wrong with thinking about inclusionary language.
Sarah Green asked the hours for childcare offered by the University Childcare Center, asking particularly if hours cover those needed for early first-shift employees. Jessica Pyjas said that she did not have these at hand but would supply them to the Forum shortly after the meeting.
The Chair moved to the consent agenda, noting that this part of the agenda covers approval of the minutes and committee reports. She said that this month, she would ask that committee chairs report on the work of their groups. She asked for a motion to approve the consent agenda. James Stamey made this motion, seconded by Charlissa Rice. There was no discussion, and the consent agenda was approved by acclamation. She thanked all for reviewing the minutes from the June meeting.
The Chair asked delegates to respond to the recent Qualtrics survey with their committee of choice for the year. Keith Hines noted that all delegates are expected to serve actively on at least one Forum committee a year. He said that the Forum would conduct an audit of committee service to determine participation of delegates, in order to avoid the past situation in which delegates have foregone this service. He said that potentially, delegates who do not fulfill this obligation would be asked to roll off the Forum. The Chair said that this requirement is not meant to be punitive but rather responsive to the many employees who ran in the recent elections but were not elected to delegate positions.
Tiffany Carver asked that Forum delegates include their full name on their Zoom handles to be identified in the attendance roster.
Shane Brogan said that the Communications and Public Relations committee would meet on August 19 at 3:30 p.m. The committee will typically meet the third Monday of each month. He invited delegates to attend. The Chair noted that the committee will probably begin discussions of the scavenger hunt to take place on October 18th with the Employee Appreciation Day festivities. Natiaya Neal said that the Book Club will attempt to hold one in-person meeting a semester. The Book Club will meet in September to discuss “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow.”
Ally Wardell said that the Community Service committee has no immediate updates. The group hopes to meet in mid-August. Theresa Silsby said that the committee hopes to do a Habitat for Humanity build in the fall with the cooler weather.
Renata Buchanan said that the Carolina Blood Drive will hold its winter drive December 11th and its summer drive April 30th. The committee’s first meeting of the academic year will be August 13th at 11 a.m. The group will host a table at the Employee Appreciation Day to sign people up for appointments. Arlene Medder said that the Carolina Community Garden had volunteers out for every workday through the summer, getting a lot of work done.
The Chair said that Chair Emerita Shayna Hill will host a pool party for delegates the following day. Sarah Green said that the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee would meet the first Monday of each month. She said that committee members are working to assemble a list of hybrid-capable reservable classrooms on campus, providing contact information and hybrid capabilities. She asked delegates to share information about their areas via this form: https://forms.office.com/r/ac0MNL3tbm. The Chair thanked Green and the committee for doing this work.
- E. Alexander said that the Leadership, Education, and Career Development committee had unfortunately experienced delays in processing the Carolina Family Scholarship and Professional Development Grant applications. She hoped that these would be completed and applicants notified soon. The Chair noted that the committee was forced to modify its approach to address rule changes related to processing the grants. She thanked all for their work on these applications.
Sharron Bouquin said that the Personnel Issues committee would hopefully meet in August. The committee has received a lot of feedback to be added to discussions. She thanked Sarah Green for sharing with the group details about obtaining a free bus pass. https://apps.fo.unc.edu/move/cap-registration/
Keith Hines said that the Membership and Engagement committee will soon distribute a Qualtrics survey offering delegates free tickets to the UNC football game versus Charlotte on September 7th. He hoped that delegates would sign up for this opportunity and recognition. The Chair said that delegates who would be out of town will still be able to sign up for tickets for their families.
There was no update from the Recognition and Awards committee, nor from the Rules committee. Shayna Hill said that the UNC System Staff Assembly met at Western Carolina in July, with members hearing from President Peter Hans about DEI and other issues. She noted that DEI programs on some campuses have been eliminated, a development that she said is “disappointing.” Hill will speak directly to the Board of Governors next month in an address televised via WUNC. She offered to consider ideas for these remarks. She also said that the Chancellors’ Cup golf tournament will take place in September here in Chapel Hill and encouraged delegates to assist with this effort. Keith Hines mentioned that Staff Assembly officer elections will take place in October.
During the Staff Assembly meeting at WCU, Rebecca Howell shared her difficulties regarding access to gender-affirming care for adults, with very poor communication from the state regarding whether or not this coverage is available. She said that this coverage is available, at least until the subject reaches the Supreme Court. She said that information on this coverage has been buried and described with what she found inappropriate language. She has asked that the coverage be clarified and language improved but had not heard back yet.
Keith Hines noted that the Chancellor will hold a reception prior to the golf tournament in September. He characterized the dress code for the event and the tournament as business casual.
The Chair asked for university committee updates. James Stamey said that the Buildings and Grounds committee had discussed the Pit Stormwater Improvement project, as drainage in this area is so bad that it could cause problems for other buildings surrounding the Pit. He noted the range of feedback on this plan which has become larger than expected. He anticipated future developments would occur in September.
The Chair noted that the Staff Advisory Committee to the Chancellor meetings (STACC) would not occur until September.
Arlene Medder said that employees could have almost anything imaginable printed at the Print Shop: business cards, brochures, pictures, or larger items. Pricing is competitive with FedEx or other businesses. https://printshop.unc.edu
The Chair said that Thursday, September 12th the Forum will host a Vice Chancellors’ representatives’ meeting from 2-3 p.m. Delegates will receive a Qualtrics invitation in August.
The Chair invited delegates to shout out fellow employees in the agenda’s “It Takes a Village” section. David Bragg praised his former boss, Theresa Silsby, for her regularly checking on him to ensure that he is doing OK. The Chair praised Keith Hines and Tiffany Carver for their work keeping her sane and afloat. She also praised Rebecca Howell for her upcoming work as future Forum Chair. Shayna Hill praised her staff at Exercise and Sport Science. The Chair also thanked everyone who joined the Forum at its July retreat activities. Arlene Medder cited Transportation and Parking employees who are going through the rigors of the semester’s beginning and the rollout of permits for the new academic year.
The Chair noted the range of feedback regarding the recent five-year plan for Transportation and Parking. She was proud of the work done but granted that not everyone is thrilled with the outcome. She said that delegates obtained the best possible reality for as many employees as possible. She added that she was not satisfied with communication from Transportation and Parking regarding the five-year plan thus far. She said that the Forum will provide the department with this feedback.
Keith Hines said that employees earning less than $70,000/year and working three or more days per week should purchase the full permit as the best value. The Chair added that people were reportedly abusing the flex permit option by paying for a flex permit (three or less days on campus per week) but were parking five days a week. Hines added that payments end up higher when people steal or cheat the system. He agreed that the committee had obtained the best possible outcome for the most people in negotiations.
Susse Toro praised Shayna Hill for hosting the pool party and she hoped that the weather would hold out. The Chair recognized Tyrone Williams, who was on-line from the site of a landscaping job. Williams said that the temperature where he was reached 100 degrees. The Chair wished Williams a cool and healthy day.
Arlene Medder moved that the meeting adjourn, seconded by Rebecca Howell. The meeting adjourned by acclamation at 11:21 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Matt Banks, Recording Secretary