August 2, 2023 Employee Forum minutes
Attending: L.E. Alexander, David Barnette, Randall Borror, Sharron Bouquin, David Bragg, Shane Brogan, Renata Buchanan, Denise Carter, Tiffany Carver, Matthew Chamberlin, Elizabeth Dubose, Shayla Evans-Hollingsworth, Adrianne Gibilisco, Leah Hefner, Leslie Heal Ray, Shayna Hill, Keith Hines, Jonah Hodge, James Holman, Linda Holst, Rebecca Howell, Brigitte Ironside, Stacy Keast, Sara Kelley, Haydee Marchese, Amber Meads, Arlene Medder, Mandy Melton, Stephanie Morales, Katie Musgrove, Natiaya Neal, Katherine Neer, Joseph Ormond, Lisa Petersen, Sara Pettaway, Laura Pratt, Charlissa Rice, Jacqueline Schwamberger, Kelly Scurlock-Cross, Audrey Shore, Theresa Silsby, Heather Skinner, Jake Stallard, James Stamey, Mathew Steadman, Annetta Streater, Charles Streeter, Jonathan Stroud, Matthew Teal, Julie Theriault, Ally Wardell, June Weston, Michael Williams, Jacob Womack
Excused: Vanessa Blake
Chair Katie Musgrove called the meeting to order at 9:15 a.m. She welcomed Chief of Staff Christi Hurt to speak on behalf of Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz in the Forum’s monthly roundtable. Hurt thanked all who worked so hard to keep UNC running through the summer. She shared that for twenty-two consecutive years, “U.S. News and World Report” ranked UNC-Chapel Hill as a top-five public university, and for eighteen consecutive years, the university has been rated the top best value institution.
Hurt attributed some of this recognition to the work that staff employees are doing to keep the university affordable and accessible to students. She said that “U.S. News” has ranked twenty-one graduate programs in the top ten nationally, with the School of Pharmacy ranked number one, the School of Law up to number twenty-two, and the School of Medicine number seven for primary care.
Hurt said that UNC-Chapel Hill researchers are driving innovation and impact in areas ranging from gene therapy to drug development, to traumatic injury. The university had over $1.2 billion in sponsored research, ranking UNC-Chapel Hill the 13th largest research university in the nation. The university also ranks as the tenth ranked university in the United States for federal research, totaling $706 million annually. In addition, the Gillings School of Global Public Health was ranked number one in the nation.
The university recently completed its second all-funds budget project with an over $4 billion budget, led by our great friends at Finance & Operations, Hurt said. She emphasized the importance of these budgets in keeping the university running well. She recalled that university previously dealt with many budgets coming from different units. Hurt said that Moody’s ranking of the university called out its centralized budget process as proof of its strong financial position.
The university remains among a select group of universities with a AAA bond rating from three different agencies, the only UNC System campus with this distinction. She was grateful for the work of staff who keep the campus on a strong financial footing and help the university invest in its students, faculty, and programming.
Hurt said that the university recently launched its new general education curriculum, “Ideas in Action”. This curriculum will provide a broad understanding of arts and humanities to better prepare students for a global economy. The curriculum will also feature experiential learning, internships, and study abroad, with the aim of infusing applied skills into student thinking. Hurt was excited about the second year of this work.
Hurt added her excitement about the upcoming School of Data Science and Society, following the Board of Governors’ approval of the Master of Applied Data Sciences degree. The first cohort of students in this area will begin in January 2024. This effort will drive the economy of the state and meet the need for more people with these skills going into jobs, Hurt said.
In addition, the university leadership team is currently designing a curriculum for the B.A. and B.S. in Data Science, with more to come in associated areas such as ethics and communication. The campus is recruiting new faculty for this school, with fifteen faculty already hired, some with joint appointments with other departments.
Hurt noted the progress of the School of Civic Life and Leadership under Dean Jim White’s leadership. She said that the first seven tenure-track will be hired soon, with more news coming on faculty soon. The faculty will also recommend an interim director and a longer-term hiring plan for a permanent director as well as other additional faculty.
The university works to prepare the next generation of leaders to serve North Carolina, through providing healthcare in rural parts of the state to starting companies with North Carolina workers to help governments address the opioid crisis. Hurt said that the university’s “Carolina Across 100” program works to address the mental health crisis in our state. Additionally, the Tar Heel Bus Tour will take place again as faculty and staff go back on the road to check out wonderful locations and university partnerships across the state. She was excited to see who would be on the tour and what the stops would be, both of which would be revealed in the next few weeks.
Hurt has also been personally involved in moving forward with the university’s commitment to addressing physical accessibility. She noted progress on the construction of the Old Well access ramp, one of many accessibility projects across campus. She said that the Old Well should be refurbished in time to provide sips to students on the first day of classes.
The other piece of this effort is the advocacy of students in this area. Hurt said that the Chancellor was able to secure private funding to refurbish the Old Well. She was proud of the students who stepped up to point out places where the campus needs to be improved. The university has identified more projects, such as Caldwell Hall accessibility needs, for support. The university is working on elevator modernizations across campus and a host of other issues from building changes to ordering desks that raise and lower for student use in the classroom.
Hurt said that these were some of the items that the Chancellor’s Office has been working on. She noted the Supreme Court decision in the Students for Fair Admission case. The university will rely on an illustrious group of people to help its deans heading into admissions season to determine what will be done under this new law. Hurt said that the university will be hiding the check box on the application identifying race and will work on modifying its essay prompts. The university will continue to provide ongoing guidance regarding how schools can continue to secure the best candidates available for admission, without using race as one of the determinants of admission, as required under the recent decision.
Hurt noted Chancellor Guskiewicz’ announcement made about aid to North Carolina student families who make less than $80,000. This aid will be covered through philanthropy resources and will provide clarity around family expectations when they apply to Carolina. Hurt said that the current college decision process separates admission from financial aid, leading to confusion about whether a student can actually afford to attend a particular institution. This dollar figure gives families a clue as to what to expect and receive once their student is enrolled at UNC-Chapel Hill. Hurt said that this clarity is important for families and that the university is proud to provide it.
Hurt also noted that Carolina has redoubled its efforts to remain accessible and affordable in accordance with the Constitution of the State of North Carolina. The creation of a threshold of $80,000 under which a family will not pay tuition helps close the gap for these families. Hurt was very proud of this commitment. She again thanked employees for all of their work on this and other campus efforts. She once again relayed the greetings of the Chancellor as the campus enters its fall semester.
The Chair asked a question about legacy admissions and some colleges ending early admissions processes. She asked Hurt if there are plans to handle early decisions and legacy admissions. Hurt said that UNC-Chapel Hill has early action, which is different than early decision in which uncertainty can lead to confusion about the financial aid piece of the puzzle. She said that legacy processes are to be determined, as the university does not accept many legacy admissions. She said that there are no legacy admissions for in-state students, a majority of the population, and only a “second look” over out-of-state legacy applicants, but legacies are not a high impact on our admissions decisions. Hurt said that reforming these processes would occur only after the modifications deemed necessary by the Supreme Court decision.
Arlene Medder asked if photos of the new ramp at the Old Well will be available soon. Hurt replied that these would be available soon. She said that folks are working day and night to complete work before the first day of classes. She anticipated a ribbon cutting at some point with a reception to thank the construction team that worked through the summer heat on the project.
The Chair recalled that the Forum had recently approved a resolution about campus accessibility, and so she was particularly pleased to hear of progress in this area. She recalled discussions about accessibility indicating the need for some sort of central portal or way for people around campus to submit items of concern in this area. She asked if the university could look into implementing this idea at some point. Hurt said that the university is about to launch a portal through which an employee can report a problem. Vice Chancellor for Human Resources, Equal Opportunity, and Compliance Becci Menghini said that there has been a team effort to create this portal and to ensure that those on the receiving end are able to do something about the requests.
Interim Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities and Operations Carly Perin said that her staff have rolled out a web form to receive these requests and triage them. Afterwards, a team of Facilities officials reviewing overall facility needs will send someone out to fix the request or put it in the queue if it constitutes a bigger project. This project began perhaps six weeks ago.
The Chair asked if the system could be used for broader safety concerns beyond accessibility issues, recalling a safety issue related to crosswalk needs nearby the Law School. She said that often an employee will need to find a way to alert decision makers about safety concerns on campus about issues that do not fall within the purview of their departmental duties. Hurt said that this request is a larger capital request, that might require further discussions to implement. She said that employees could always submit work orders for these needs but assigning funding would remain a challenge.
Hurt cautioned that using the existing web form for these broader requests would create more work than necessary unless the issue involves an accessibility need. The Chair responded that the crosswalk concern does affect accessibility because of the lack of sidewalks there. However, these situations raise questions of classification about whether a concern is a simple accessibility question or a broader issue of general safety. She said that an ability to flag these latter types of issues would be helpful.
Perin said that this latter type of submission would require more planning to address from the facilities perspective. She said that her office would work on this question. Senior Vice Provost for Business Operations and Operational Excellence Rick Wernoski added that the University is working with ITS to develop an application depicting accessibility movement around campus that would alert users to some of these issues, redirecting people away from areas with accessibility concerns due to construction. Wernoski said that Operational Excellence is working with Accessibility, ITS, Facilities and other organizations to find different ways to address this need.
Arlene Medder recalled that a curb cut had become flooded when silt gathered to the point where it did not function anymore as a curb cut. She asked if this issue would be directed to the Town of Chapel Hill or to the UNC campus, and if the portal would be able to forward these delegation questions. Perin said that the web forum would be a good place to make this report. She said that the portal would not use “it’s not our problem” as an excuse for inaction. Instead, the people reviewing these concerns—Campus Planning, Architects, Building Services, Operations, then her own office—would ensure that they are routed appropriately.
Perin recalled the case of an external consultant called upon to do a full plant review of accessibility for the entire campus to set priorities. A group of officials will work in this space to identify needs and move forward through a bird’s eye view to figure out where to apply resources.
Matthew Teal asked about commissioning an article in The Well, the university newsletter, on this web form to report accessibility issues. Hurt said that she would pass this idea on to Communications.
As there were no further questions, the Chair thanked Hurt for these updates as the campus gears up for the start of the academic year. She then welcomed Becci Menghini and the Human Resources team to present the Forum’s traditional Human Resources update. Menghini noted that the state legislature has yet to approve a budget, but it does look as if the approval process is moving closer and closer to completion. There are estimates that the budget might see final approval by the end of next week or early the following week. Following legislative approval, the budget would then go to the Governor’s desk.
If for some reason the legislature cannot complete this process, there is a possibility of mini-bills for state employees to grant annual increases outside the full budget process. However, Menghini was pleased that the budget was indeed moving forward, and that there has been long-time agreement on both sides regarding state employee increases. She said that the reason for the current delay appears to be disagreements on taxes and Medicaid expansion, not salary increases. She also reported that there had been good headway made on the tax issue as well. With any luck, she said, the budget will be approved soon, with guidance on statutory language to come out soon afterward. Upon receiving this guidance, the university will roll out salary increases as quickly as possible.
Regarding other legislative news, Menghini said that the legislature had approved the bill allowing for the optional transition of SHRA exempt employees to EHRA. If people choose to make this move, the university would act based on legislative guidance to provide them this option. These positions would transition once vacated, in a process similar to that done for the information technology and business and finance areas. Still, the university must obtain official guidance to act on this matter from the UNC System Office, which is expected shortly.
Another bill to become law provides specific guidance about training, largely regarding diversity and civility in the workplace. The university awaits guidance from the UNC System Office on specific implementation of this bill. Menghini thought that the bill does not prohibit the campus from doing anything that it currently does, but rather provides guardrails around certain issues in trainings.
Menghini reported that there had been good progress made on SHRA salary ranges, with the expectation of more feedback from the UNC System Office regarding this work. The UNC System Office hopes to wrap up the internal process by early September for consideration by the Office of State Human Resources (OSHR) to allow roll-out by the end of the calendar year. Menghini was pleased with the progress that the UNC System Office has made. She added that the university has shared continued concern about a handful of ranges in research areas, housekeeping, grounds, dental assistants, hygiene, and other areas with added challenges. The UNC System Office is working on these questions as well as ranges in general. Now, it looks as if the UNC System will move largely to regional ranges as opposed to North Carolina only. The guidance has been that any range that the university wishes to consider could be the most favorable one for each position.
Again, Menghini praised the work of the UNC System Office in implementing these changes. She said that the ranges will not move an inordinate amount, but rather they are doing a great job in getting the most supportive market data to be more competitive. Once the work of the SHRA data is complete, the UNC System Office will move onto to EHRA data, with updates hopefully to come on those ranges soon.
Menghini clarified that her remarks about the broadest ranges possible would be those that allow the university to keep most close to market rates outside the campus, the largest figure available to the employee and for the university. She emphasized that the university and the employee are all on the same team, to see employees compensated fairly and equitably.
Finally, Menghini referred to a memo from the Office of State Budget Management sent out about the lack of a state budget. The university cannot carry out a number of Human Resources and Finance actions until the budget is passed. Menghini said that this is a standard procedure, which means that the university has a limited capacity to implement increases or budget payments not dated prior to June 30th. Requests will not be removed but requests dated after June 30th will require an approved budget. She said that this memo always represents a challenge, particularly at the beginning of the school year. She hoped that the state budget would be approved soon.
Shayna Hill asked if the freeze affects vacant positions if the reason for the change is to obtain a reclassification. Associate Vice Chancellor for Human Resources Linc Butler said that there must be an added statement from the department that the action taken on a reclassification or SHRA influenced position establishment must be based off the prior year’s budget and funding, not anticipating new funding from the new budget. Butler said that is a fine needle to thread. Yet, the UNC System Office has been clear about this requirement to rely on the existing budget from the past fiscal year for new position establishments. Reclassifications will undergo evaluation on a case-by-case study basis, with consultation between the university Office of Human Resources (OHR) and the UNC System Office.
Menghini recalled that the regional ranges studied are interestingly pretty much as competitive as the national ranges. National range movement requires a higher standard of evidence when working with OSHR to obtain final approval. Only some job categories can move through the national ranges. However, the regional ranges presented by Buck consultants generally were more closely aligned with national ranges or ahead of national and North Carolina ranges.
Shayna Hill and Keith Hines were asked to facilitate the meeting as the Chair needed to resolve technical issues. James Holman asked if financial actions such as retention bonuses and sign-on bonuses which have already been allotted for hirings already in process, would likely go through. Menghini said that if these actions have been allotted and dated prior to June 30th, that would be the case. If these actions are part of a posting or hiring after June 30th, the sign-on bonus would be delayed until after the university gains budget authority.
Arlene Medder asked if this change will impact temporary employees. Menghini thought that all expenditure types are affected, as until the state approves a new budget, new expenditures cannot be authorized.
Senior Work/Life Manager Jessica Pyjas then spoke on the university’s work/life updates. Pyjas said that Wellness Wednesday continues its schedule through the end of December and is listed on the work/life wellness calendar at hr.unc.edu/events. She noted that this page had undergone renovation this summer, with access to the calendar immediately available from the main Human Resources page. Pyjas listed upcoming sessions for August from the calendar.
Pyjas noted that WorkWell, the Human Resources newsletter, will share an article from the State Employees’ Credit Union helping employees minimize exposure to fraud and other scams. Webinars on this and other topics will be held via Zoom in August. An additional Tuesday session will address home purchase, estate planning, consumer ID theft, and paying for college. Pyjas reminded listeners that TIAA-CREF representatives will do campus consultations as well as virtual appointments on financial matters.
The Wellness Champions effort will soon kick off its fourth year. Signups will continue until August 11th by signing up at totalwell-being@unc.edu. Eat Smart, Move More, Weigh Less will start a new session as of September 5th. This program will be offered to state employees at no cost online. Similarly, the Helping Heels program will begin again soon. Employees interested in offering childcare, pet care, or senior care can sign up to do so via the Fall list which will be available from the end of August to December.
Tar Heel Bikes are back for employees, students, and visitors. This program is managed through the Spin application and offers daily and monthly use passes. Pyjas noted the discount tickets available to staff for the September 16th UNC football game versus the University of Minnesota. She reminded listeners of the computer loan program available to full-time permanent employees through Student Stores. Finally, Pyjas noted the opening of the University Childcare Center for fall enrollment, with immediate openings for children from 2 to 5 years old.
Arlene Medder raised a question about unsolicited emails regarding retirement planning. She did not recognize these addresses and wondered if these companies were University partners. Pyjas said that these emails are likely spam if they do not come from TIAA-CREF or Fidelity. Emails that look like phishing attempts should be reported. Pyjas would share updates on these events with the Chair for distribution via the Forum’s listservs. When asked about a particular discount, she reported that she did not think that the university offered Durham Museum discounts. Employees who find out about discounts offered to university staff should send Pyjas an email for further distribution.
The Chair was able to return to the meeting following technical issues. She welcomed Justin Miller from the Office of Emergency Management and Planning to make a special announcement. Miller shared information regarding the university’s emergency management procedures. He thanked the Forum for the opportunity to speak again. He reminded listeners of the emergency preparedness resources available on the Carolina Ready website which include preparedness guides, information about the safety application, a link to the university’s emergency action plan, online training, and more. Miller said that the beginning of every semester is a great time to review this information. He encouraged listeners to reach out to the Office of Emergency Management with any specific questions.
Last year, Campus Safety hosted the Zombie Preparedness Festival which unleashed 20 Hollywood-style zombies on campus to share emergency preparedness information. The event was a tremendous success thanks to many university and local partners. Campus Safety will conduct another such festival this year on Tuesday, September 19th from 11 – 2 p.m. in the Pit. University, local, state, and federal partners will staff tables in a community approach to this question. Some student groups will also participate to showcase their work towards safety.
The theme for the festival is yet to be announced. The festival will need actors to help build engagement at the event. Two types of actors will be needed this year: produced and self-produced. Self-produced actors will wear their own costumes. The same makeup artist will be on hand to transform the actors. The event will also need volunteers to help with event management. Miller will distribute an email announcing the event’s theme and providing signup links in the next week. Miller reported if bad weather occurs, the event will take place in the Union’s Great Hall.
The Chair called for a motion to approve the meeting’s consent agenda. She noted that minutes from June had been delayed. She asked committee chairs to provide updates on plans for the year. This motion was approved by acclamation.
Shane Brogan said that the Communications and Public Relations committee has recruited a few new people with experience in this area. The committee will meet the third Monday of each month. Brogan looked forward to organizing the Forum’s social media presence and developing a communication plan to use different social media platforms and other initiatives. Finally, the committee planned to restructure the podcast production process to record new episodes.
The Chair reminded delegates to contact committee chairs to sign up for committees if they have not yet done so. She recalled that the September Book Club announcement would come out soon. Natiaya Neal said that more updates will be added soon.
Ally Wardell and Theresa Silsby are the new chairs of the Community Service committee. Wardell invited delegates to sign up for her committee via an email. The group will meet monthly with plans to repeat service opportunities from last year, including the Carolina Cupboard food drive, family sponsorships through the Department of Social Services in Orange County, and possibly extending this effort to counties neighboring Orange County. Wardell said that the committee plans to repeat the March Kindness drive with a charity yet to be finalized.
The Carolina Blood Drive subcommittee will be co-chaired this year by Laura Pratt and Renata Buchanan. Pratt welcomed Buchanan to this effort. The committee will hold its first planning meeting August 14th at noon via Zoom. Thursday, December 7th is the date for the Holiday Blood Drive at Fetzer Gym.
Arlene Medder spoke on behalf of the Carolina Community Garden subcommittee. She encouraged listeners to respond to the garden survey soon as it is soon to close. The survey has seen a 10% response rate, which is very good for this type of survey. Once the surveys are completed, the garden will hold a drawing for a commemorative t-shirt. The Chair hoped that the Forum could get out to the garden for a day of work soon.
Rebecca Howell and Lori Shamblin are the new co-chairs of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee. Howell said that the committee will hold its first meeting next week and will have more information following that gathering.
L.E. Alexander and Shavon Corey-Hicks will co-chair the Education and Career Development committee. Alexander thanked Laura Pratt for her work heading up the committee for so many years. She said that the committee had finished work on the Carolina Family Scholarship. The Professional Development Grant program has notified all applicants of their status as well, receiving a record number of applications. The committee held its first meeting yesterday to discuss employee orientation and job specific training at the university. The committee will meet the first Tuesday of each month.
Secretary Tiffany Carver and Vice Chair Keith Hines will lead the Membership & Assignments committee this year. Carver welcomed new member Katherine Neer and invited others to contact her regarding membership. Committee chairs needing assistance with member participation can rely on Membership & Assignments, Carver said. The committee will also work on socials which will accompany the December and June Forum meetings. The committee will meet soon.
Leah Hefner will co-chair the Personnel Issues committee, with the other co-chair yet to be named. The committee is working on a resolution to make Juneteenth an official holiday for the university. She noted the recent grant of flexible leave to employees. The committee proposes to switch the Spring Holiday for Juneteenth, in a resolution likely to be ready for the September general Forum meeting. The Personnel Issues committee continues work on affordable housing, data privacy, compensation, recruitment, retention, and progress on the Women’s Center. Hefner encouraged delegates interested in these issues to contact her to sign up for the committee. Among other items, Hefner recalled a request to look into School of Medicine conversions, and how Equal Opportunity Commission investigations are conducted.
Charlissa Rice and Gabriella de la Cruz will co-chair the Recognition & Awards committee this year. The committee mainly works on the peer recognition event that occurs each spring. Rice said that the committee would hold its first meeting that afternoon to obtain an overview of committee responsibilities.
Parliamentarian Jacob Womack chairs the Forum’s Rules committee. That group will house the Forum’s Bylaws revision process. Womack said that the group has a working shared document on the Rules channel in Teams. Delegates are free to make revisions as they can. Generalized questions and suggestions about the Forum will be considered by the committee as time permits.
Shayna Hill, Keith Hines, James Holman, Lisa Pedersen, and the Chair are the university’s representatives to the UNC System Staff Assembly. Hines briefly discussed the previous meeting of the Assembly in Winston-Salem. He noted that the Assembly is undergoing Bylaws revisions. The Assembly also heard Human Resources updates from the UNC System Office. Hines said that Becci Menghini had previously briefed Forum delegates on items shared by System Office officials. Hines said that not all 17 System institutions receive briefings of Menghini’s quality from their Human Resources personnel. He thanked Menghini for keeping the Forum in the loop, be it good news or bad.
Hines also said that the Assembly will swear in a new chair, Forum ex-officio lifelong delegate Shayna Hill, at its October meeting. Hill spoke of her intention to present and provide substantive comments on issues important to staff. The Chair said that other executive positions on the Assembly are opening up this fall and encouraged delegates to pursue these opportunities if interested.
The Chair said that the Greensboro edition of the Chancellors’ Cup golf tournament will take place Tuesday, September 26th. She would ask for volunteers for this effort soon. Proceeds from this event go towards the Janet B. Royster professional development scholarships.
Lisa Pedersen added that the Janet B. Royster scholarship group has met twice recently and should provide an update soon. Applications for the scholarship will open in the next couple of weeks.
The Chair said that the Forum Executive committee will meet in August to finalize the annual report based on the July retreat discussion. She encouraged delegates to look over the document in progress on Teams. Another task begun in July was the Forum’s timeline revision project and getting that effort into shape. She thanked all who signed up for this project and looked forward to updates later that month.
The Chair reminded delegates that they must serve on one main Forum committee or university committee. James Stamey represents the Forum on the University Buildings and Grounds committee, which held email votes regarding two small signs abutting the Craig parking deck. The committee also considered QR codes placed on an art installation near Ackland art museum. There have been no in-person meetings this summer. The celebration for this installation will take place Wednesday, September 20th at 11 a.m. on the corner of Paul Hardin and Manning Drive near Craig Deck.
Matt Teal reported that the Policy Review committee had met in July, covering many different topics. One update was made to the university’s campus security camera policy, formerly the CCTV policy, governing where on campus cameras will be placed. This effort tries to balance privacy with the need for public safety.
Teal noted another effort on Encore, the university’s Clinical Research Administrative Data System. The committee worked with the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research on these changes. In addition, the NCAA’s policy on sexual violence requires written policy compliance, which has since been accomplished. The committee will meet again on August 17th.
The Chair said that the Advisory Committee for Transportation and Parking are scheduled to meet in August to continue work on the five-year plan. The committee hopes to present this updated plan to the Board of Trustees this spring. The Chair said that she and Keith Hines are advocating for lower parking costs for the lowest paid employees and for changes necessary to the university’s transportation and parking system.
Tiffany Carver did not have an update from the Parking Appeals committee. The committee hopes to find new student and faculty members for this group.
David Bragg and Stephanie Morales are the new liaisons to the Student Stores advisory committee. Bragg said the group had not yet met but would probably do so in mid- to late September.
The Chair pledged to make connections between volunteers and university committee leaders soon to facilitate participation. She had not yet had the opportunity to do so.
Matt Teal said that the Generative AI committee has selected its leadership and prepared a draft of guidelines governing best practices and recommendations. The committee will work on a finalized set of guidelines for distribution to campus perhaps in September. This effort will look at the implications and impact of ChatGPT on areas like HR, Finance, and IT. The committee hopes to establish some guardrails around this use without being overly prescriptive. The Chair added that the committee hopes to set up staff trainings around the use of generative AI, like those being done for faculty.
There was no old business on the agenda. Regarding new business, the Chair was proud to recognize the winners of the Carolina Family Scholarship who were named in the last couple of weeks. She read out the names from the list (https://employeeforum.unc.edu/awards/carolina-family-scholarship/). The Chair thanked L.E. Alexander, Laura Pratt, and the Education and Career Development committee for their work in publicizing and evaluating applications for this scholarship, among other items.
The Chair moved to planning for the Forum’s community meeting. She asked delegates which themes they would like to focus on, and potentially set a time and date and format for this endeavor. Arlene Medder suggested discussing changes to healthcare administration, with the shift of the State Health Plan administrator from Blue Cross/Blue Shield to Aetna in 2025. The Chair added that there are also concerns about fully funding the State Health Plan this year which were recently expressed by the State Treasurer. Elizabeth Dubose seconded this proposal as a way of becoming a productive conduit of information both ways.
The Chair recalled a previous community meeting on the Clear Pricing Project which was well-received. She noted the presence of SEANC representatives at the event. She listed other officials from the State Plan and the faculty who would be positive additions to a panel.
Annetta Streater suggested discussing changes in laws around affirmative action. She asked if the format of the meeting will allow questions from the audience. The Chair said that the meeting has been formatted in several different ways previously. The Chair liked this idea, perhaps to take place in early spring during the University’s admissions cycle, with staff given the ability to ask questions of University and System leaders.
The Chair called for a vote to determine the timing of the two proposals. Shayna Hill commented that the Supreme Court ruling, the compelled speech policy, and the request related to spending information for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts was enormous and concerning. She asked that the Forum hold a discussion on this topic sooner rather than later.
The Chair put together an electronic poll of the two choices, on which Forum delegates voted. Results narrowly showed a majority for affirmative action/compelled speech discussion in the fall of 2023, with the State Health Plan community meeting to occur in spring 2024. The Chair asked delegates interested in helping with the planning for these meetings to contact Keith Hines. The Chair suggested asking Ombuds Officer Dawn Osborne-Adams to help manage this conversation, in the hopes that it will lead to productive outcomes.
Tiffany Carver suggested holding hybrid meetings in cooperation with the School of Social Work, as was done previously. The Chair was open to a community meeting replacing one of the Forum’s monthly meetings or holding the meeting separate from those meetings. The Chair said that additional planning in this area will occur at upcoming Executive committee meetings.
The Chair noted that the next Vice Chancellor representatives’ meeting will occur on September 14th at 2 p.m. She asked delegates to respond to a Qualtrics survey requesting questions for the meeting.
Tiffany Carver asked those with partial names in the Zoom chat to contact her to confirm their name and attendance.
The Chair noted preliminary plans to recognize Forum delegates at the upcoming football game versus the University of Minnesota September 16th. This event provides free tickets and on-field recognition for delegates and the Forum’s work. Keith Hines briefed the Forum on the ticket distribution processes for the game.
Elizabeth Dubose said that the date of the football game is also the date of Rosh Hashanah. Hines thought that the university would not be able to change the date of the football game. Dubose asked about changing the recognition date, not the actual game date. Hines was uncertain whether the Forum could even move the date of recognition, given Athletics’ planning of events accompanying the games. He noted that Athletics has designated and set aside tickets for this particular game.
The Chair proposed emailing Athletics in hopes of mitigating this conflict in future years. She said that the Forum could advocate for future events to not take place during religious holidays.
The Chair announced a new portion of the agenda, “Highlights & Kudos”, in which delegates can take time to recognize colleagues. She thanked Jonah Hodge and Denise Carter who came to the Forum Office in July to work with Matt Banks to clean out the Forum Office. Stephanie Morales thanked David Bragg for his counsel upon her volunteering for a university committee. Keith Hines recognized Shayna Hill for graciously opening her home and pool for a Forum summer social event each year.
Elizabeth Dubose thanked her fellow delegates who have shared their experiences about their challenging work on the UNC System Staff Assembly. Tiffany Carver seconded Dubose’s praise for the university’s delegates to the Assembly. The Chair thanked Matt Banks for all of his hard work to prepare for the Forum retreat and to tie up loose ends afterward. Arlene Medder thanked Parking officials for maintaining their calm during difficult times associated with beginning the academic year.
The Chair asked Banks to post photographs taken at the Forum Retreat, particularly of delegates on the zip line. David Bragg said that he greatly enjoyed the retreat this year. The Chair screen-shared photographs from the recent Winston-Salem Staff Assembly meeting.
The Chair called for a motion to adjourn. Tiffany Carver made this motion, seconded by Linda Holst. The meeting adjourned by acclamation at 11:30 a.m.
Respectfully submitted, Matt Banks, Recording Secretary