December 12, 2024 Executive Committee Minutes
Attending: L. E. Alexander, David Bragg, Shane Brogan, Shavon Carey-Hicks, Leslie Heal, Leah Hefner, Jonah Hodge, James Holman, Rebecca Howell, Brigitte Ironside, Haydée Marchese, Arlene Medder, Katie Musgrove, Natiaya Neal, Lori Shamblin, Theresa Silsby, James Stamey, Matthew Teal, Julie Theriault, Ally Wardell, Jacob Womack
Excused Absences: Joe Ormond, Laura Pratt, Tracy Wetherby Williams
Chair Katie Musgrove called the meeting to order at 11:33 a.m. She called for a motion to approve the November minutes of the committee. Arlene Medder made this motion, seconded by James Stamey. The motion was approved by acclamation.
The Chair gave a quick thank you to the Membership & Assignments committee for their work organizing the December social earlier that month. She hoped to find a different location for the next meeting because of the audio and technical issues with the Wilson Library space. However, she noted difficulties with getting prime meeting rooms during Wednesday mornings on campus during the academic year. Nonetheless, she was pleased to be able to meet in person with other delegates and dignitaries. She also noted that Matt Banks would distribute the door prizes for the meeting to in-person and on-line winners.
The Chair presented the monthly budget update after updating the initial number for the December social meeting. She also noted that the Forum had spent above its budget for the winter blood drive, leaving only around $1700 for the summer drive. She asked Theresa Silsby and Ally Wardell whether the Community Service committee would be willing to reallocate its $500 for winter and spring events to the drive. Wardell said that the committee could discuss this possibility at its next meeting.
The Chair noted also that the Forum had spent a bit more than expected for the December social, and so had reallocated some of the community meeting allocation to this event. She said that the Forum would likely hold any future community meeting via Zoom, removing the need for these costs.
The Chair asked committee members to think about the budget as the Forum and its committees spend down budgets through the spring. She then moved to the next item on the agenda, the Forum’s Bylaws revisions. She asked that the committee defer this discussion to the very end of the meeting.
The Chair asked delegates’ opinion on a response to Chancellor Guskiewicz’ announced departure from the university in January. She said that the Executive Committee could respond either immediately by a letter released to the press, or the full body could respond in January via an honorary resolution for Guskiewicz. The committee discussed these two options then voted via Zoom poll in favor of the second option, by a vote of 16 to 3. The Chair hoped to have Chancellor Guskiewicz attend the Forum’s January 10th general meeting before his announced departure January 12th.
James Stamey and other delegates were strongly in favor of naming Chancellor Guskiewicz a lifetime honorary delegate. The Chair shared a prospective draft of this resolution. Delegates discussed prospects for the interim chancellor position following Guskiewicz’ departure. The Chair noted that she had been invited to serve on the search for Guskiewicz’ permanent replacement, and she asked the committee’s help given this new commitment.
The Chair welcomed Natiaya Neal to speak on the proposed in-person book club event in the spring. She said that while the Forum did not budget for this event, she thought that the Forum could find money to support purchased meals for this event. Neal said that she and Vanessa Blake had selected Here in the Dark by Megan Lucas for the March edition of the book club. Lucas is an adjunct faculty member at UNC-Asheville. Lucas was pleased to accept an invitation to attend the March book club event and to accept an honorarium from the Forum. Neal noted that Lucas’ book is about North Carolina and contains action and drama.
Accordingly, Neal asked the committee to fund this honorarium as well as lunches for attendees that afternoon. The Chair asked Lori Shamblin and Rebecca Howell of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee if that group has plans to use its programming budget for this spring. Otherwise, she suggested that the book club could use these funds. She asked that the DEI committee discuss this option and report back to the Executive Committee in January. The Chair encouraged the DEI committee to use these funds for its own programming needs if they saw fit. In any case, she asked the DEI committee chairs to be ready to discuss this option in January. The Forum would find a way to support the book club’s effort in one way or another, she said.
The Chair noted arrangements that the Forum would need to undergo to prepare for consideration of the honorary resolution before the group in January. In particular, the Forum would need to enter closed session to consider this resolution, an unprecedented situation in this new era of Zoom virtual meetings. The Chair asked committee members their opinion on special presentations for the January meeting. David Bragg said that he would be fine with not having speakers this month given the planned closed session.
The Chair hopes in February to feature Provost Clemens in the Forum’s monthly roundtable, with potentially a Board of Trustees representative to also speak that morning. She then called for committee updates. Arlene Medder reported that the Carolina Community Garden had a record number of volunteers and service hours this year, with five hundred more service hours than the previous year. The Garden also hosted a record number of staff teams coming to do work on at least 12 different occasions. The Garden is averaging 17-18 housekeepers to the weekly distributions as well. Medder noted the accessibility improvements still to come in the Garden.
Ally Wardell said that the Community Service committee had experienced success in obtaining donations for its family sponsorship program. The committee sponsored two children and one elderly adult and was happy to make their Christmas a bit more special.
The Chair reported that the Carolina Blood Drive had exceeded its 321-unit goal for the December drive by collecting 381 units, 60 full units over goal. She thanked the committee and associated volunteers for making the 25th anniversary event of the winter drive a success. She then shared a photograph of Alice, Laura Pratt’s recently born daughter. Theresa Silsby thanked the blood drive committee for their work December 7th.
The committee took 20 minutes to work on proposed Bylaws revisions, in a discussion led by Parliamentarian Jacob Womack. Womack shared a document on electoral process review, suggesting alternative protocols for the election of Forum delegates and officers. Womack reviewed the current situation related to the Chair’s ability to appoint delegates to the Forum.
Womack said that this document and others are available on Teams for review by the Executive Committee. The Chair proposed that members of the Executive Committee up for election should recuse themselves from participating in any management or processes related to balloting or voting.
The discussion touched on voting procedures related to the election of UNC Staff Assembly delegates, with the possibility of introducing a Chair-Elect position into these procedures. Womack asked about staggering tenures to assure continuity of representation. The Chair sought to remove the complexity around these processes. Members discussed the possibility of having the Chair-Elect serve in one delegate position and the Chair in another. The Chair thought that retaining the current system of delegates would be best to reduce complexity related to the establishment of the Chair-Elect position.
Womack praised Matthew Teal’s work to simplify the language of the Bylaws in accordance with university policy generally. Teal proposed working on these changes incrementally, allowing the Forum to consider changes more quickly than in one overarching document. The Chair recalled that a School of Law professor has offered to help the Forum with its Bylaws revisions process to incorporate desired changes.
The Chair spoke in favor of the Forum voting on each substantive change one by one as opposed to voting on Bylaws changes as a whole document. She envisioned that some delegates might agree with one part of a Bylaws change but might not agree with a second part. Womack agreed that introducing separate motions, each with a different edit, could accomplish this separate consideration of motions.
The Chair asked if the Forum wished to vote on simplifying revision language following content approval. She proposed that the committee needs to work on a plan to secure passage of these revisions. Womack said that he would send out an email asking for feedback but said that it seemed like no other delegates have brought any other issues forward requiring solutions. He agreed with the Chair that having changes voted in piecemeal would be best. The Chair proposed to consult with the law school group on the three proposed changes in January.
In the absence of further discussion, the meeting adjourned at 12:50 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Matt Banks, Recording Secretary