November 1, 2023 Employee Forum Meeting Minutes
Delegates Attending: L.E. Alexander, David Barnette, Vanessa Blake, Randall Borror, David Bragg, Renata Buchanan, Shavon Carey-Hicks, Matthew Chamberlin, Elizabeth Dubose, Leslie Heal Ray, Leah Hefner, Jessi Hill, Shayna Hill, Keith Hines, Jonah Hodge, James Holman, Rebecca Howell, Jacob Hurst, Brigitte Ironside, Kira Jones, Stacy Keast, Anthony Lindsey, Haydée Marchese, Amber Meads, Arlene Medder, Vanessa Mitchell, Katie Musgrove, Katherine Neer, Joseph Ormond, Lisa Petersen, Jackie Schwamberger, Audrey Shore, Theresa Silsby, Heather Skinner, Jake Stallard, James Stamey, Mathew Steadman, Annetta Streater, Ally Wardell, June Weston, Tracy Wetherby Williams, Tyrone Williams
Excused: Tiffany Carver, Laura Pratt, Michael Williams
Chair Katie Musgrove called the meeting to order at 9:15 a.m. She welcomed the Chancellor’s Chief of Staff, Christi Hurt, to the Forum’s monthly roundtable session. Hurt wished listeners well as the campus approaches the holidays. She thanked all who joined the festivities at University Day on October 11th. She said that the occasion was a great opportunity to see the incredible work of the University of North Carolina and its work serving and partnering with the people of our fine state. Hurt hoped that the format of the occasion was something interesting and novel to attendees. She thanked all staff employees for their work to make a difference on campus.
Hurt noted the heartbreak associated with the war in Gaza and Israel. She voiced concern about the attacks themselves and the events resulting from the attacks locally and globally. She recalled the Chancellor’s statement that the campus will not stand for violence and would allow groups to express their opinions under the First Amendment. The campus will also work to rise above hateful rhetoric to oversee an educated debate on these questions.
Hurt said that Chancellor Guskiewicz has had his leadership team meet with students, faculty, and staff, as well as members of the surrounding community representing a variety of perspectives and concerns. Hurt added that the leadership team is spending its time deeply focused on direct engagement to listen and provide resources to people impacted by these global events in different ways.
On another subject, Hurt said that ChatGPT was launched just about a year ago. The platform is now in its fourth iteration, with units across campus embracing it. Faculty now are identifying the best ways to use ChatGPT for student service initiatives, to prepare students for the ever-changing world of technological advances.
Hurt praised the University’s Generative Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) committee, which is working to develop guidelines for faculty, students, and staff at https://provost.unc.edu/teaching-generative-ai-guidance/. Hurt hoped that these guidelines will be useful to staff employees as they use generative A.I. to streamline work or craft content.
Hurt voiced the university’s gratitude to the North Carolina General Assembly for its support for higher education in the recently approved budget. She noted that the budget invests in infrastructure, provides opportunities for students to learn and conduct research, and includes funds for raises and retention of university faculty and staff employees.
Hurt thanked all for helping get the university through this intense semester and offered to take questions from the body. The Chair thanked Hurt for her remarks and recalled that she and Matthew Teal had worked to generate the staff-related guidelines on generative A.I. She was grateful that this work featured staff contributions to this emerging technology.
L.E. Alexander asked about Commencement 2024, currently a hot topic amongst departments. She had heard a few reasons why the university has made the decision to move commencement to Saturday evening. She asked if Hurt could speak regarding the main driving force behind this decision. In small departments in Arts & Sciences, Alexander said that managers have not greeted this decision auspiciously. Instead, they see the move as taking away something from departmental commencement ceremonies that usually occur Saturday evening.
Hurt thanked Alexander for this question. She noted two main factors in this commencement announcement. The first is that the university chose to hold the event on a Saturday night for many different reasons. Among these is allowing people to get in and out of campus in a different way, allowing them to get home on a Sunday. People told the deciding committee that this idea was worth a try. Another part of the decision was the desire to try a night event to see if the weather would be cooler and thus would attract more people by removing the event from the usual Sunday Mother’s Day ceremonies. She observed that many faculty and staff have reported that the Mother’s Day ceremonies do not contribute to a comfortable travel schedule that weekend.
All in all, Hurt said, the university thought that the move was worth a try this year. The move may not be repeated, but the change should be exciting and interesting, Hurt said. She said that departmental ceremonies were also pinched in a different way as the academic calendar did not provide enough space between the last day of classes and commencement. Shoehorning all of these departmental ceremonies into that small Friday/Saturday window has led to compressed ceremony times.
One thing that the university could do is to shift its calendar back so that exams end earlier so that Saturday night does not represent the principal problem of this crunch. Hurt said that this is not a permanent problem but these two factors coming together made scheduling this upcoming year more difficult. She added that a logistical nightmare exists to run a zillion different departmental graduations across campus with caterers, equipment rental, housekeeping, and staff efforts to manage and clean up after all of these smaller events. These departmental events are treasured and important and yet create a high burden on friends and colleagues in different spaces, Hurt said.
Hurt added that the Chancellor’s Office will support the streamlining and combination of events by paying the costs centrally for space rental, space use, and flowers that departments share currently. She hoped that this gift of funds would remove some of the pain of trying something new this year. She acknowledged the pain of smaller units and asked all to give these ideas a try. If they do not work, planners would go back to the drawing board.
L.E. Alexander said that she had heard these reasons previously. She said that it was very good to hear this explanation from someone in Hurt’s position. She acknowledged that her department is probably in the minority as it does not spend a lot of money. Still, she knew that it would be a big relief that departments would not have to spend on these activities. Hurt added that these funds are for separate reception spaces which are consolidated under one payment.
Hurt appreciated that departments are trying to make this new commencement date work in any way possible. She recognized that this task is not easy, and she thanked all for coming along for the ride to see if the task can be accomplished.
Arlene Medder asked if there is any examination on other machine learning tools on campus besides ChatGPT. Hurt said that this question is being considered. She thought that the campus will provide more guidance specific to new technologies as they emerge.
Cinnamon Weaver said that departments near Memorial Hall may face difficulties in getting to venues for a reception near the Smith Center. She worried about an unreasonable expectation to have everyone walk or drive across campus. She asked if the university would provide any flexibility in the selection of other venues closer to where the graduation ceremony will take place. Hurt replied that she would check with University Events regarding possible flexibility versus the burden on staff to clean and manage a bunch of different locales. She said that the university is looking into providing bus services across different venues to streamline traffic from one place to another.
Tyrone Williams said that units use lecture halls such as the space in Chapman Hall to have graduation ceremonies and parties afterwards. He noted that Phillips Hall and some spaces in Housekeeping Zone 201 are used as well. Hurt said that she would make a note of this.
The Chair noted plans to raise concerns regarding the university’s affordable housing initiatives. She said that the UNC System Staff Assembly heard some positive news on this topic the previous week. She understood that three System institutions (Appalachian State, UNC-Wilmington, and Western Carolina) are building affordable housing for staff. Additionally, there are efforts at UNC System schools to address these challenges across the state. She asked if Hurt had any thoughts on UNC-Chapel Hill’s own affordable housing efforts.
Hurt responded that this was great news and that she was glad to hear from our sister institutions. She deferred to Vice Chancellor for Finance and Operations Nate Knuffman to speak more authoritatively on this matter. The Chair asked Knuffman if he could provide an update on the university’s efforts following the campus survey on this topic. Knuffman said that he would speak on this topic in his report later in the meeting.
The Chair welcomed Vice Provost and University Librarian Maria Estorino to speak on the Wilson Library Renovation Project. Estorino shared slides on this project, stating that the Forum is the first group to hear from her following yesterday’s announcement about the construction project to take place at Wilson Library. Her goal is to provide information and context on the project while gathering questions and feedback to help prepare for the project’s impacts.
Estorino started by providing a brief overview of Wilson Library and its status as a campus icon, library, and visitor destination. She said that some are drawn to visit the library itself given its historic and beautiful features. The university’s special collections, the North Carolina Digital Heritage Center, the Center for Faculty Excellence, and a few other library departments are stationed there. In addition, around 60 Library employees and 50 Library student workers are housed there, with 20 additional graduate students from the School of Information and Library Science.
In the last fiscal year, the library had just over 54,000 visitors, with less than 10% of these visitors there to do research with collections. She said that research with special collections is an intense process, involving sitting in the library for days or weeks. There are some researchers who stay in town for months to use these collections. Of these researchers, over half are not affiliated with UNC-Chapel Hill, with around 26% coming from outside the state. The library also attracts users from other parts of the country and the world.
The library also hosted around 230 classes in the last year and a half, largely in the College of Arts and Sciences. Estorino said that public spaces in the library take up only a small portion of the building. As a special collections library, the stacks there are made secure, meaning that security and preservation concerns mean that the stacks are thus closed, with mediated access to materials.
Estorino said that the public most experiences the original 1929 front part of the building and the wings of the building which were added in 1952. These wings contain the North Carolina Collection Gallery and the Research Room on the opposite side of the building.
Regarding the Wilson Library Renovation Project, Estorino recalled that in 2008, the State Department of Insurance informed administrators that the building could not commission new construction as it was not up to code, particularly in the area of fire safety. A number of new regulations were put in place to allow continued operation of the building. The university also made investments through grants and philanthropic support to add sprinklers, largely in the stacks where the collections are stored. More recently, the library has welcomed a $31.1 million allocation from the state to allow upgrades needed in the building.
This renovation project focuses on fire safety, namely installation of additional fire alarms and extension of sprinkler coverage. Estorino said that the most disruptive and costly part of the project is the creation of two additional egress staircases and routes within the building to enable access to these staircases, to increase the capacity for emergency egress. These additions will be located on the backside of the building.
In sum, Estorino said that the project’s goal is to comply with bringing the building up to code. Programmatically, the benefit of this project other than creating a safer environment is to lift existing building restrictions. She thought that the project would be the key to unlocking future possibilities of Wilson Library. She observed that the building has not been renovated since 1987, almost 40 years ago.
Upon achievement of code compliance and removal of building restrictions, the library will be placed to become a more attractive destination for researchers and users. Estorino said that even in the time of construction of the project, work will ease use of the building. She noted the very strict requirements for booking rooms and events at Wilson Library, which exist largely because of current regulations, which are in turn conditions under which the library can operate. She hoped that the project would make the building even more available.
Estorino said that Wilson Library will close between two and three years given the project’s scheduled renovation timeline. She granted that this timeline may change but thought it important to inform the campus about the project even though impacts will not be significant until next summer. The library wants to give folks the chance to plan ahead, especially researchers who will not have complete access to collections starting in August 2024. Services and collections will close to allow preparation to move these off-site. The library is working with a consultant to help plan and manage the move and to locate a safe and secure facility needed for the temporary relocation.
Estorino anticipated that the library itself will close to the public in the Spring of 2025. The intermediate time period will allow access to things beyond collections through at least Spring 2025. The last item on the timeline anticipates reopening and re-occupancy of the building starting in 2027.
Impacts of the Project are first of all that Special Collections will be offsite and unavailable for research or teaching. Estorino recalled that the libraries had accomplished a great deal of teaching and research support via digital collections during the recent COVID pandemic. She said that the difference is that this time staff will not have access to these print collections.
The library will also be limited in its ability to accept new materials into Special Collections. With the building closed, the library will be unable to host meetings, programs, and media. The approximately 250 seats used for student study and library instruction will be unavailable. UNC Libraries will employ fewer students over this time as well. There will be interim locations for the Music Library and Center for Faculty Excellence.
In 2029, six years from now, Wilson Library will celebrate its centennial. Estorino said that a great way to commemorate the library’s construction is with a building ripe and ready for celebration. She referred the meeting to slides of the building’s original construction, mentioning that the project is just one piece in the library’s longer term space strategy. Administrators are thinking through optimization of all library spaces for 21st century research and learning creativity requirements.
Estorino hoped to announce more opportunities to improve these spaces soon. She said that part of this strategy will be to lean into off-site options. Currently, University Libraries have about 1.5 million items off-site in a facility shared with Duke University. Estorino said that there might be potential impacts through all of these projects as they start to come online for collection housing and study space.
Estorino shared an email address wilsonproject@office.unc.edu and website https://library.unc.edu/wilson-project/ with answers to commonly asked questions about the project renovations. Arlene Medder asked what kind of sprinklers are used in the library. Estorino said that water sprinklers are commonly used in libraries, even in special collections, as it is a more affordable option. She noted that wet materials are salvageable, while burnt materials are not. She said that at her previous institution, the library there used dry pipes so there was no water sitting in the pipes. She would find out the situation at Wilson Library and report back.
As far as furniture and fixtures are concerned, Estorino said that these items will be stored as the construction associated with the project will require additional equipment inside and outside the building. The library must ensure that materials and people are out of the way and safe while this work is going on. Medder commented that the library contains many beautiful antiques that need consideration or they might actually be thrown away, as had happened in a previous campus renovation. Estorino said that the library will always strive for a balance between this history and modern needs. She did not anticipate that the building would reopen with many furnishings changed but she invited listeners to consider the possibilities of updating furniture that was comfortable in previous decades but may not be so today. Estorino said that one of the library’s goals is to preserve the historic intentions, beauty, and nature of its facilities.
Estorino said that UNC Libraries plans to continue the work of special collections, keeping it alive on campus via different programming. Wilson Library might be offsite during the project, but does not intend to go dormant during that period. The Chair praised the amount of digitization work that the library has accomplished over the past several years. Estorino said that digitization has now placed around 3 million items online since it began on campus in 1996.
The Chair welcomed Vice Chancellor for Institutional Integrity George Battle to speak to the Forum. Battle said that UNC Police Chief Brian James was unable to attend that morning.
To begin, Battle encouraged listeners to download the Carolina Ready application to their cell phone. This app has a lot of information and functionality about the campus safety program and other features to help keep subscribers safe. This app is available to anyone on campus or off-campus, and he encouraged anyone to obtain access to the app to keep themselves informed. One of the functionalities of the app is that any time an Alert Carolina message goes out, it comes through directly to a subscriber’s cell phone, whether the app is open or not. The alert message will provide a ping and directions following, in a manner similar to an Amber Alert.
Battle said that safety improvements had preceded the incidents in August and September, but these incidents have lent a new sense of urgency to this work. Now, the timing is unfortunately fortuitous for this effort. First, planned technical and infrastructure work involves video surveillance, video cameras, door locks, and license plate readers to assist law enforcement in working in a preventative mode to keep the campus safe. Employees are working to place door locks in locations now missing them and are improving spaces already featuring locks. In addition, Battle said that his unit has worked to improve campus lighting corridors.
Battle said that the most important aspect of planned technical and infrastructure work involves coordinating systems among these other safety features. He noted that these features do not always work well with each other. His unit is looking at systems in place that will allow the unit to work with what is now present and add to it, granting first responders access to the best-in-class systems able to monitor campus. Now, campus responders need to navigate several unique systems when an emergency occurs.
Battle noted that Emergency Management has engaged in an after-action exercise, with part of this exercise involving an outside group studying incident responses, communication, and training. This review will be completed over the next several months.
Another part of the campus response is reevaluation of training of personnel, including the after-action review but also delivery of training, its accessibility, and content. He said that this training is needed not only for active assailant situations but tornadoes, fires, and other occurrences. Battle noted that the Carolina Ready application has a step-by-step guide as to what is needed to be done at a high level to protect oneself in these situations.
Battle thought that the university had coordinated well with its local law enforcement responders in these recent incidents. He recalled the university’s extensive drill and practice exercises with these groups to ensure efficient responses in times of need. Battle said that these exercises will continue with UNC Police in conjunction with the Town of Chapel Hill, UNC Health Police, state agencies, and other groups.
Finally, Battle said that Emergency Management has continued its work since the spring with an outside nationwide consultant to study existing university security systems. This consultant will tell the university what must occur to improve and also will provide insight into things affecting safety not previously considered.
Battle said that there are thus many things occurring safety-wise in terms of technology, training, coordination with other groups and continuous improvement. He said that these efforts represent more than just a reaction to the incidents in August and September. Instead, these items have received constant effort and attention. He granted that there is not a scheduled end date for this work, but he noted the large sense of urgency and need for change in these areas.
Battle thanked the Forum and other parts of campus for their feedback regarding this process. He recalled that a month ago, Emergency Management commissioned a survey and has received excellent feedback that is informing its work with the previously mentioned outside review entity. He hoped that the Forum will continue to provide feedback, which he termed “invaluable,” and actively used.
Arlene Medder asked how Battle’s personnel went about finding all of the cameras on campus. Battle gave a big shout-out to the Facilities group who had done much of the leg work to find and inventory these cameras. He noted difficulties, as some projects had been implemented centrally, while others had been done at the department level. Emergency Management might not know of these latter efforts.
Battle said that Facilities has been active in identifying and finding cameras and locks and studying how these things might work together. This work has been key in terms of the coordination of systems or even the purchase of additional cameras. The Chair thanked Battle and his team for all of the work done with regard to the recent security incidents.
Next, the Chair welcomed Vice Chancellor for Finance and Operations Nate Knuffman to provide an update on university budget and finance items. Knuffman began with a budget update, noting the great news that a state budget had been approved. He said that this budget is a very strong one for UNC-Chapel Hill, with a 7% salary increase for most employees over the next two years, the largest such increase in the last 15 years. He recalled that UNC employees have recently not been treated the same way as other state employees. He was pleased that this was not the case this year.
Knuffman said that the NC Collaboratory continues to receive significant funding to support research across the UNC System. Capital funding in the state budget was also strong. Repair and renovation (R&R) dollars for smaller projects totaled nearly $7 million, more than double what the university had typically received for this purpose.
UNC-Chapel Hill’s larger signature projects also received needed dollars. Knuffman noted that the Kenan-Flagler Business School and the Nursing School received funding from the legislature. Gardner Hall is slated to receive some funding in fiscal year 2028, a good start for being on the list of projects receiving state funding. The School of Data Science and Society and the School for Civic Life and Leadership both received funds for curricular expansions and priorities.
The university also received some sizable funds for enrollment growth. Knuffman made a point to emphasize this funding as it represents more than $7 million, at a time when the rest of the UNC System saw its budgets go the opposite direction. He thought that only NC State received funds for this purpose, but their allocation only amounted to $1 million.
Knuffman said that UNC-Chapel Hill is already turning the page to fiscal year 2025, which will begin next July. Units received instructions last week via a different tool to input information. Finance and Operations is trying to move away from manual spreadsheets to this new software, which should improve efficiency and recordkeeping. Units are requested to input information requested by November 17th.
Finance & Operations will compile this information in three to four weeks then will begin a series of meetings with all major campus units in December and January. Final decisions about requests will occur in February, of course culminating with review and approval by the Board of Trustees in March, then after that review by the Board of Governors in May.
Knuffman thought that the process has undergone some good recent improvements, and he was glad for the increase in transparency and budgeting information available commonly now more than ever. He cited the F&O website, which published for the first time two years ago a fiscal year 22-23 report and now a 23-24 report breaking down revenues and expenses by every campus unit, with much more detail than has been historically available.
Regarding affordable housing, Knuffman was happy to share findings from the recently completed campus survey. The goal of this study was really to increase understanding of the subject of UNC-Chapel Hill, employee, and student housing. Any strategy to consider more affordable housing should be grounded in real information from university employees, Knuffman said. He thanked all those who participated in these surveys and focus groups, noting this participation meant a significant time commitment.
The survey yielded really good information on local pricing, housing and commuting trends, and other information, with significant findings learned through these sessions. Knuffman noted that the more income one earns, the more likely one is to own one’s own home and the more likely one is to be satisfied in one’s current housing situation. Prices also present a big challenge for those who want to move.
Knuffman conceded that this is not surprising information, but he found it useful to hear it directly from university employees, and to obtain additional details about types of housing most appealing to respondents. The largest challenge for purchasing in the for-sale market is the limited supply of housing here generally. Knuffman said that local prices exceed the median regional price, meaning that local housing continues to be out of reach for many staff and faculty employees. He noted that median home prices in Chapel Hill are as much as $150,000 more than the regional median home price. On the rental market, a similar dynamic holds, with rent much more expensive here locally than in the region. Again, the survey found a very limited supply of rental units has not kept up with demand.
Regarding next steps, Knuffman said it is important to ground action in understanding of Carolina-specific data to create a strategy for moving forward. There will be much more detailed information on the F&O website beyond what was shared that morning. Knuffman said that his office will continue to share data and talk to community partners about development opportunities and exploring partnerships in this space.
Knuffman said that the Kenan-Flagler Business School has recently hired a professor with an expertise in affordable housing. Similarly, an MBA class evaluating options will be offered this coming semester. Knuffman pledged to keep the Forum updated on this work going forward.
However, Knuffman cautioned that this is not simply a UNC-Chapel Hill issue alone. The university is working closely with the Town of Chapel Hill and the UNC System Office on this issue as well. He thought that a collective effort will make the most headway in this space.
Knuffman turned to an apprenticeship program to deal with hiring issues in trades like HVAC, plumbing, and carpentry. He was proud that the university is now launching an apprenticeship program for these positions with Alamance Community College. A website will be available whereby those who are interested can obtain more information.
Knuffman offered to take questions from the Forum. The Chair confirmed that the affordable housing data was based on single income, rather than household income. Arlene Medder thanked Knuffman for the work done on the apprenticeship program. The Chair noted that idea had grown out of an Employee Forum meeting in perhaps 2016.
Medder asked if there is a timeline for apprenticeship programs other than the carpentry one now in place. Knuffman said that the university is seeking feedback but is confident that effort will be successful. He said that administrators want to expand the program as quickly as possible, as it is an exciting and necessary idea. Elizabeth Dubose relayed a comment through the chat feature hoping that a similar program would be created for people without a college degree to participate in research trades.
The Chair asked if Knuffman could comment on the news from the UNC System level that other UNC System schools are starting to build and/or propose affordable housing units sponsored by the universities themselves? Knuffman said that UNC-Chapel Hill is certainly paying attention and connecting with its sister institutions to learn how they are going about this effort. He said that the university has looked across higher education to find instructive models in this area. He did not think that the phenomenon of affordable housing is unique to Chapel Hill, based on the migration trends and demand curves depicted in the recent survey. Demand will continue but Knuffman did not consider this a unique occurrence in Chapel Hill. He was not surprised that other UNC System schools are also focused on this issue.
The Chair thanked Knuffman for his remarks, commenting that she hoped to partner with campus leaders on further work in the area of affordable housing. She noted the resolution on this topic that the Forum’s Personnel Issues committee is currently developing.
The Chair then welcomed Vice Chancellor for Human Resources, Equal Opportunity, and Compliance Becci Menghini to provide the Forum’s customary Human Resources update. Menghini was happy to note the bit of a bump in EHRA employees’ checks yesterday. She looked forward to a similar salary increase providing a bump in SHRA employees’ checks as of Friday.
Menghini thanked the handful of staff who worked to get the HRIM system updated to ensure that those increases landed in employee checks. These workers did weekend and overnight work to ensure these increases were instituted in a timely manner. She thanked these employees. She also wished university employees in general congratulations for earning the extra bump in their salaries this week.
OHR could not be more excited to see this large increase come to fruition for staff and faculty employees, Menghini said. She said that this increase is the largest in some time. She added that since the increase is backdated to July 1st, employees will see another bump in their paycheck as a result.
Menghini said that she did not have much news to share regarding the SHRA and EHRA range projects. SHRA ranges are working their way through UNC System Office approvals to then make their way to the Office of State Human Resources (OSHR) for their consideration. The EHRA range project is also underway. Menghini said that a new model will eliminate Tier 2 roles and eliminate EHRA/IRIT roles, creating in their place a group called “Exempt Professional Service,” or “EPS” moving forward. She said that there is no functional difference between an EHRA/IRIT employee and a Tier 2 role, as their acquisition of benefits and leave are exactly the same.
This transition will occur as positions move over from SHRA-exempt to EHRA, to ensure clarity. OHR will work with Buck Consulting on this effort, and Menghini hoped to have more information available at the Forum’s December general meeting. Menghini noted the “jargony” nomenclature related to setting up personnel systems with new families and groups of employees.
Menghini was pleased to see so many employees, perhaps thousands, at the Employee Appreciation Fair October 20th. In spite of the rain, she hoped that all had a chance to enjoy the festivities and the accompanying employee gifts. This event is meant to celebrate work done by staff day after day throughout the year.
Finally, Menghini noted that the university had just completed its open enrollment process for the State Health Plan and associated benefits plans. She noted that some who did not enroll in a timely fashion now likely have to pay the tobacco surcharge, absent their attestation. Menghini confessed that the university’s Human Resources department does not control exceptions to this process and had never seen anyone win an appeal to gain an exemption. She noted the hard work that OHR does to inform all employees about open enrollment time.
Menghini was pleased to report that the Benefits team hit a 96% completion rate for open enrollment, the highest ever completion rate in this endeavor. Around 583 people did not do the open enrollment process, either because they may have benefits in other places or they may have missed the notices. OHR will reach out to find if there was another way to bump this number beyond 96% moving forward.
Menghini reminded employees who are veterans that November 10th is the date of the Tar Heel Tribute to veterans and their service. This event will be open only to those who have served in our military. She asked listeners to remind their colleagues who served to RSVP for the November 10th event. Menghini said that the university always looks forward to recognizing employees who have also served in the armed forces.
Members complimented Sherene Jenkins for her work organizing the Employee Appreciation Fair this year. David Barnette asked who planned the food for the event, commenting that the food had become cold in the day’s wind. Menghini said that she was sorry to hear that, noting the many considerations that planners must undertake to develop a menu for the day. Barnette said that he understood. He also hoped that planners would include some pork bacon along with the turkey bacon next year. The Chair recalled the recommendation to bring back a Taco Bar from a few years back. Menghini pledged to pass this feedback along.
Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for Human Resources Linc Butler said that Work/Life Manager Jessica Pyjas would communicate her updates via email following the meeting. She did ask that the Heartwarming Cooking Demo on December 6th at 11:30 a.m. in the Carolina Union be mentioned. A virtual option will also be offered. Registration will run from Friday, November 3rd to Wednesday, November 22nd.
In addition, the Jingle Bell Jog will take place on Friday, December 8th. This event promotes physical activity, health, and well-being, and allows participants to contribute a canned food or pet supply item going to the UNC Carolina Cupboard or the Orange County Animal Shelter respectively. Participants can walk instead of run and are encouraged to wear costumes. The Chair thanked Butler for sharing these updates.
The Chair moved to the Forum’s consent agenda, asking committee chairs if they wished to pull out their report from this overall consideration. Communications and Public Relations, Community Service, Education and Career Development and Staff Assembly representatives all requested time to speak outside the consent agenda. L.E. Alexander moved to approve the consent agenda including October minutes. Arlene Medder seconded this motion. Members voted in favor of approval of the consent agenda.
The Chair noted that the Communications and Public Relations committee had held the traditional Scavenger Hunt during the Employee Appreciation Fair. She recognized the entire committee for its work in planning the event, hiding clues, and distributing prizes solicited from local vendors. Updates will soon go out on social media once details about the hunt have been finalized. In addition, the committee will publish a November/December InTouch newsletter in the next few weeks. Delegates are invited to contribute articles for the newsletter.
Vanessa Blake reported that the Forum Book Club will meet November 16th online to discuss 10,000 Doors of January by Alex E. Harrow. She hoped to see everyone there.
Ally Wardell said that the Community Service committee is working on food drive preparations from October 30th to November 17th. The committee has begun distributing bins in various campus locations. Wardell encouraged listeners to keep an eye out for these bins. She thanked Arlene Medder for her assistance with this effort. Wardell added that Theresa Silsby has been in contact with the Family Sponsorship program with Orange County. The Chair looked forward to publicizing these efforts in the upcoming InTouch.
Renata Buchanan said that the Winter Blood Drive will take place Thursday, December 7th. Committee members signed up employees for appointments at Employee Appreciation Day. Marketing and communications work will begin the following week.
L.E. Alexander said that the professional development grants will close Friday at 11:59 p.m. She asked listeners to consider working to review applications, asking that they contact her directly if interested.
The Chair said that the UNC System Staff Assembly met at UNC-Wilmington on October 23rd and 24th. At this meeting, Forum Chair Emerita Shayna Hill was formally installed as Chair of the UNC System Staff Assembly. The Chair was very proud of Hill and looked forward to seeing her leadership at the state level. Hill said that this work is the logical next step to the advocacy that she had pursued over the last ten years. She said that this position provides her an opportunity to inform the Board of Governors and the UNC System President how much employees are struggling and what challenges they face. She was eager to do the hard work to make her term a success. The Chair praised Hill once again, stating that all who know her are looking forward to her next two years in the role as UNC System Staff Assembly Chair.
Keith Hines added that he will henceforth co-chair the UNC System Staff Assembly Chancellors’ Cup golf tournament. Hines noted that the Assembly is also close to passing a resolution asking for bereavement leave for employees. He hoped that the Forum would support this resolution, as the last thing a person should worry about following a loved one’s death is having enough leave to be present when necessary for the people they love. Hines also wished Shayna Hill a belated Happy Birthday, noting her contributions are done “with the whole heart.” Members took time to wish Hill a Happy Birthday.
The Chair said that the Advisory Committee on Transportation and Parking had met the previous month to discuss pricing structure plans in the new Five-Year plan for that department. Much of this work will remain in flux until the Board of Trustees considers this plan in March or April 2024. Under a newly proposed structure, staff earning the lowest amount on campus will see a significant reduction in their parking fees. This move will provide a bit more equity across the campus in terms of the percentage of salary that goes to parking, with those earning higher amounts paying more. The system will also simplify, with fewer types of permits and no longer a distinction between gated and non-gated lots. There will be more tiers in the parking pricing structure to allow for the aforementioned rate changes. Ranges of employee earnings will be narrowed so that employees earning $30,000/year do not pay the same as employees earning $50,000/year.
The Chair noted that no Transportation and Parking plan will make everyone happy. Still, the committee is making good progress, the Chair said, in advocating for staff during the Five-Year Planning Process. This Process will conclude in the spring.
Regarding Old Business, the Chair said that the Executive committee met in October to wrap up appointments to two Faculty Council committees. The committee voted, electing Arlene Medder as the Forum liaison to the Faculty Council Committee on the Status of Women and Lisa Peterson as the Forum liaison to the Faculty Welfare Committee. The Chair congratulated both for their agreement to serve.
The Executive committee also wrapped up conversations regarding the Forum’s prospective community meeting. Delegates thought that the presentation by University Counsel on the Students for Fair Admission Supreme Court case was a good and substantive update that negated the need for another community meeting on this topic. Instead, the committee pivoted to hosting perhaps a spring meeting on the changes in the administrator of the State Health Plan. These conversations will continue at executive committee meetings moving forward and those meetings are open to everyone.
The Chair was pleased to finally finish work on the Forum’s annual report for 2022-23 that she planned to present to the body. She noted the group effort to incorporate needed tweaks and changes. She shared her screen in the Zoom meeting and sought comments on this document. She also invited delegates to add anything they feel was missing from the document and offered to take questions.
Keith Hines said that a simple majority vote on this document would be sufficient for approval. James Holman moved that the document be considered for approval by the Forum. Arlene Medder seconded. The Chair outlined the details of the report. Shayna Hill thanked the Chair for her outstanding work on this report. The Chair noted that last year’s annual report provided a template for this year’s edition. She planned to share the document with the Chancellor and his team and the Board of Trustees in time for the Board’s November meeting. There was no further discussion, and the question was thereby called. Delegates voted in favor of approving the Forum’s annual report for 2022-23, with no votes in opposition or abstention.
Moving to new business, the Chair noted a report in the News & Observer concerning state pension plan changes for UNC Health employees and the trickledown effects those are having on School of Medicine employees. Delegates have raised concerns as to these changes and what they portend. She asked delegates to share more about these concerns, perhaps to form the basis of a resolution or proclamation on this subject.
Elizabeth Dubose said that she had heard of this concern from other employees. She questioned the math of a writer who downplayed the impact of UNC Health employees moving from the protections of state employee laws to another retirement system. She said that these employees form a large chunk of people that will no longer contribute to university employees’ pensions. She was very nervous about these changes, recalling cases of other states and private companies whose employees’ pension plans were drained. She personally is a single-adult household who worries about being able to afford retirement. She said that other employees earn less than her and face similar questions. Dubose did not know what else to do other than to raise the question vigorously.
Secondly, she found that the number of jobs that have traditionally been UNC School of Medicine jobs seems nebulous and hard to frame. She worried over the practice of shifting these jobs to the UNC Health system upon a standing employee’s retirement or termination from that position. Dubose thought that the Project Movement Initiative seemed to represent a smokescreen for other more nefarious practices. She hoped that the Forum would work to lift the curtain on these practices.
Other delegates expressed support for Dubose’s comments. Dubose did not believe in a blind trust of leadership in Raleigh and the people in charge of the university. She said that questions need to be asked regarding the move of jobs to UNC Health from the School of Medicine, under the guise that all patient-facing jobs should move to UNC Health. She said that these employees are being removed from the protections of State employee laws and regulations, now with their pensions and benefits being moved.
Dubose concluded that the university is being shrunk and in turn state employee pensions are in turn being shrunk. She asked if the Employee Forum could represent these questions and concerns. James Holman asked about inviting State Treasurer Dale Folwell to the Forum to discuss Dubose’s concerns, along with other State leaders. He recalled similar questions about the switch of State Health Plan administrators that will occur in 2025. The Chair recalled plans to invite these officials to discuss the administrator change. She said that officials also have a part to play raising questions with regard to the impact on the State pension plan and TSERS.
Haydée Marchese noted concerns about the lack of State Health plan mental health coverage offered by some providers. She asked what would occur for those who must select out-of-network providers. Dubose thought that these changes must be pushed back in some way, as people do not know what is happening now or what it means.
Shayna Hill suggested that the Forum rely on the State Employees’ Association of North Carolina (SEANC) to provide insight into how these things may play out. She asked if this could be a possibility. The Chair said that SEANC representatives are scheduled to appear at the December general meeting, including SEANC Executive Director Ardis Watkins. Hill noted that Kirk Montgomery, the current Chair of SEANC, is a former UNC-Chapel Hill Employee Forum Vice Chair.
James Holman repeated his suggestion of inviting State Treasurer Folwell. The Chair said that the December general meeting will be shorter than normal, making substantive discussion difficult to conduct. She suggested considering a spring meeting with these officials on the pension questions. She thought that this conversation is necessary and encouraged concerned employees to contact Holman to get SEANC involved with initial responses to these questions.
The Chair noted also that the UNC System Staff Assembly could be responsive to questions regarding university employee pensions and the impact of removing School of Medicine employees from the state pension system. She ventured that the Personnel Issues committee could begin work on a resolution or proclamation to go eventually to the Staff Assembly level. She noted similar concerns at the East Carolina University School of Medicine and said that there need to be questions raised regarding transparency. She thanked delegates for bringing up this conversation.
The Chair said that the next Vice Chancellors’ representatives’ meeting will occur Thursday, November 9th from 2-3 p.m. via Zoom. Delegates have until 2 p.m. tomorrow to reserve a seat or raise questions through the Qualtrics survey.
The Chair invited listeners to share kudos and news of things going well at the university in the “It Takes a Village” section of the agenda. Elizabeth Dubose said that Eye Center managers were dressed as Skittles candy for Halloween. Arlene Medder thanked the Grounds staff working to maintain the Pit in the current autumn torrent of fallen leaves. David Bragg credited the floor crew at the House Care Center for their recent work. Dubose thanked Chapel Hill bus drivers for their continued efforts. Stacy Keast gave a shoutout to Energy employees who work to keep the lights and heat on in university buildings. She said that many are doing extra work given current employee vacancies.
The Chair thanked delegates for their efforts on the Employee Forum, particularly work on its committees. She was thankful for the contributions from all assembled.
In the absence of further discussion, Theresa Silsby made a motion to adjourn, seconded by David Bragg. The motion was approved by acclamation, and the meeting adjourned at 11:19 a.m.
Respectfully submitted, Matt Banks, Recording Secretary