October 17, 2023 Executive Committee Minutes
Attending: L.E. Alexander, Sharron Bouquin, David Bragg, Shane Brogan, Renata Buchanan, Tiffany Carver, Leslie Heal Ray, Leah Hefner, Keith Hines, Jonah Hodge, Rebecca Howell, Stacy Keast, Anthony Lindsey, Haydée Marchese, Arlene Medder, Stephanie Morales, Katie Musgrove, Natiaya Neal, Joe Ormond, Charlissa Rice, Lori Shamblin, Matthew Teal, June Weston, Tracy Wetherby Williams, Jacob Womack
Excused Absences: Laura Pratt, James Stamey
Chair Katie Musgrove called the meeting to order at 11:33 a.m. She called for a motion to approve the September minutes of the committee. Tiffany Carver made this motion, seconded by Arlene Medder. The motion was approved by acclamation, with no abstaining or opposing votes.
Matt Banks presented the Forum’s monthly budget report, which contained the updated figures from OHR Business regarding what support the university provided the Forum this fiscal year. He said that the Caption Perfect expenses from September and October have not yet been paid. Tiffany Carver asked about the $5.89 expense remaining under the Forum Retreat heading. The Chair said that the Forum had already fulfilled all expenditures associated with the Retreat and the $5.89 was only that which remained. The Chair asked Banks to “zero out” this entry.
The Chair asked if there were any updates from the timeline streaming project group. She recalled that the group’s next steps were to reassemble and continue working on building the SharePoint page. However, the group has not met since the October Executive committee meeting.
The Chair said that she had not yet finalized the annual report. She asked for help from committee members to study the document on the Teams webpage to finesse some sections, particularly the “Goals and Challenges” section near the end of the report. She asked that members complete this work by the end of October, if at all possible.
The Chair said that the Rules committee had not yet been able to meet to discuss proposed Bylaws revisions. She said that the Forum needs to complete its work in these three areas this year. She granted that this year has seen a particularly crazy start to the semester, which has distracted most members from this work.
The Chair said that the University Managers’ Association merger proposal was moving along nicely, with the UMA providing language on some sections of the proposal. She asked that committee members examine this proposal, which would then go to the Education and Career Development and Recognition & Awards committees for their final look before a vote by the full Forum and the full UMA.
Tiffany Carver said that December social planning had not advanced very far, as a previously reserved location had just become unavailable. She was seeking feedback regarding several different campus spaces and their capacity to host a hybrid meeting. She mentioned the number of chairs and tables available in each location as another factor in this search. It was noted that the Wilson Library Assembly Room has the capability to host a hybrid meeting at no cost. However, delegates would need to find a way to set up the tables and chairs in advance of the meeting. Carver was satisfied with this possibility, noting that rooms in the School of Social Work could stand in reserve.
The committee discussed possible catering options for the December 6th social. The committee also planned to set up tables and chairs in the afternoon prior to the social. Keith Hines noted that December 6th is the last day of classes, which can present its own form of difficulties for these kinds of socials. The Chair appreciated the work of Carver and Charlissa Rice in planning for the social. Rice noted different requirements that the Forum would need to follow to use the Wilson Library space.
The Chair said that the Forum had been asked to name representatives to two faculty committees, the Committee on the Status of Women and the Faculty Welfare Committee. The Chair sought a list of volunteers for these two groups and would ask Matt Banks to create a Qualtrics survey whereby committee members could vote for the representatives.
The Chair said that there are several proposed items on the November general meeting agenda. These items included a Finance and Operations update from Vice Chancellor Nate Knuffman and an update on Wilson Library renovations from Vice Provost for University Libraries and University Librarian Maria Estorino. She asked members preferences for hosting Chief of Police Brian James to discuss security improvements announced at a recent Board of Trustees meeting. Also, Chief of Staff Christi Hurt advised the Forum to reach out to Director of State Relations Amy McConkey and Chief Strategy Officer Chris McClure to discuss the legislative process and the recently approved budget. Members agreed to invite both James and the state relations group and to ask committee chairs to file their reports electronically prior to the meeting.
The next Vice Chancellors’ representatives’ meeting will take place Thursday, November 9th at 2 p.m. via Zoom. Matt Banks would send out a Qualtrics survey seeking attendees and questions for that meeting soon.
Regarding the Forum’s community meeting, the Chair noted that a previous plan to host a discussion on the Students for Fair Admission case had likely been subsumed by the report to the Forum on this topic in September. She thought that the Forum would do well to focus on holding university decision-makers accountable for updates as the campus progresses through the admissions cycle.
The Chair noted another proposed topic for a community meeting: the administrator change to the State Health Plan from Blue Cross/Blue Shield to Aetna beginning in 2025. She thought that details about this switchover would likely be shared in Spring-Summer 2024. Thus, she thought that the earliest the Forum could hold a community meeting on this topic would be Spring 2024. Arlene Medder proposed possibly holding this meeting during Spring Break 2024, which will take place March 11th – 15th.
The Chair asked what topics the committee would like addressed in upcoming community meetings beyond these two topics. There was a suggestion to ask Vice Chancellor Battle and Chief James to discuss risk management issues related to this fall’s gun incidents. Members also suggested discussing Alert Carolina concerns.
University Ombuds Officer Dawn Osbourne-Adams joined the committee meeting at this point. The Chair asked Osbourne-Adams her perspective on holding a community meeting this fall. She said that the Forum by its Bylaws must hold one community meeting a year. Osbourne-Adams said that any presentation on safety issues would likely need to wait until the after-action report on the incidents is completed. She said that an external consultant makes this review. She advised that the Forum could consult with Darrel Jeter concerning when such a presentation would best occur.
Matthew Teal said that Jeter had asked him for help in evaluating the RFP bids process for the external consultant. He did not think a timeline had been arranged yet, but in any event the external consultant would not likely finish their work any time soon. Dawn Osbourne-Adams thought that a discussion with Jeter would reveal timeliness considerations facing the university for its report.
The Chair planned to ask Battle and James to discuss security cameras and license plate readers at an upcoming Forum meeting, with the discussion of the after-action report to take place given timing concerns. She was satisfied with having the community meeting occur in Spring 2024. Stacy Keast suggested inviting a panel of speakers to this event.
Shane Brogan said that the Communications and Public Relations committee was finishing its list of scavenger hunt prizes, in planning for the event later this week. The Chair thanked all who had volunteered to work at either the Forum table or the blood drive table at the Employee Appreciation Fair.
Jacob Womack reported that the Community Service committee is busy trying to resume a family sponsorship program through the Orange County Department of Social Services. He reported that Arlene Medder would participate in a Carolina Community Garden meeting with campus partners Edible Campus and Carolina Dining Services.
The Chair said that there was no report from the Carolina Blood Drive committee. She shared pictures of Laura Pratt’s new baby, Alice.
Rebecca Howell of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee said that the group would meet with representatives of the LGBTQ Center on October 23rd. The committee will also review the Juneteenth resolution which was approved at the last general meeting of the Forum.
L.E. Alexander of the Education and Career Development committee said that the group had opened applications for the Professional Development Grants. She hoped to get notifications to applicants by Thanksgiving. She asked those interested in reading applications to let her or Shavon Carey-Hicks know. The committee also continues work on the UMA merger proposal.
Keith Hines said that the Membership & Assignments committee is working to complete the planning for the December 6th general meeting social. Charlissa Rice noted booking constraints associated with the Wilson Library Pleasants Family Assembly Room. These were resolved in discussion.
Leah Hefner of the Personnel Issues committee said the group plans to meet with the university grievance coordinator. James Holman also presented suggested changes to the hiring process for Housekeeping. Sharron Bouquin complimented the Forum on its discussion of the Juneteenth resolution.
The Chair said that the UNC System Staff Assembly would meet the following week at UNC-Wilmington. Forum Chair Emerita Shayna Hill will take the leadership reins of the Staff Assembly as the new chair at that meeting. The Chair would share Zoom details for this meeting when they become available.
The Chair said that the Advisory Committee on Transportation and Parking will meet the following day. That meeting should dive into the financial proposals around the parking pricing allocation model, with potential changes to make this system more affordable for lower-paid employees.
James Stamey had emailed prior to the meeting that the Buildings and Grounds committee held its first in-person meeting since COVID began. The committee voted on renovations to Avery Residence Hall, including installation of a new elevator. The committee also voted on whether to install a new copper roof at South Building.
Matthew Teal reported that the Generative A.I. committee had published staff-specific guidelines, now available on the Provost’s website. He asked listeners to share these guidelines with their departments in order to generate feedback for the committee. Jacob Womack noted A.I. functionality involving his security work recently. Teal said that trainings are available on chat GPT and other tools that Womack might find helpful. He advised departments to discuss A.I. considerations first with their IT folks.
The Chair had discussed the Parking Appeals committee with Christi Greenberg to understand the committee’s background and origins, particularly its use of faculty and student representatives, as well as staff. She proposed to reach out to the Chancellor’s Office to obtain more definitive decisions regarding the committee’s authority and charge.
Matthew Teal said that the Policy Review committee would meet next Tuesday to discuss SHRA and EHRA issues. The committee will also address an update to the finance policy regarding travel reimbursement.
In the absence of further discussion, Arlene Medder moved that the meeting adjourn, seconded by David Bragg. The meeting adjourned by acclamation at 12:45 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Matt Banks, Recording Secretary