October 4, 2023 Employee Forum meeting minutes
Delegates Attending: L.E. Alexander, David Barnette, Randall Borror, Sharron Bouquin, David Bragg, Renata Buchanan, Shavon Carey-Hicks, Denise Carter, Tiffany Carver, Gabriela De La Cruz, Elizabeth Dubose, Jay Eubank, Shayla Evans-Hollingsworth, Adrianne Gibilisco, Leslie Heal Ray, Leah Hefner, Jessi Hill, Keith Hines, Jonah Hodge, James Holman, Linda Holst, Rebecca Howell, Jacob Hurst, Todd Hux, Brigitte Ironside, Kira Jones, Stacy Keast, Sara Kelley, Brett Kenney, Anthony Lindsey, Haydee Marchese, Amber Meads, Arlene Medder, Stephanie Morales, Katie Musgrove, Natiaya Neel, Joseph Ormond, Lisa Petersen, Sara Pettaway, Charlissa Rice, Drexel Rivers, Jackie Schwamberger, Kelly Scurlock-Cross, Lori Shamblin, Audrey Shore, Theresa Silsby, Janice Singletary, Sarah Smith, Jake Stallard, James Stamey, Mathew Steadman, Jonathan Stroud, Matthew Teal, Julie Theriault, June Weston, Tracy Wetherby Williams, Michael Williams, Tyrone Williams, Jacob Womack
Excused: Shane Brogan, Matthew Chamberlin, Laura Pratt
Chair Katie Musgrove called the meeting to order at 9:16 a.m. She was pleased to welcome the Chancellor’s Chief of Staff, Christi Hurt, to participate in the monthly roundtable. Hurt said that the past two weeks have been incredible and challenging. She was pleased with the university’s rankings in the U.S. News and World Report, as Carolina moved up to become the number four public university in the nation. She said that rankings are only part of the story, but felt pleased to credit much of this improvement to campus staff.
Hurt noted that Chancellor Guskiewicz had written a News and Observer op-ed focusing on how these gains are fueled by a commitment that the university made long ago. Carolina strives to make the dream of an excellent college education possible. Hurt said that so much work goes into that commitment, and she was thrilled that UNC-Chapel Hill was again named the number one value public school in the nation.
Hurt said that part of this ranking is fueled by the announcement that UNC-Chapel Hill will cover tuition for families making less than $80,000. Among other achievements, Hurt said that the university’s School of Nursing ranked number four in the nation, number eight for undergraduate business, number 12 for entrepreneurship, and number nine for the best college for veterans (a jump of three places from last year).
Secondly, Hurt said that the university is grateful to the General Assembly for its continued support of higher education in the state budget. This budget invests in university infrastructure, provides new opportunities for students to learn and conduct research, and includes funds for raises and retention of faculty and staff. The budget also includes much needed funding to expand computer science programs to include applications and data science for the university’s new School of Data Science and Society. Hurt praised this commitment as “phenomenal,” with $7.5 million in recurring funds allocated to fuel the work of the school as it continues to be built and staffed.
Hurt encouraged the Forum to invite Director of State Relations Amy McConkey and Chief Strategy Officer Christopher McClure to speak on their work coordinating university efforts in Raleigh this past year. She noted the receipt of significant funding for the North Carolina Collaboratory, with projects related to water safety, next generation energy, opioid remediation, artificial intelligence, and digital engineering. The budget also includes funding to support the launch of the School of Civic Life and Leadership. Hurt was grateful for the work of the university’s legislative team to accomplish so many of its priorities.
Thirdly, the university is looking forward to next week’s celebration of University Day on October 12 at 11 a.m. in Memorial Hall. This event will mark UNC-Chapel Hill’s 230th anniversary as the nation’s first public university. The ceremony will undergo format changes with a panel discussion with three alumni serving across the state. The event will celebrate the University’s Distinguished Award winners: James Clark, Tom Darden, Amy Greeson, Jenny Hahn, and Adolf Reed. Forum Chair Katie Musgrove will present the Rebecca Clark Staff Award for Moral Courage to Robin Lee. Hurt hoped that listeners could attend the event, with the chance to mix with friends and colleagues over cookies and lemonade.
Fourth, Hurt noted the official ribbon-cutting at the Board of Trustees meeting for the opening of the Innovation Hub space for the university. This space will serve as a startup accelerator and a home for entrepreneurs, startups, and small businesses. The space is very interesting, with a coffee shop and the best views of Orange County from the fifth floor, Hurt said. Chancellor Guskiewicz sent a message to campus urging faculty to partner with entrepreneurs to bring their ideas quickly to market. Hurt said that this drive is to amplify the impact of things the university is discovering, to bring them to fruition for use in the regular world.
Sadly, the university has also faced significant challenges these last few months, most notably with the August 28th shooting of Dr. Zilje Yan having profound and devastating effects upon community members. The second lockdown which occurred 16 days later due to another gun incident had similar traumatizing effects upon people across campus.
Hurt recalled that the Chancellor has said that the university plans for days like this but hopes never to have to act on these plans. She said that the university was proud of how it followed best practices in this situation. She expressed gratitude to the entire Emergency Preparedness team, including Vice Chancellor George Battle, Police Chief Brian James, Associate Vice Chancellor for Campus Safety Derek Kemp and Director of Emergency Management and Planning Darrel Jeter. No system is perfect, however, and Hurt said that the university is conducting a review of emergency operations to see what can be learned from these incidents as is typically done in their aftermath.
Aspects of this response include improvement of initial actions in these serious and grave situations, better security in physical spaces, and address of root causes in the community. Hurt hoped that listeners had the opportunity to send feedback on the university’s response through the campus portal.
The Chair asked if Hurt had an update on Chief James’ Board of Trustees’ remarks regarding license plate reader installations and security camera improvements. Hurt said that much of this camera work happened in residence halls and was already accomplished. Now, the university is identifying other places where cameras would be useful.
Hurt noted that cameras really came into play this week in the aftermath of the McClinton Residence Hall groping incident. This success has led decisionmakers to look where else these cameras could go. Similarly, license plate readers are expected to come online this winter as well.
Jacob Womack said that his area has used cameras rather significantly recently in the Carolina Union. He thought that a greater desire for campuswide improvements in camera installation and other improvements could lead to an increased demand and resultant backlog until additional staff are hired. He asked what steps are being taken and how priorities are being selected. Hurt said that this was a great question for Vice Chancellor George Battle. She advised Womack to push this question up the chain of command in Student Affairs, asking that Vice Chancellor Amy Johnson receive information about prioritizing the Student Union. She appreciated the question and planned to provide more details once they become available.
The Chair read a chat question asking about the university’s policy around security cameras. Hurt said that these cameras are not monitored in real time and that the university does not have a surveillance group. Instead, this is footage that can be pulled when there is an emergency. Cameras in residence halls are only at entrances and exits and Hurt imagined that would be the case for other campus building spaces. Matthew Teal provided a link to the university’s updated security camera policy at https://policies.unc.edu/TDClient/2833/Portal/KB/ArticleDet?ID=131855.
Michael Williams said that if there are going to be more cameras, it’s important there be effective IT inventory management and awareness of those cameras. He noted the conventional wisdom among folks in ITS, for instance, who administer much of the infrastructure around those cameras, such as the network segments where they reside, is that no one knows how many cameras we have or where they are. Maybe that conventional wisdom is incorrect, but it is certainly what gets said in hallway conversations. He said that if the solution is more cameras part of that solution needs to be ensuring that there are people who know where these cameras are, what they are doing, how many there are, and can account for this information.
Hurt said that she could not test this assumption but understood that a public safety assessment occurred when the security camera policy was reviewed last year. Again, she suggested that Vice Chancellor Battle or Associate Vice Chancellor Kemp would be a good presenter on this topic at a future Forum meeting to describe how this analysis occurred. She would flag them as this is an important conversation, along with Womack’s earlier question. She believed that university officials know where all of the cameras are now and are aware of from where they need to pull footage. However, she pledged to doublecheck this information.
The Chair said that the Forum plans to potentially invite Chief James to speak given his recent update to the Board of Trustees on this subject. She thanked Hurt for her remarks and said that she hoped to see her at University Day October 12th and Employee Appreciation Day October 20th. Hurt said that she planned to attend these events.
The Chair then moved to the Forum’s customary Human Resources update by Vice Chancellor for Human Resources, Equal Opportunity, and Compliance Becci Menghini. Menghini was pleased to note that the state finally has approved a budget which includes raises for campus staff. She noted the raises constitute the largest salary adjustment for state employees since 2007. State employees will receive a 4% increase in the first year and a 3% increase in year two. The university has received preliminary guidance from the UNC System Office and is beginning its efforts to assemble documentation to get these raises through payroll.
Menghini noted that raises will be in EHRA employees’ checks on October 31st and in SHRA employees’ checks on November 3rd, with all raises retroactive to July 1st. This goal is contingent on the university receiving the transfer of funds, but Menghini anticipated that these deadlines would be met.
Regarding other aspects of the state budget, Menghini noted the resources provided to the university in repair and renovation (R&R funds), support for the Schools of Data Science and Civic Life and Leadership, and the handful of other items mentioned earlier.
Menghini said that Employee Appreciation Day will indeed occur Friday, October 20th. She hoped all listeners would attend, noting the live band, the engagement fair, Pelican Snoballs, and meals for lunchtime, third shift, and morning employees. She hoped all would join her at the Pit and around the Union to celebrate the university’s staff.
In response to a chat question, Menghini said that the 3% second year raise will be built on to this year’s 4% raise. Employees will see this income taxed more, given the accumulated bonus, but overall, at the same rate on their new salaries. Employees with more questions can speak with their payroll coordinator.
Menghini was proud to welcome Senior Director of Benefits and Leave Administration Joe Williams to speak on the open enrollment process for the State Health Plan this year. This process will run from October 9th through October 27th. Employees will want to do their tobacco attestation to save $60 in premiums a month.
Menghini added that the Carolina Cares, Carolina Shares charity drive continues to seek donations for designated causes. She said that Chapel Hill is regularly one of the state’s leaders in this campaign. She was pleased by the campaign’s start and encouraged listeners to participate if they have not already done so. Contributions come from employee paychecks, with tax benefits letters sent directly by designated organizations. The system also depicts how much an employee has given in the last year in the sign-up phase. Sherene Jenkins is the lead administrator of this effort.
Menghini also noted that there will not be a reclassification happening, but OHR is looking at updating the career banding ranges for SHRA and EHRA employees. The Office of State Human Resources (OSHR) is studying SHRA roles towards establishing new ranges for SHRA employees. Once these new ranges are in place, the university can look at where its employees fall within the ranges and can then adjust as funds become available. OHR did not anticipate a bump in pay for some staff roles out of the budget. However, there were some special funds designated for nursing faculty. This increase has yet to receive guidance for distribution, yet the increase is very specific to the limited number of faculty in nursing school.
There will be a bit more information on these ranges available in a couple of months, Menghini said. OSHR has this item scheduled formally on its agenda in December. Menghini also anticipated that the pause in certain HR actions would be lifted soon, upon final memo from the Office of State Management and Budget (OSMB). She recalled that once the budget is certified and ratified, many items in the budget require expenditures of money. OSMB identifies where these expenditures will occur, the routing of these funds, and where the money is appropriated in all of these cases. Once OSMB issues a clarification as to when these funds are ready, the university then receives these funds.
Menghini said that there is not a provision for ARP this fall, but the university is encouraged to continue to leverage bonus options as the year progresses. There were across the board increases but no additional funds associated with a base adjustment ARP.
Associate Vice Chancellor for Human Resources Linc Butler clarified that an employee receiving an increase due to promotion on July 24th would have that increase based on their old June 30 salary and not on the new promotional salary. This amount would be added to the new promotional salary, with that next payment based on the new larger number.
Joe Williams shared his screen and spoke about open enrollment for State Health Plan recipients. He also had retirement plan updates for the Forum. The open enrollment process begins Monday, October 9th, running through Friday, October 27th. There are no premium increases for the State Health Plan on the employee side for individual or dependent coverage. Williams said that the low and high options of the dental plan premiums will increase slightly, while the “classic” middle option will not increase this year.
Employees will default back to the 70/30 plan during open enrollment and must elect to join the 80/20 plan if desired. Employees must also elect to complete their tobacco attestation or must pay $60 more a month in premiums as a tobacco surcharge. Everyone has an obligation to complete this tobacco attestation, or they will bear this surcharge, Williams said. Even tobacco users can attest that they are willing to do a tobacco cessation visit with a primary care provider or minute clinic to avoid the surcharge. Users have until November 30th to complete this visit and process this claim in order to receive credit for attestation.
Williams reminded listeners that those who want a flexible spending account will need to enroll or re-enroll in this plan for 2024 during open enrollment. The big change in enrollment this year will see the state enrollment portal bearing only the tobacco attestation and medical state health plan enrollment functions. Every other function now will take place on the UNC System Enrollment portal, accessible through ConnectCarolina self-service. Williams also noted the newly streamlined website depicting all this information and more through go.unc.edu/enroll.
Williams recalled that the UNC System has recently announced changes to the optional retirement program as well as UNC 403(b) and 457 supplemental retirement plans. All of these plans are moving to a single vendor, TIAA, per UNC System’s September 1st decision. TIAA is now the single vendor for all of the UNC System retirement plans.
This change means that all newly hired employees as of September 1st now only have 30 days to enroll in retirement and benefits, a decrease in time allotted for retirement enrollment. These new employees will choose between TSERS, the State Retirement System Pension plan, or ORP, the Optional Retirement Program, which now is TIAA-only, for their mandatory retirement. Anyone enrolling in the UNC 403(b) or 457 supplemental retirement programs for the first time will now only see TIAA as a vendor option.
Fidelity enrollees are likely nervous about how all these changes will shake out for them. UNC System guidance is that in the first or second quarters of 2024, employee accounts in the Fidelity ORP, 403(b) or 457 will automatically move and map over to TIAA. People are nervous about having this choice taken away even though the change will provide cost savings to the plan overall. Williams said that Fidelity participants will receive a lot of communication on this subject to ensure a smooth and successful transition. Williams also said that the State 401(k) and 457 plan vendor is now Empower, which recently bought out Prudential Financial Services.
Leslie Heal Ray asked what the health insurance monthly rate paid by university departments will be as of January 1, 2024. Williams said that this rate had gone up by an unspecified amount. Official communications will come out soon on this subject.
The Chair asked Williams to discuss the changeover in State Health Plan administrators from Blue Cross/Blue Shield to Aetna in January, 2025. Williams said that nervousness about this changeover also now exists as the State Plan and Blue Cross have been in partnership for 20+ years. Aetna has brought in over 600 employees who will work just with the State Health Plan. Customer service from Aetna is also actually expected to be better because there are more people dedicated to this task than Blue Cross/Blue Shield currently employs.
Williams said that Aetna also ran the sum of 2022 claims under the State Health Plan through its own system, finding that over 98% of all claims processed matched Blue Cross/Blue Shield’s in network. Williams said that Aetna has an almost equally robust network in North Carolina and the other 49 states as Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Medical providers want to be in the State Health Plan network, as the plan has over 700,000 participants. Thus, dozens of providers are coming onboard daily now as Aetna in-network providers. This has been the goal of the transition as the switchover to Aetna will occur in a little over a year.
Williams noted employee comments that Aetna does not cover certain procedures or practices. He urged listeners to remember that the State Health Plan is a self-insured plan that writes its own rules and makes its own decisions about what it will cover. Aetna, the upcoming vendor for the Plan, will handle only transactional and membership items and claims processing, not these other decisions. The Chair asked if Williams knew how the switch to Aetna would affect employee premiums. Williams said that the State Health Plan sets its premiums, not Blue Cross/Blue Shield or Aetna.
The Chair thanked Williams for his remarks. She asked Becci Menghini to share her chat update that on November 10th, the university will bring back the annual Tar Heel Tribute celebrating employees who are veterans or are military affiliated. This list is based on employees self-identifying as being veterans or being affiliated somehow. Williams asked employees who are veterans to please identify themselves in ConnectCarolina immediately so that they could receive invitations to this event. He also asked delegates to encourage coworkers who are veterans to also self-identify as soon as possible. Menghini said that OHR is trying to make this system more responsive to requests.
The Chair welcomed Senior Work/Life Manager Jessica Pyjas to present monthly wellness updates. She described the weekly webinars dedicated to taking care of one’s body during the workday through stretches, posture, and ergonomics. She shared the details of these webinars and others from the Worklife and Wellness calendar at https://hr.unc.edu/events/. This calendar includes events related to wellness from the School of Medicine and Gillings School of Global Public Health, among other areas.
The WorkWell newsletter will promote many discounts available to employees upon publication Friday. Bright time is one advertiser, a financial wellness tool that helps with budgeting through a program offered free of charge to UNC employees. Additional assistance is offered for $20/month. The newsletter will also promote discounts with the Martinsville Speedway in Virginia, with tickets only $40/each for Public Employee Appreciation Day.
Pyjas reminded listeners about the Carolina Performing Arts discount, which increased to 25% off tickets, limited to four tickets per employee. Carolina Performing Arts will hold a special free show on October 14-15th with community members from Orange, Wake, and Durham counties. The WorkWell newsletter will also contain discounts related to Halloween celebrations when it comes out Friday. Pyjas encouraged all to peruse this information.
An attendee praised Pyjas and her team for all of their important work done in the aftermath of the recent shooting incidents on campus. Pyjas noted her commitment not to leave anyone hanging in these situations. Arlene Medder asked if university employees could obtain a discount for travel via Amtrak. Pyjas did not know but said that she would research the question. Elizabeth Dubose said that Amtrak does provide a 10% discount to state employees, but that may be for travel in North Carolina only. David Bragg shared a website: https://www.amtrak.com/north-carolina-state-employees-save-15-percent. The Chair thanked Pyjas and the entire Human Resources team for their remarks.
The Chair opened discussion regarding the consent agenda. She said that the September minutes were very lengthy but contained many substantive updates. She asked for a motion to approve the consent agenda and the minutes within. Arlene Medder made this motion, seconded by L.E. Alexander. The motion was approved without opposition.
The Chair then called for committee updates from various leaders. Joe Ormond said that the Communications and Public Relations committee had published its recent issue of InTouch. The committee plans to meet again next month. The Chair urged listeners to check out the recent announcement from the Forum regarding the November 16th Book Club event. Vanessa Blake said that the Book Club had not had much participation in its September event. She hoped for improved participation in November.
Theresa Silsby said that the Community Service committee is working on requirements to adopt a family for the holidays, as was done last year under Jacob Womack’s leadership. Renata Buchanan said that preparations for the Carolina Blood Drive are ramping up. The Drive will hold its next event Thursday, December 7th at Fetzer Gymnasium. The committee will send out requests for volunteer sign-ups in the next few weeks and will also host a table at the Employee Appreciation Fair October 20th. Prospective donors can go to https://carolinablooddrive.unc.edu to make an appointment.
Arlene Medder said that the Carolina Community Garden is always seeking volunteers for its work. She said that October is a great month for departments to sign up to work for an afternoon.
Rebecca Howell said that the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee had met September 18th with Becci Menghini to discuss EHRA and SHRA distinctions and an update about the transition for some employees.
L.E. Alexander said that the Education and Career Development committee will open the professional development grant application process in mid-October. She asked those interested in reading applications to contact her or co-chair Shavon Carey-Hicks. The committee plans to start reading applications in early November and hopes to notify recipients before Thanksgiving. Applications typically number 50-60, although last spring the committee received 90+ applications. The committee has also discussed new employee orientation, onboarding, and training, in an effort to break this topic down into smaller pieces related to campus safety.
The Chair provided an update from the Forum Executive committee, noting that the group had worked on updating the Forum budget given OHR was unable to increase the budget to pre-pandemic levels this year. The committee redistributed funding to increase the budget for the Carolina Blood Drive and Professional Development Grant programs this year, which have both seen increased demand.
Tiffany Carver said that the Membership & Assignments committee is working to find a space for the Forum’s December 6th social. The group will meet soon to finalize the arrangements for that meeting. The Chair thanked Carver and Keith Hines for spearheading these plans.
Leah Hefner said that the Personnel Issues committee had met to discuss possible revisions to the Juneteenth Resolution (23-02) that was introduced on first reading in September. The committee had heard from the Carolina Black Caucus who wished to co-sign with the Forum’s resolution, with only one minor revision requested. In addition, the committee hopes to have the University Grievance Coordinator address the group at an upcoming meeting.
Gabriela De La Cruz said that the Recognition & Awards committee had undergone discussions regarding the proposal to fold aspects of the University Managers’ Association’s (UMA) work into the mission of the committee. The committee voted unanimously to take on the two awards, Manager of the Year and the Outstanding Encouragement of Leadership award, from the UMA. The Chair said that the final tweaks of this proposal would go to the full Forum and then to UMA for a final vote on the proposed merger.
Jacob Womack reported that there has been no forward progress with the Rules committee on the Forum’s proposed Bylaws changes. He asked delegates to consider assisting him in this work. He urged listeners to emphasize readability in their policy writings, as per university policy.
The Chair spoke on the work of the UNC System Staff Assembly, noting the group’s last meeting in Winston-Salem. The Assembly will meet again in October at UNC-Wilmington, with the second day of that meeting marking the ascension of Forum Chair Emerita Shayna Hill as UNC System Staff Assembly Chair.
The Chair also noted that the Chancellors’ Cup golf tournament had occurred. She hoped to obtain updates on funding raised at that event soon. She said that Keith Hines has volunteered to be the Executive Director of the golf tournament, helping Shayna Hill with planning and execution of that event next year.
James Stamey reported that the Buildings & Grounds committee had considered an accessibility improvement project at Caldwell Hall. The Chair said that she and Keith Hines continue to look at financial models to possibly change the pricing structure of parking as part of the work of the Advisory Committee on Transportation and Parking.
Matthew Teal said that the Generative A.I. committee was charged by the Provost to come up with a series of guidelines, best practices, and recommendations to help students, faculty, and staff figure out when and how to use generative A.I. tools like ChatGPT. He said that this work has largely finished, with details found here: https://provost.unc.edu/staff-generative-ai-usage-guide/. Teal particularly remarked on the specific resources or guidelines for administrative work, in areas like H.R., I.T., and Finance. Teal and the Chair contributed work on these guidelines, and he hoped that employees will rely on them as they consider the use of ChatGPT and other A.I. tools. The Chair added that two trainings focused on generative A.I. use will take place soon.
Michael Williams added that the Information Security Office did an outreach event on campus on computer security and privacy concerns. He said that generative A.I. was very much a part of this conversation and Williams thanked the Generative A.I. committee for its contribution. The Chair praised Matthew Teal for bringing the subject up in a June Forum meeting with Provost Clemens, which directly led to the staff-focused guidance.
Jonah Hodge reported that the EOC policy group has its first meeting Friday at 2 p.m. Teal said that the University Policy Review committee met September 21st, hearing a series of updates from the Carolina Union on amplified sound, rental of items, signage, and advertising policy.
The Chair said that the Parking Appeals committee is looking to reconstitute that group with new members as representation has fallen off recently. The committee’s former chair is working with the Chancellor’s Office to obtain authority to work and the committee charge, among other things. Tiffany Carver said that she would meet with Charlissa Rice to discuss new appeals that are waiting for review. The Chair thanked Carver and Rice for their work in this area.
The Chair turned to community meeting planning, noting that last month’s presentation on the Students for Fair Admission v. UNC Supreme Court case was a helpful and substantive update from the university. She anticipated that the university would not be able to produce more information at this stage and that the Forum could provide feedback on the presentation as questions arise. She said that the Forum could also work to hold the university accountable and request continual updates as the calendar moves closer to undergraduate admissions season.
Audrey Shore agreed with the Chair’s point about the university following the letter of the law. She said it would be important in coming years to continue to ask how it plans to address changes to diversity measures. Shore said that states like California have spent hundreds of millions of dollars to correct course after having gotten rid of affirmative action policies. She did think in the next couple years the university would see changes in its admissions numbers. The Chair proposed that the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee take Shore’s ideas up and possibly formulate a plan on bringing forward updates calling for data regarding diversity statistics.
Arlene Medder advised that the Forum could make its minutes on the SFFA decision available to staff employees with questions regarding the new law. The Chair noted that these minutes were already on-line, and the meeting video has been published as well.
The Chair said that community meeting planning will continue, with possible topics including the State Health Plan administrator transition. This meeting will likely take place in the next few months or even early spring. The Executive committee will now take the lead in community meeting planning.
The Chair noted Old Business in the form of the second reading of Resolution 23-02 designating Juneteenth as an official university holiday. She noted that the only change from last month was that the Carolina Black Caucus has requested to co-sign this resolution upon passage. Leah Hefner read the resolution. Elizabeth Dubose made a motion that the resolution be approved on second reading, which was seconded by Arlene Medder.
Discussion about the resolution ensued, particularly about the clause requesting that the Spring Holiday be replaced by the Juneteenth holiday later in the year. Delegates did not want to take away the Spring Holiday in any event. Keith Hines pointed out that the university is only given leave to grant 12 holidays a year by the State of North Carolina.
The Chair said that given this stipulation, the committee writing the resolution thought it more equitable to replace the Spring Holiday, a de facto religious holiday for Christians, with Juneteenth, given that others of different religious faiths on campus are expected to use personal observance leave to recognize their religious observances. The resolution would not take away the opportunity to celebrate the Spring Holiday but rather would set an equal burden upon all making these kinds of requests having to use personal observance leave.
Elizabeth Dubose noted her frustration with the scheduling of the UNC football game and accompanying recognition on Rosh Hashana this year. She asked if the Forum could advocate not scheduling events during Jewish High Holy Days or other days that approximate Christmas for other religions.
Drexel Rivers thought that Juneteenth would have been recognized by the state once it became a federal holiday. Still, he was troubled by the replacement suggestion and wondered if the Forum could take another course to press the university to create an additional holiday. He was wary of replacing one holiday with another.
Keith Hines recalled that Juneteenth was not recognized for a long period of time, and was just celebrated by African American people in the Midwest. Now, the holiday is celebrated nationally. Rivers did not want this celebration to come at the cost of taking a day from someone else. He asked why the university could not create space to observe all of these occasions.
Lisa Petersen asked why Juneteenth as a federal holiday does not automatically create a state holiday as well. Keith Hines said that federal holidays only apply to federal agencies. Not until a date is recognized as a state holiday would UNC employees have that day off.
Keith Hines recalled that NC State made Juneteenth one of their holidays for their employees. Students still receive Good Friday (Spring Holiday) off at NC State, and it is still celebrated and is a day off with no classes on campus. However, Good Friday (Spring Holiday) is not one of the 12 holidays that NC State has selected for its employees.
Jacob Womack cautioned about the tendency to find a solution to this problem instead of simply making the point known and requesting changes. He thought that higher-placed individuals should take the responsibility to find the solution to this problem. He also thought that delegates have taken too much on themselves to solve the problem. This tendency has put the Forum in a weird spot where the Forum is advising a decision to be made on which it does not have consensus. He thought that the Forum would be best served by calling attention to the problem of adding Juneteenth as a university holiday within the twelve-holiday maximum.
James Holman said that as a Christian, he thanked God that Good Friday is recognized. However, he noted that other religions are not recognized, and require personal observance leave for these days. He asked why Good Friday receives this special treatment, noting that Housekeepers usually aren’t allowed to take time off for this holiday. These employees received counseling letters if they did not come to work on these days. Holman said that the university can do something as far as recognizing Juneteenth as a campus holiday. He said that the campus was pretty much built by slaves. Similarly, the Housekeeping Department has a history of treating its employees badly. For these and other reasons, Holman thought that the university should recognize Juneteenth.
Matthew Teal commented that the designation of “Spring Holiday” always seemed a deliberate obfuscation of the holiday of Good Friday. The Spring Holiday has always moved around the calendar with Good Friday. He did not think that the university as a state agency should follow this overly religious practice.
Joseph Ormond said that holidays like Indigenous People’s Day, Columbus Day, and Veterans’ Day are recognized but are folded into the holiday week in December. He suggested that the Forum remove all reference to the Spring Holiday from the resolution, recalling that Juneteenth could be recognized rather than any of those other days as easily as the Spring Holiday.
Ormond made a motion to change the language of the resolution to reflect discussion to this point. Elizabeth Dubose seconded this motion. Keith Hines said that as an African American person, he is fine with having the Spring Holiday being replaced, because non-majority people must always make accommodations to people in the majority as a given. He said that a system has been built whereby majority needs are typically always met without even having to ask. He asked why non-Christians and non-Whites always have to make a choice in accommodating the current discussion.
The Chair offered a friendly amendment to Ormond’s motion, which Ormond accepted. The Chair thanked Rebecca Howell for her assistance in writing the text of this amendment.
The Forum heard a second to Ormond’s motion. The body voted to accept the motion, with Randall Borror, Stephanie Morales, Lisa Petersen, Drexel River, Matthew Teal, and Julie Theriault abstaining. Parliamentarian Jacob Womack affirmed that the Forum had a quota for this vote.
The Chair then called for a motion to approve Resolution 23-02 designating Juneteenth as an official University Holiday. There was a chorus of Ayes, with no abstentions or opposing votes. The resolution was thus approved by the Forum. It would be sent to the Chancellor and posted to the Forum website https://employeeforum.unc.edu/ef-resolution/resolution-23-02. Leaders of the Carolina Black Caucus will also have the opportunity to co-sign the resolution if desired.
Regarding New Business, the Chair said that given time pressures, the Executive committee had passed in September a proclamation 23-02 concerning International Housekeepers’ Week. The Chair thus sought to bring this proclamation before the full Forum for potential ratification. James Stamey moved to ratify the proclamation, seconded by Arlene Medder. As there was no discussion of the motion, the Chair called a vote. The motion was approved with no votes abstaining or in opposition. https://employeeforum.unc.edu/proclamations/proclamation-23-02/
The Chair asked for volunteers to serve on Faculty Council committees on the Status of Women and on Faculty Welfare. She said that the Executive committee would gather submitted names and vote for the Forum’s representative to each group.
The Chair noted that the national emergency test will occur this afternoon at 2:20 p.m. She added that flu and COVID booster shots are available from the Student Stores Pharmacy. The Vice Chancellors’ representatives’ meeting will next occur Thursday, November 9th.
The Chair also said that University Day will occur October 12th at 11 a.m., with a 10:30 a.m. processional forming at the Old Well. She encouraged delegates to come out to this event and line up with their departments. She would present Robin Lee with the Rebecca Clark Staff Award for Moral Courage at that event marking the University’s 230th birthday. The Chair encouraged all to celebrate Lee’s award.
Employee Appreciation Day will be held Friday, October 20th from 10 – 2 p.m. at the Pit and the Student Union. The Forum will conduct its traditional scavenger hunt that day.
The Chair opened the floor to those who have any highlights for the previous month. Keith Hines thanked all who helped with the Chancellors’ Cup golf tournament. The Chair thanked Hines for putting together the Forum’s volunteer effort. Arlene Medder thanked the Facilities Services workers who moved 48 boxes out of her closet that morning. David Bragg thanked Jacob Womack for his help and encouragement during the zip-line portion of the Forum Retreat. The Chair thanked the entire Outdoor Education Center team for their good work on the Retreat.
In the absence of further discussion, the meeting adjourned by acclamation at 11:43 a.m.
Respectfully submitted, Matt Banks, Recording Secretary