Minutes
October 7, 1998
| Delegates Present | Betty Averette | Martha Barbour | Jeffery Beam |
| Pat Bigelow | Linwood Blalock | Mary Braxton | Tommy Brickhouse |
| Lucille Brooks | Sheila Burnett | Gwen Burston | Mitch Copeland |
| Joyce Dalgleish | Linda Drake | Elizabeth Evans | Linwood Futrelle |
| Sherry Graham | Al Jeter | Steve Jones | LaEula Joyner |
| Janice Lee | Ken Litowsky | Dee Dee Massey | Lesa McPherson |
| Eileen McGrath | Anne Montgomery | Jackie Overton | Bob Schreiner |
| Stephanie Stadler | Jane Stine | Nancy Tannenbaum | Terry Teer |
| Dail White | Sharon Windsor | Carol Worrell | Laurie Charest“ |
| “ = Ex-Officio | Delagates Absent | Connie Boyce | William Carroll |
| Denise Childress | Jean Coble | Betty Geer | Jennifer Henderson |
| Phil Hearne | Bettye Jones | Ken Perry | Barbara Prear |
| Frances Rountree | Alternates Present | Connie Dean McPherson | Guests |
| Bennie Griffin | Michael Hooker | Sue Kitchen | Scott Ragland |
| Jim Ramsey | Nora Robbins | Sherrie Settle | Reyna Walters |
Call to Order, Welcome to Guests
Chair Linwood Futrelle called the meeting to order at 9:30 a.m. He recognized the new director of Public Safety Derek Poarch, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Susan Kitchen and Vice Chancellor for Administration Jim Ramsey, among others. He then welcomed Chancellor Michael Hooker to provide opening remarks.
Opening Remarks
Hooker wished the assembly good morning and said that for the first time in many months he was optimistic that the State would soon receive an operating budget from the Legislature. He said that Senator Howard Lee had in particular been stalwart in promoting the budgetary priorities of the University.
Hooker said that among the items most important to UNC-Chapel Hill is the funding of graduate student tuition remissions. He noted that in the national competition for graduate students of quality, UNC stipends are not a selling point; of the top 25 research universities, UNC-Chapel Hill ranks 25th in graduate student tuition remissions.
In addition to seeking increased tuition remissions for graduate students, the University has also sought to obtain capital support for renovations to the Undergraduate Library in order to install state of the art technology throughout the building. The University is also seeking funds to renovate Memorial Hall, and to find funds to support a biomedical research center for the School of Medicine, among other projects.
Hooker noted that the University topped $300 million in research support funds this year, and thought that the campus could obtain more funds if it had the space in which to conduct research. A consultant to the University System has determined that UNC-Chapel Hill is short by about 1 million square feet of what it requires for research space. This space crunch has forced researchers to move equipment and offices into hallways and closets to meet their space needs. Hooker hoped that the Legislature would look kindly on requests to alleviate this problem.
The General Assembly approved its State Employee pay raise plan the previous week, and Employees’ next checks should contain evidence of this agreement. Hooker thanked Employees in Payroll, Human Resources, and Administrative Information Services for working overtime through the last week to implement these raises for SPA Employees.
Hooker noted that the old laundry building at 505 West Cameron had been recently rededicated in honor of Kenan Cheek and Rebecca Clark, two leaders of University housekeepers from the 1930s and 1940s.
UNC-Chapel Hill will hold its annual University Day celebration Monday, October 12 at 11 a.m. in Memorial Hall to celebrate the laying of the cornerstone at Old East. Professor Chuck Stone will be the featured speaker. Hooker invited UNC Employees to attend University Day and the ceremonial relaying of the cornerstone of South Building.
Hooker distributed a list of campus priorities developed by his cabinet. He noted that all of the priorities he had set out during his installation address three years ago had seen significant progress towards accomplishment. The cabinet focused its list in three main areas: intellectual climate, building resources, and planning the future. Hooker invited the Forum to devote attention and debate to these ideas.
Within the area of campus intellectual climate, it is hoped that the campus first year experience will significantly improve the quality of undergraduate education at Carolina. In addition, the Carolina Advising Initiative will work to improve the quality of undergraduate advising on campus. The Center for Public Service will serve the local and State communities in developing new partnerships centered on service learning in cooperation with non-profit agencies. Hooker noted that the University already does quite a bit to serve the State through its Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) and School of Education programs among many others, and said that the Center for Public Service would coordinate these activities.
Hooker said he was committed to completing fundraising for the Black Cultural Center within the next three years. He said that campus Technology Initiatives primarily denoted the Carolina Computing Initiative, which is committed to having students use computers in the classroom. He planned to utilize these technologies himself in teaching a first-year seminar.
The University will re-engineer the first-year experience for baccalaureates, recognizing the importance of the education experience inside and outside the classroom. Susan Kitchen, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, has been instrumental in creating and coordinating a bevy of programs for first-year students.
A listener asked if there had been consideration of installing faculty families to live with students in residence halls. Hooker said that it was common for graduate students to live in residence halls but said having faculty live in residence halls proved to be a better idea in theory than in practice.
Hooker said that the University would work to promote pluralism on campus as a goal valuable in itself and as a way to introduce students to the forces at large in the developing “one-world economy.” He said that students at Chapel Hill were probably more isolated than their counterparts at Berkeley and Ann Arbor. He hoped that the curriculum and associated speakers would incorporate the global nature of our community.
The University will develop Centers of Excellence, selecting certain areas of academic focus in which the campus has the potential to become world class. Of course, the University does not have the resources to be world class in every endeavor, and must find some ways to capitalize on its considerable strengths.
Concerning Building Resources, the University will continue to emphasize Government Relations, or being accountable to the people of the State and the North Carolina Legislature in return for continued State investment. The University will need to improve the foundation of Faculty and Staff Support (salaries and benefits, research, laboratories, classrooms, and career development) to continue its quest for excellence, and has already sought increases in employee benefits. Additionally, the University has already begun Reallocation of Resources from areas of low priority to high priority.
The University will soon announce a capital campaign with a target in excess of $1 billion. While some may think that the University was somewhat stretched in its $400 million Bicentennial Campaign, Hooker noted that competing institutions of higher learning such as the Universities of Virginia, Michigan and California at Berkeley have announced or are prepared similar $1 billion campaigns.
Hooker said that the University would plan for the future in various ways: through revision of the master plan for central campus, reevaluation of enrollment projections, and wise use of the Horace Williams land tract. The University will see significantly increased demand for services because there will be a tremendous increase in high school graduates over the next twenty years. The State will expect the University to bear its share of increased demand for services. Concerning use of the Horace Williams tract, Hooker said that the University would participate in a collaborative planning process with the Towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro and the general community.
Tommy Brickhouse asked if Employee salaries would be part of the capital campaign. Hooker reiterated that the most important ingredient in any institution is the quality of its personnel. He recalled that what makes Carolina alumni so enthusiastic about the institution is the ambiance and quality of life at Chapel Hill much of which comes from its people. Hooker said that the campus ambiance was a good tool in recruiting faculty and staff, but noted that in the absence of appropriate compensation ambiance is often not enough to persuade Employees to stay. Hooker said that it has been among his highest priorities to secure appropriate salaries and benefits for campus employees, but said that it had been difficult to persuade the Legislature to pay market-competitive rates to State Employees. This situation in turn has led to some Employees taking jobs with higher salaries in Research Triangle Park. Hooker said that the Legislature had not awakened to the fact of competition with RTP. He furthermore said that compensation, salaries and benefits would be a dominant priority of the capital campaign.
Linda Drake wondered if UNC Libraries had been omitted as an area of focus in serving University priorities. Hooker replied that libraries had been dealt with under University technology initiatives, observing that world libraries will change more in the next decade than any time since the age of Guttenberg. Library support is also a driving factor behind reallocation of resources and efforts to increase faculty and staff support.
Vice-Chair Jeffery Beam asked about the method that University Centers of Excellence would be used to reallocate resources. He wondered when the University would issue a definitive list of world-class programs, and asked how and how often these programs would be evaluated. Hooker agreed that the University could never issue a definitive list as fields of excellence are constantly being found and created. He cited the previously unexplored fields of environmental studies and nanotude technology as possible areas in which the University could establish a reputation for world class excellence; scientists did not even know about the existence and properties of nanotude molecules until only a few years ago.
Since such areas now are cropping up so quickly, the University’s priorities for study will constantly evolve. However, the University can develop a list of priorities from which it can decide where to devote resources. Provost Dick Richardson has held a discussion with campus deans to establish such a list, which Hooker offered to share with the Forum to further discussion.
Hooker took the chance to introduce Director of Public Safety Derek Poarch. He then took his leave.
Special Presentations
The Chair introduced Student Body President Reyna Walters to address the Forum. Walters noted that Student Government executive committees are composed of academic affairs, external relations, human relations and student services.
Walters noted that University Day would occur October 12 and was proud to have contributed to a picnic after the ceremony to which faculty, staff and students are invited. Birthday cake will also be provided.
Walters said that only a few student representatives were involved in the planned renovations of University libraries, but that Student Government has recently created a student advisory committee on libraries. She looked forward to Student Congress completing its work on the by-laws of this committee.
Walters was very excited about upcoming changes in the University advising system, which she termed the biggest changes in campus advising in the last 40 years. In addition, she urged staff to have lunch in the new Lenoir Dining Facility, which she said was a wonderful improvement.
Concerning external relations, Walters said that Student Government would hold a Town Council day tentatively scheduled for October 29. This event will acknowledge that town ordinances often affect students more than State legislation. Student Government will also staff a get out the vote campaign in the pit until October 9.
Sherrie Graham asked if Walters was interested in contacting the Forum University Committee Assignments Committee to have students or staff represented on various Student Government committees. Walters said that the University Committee Assignments Committee could contact Emily Williamson at 2-4959 or 2-4901 to arrange these appointments.
The Chair thanked Walters for taking time to speak with the Forum.
The Chair welcomed Derek Poarch to make a few remarks. He was pleased to be with the Forum and said that he planned to build himself a new home in the nine years he has remaining in the requirement for State retirement. (He has worked in the Lenoir, North Carolina police department for 21 years).
Poarch hoped that the UNC Department of Public Safety would evolve into one of the leading departments in the country. He planned to concentrate on departmental communications, and planned to put together a committee to find ways to communicate better with the University community.
Poarch stated his commitment to community-oriented policing, and felt that Public Safety must place its main focus on serving its customers. He said that Public Safety must work with all aspects of the University community, and thought that addressing bodies like the Employee Forum was one way to engage in joint problem-solving.
Amplifying these comments, Poarch said that Public Safety could not by itself impact crime, but rather depended on working with student, staff, faculty, and town groups to reduce crime altogether. Poarch said that changes would not come quickly but instead would require years of proactive problem solving.
The Chair said that Poarch was scheduled to address the Forum at greater length in November.
The Chair introduced Vice Chancellor Susan Kitchen to speak to the Forum on the impact of the span of control study on Student Affairs. Kitchen recalled that the study is slated to impose around $100,000 in permanent budgetary cuts on Student Affairs. The span of control study bases proposed budget cuts on a formula setting the number of administrative reporting levels and supervisor-to-employee ratios in each State department. Kitchen said it was ironic that the State was imposing these cuts as two major areas within Student Affairs Student Health and Housing are mainly supported through student fees rather than State dollars.
Nonetheless, Student Affairs must comply with this order from the Office of Business & Finance and so must consolidate services. Psychiatric services and counseling services within Student Health Services will be merged in a plan to cut dollars while avoiding an impact on services to students. The plan would complete a process of consolidating SHS administratively and should save State dollars without impacting staff.
However, this merger will provide only around one-half of the $100,000 demanded by the span of control study. Within the State-funded part of Student Affairs, only 7 staff positions are in place: 2.5 positions for disability services, 3 positions in student orientation, and 1.5 positions devoted to Greek Affairs. Kitchen did not know how to meet the imperatives of the study without reducing services for students. She did not know how to combine disability, orientation, and Greek affairs functions in a way that maintained quality of services.
Tommy Brickhouse noted that the span of control study establishes that departments should have one supervisor for every four Employees. He asked how this requirement applied to a department containing only two people. Kitchen said that this was a vexing problem, which is complicated by the different benchmarks that the study establishes for different departments. For example, Career Services is allowed to have a ratio of 1:5.3 (supervisors to Employees) while other departments’ targets are set at 1:6.3. She did not know whether these benchmarks were adequate or meaningful for Student Affairs, but would try to preserve good services for students.
Vice Chancellor for Administration Jim Ramsey rose to speak on the study’s implications for Business & Finance. He noted however that the word from General Administration is that the next biannual budget may see more cuts as the Governor searches for funds to support priority areas such as Smart Start and teacher salaries.
Ramsey said that the University was working to emphasize the importance of higher education to the General Assembly. However, the current span of control study is based on a snapshot of administrative conditions that do not even exist at the present time. Based on the number of reporting levels in place July 1, 1997, the study specifies that around $950,000 must be cut from the permanent budget of Business & Finance. Ramsey noted that no academic area cuts have been specified by the study.
With the elimination of the Executive Vice Chancellor position following Elson Floyd’s departure to Western Michigan University, the number of reporting levels within Business & Finance has been reduced. Other changes have also brought the number of reporting levels down from 11 to 9. Nonetheless, Business & Finance must identify 37 different positions to eliminate to meet the $950,000 in cuts required by the span of control study.
Thankfully, the University will be able to achieve these cuts in all but one or two cases through attrition, or the elimination of vacant positions. However, the elimination of these positions still hurts, as the service they provide is still important. Facilities Services, Human Resources, Auxiliary Services are all impacted, even though some units again do not rely on State dollars to provide their services.
In response to a question, it was noted that Business & Finance has approximately 1,800 of the 2,000 staffers necessary to serve at full operations.
Tommy Brickhouse said that University Mail Services had lost a position because of this study. He observed that the State was certainly not broke, and said it was hard to understand why these cuts were occurring. Ramsey said that it was hard to understand from his perspective also. He thought the best explanation is that there are other priorities that both the Governor and General Administration want to fund. Higher education is receiving expansion dollars to support increased salaries, fringe benefits, technological initiatives, and graduate student tuition remissions. However, one source of these new funds is from base operations. The State is in effect forcing this reallocation. Ramsey noted that the Bailey settlement which granted State and federal pensioners funds also has impacted North Carolina’s revenue base.
A number of administrators have questioned the span of control study’s methodology and rationale as it applies to institutions of higher education (the study was originally designed for “normal” State agencies). Laurie Charest has taken the lead in this communication with General Administration to identify flaws in the methodology of the study. Ramsey noted that the study itself explicitly says that the numbers provided should not be used as benchmarks, and found it painfully ironic that these same numbers were the basis for a series of budget cuts.
Regardless of the institution’s mission or size, the span of control study applies the same method to State agencies.
Jeffery Beam noted that Director of UNC Libraries Joe Hewitt had also been invited to comment but was unable to attend the day’s meeting. He hoped that Hewitt would comment on the study’s effect on libraries at the Forum’s November meeting.
Employee Presentations
There were no Employee presentations.
Human Resources Update
Associate Vice Chancellor Laurie Charest gave her customary Human Resources update. She said that salary increases for SPA Employees would be available in the October 9 paychecks. These increases will include a 1% cost of living bonus, a 2% career growth bonus (given to Employees achieving a “Good” or better on their performance review) and a 1% performance bonus (given to Employees achieving “Very Good” or “Outstanding”). Employees at the maximum of their salary range will not be eligible for a salary increase but will receive a bonus commensurate with their achieved increase.
Salary increases will be retroactive, so the October 9 paychecks will be rather difficult to understand. Longevity checks will also be readjusted to reflect these increases. Charest said that the next paycheck would reflect a pay period’s regular wages. For this reason, Charest asked Employees discovering errors in their paychecks to hold off on contacting Payroll unless the error is very large.
EPA Employees will receive a 3% recurring pot of money distributed within departments according to merit with a 1% additional pot granted on a non-recurring basis. There is a 1% limit on bonus increases if the EPA Employee makes more than $100,000/year, and Employees not receiving a merit increase cannot receive a bonus.
State statutes require that BD-119s granting salary increases and one-time bonuses to EPA Employees will be completed in time for the October 30 paychecks.
Jeffery Beam asked whether Human Resources facilitators had been able to communicate to their Employees the breakdown of various salary plans. He thought that some facilitators try to answer Employees’ questions but sometimes lack good information. He hoped that Human Resources would provide facilitators accurate information on Employee eligibility for increases.
Libby Evans asked a question concerning Employees transferring from EPA non-faculty to SPA positions and their eligibility for salary increases.
Charest noted that health enrollment changes should soon be completed. Employees should receive their identification cards from their new providers within the next month, and are encouraged to call their customer service number if they have not received their cards.
The open enrollment period for the Liberty Mutual disability insurance plan is October 19 to November 13. Charest said that comparatively very few Employees are enrolled in this plan. Employees will also receive a mailing detailing this plan as well as a payroll deduction plan for auto, renters and home insurance. Some people may find that they can obtain a better or more convenient rate through the payroll deduction plan.
The initial enrollment for the long-term care plan has been extended through November 15. North Carolina Flexplan enrollment will begin in mid-October, and there will be a rate increase in the managed care part of the dental plan. There will also be a new vision plan offered to replace the vision discount card.
A TIAA-Cref representative is available two days a month in Human Resources offices to consult on tax sheltered annuities and other plans. Employees desiring a consultation can contact Charlene Graham at 1-800-842-2003 to set up an appointment.
Finally, Human Resources has more information on the new child insurance program designed for families whose income is at twice or less the federal poverty level. Gwen Burston said that information sessions about the program would take place on campus Friday, October 9 and Monday, October 12 at 8:30 a.m. in the new housekeeping building on Cameron Avenue. All Human Resources facilitators will receive a notice about these meetings.
Burston encouraged all interested Employees to attend these sessions, but said that there is not a finite signup period for this program. There is a finite amount of funds for this program, however, so Employees are encouraged to pick up applications from Employee Services soon. Social Services staffers are available to help Employees fill out applications. The program began operation October 1, and the University has posted fliers describing the benefit for housekeeping, grounds, and food services workers among others.
Approval of the Minutes
The Chair asked for a motion to approve the minutes of the September 2 minutes. Jeffery Beam made this motion, with Jackie Overton seconding. There was no discussion, and the minutes were approved as written.
Unfinished Business
The Chair directed members’ attention to the revised set of Forum Guidelines. This document incorporated changes recommended by the Executive Committee and the full Forum on first reading in September. He opened the floor for further discussion of the revisions. Seeing there was no discussion, Lucille Brooks moved that the revisions be approved on second reading by the full Forum and forwarded to the Chancellor for his approval. Jackie Overton seconded this motion. The Forum approved this motion unanimously.
New Business
The Chair noted that the leaders of the Compensation & Benefits and Personnel Policies Committees had recommended that the two bodies be merged into one committee inclusive of the duties of both. It was proposed that this committee be named the Personnel Issues Committee. Jeffery Beam noted that the Guidelines require that any change to the formation of Forum committees must be presented to the Forum in writing. The Forum decided that this proposal be developed at the Executive Committee at its October 20 meeting then presented in writing to the full Forum November 4.
Tommy Brickhouse, Chair of the Compensation & Benefits Committee, moved that the Forum introduce a resolution thanking the Administration for its research into staff tax benefits to offset campus parking fees. The Forum felt this was a good idea, but thought that the idea be better presented in the form of a letter to the Chancellor and others involved. Brickhouse was satisfied with this course of action, and the Chair agreed to write such a letter.
Chair’s Report
The Executive Committee met with its counterpart from North Carolina State’s Staff Senate September 15 at the Meadowmont complex. The two groups hope to meet again before the end of the year in a continuing effort to forget ties across the UNC System.
The Chair reminded Forum Committee chairs that annual reports are due in the Forum Office by November 20. Anne Montgomery asked that the Forum Office provide chairs with guidelines for writing annual reports.
The Chair asked members to think about prospective nominees for the Forum’s Community Award (the 3-Legged Stool). He said that the Executive Committee is charged to decide among these nominations at its November meeting. Libby Evans asked that the Executive Committee decide whether it should be a criteria of the Award that the recipient have some active role with the Forum itself, since this question arose the previous year.
The Chair journeyed to Cullowee, North Carolina in September to meet with members of the Western Carolina University staff organization. He noted differences in the parking situation between Cullowee and Chapel Hill and remarked on the general desire of campuses to achieve linkage among the different staff groups.
Committee Reports
Bob Schreiner directed members to the Career Development Committee minutes, which were included in the recent packet. The committee is considering ways to improve the tuition waiver program, as well as discussing methods to encourage managers to allow their Employees to attend training programs.
Speaking on behalf of the Communications Committee, Bob Schreiner noted the Forum’s annual insert would appear in that day’s issue of the University Gazette. He thanked Scott Ragland of the Gazette as well as Jennifer Henderson and the many others who helped in the insert’s production. Members pointed out that Schreiner had contributed a great deal to the original layout and proofing of the first edition of the insert which had made this year’s edition much easier to accomplish.
Tommy Brickhouse, Chair of the Compensation & Benefits Committee, recognized new committee member Betty Meehan-Black. The committee’s minutes were included in the agenda packet.
Jeffery Beam, Chair of the Employee Presentations Committee, said that the October 6 fall community meeting had been quite successful, attracting between 150-175 people. He thanked everyone on the committee for their work, and particularly thanked Ken Litowsky and Jim Ramsey for their wonderful presentations. Beam noted that there were many questions from the audience and a large stack of evaluations. Evaluators felt that there had been some logistical problems with the Student Union Auditorium, but commented that they were very impressed with the 10-15 review of the Forum recent (last 6 months) activities.
Beam noted that a Daily Tar Heel reporter had contacted the major participants in the meeting and had written a good preview for that morning’s paper. He thought that this coverage reflected the work of the Communications Committee in cultivating the DTH.
Lucille Brooks, Chair of the Nominating Committee, noted that the Forum elections were recently completed. She thanked all of the committee’s members, particularly Linda Drake and Dail White for special help above and beyond in completing the elections.
Brooks read the results of the 1998 delegate elections:
Division 1 – EPA Non Faculty
Term Ending 12/00: Vicki F. Pineles, Jill Mayer, Brenda Ambrose-Fortune
First Alternate: Margaret E. Moore
Division 2 – Service/Maintenance
Term Ending 12/00: Lorrie A. Hall, Forrest L. Aiken Jr., Ken Perry
First Alternate: Bethany R. Cowan
Division 3 – Skilled Craft
Term Ending 12/00: Rickey Robinson
First Alternate: James P. Evans
Division 4-Clerical/Secretarial (Academic Affairs)
Term Ending 12/00: Ruthie Lawson, Maxcine Barnes
First Alternate: Elizabeth Gorsuch
Division 5- Clerical/Secretarial (Health Affairs)
Term Ending 12/00: Linda Ford, Charlotte Kilpatrick, Verdell Williams, Terry Barker
First Alternate: Kim Gardner
Division 6 – Clerical/Secretarial (Other)
Term Ending 12/00: Karen Geer, Bobbie
Lesane
First Alternate: Diane Strong
Division 7 – Technical
Term Ending 12/00: Peggy Berryhill, Dorothy Grant, Lynn Ray, Denise L. Mabe, Jim Barnes
First Alternate: Monisia Farrington
Division 8 – Professional
Term Ending 12/00: Joanne Kucharski, Cindy W. Stone, Michael Hawkins
First Alternate: Donna Wagner
Division 9 – Exec/Admin/Managerial
Term Ending 12/00: Kathy Dutton
First Alternate: Larry Hicks
Nancy Tannenbaum noted that the minutes of the Orientation Committee were included in the agenda packet. The committee will hold a required meeting on October 15 to put together notebooks in preparation for the October 23 Orientation for new Delegates. Tannenbaum said she was having trouble finding someone to run the Forum’s get-acquainted exercise for the meeting, and Nora Robbins volunteered to find someone from within Human Resources.
Martha Barbour said that the Personnel Policies Committee had held a very good meeting September 22. She said that most everyone who had attended the meeting had provided suggestions and feedback on the survey of SPA exempt Employees. Others with comments on the survey should contact Barbour as soon as possible. She thanked Laurie Charest for her help with this effort.
Lesa McPherson said that Employees participating in the University Day processional need to be behind the Old Well at 10:30 a.m. Monday morning. The Recognition & Awards Committee was finalizing this area as well as its Behind the Scenes letters of recognition. McPherson asked Delegates to forward their nominations to her or the Forum Office.
Anne Montgomery of the University Committee Assignments Committee noted that group had recently completed a seven-month long project to review all of the existing committees at the University. Their report also asks the Forum Chair to request positions on five different committees on which staff do not hold at-large representation.
Montgomery asked for two volunteers to serve on the Transportation and Parking Advisory Committee. She noted that Derek Poarch has pledged to revive this committee. Montgomery asked that one first-year delegate volunteer to serve.
Task Force Reports
Bob Schreiner reported that the Grievance Procedure Review Task Force met October 2 and considered line-by-line changes to the current policy. Much of the group’s focus has been on different mediation methods and the role of the grievant’s support person. In addition, the task force will suggest changes in the way in which sexual harassment problems are handled. The task force should soon publish a draft of the new version for general comment, and will meet again October 19.
Libby Evans reported that she had met with Provost Dick Richardson and Chair of the Faculty Pete Andrews towards composing an implementation committee concerning recommendations of the report. Evans had forwarded the names of Linwood Futrelle, Stephanie Stadler, and Kathy Thomas to serve on this committee. Evans thought that the efforts of the Forum’s task force could be tied into that of the implementation committee.
Bennie Griffin noted that meetings of the Outsourcing Steering Team would soon increase as the outsourcing study entered the second of its three years. The Team will study housekeeping services in the Housing area, printing services, and record storage in its third year. Jim Mergner, Deputy for Facilities Services, had addressed the Team.
Mergner said that since Facilities Service had taken over housekeeping, its number one priority had been to upgrade the quality of services rendered. Housekeeping had cut two layers of supervision through a new plan relying on three zone managers and approximately 20 team leaders. Mergner hoped that a consultant to housekeeping would complete their report by November 30. The Team will work to improve customer satisfaction whether the area is privatized or kept in-house. Bruce Runberg and Mergner will meet weekly with members of the Housekeepers’ Association.
Griffin noted that printing services are already one-third outsourced for economic reasons. This year’s study will help determine whether all of the printing services should be outsourced or brought back under the University umbrella. In addition, the Team will study whether to bring the University’s record storage facilities from their current privatized status.
Finally, Laurie Charest’s Employee Relations subcommittee had also met but had no report.
The Chair said that the University Priorities and Budget Committee (UPBC) was in the draft stage of a final report, and would start to meet that month with deans and vice chancellors. These discussions would deal with how their priorities tie into University priorities. In addition, the UPBC will consider issues of funding reallocation.
A Faculty Council liaison has not yet been named.
Announcements
Gwen Burston asked members to consider giving to the State Employees’ Combined Campaign, which will run October 1 through October 30. The Chair noted that the UNC-Chapel Hill has justly won a reputation as the most generous in the State, contributing more than 20% of the total in last year’s campaign.
Scott Ragland noted that a kick-off meeting would take place that week at the Bullit-Brinkhouse Building.
In the absence of any further discussion, the meeting adjourned by acclamation at 11:25 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Matt Banks, Recording Secretary