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June 12, 2019

 

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June 12, 2019

UNC-Chapel Hill Employee Forum

Hitchcock Multipurpose Room, Sonja H. Stone Center for Black Culture and History

NOTE:  This is a draft agenda and is subject to change without notice.

Meet and Greet with Peer Recognition Award Recipients (9:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.)

I.  Call to Order & Opening Remarks—Chair Shayna Hill (9:15 a.m. – 9:25 a.m.)

  • Welcome to Guests & Members of the Press

II. Awards Ceremony (9:25 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.)

  • Peer Recognition Award Ceremony
  • Recognition of Outgoing Delegates
  • Kay Wijnberg Hovious Outstanding Delegate Awards

III. Human Resources Update (10:15 a.m. – 10:35 a.m.)

  • Interim Vice Chancellor for Workforce Strategy, Equity and Engagement Becci Menghini
  • Associate Vice Chancellor for Human Resources Linc Butler

IV. Consent Agenda (10:35 a.m. – 10:50 a.m.)

V.  Old Business (10:50 a.m. – 10:55 a.m.)

VI. New Business (10:55 a.m. – 11:25 a.m.)

  • Forum Officer Elections; Remarks from Officer Candidates
    • Chair: Shayna Hill
    • Vice Chair: Katie Musgrove, Natiaya Neal
    • Secretary: Tiffany Carver
    • Treasurer: Karlina Matthews
  • Preference for July 10th Retreat: Possible Sites

VII. Announcements/Questions (11:25 -11:30 a.m.)

VIII. Adjournment

MINUTES

June 12, 2019 Employee Forum Minutes

Attending:  Darren Abrecht, L.E. Alexander, Donyell Batts, Emma Beckham, Ashley Belcher, Rich Brandenburg,  Shane Brogan, Tiffany Carver, Timothy Carville, Jen DeNeal, Morgan Douglas, Phil Edwards, Nicole Eggleston, Stephanie Forman, Adrianne Gibilisco, Shayna Hill, James Holman, Linda Holtz, Todd Hux, Heather Lewis, Jeff McQueen, Arlene Medder, Clinton Miller, Kadejah Murray, Katie Musgrove, Hoi Ning Ngai, Joe Ormond, Jim Potts, Rocky Riviella, Kelly Scurlock Cross, Greg Smith, James Stamey, Allison Standard

Excused Absences:  Melisa Campbell, Mary King, Karlina Matthews, Tracy Wetherby Williams

Chair Shayna Hill called the meeting to order at 9:15 a.m.  She welcomed members of the press and guests, including the many people associated with the day’s Peer Recognition event.  She welcomed Recognition & Awards committee chair Natiaya Neal to recognize award winners.

Neal noted that the committee had worked to evaluate 170 nominations through the spring.  She thanked the committee for its work.  She then presented the following awards:

Award Winner Department
Hall of Fame:  Staff Member of the Year Roman Tadesse Adams School of Dentistry
Hall of Fame:  Staff Member of the Year Angelica Figueroa University Advancement
Perfect Addition:  Staff Member of the Year Erin Kelley Arts & Sciences Foundation
Perfect Addition:  Staff Member of the Year Mariel Eaves LGBTQ Center
Pinnacle Viviane Lanos Office of Dean of Students
Pinnacle Jaci Field Athletics
Overton Leadership Dawna Jones Office of Dean of Students
Professional Excellence Melissa Green Allied Health Services
Professional Excellence Teri Smith Gillings School of Public Health
Professional Excellence Priya Kearney Kenan-Flagler Business School
Professional Excellence Katherine Cresante Allied Health Services

 

She then presented Beverly Garcia with the Forum’s Community Award (Three-Legged Stool), the Forum’s most prestigious award.  Neal noted that this year, all the awards have been bolstered to grant recipients a $100 stipend.

The Chair presented the Kay Wijnberg Hovious Awards to Outstanding Forum Delegates Lori Haight, Jim Potts, and Greg Smith.  The awards are named after the first Chair of the Employee Forum.

The Chair welcomed Interim Vice Chancellor for Workforce Strategy, Equity and Engagement (WSEE) Becci Menghini to present the Forum’s customary Human Resources update.  Menghini congratulated all incoming delegates to the Forum as well as all award winners.  She noted her background as Senior Associate Vice Chancellor in Workforce, Strategy, Equity and Engagement prior to assuming the Interim vice chancellor position this month.  She looked forward to continuing work on the Operational Excellence initiative and the University’s BluePrint for Next.

Menghini also looked forward to partnering with the Forum on the range of issues facing employees.  She noted her role overseeing Diversity and Inclusion, Equal Opportunity and the Title IX office, among other concerns.  She said all are partners in service to all at Carolina.

Menghini noted recent legislative difficulties and campus controversies.  She hoped to find ways to obtain feedback towards addressing these concerns.  She noted the improvement in hiring times as a result of Operational Excellence Initiative, of which Associate Vice Chancellor for Human Resources Linc Butler has played a strong part.  She said that two new cohorts have been added to this process.  Human Resources officials continue to think of ways to improve.

Menghini hoped to better share responsibilities and to rely on the Forum to indicate how her office is doing.  She looked forward to working with the Forum and pledged to maintain a relative open-door policy.

The Chair welcomed Linc Butler to present his report.  Butler noted that the Office of Human Resources has reduced the hiring time for EHRA positions from 110 days to 45 days, and the period for SHRA positions from 80 to 38 days.  He recalled questions that the Office might have sacrificed quality for speed but said that decision-makers are working to address these concerns in the context of these reforms.

Butler said that the Governor’s executive order granting State employees parental leave had caught the University off-guard.  The initiative is a great one but does not yet include UNC System employees.  Butler pledged to work with the UNC System Office to rectify this oversight.  He was hopeful this would occur soon.

Regarding the State budget, Butler noted significant differences between the House and Senate on employee salary increases.  He said that a conference committee will hash out these differences.  He also noted concerns about an alternative effective date for staff salary increases, January 1, 2020.  He said that the State has long used July 1st, the start of the fiscal year, as the start date for its increases.  He added that he had not heard talk about additional bonus leave this year.

Clare Counihan asked if the Governor’s executive order did not apply to UNC employees at all.  Butler said that the UNC System Office is exploring ways to advocate for inclusion of UNC employees, but plans have yet to bear fruit.

David Rogers asked about the hiring process for student employees, noting the money spent on background checks for these students.  He thought that the University should be able to trust students it has already accepted to study here.  Butler said that the use of background checks for student employment has expanded in recent years.

Jessica Pyjas noted that a good number of people attended the University’s last five wellness Wednesday events either in person or through the web.  The next event will take place July 11th featuring mindfulness techniques.  She encouraged listeners to sign up when they could.

Pyjas directed listeners to the Helping Heels caregiver list which features 170 UNC-affiliated care organizations.  She emphasized that the University does not provide background checks for these organizations, leaving this matter to the individual hiring.

Pyjas noted that UNC employees can get 15% off Carolina Performing Arts tickets, Durham Bulls ticket discounts, rental car discounts and other deals via https://hr.unc.edu/benefits/perks/ .

The Chair called for a motion to approve the consent agenda of the Forum.  Katie Musgrove asked leave to take the Community Service committee report off the consent agenda.  Arlene Medder moved that the Forum approve the consent agenda with amendments to the May minutes, seconded by Jeff McQueen.  The motion was approved without opposition.

Katie Musgrove, chair of the Community Service committee, said that the tomato planting event run by the Carolina Campus Community Garden had drawn 45 people to work on this project.  She noted that the day’s sponsors, TIAA, encouraged the University to apply for more corporate grants.

Musgrove reported that 758 people had presented to give blood at the June Blood Drive, producing 779 units of usable blood.  She emphasized the dramatic increase in appointments in the last days before the drive.  She also thanked Blood Drive chair Jim Potts for his excellent presentation about the Drive on WCHL radio the day before.

Musgrove said that the June Habitat for Humanity build had drawn 26 volunteers working in two shifts.  She said that the committee planned to work with the Office of Human Resources to publicize community service leave options for employees.  She invited delegates and others to serve on the committee.

Jeff McQueen conducted the Forum elections for the upcoming fiscal year.  Shayna Hill was reelected Chair, Katie Musgrove was elected Vice Chair, Tiffany Carver was elected Secretary and Karlina Matthews was elected Treasurer.  McQueen thanked all for running and particularly congratulated the new Forum officers.

The Chair hoped that the Forum could find ways to include officer candidate Natiaya Neal in a prominent role this year.

The Chair asked for viewpoints regarding an idea to shoot short video vignettes during the afternoon of the July 10th retreat.  She said that these vignettes would allow the Forum to better communicate with its constituents in the coming year.  Arlene Medder approved of the idea, but worried about script production.  The Chair said that she could write scripts for this purpose.

Emma Beckham proposed that each Forum committee do a short presentation about its work and accomplishments.  She proposed fleshing out this idea at the June 18th Executive Committee meeting.  Katie Musgrove noted that delegates will be in process of choosing their primary committees at this point during the retreat.

The Chair proposed including these vignettes in mass emails sent to campus employees.  A delegate voiced concern about participating in filming a vignette before they had experience working with the Forum.  The Chair recalled the “abject terror” she felt when first working as a delegate and officer.  She said that no rule will require delegates to participate in the filming.  The Chair noted the imperative that the Forum create content for its social media accounts and said that she hoped to meet this need in this way.  She praised those who contributed to the Forum’s Twitter and Instagram accounts.

Greg Smith noted potential difficulties with loading video or event links on the Forum’s email client.  He said that these features often trigger spam filters.  He had pursued this question with Information Technology Services to no avail thus far.

Natiaya Neal noted the ideas to create a Chancellors’ Cup Golf Tournament committee and a Social Media committee.  The Chair hoped to move in this direction in the upcoming year.

The Chair said that the UNC System Staff Assembly elections will take place in September.  She urged delegates to consider running for one of these open positions.

The Chair recalled her recent one-on-one meeting with Interim Chancellor Guskiewicz.  She was very hopeful about prospects for the Forum’s working relationship with his office and with South Building.

The Chair offered to assist any delegate interested in shadowing her to learn about the duties of the Forum Chair.  Tiffany Carver thanked the Chair for her openness and inclusiveness in her office.  The Chair said that those interested in learning about leadership positions should contact her soon.

Jim Potts asked about the Executive Committee’s reconstitution.  The Chair encouraged delegates who wish for a deeper look at University business to consider service on the Executive Committee.  Selection of divisional representatives will occur at the July retreat.

In the absence of further discussion, Tiffany Carver moved that the Forum adjourn, seconded by Arlene Medder.  The meeting adjourned by acclamation at 11:13 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Matt Banks, Recording Secretary

 

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