1. Call to order and roll call

Present:

Marie Scholle, Chair, System Governance Council; Chair
Staff Alliance; President, UAF Staff Council
Art Bukowski, President, UAA Assembly until 2:45pm;
Eleanor Martinez for Art Bukowski after 2:45pm
Barb Tullis, Vice President, UAA Assembly
Thomas Walker, President, Union of Students of UAA
Michael Jennings for Eric Heyne, President, UAF Faculty Senate
Scott Kawasaki, Representtive, Associated Students of UAF
Shawn Paul, President, United Students of UAS-Juneau
Betty Dupee, President, Statewide Administration Assembly

Absent, excused:

Rita Dursi Johnson, President, UAS Faculty Senate
Donna Chantry, President, UAS Faculty Senate
Lauren Carlton, Net Reresentative, Homer campus

Others present:

Virginia Breeze, Chair, Academic and Student Affairs Committee, UA Board of Regents
Joe Thomas, Member, UA Board of Regents
Wendy Redman, Vice President, University Relations
Grant Matheke, Member, Staff Alliance and UAF Staff Council
Eleanor Martinez, President, UAA APT Council
Ella Nuss, Co-president, UAA Classified Employee Council
Pat Ivey, Executive Officer, System Governance
Jeannine Burnett, Admin Asst., System Governance

2. Adopt agenda

MOTION: Moved by Dupee, seconded by Kawasaki, amended by Bukowski, passed as amended

"The System Governance Council moves to adopt the agenda for the March 1, 1996 meeting as amended.

1. Call to order and roll call
2. Adopt agenda
3. Approve January 19, 1996 minutes
4. Chair's Report
5. Communications
6. Job evaluations
7. Legislative update
8. Reports
8.1 Alliance of Faculty Senates
8.2 Coalition of Student Leaders
8.3 Staff Alliance
8.4 Local governance groups
8.5 Other reports
9. Next meeting: date, time, meeting method, agenda items
10. Other items of concern
10.1 Salary structure implementation and governance
11. Comments
12. Adjourn
This action is effective March 1, 1996."

MOTION: not acted upon

"The System Governance Council moves to approve the minutes for the January 19, 1996 meeting. This action is effective March 1, 1996."

Staff Alliance coordination of faculty staff and student visits with legislators on February 15 proved successful. Several legislators commented positively.

Regent Thomas felt that there may be too many governance groups; that the review system may be too cumbersome; that issues needed to be prioritized; and that there are too many competing interests on each issue. Regent Breeze felt that the governance process allows faculty, staff, and students to work together and that communications with the Board could occur through letters beforehand and during the public comments section at Board meetings. The biggest constraint to having faculty and staff participate in Board committee meetings was that there was not enough time given the very large Board agendas and the Board mandate to get its work completed within two days. Regent Thomas emphasized that presentations to the Board should be concise and presenters should be well prepared. Shawn Paul suggested that the regents consider moving public comments to the beginning of the Board meeting on the first day prior to Board committee meetings so the Board could use that input in its deliberations. Regent Breeze said she would suggest it to the Board president.

There also appears to be a communications problem between administration and governance. It was felt that administration should not be a stumbling block; that issues are communicated to governance too late to respond prior to Board action. It was agreed that the next step should be for all parties to work on the administration-governance communications piece.Grant Matheke suggested that comments and actions on issues be sent directly to the Board with a copy to the president. Regents thought that might also be an option.

There appears to be a great deal of confusion about job evaluation project time lines; in particular, the exact date in which the regulation was suspended.

Scholle has requested a written information on a February 16 meeting of the human resource directors that might have bearing on the situation. There is also concern that some people are getting the results of their job evaluations and corresponding salary increases even though the regulation is suspended while the majority of employees will not receive notice or related increases until the job evaluation project is completed, estimated at the present time to be July 1997 at the earliest.

Wendy Redman reported that there could be some hearings next week on labor contracts and on the capital budget. The RIP bill will not pass without Tier 3.

Redman's weekly legislative update audioconferences will begin March 8 at 4:00pm.

8.1 Alliance of Faculty Senates

Michael Jennings reported that the Alliance of Faculty Senates and the UAF Faculty Senate were extremely concerned about Collection 3. The move to a virtual university should mean commitment to techical support for the corresponding teaching method. However the focus on this type of teaching is not backed up to a commitment for the corresponding faculty development and training. If the faculty work load emphasis is teaching, extreme care will have to be taken in how faculty evaluations are done.

The Alliance of Faculty Senates meets March 18 from 11:30 to 1:00pm by audioconference and then jointly with the Systemwide Academic Council by videoconference beginning at 1:30pm the same day.

8.2 Coalition of Student Leaders

The Coalition of Student Leaders meets tonight at 5:00pm. The 11th Annual Student Legislative Conference was held February 14-18. The House Finance UA Budget Subcommittee held a hearing for conference members on February 16.

8.3 Staff Alliance

Staff Alliance meets next on March 12, 1996 from 9:30am to 11:30am by audioconference. Staff Alliance continues to monitor the job evaluation project.

8.4 Local governance groups

Barb Tullis reported that Jim Kessler attended the latest UAA Assembly meeting; that the Assembly had been progressing under the assumption that JEFs would be processed normally only to hear that JEFs will now be held until the completion of the project.

Thomas Walker reported that the Union of Students of UAA held a G.R.O.W. workshop for approximately 40 student leaders February 23-25. G.R.O.W. workshops. These workshops are conducted by the United States Student Association give students tools to effect change.

8.5 Other reports

There were no other reports

April 17 from noon to 2:00pm, depending on availability of the Council.

10.1. Salary structure implementation and governance

Art Bukowski requested that the Council grieve the Statewide human resource director over alleged violation of Regents' Policy 04.05.03 in regard to the August, 1995 implementation of changes lowering the entry level of certain APT salary ranges. He indicated that the UAA Assembly had trouble defining a remedy.

Marie Scholle requested two more weeks to investigate the situation and then would write a letter to the president and the Board notifying them that there had been no governance input. Art concurred, stating that the letter should be worded in such a way that would strongly remind administration to follow Board Policy. Bukowski, Tullis, Nuss and Martinez were requested to send their concerns in writing to Scholle.

There were no other comments.

The meeting was adjourned at 3:15pm.