Draft Minutes
System Governance Council meeting
Thursday, Nov 14, 2002
Beginning at approximately 3:00pm
1.
Call to order and roll call
Members present:
Justin Whittington, Representative, Medium Density Schools, Senator, USUAS-Juneau
Derek Miller, Chair of the Council; President, ASUAF
Robert Sewell, Chair of the Staff Alliance; President, UAS Staff Council
Amber Clarke, Vice President, PWSCC Student Association
Hilary Davies, Vice President, UAA Assembly; Member, UAA Faculty Senate
John Mitchell, President, Statewide Administration Assembly
Casey Reynolds, Legislative Affairs Director, Union of Students of UAA
Patti Thorne for David Woodley, President, UAA Assembly
Larry Ledlow, President, UAF Staff Council
Larry Duffy, Past President, UAF Faculty Senate
Mike Everette, President, UAF Alumni Association
Others present:
Pat Ivey, Executive Officer, System Governance
2.
Adopt agenda
MOTION passed
“The System Governance Council moves to adopt the agenda for the November 14, 2002 meeting. This action is effective November 14, 2002.”
3.
Approve minutes
MOTION passed as amended without objection
“The System Governance Council moves to approve the minutes of September 26, 2002 meeting as amended. This action is effective November 14, 2002..”
4.
Chair’s Report
Derek Miller announced that he was stepping down as chair of the System Governance Council. He is president of Associated Students of UAF and was just appointed student regent which will take up all of his time.
4.1 Strategic Plan
Derek Miller called for input on the strategic plan. John Mitchell said that as a group the Council didn’t need to provide any more input. Casey Mitchell responded that the Council’s name is on the strategic plan so the Council needed to make a recommendation. He added that individual input would be valued as well. Larry Ledlow said UAF Staff Council will take review the plan as well. In order to make comments before the Board of Regents Planning and Development Committee looks at it, comments have to be to Jim Johnsen by December 1. Robert Sewell said the Staff Alliance should take up those portions relating to staff.
Action: Another Council meeting was scheduled for December 12, 2002. Pat Ivey was instructed to invite Jim Johnsen.
4.2
Board of Regents meeting
Derek Miller said that the Coalition of Student Leaders will be using the tuition increase to leverage full funding for the university. Rural college student concerns were expressed at the last regents meeting. Tuition increase passed 7-3 not 11-0.
5.
Election of the Chair
Casey Reynolds and Robert Sewell were nominated. Robert Sewell was elected chair.
6.
System Governance reports
6.1 Faculty Alliance
The Faculty Alliance met October 11 and will meet again on November 15. The Alliance is taking up several issues, including general education core requirements.
6.2
Staff Alliance
6.3 Robert Sewell reported that the Staff Alliance is dealing with compensation and benefits issues and promulgated several positions which are on the web. The Alliance is concerned about the turnover in Human Resources with Janet Jacobs retiring.. Despite that there has been advances in staff development. And a one-year extension of the staff development position. The Staff Alliance developed an electronic query instrument under the leadership of UAA’s David Woodley.
Over the next year, it will be difficult to see what changing faces and funding means for classified and APT. Have three times requested 2.0 percent increase to the salary grid which was essentially ignored.
7. Local governance reports
7.1
UAA
Hilary Davies reported UAA concerns about the budget and the strategic plan. She expectx a lot of UAA departments and colleges to provide input to the strategic plan.
7.2
UAF
Derek Miller reported that the Associated Students of UAF is going to conduct on line elections for the first time on December 3 and 4. It is hoped that this will lead to all student governments voting on line. On March 9, ASUAF will hold a summit, a student-initiated event where student leaders can have a dialogue with one another about UAF issues. Participants will include Sun Star reporters, residence hall advisors, ASUAF, club and council presidents and fraternities.
Brodie Anderson will be appointed the ASUAF representative to the System Governance Council in Derek Miller’s place.
In addition to the System Governance Council candidate survey, ASUAF did its own survey in cooperation with the Sun Star which was published in that newspaper.
Larry Ledlow reported that the UAF Staff Council is working on the nondiscrimination clause and working with the UAF multicultural center on all kinds of diversity issues. The effort has evolved to where the UAF governance coordinating committee formed a standing committee to work with all the offices to address issues of tolerance, diversity and freedom of speech. Discrimination as a topic has become more important to UAF administration. An anti-discrimination advisor program has been established. Complaints are being taken more seriously.
Healthcare and compensation issues still weigh heavily within the UAF Staff Council. Attempts are being made to organize the staff by the Alaska Public Employees Association.
UAF human resources is establishing an employee recognition program that allows departments to recognize their employees with cash or a day off.
New construction from GO bonds are good but will adversely impact UAF parking.
UAF demonstrated clearly that they have some major communications problem with staff.; problems with work flow as well as communications problems.
7.3
UAS
Justin Whittington reported that Scott Foster and Greg Wagoner have resigned so UAS is looking to fill both of those positions. USUAS-Juneau just hired a recycling director and is also recruiting for the leadership program. These students will fill student government, ambassadors and RAs. Kenai Peninsula College Student Union is dealing with child care issues and the United Students of UAS-Sitka student government is dealing with food on campus.
UAS Staff Council will participate in the Egan Library extension dedication soon.
7.4 Statewide
John Mitchell reported that half of the Butrovich Building parking lot has been converted to museum use. The Statewide Administration Assembly vice president took another job and may resign from governance. The Statewide Administration Assembly is looking at the healthcare issue, is working with Love, Inc to adopt a family for Christmas and will conduct a canned food drive.
8. Agenda items for next meeting December 12
Agenda items may include but may not be limited to:
Student employment
Strategic Plan
- Other
items of concern
9.1 Student employee wages
The UA student employee pay scale has some steps currently below minimum wage; Hilary Davies said she pays her student employees the absolute maximum that is appropriate for the range. Casey said UAA RAs can’t take another job yet they only get $70 every two weeks. The other thing is that students can only can work 20 hours per week and don’t get benefits. Tuition has gone up exponentially but the student wages have not. As of January 1, UA will be employing students below minimum wage unless the pay scale is changed. The system is top heavy with student assistant IIIs and IV and there needs to be an SAIV range. Some departments are setting up quasi-student internships that pay more, such as fire and codes and safety. The Coalition would like to adjust the grid and do a reclassification to add a Step IV and reclassify jobs to the appropriate level.
The Coalition of Student Leaders will develop a proposal for submission to the System Governance Council.
10.
Adjourn
The meeting was adjourned at 4:40pm