Chancellor's Staff Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes September 17, 1998   Members present: Steve Honeycutt, Maggie Smith, Delacy Bradsher, Carolyn McElrath, Jan Scroggs, Charles Shivers, Harold Johnson, Mary Chakales, Steve Parrott, Roger Penley, Mary O'Day, Melanie Rhodarmer, Nancy Williams, Mike Honeycutt, Marilyn Lonon, Richard White, Kathy Higdon, Terry Bailey, Elise Henshaw. Others in attendance: Chancellor Patsy Reed; Linda Franklin, ex officio; Stephan Horvath, SGA; Christian Nimsch, Kristie Sutterman The meeting was called to order at 1:30 in Room 37, Highsmith Center by the chair, Steve Honeycutt. Minutes of the last meeting were approved. Maggie Smith presented the report for the Leave Committee. Maggie asked for clarification on the proper procedure for committees to follow in making a recommendation to the full CSAC. The Chair suggested that, when a committee has a recommendation, the chair present it to the CSAC for discussion, after which either a vote is taken or the recommendation is turned back to the committee. The following recommendation from the Leave Committee was made. "Recommended that the ballot regarding a replacement for the Labor Day holiday be revised to make a floating holiday (a day of individual choice) an option." After brief discussion, it was decided that the Leave Committee would check to determine if any of the other constituent institutions offer such an option. The Leave Committee is continuing to explore perks and discounts that might be offered to staff, both those that may exist presently and possible new ones. A suggestion has been submitted that staff be given an hour a semester to attend a class of their choice. This would provide an opportunity for greater faculty/staff interaction and for staff to explore further an area of interest. This suggestion will be pursued by the committee. It was agreed that when new issues are presented to CSAC, the appropriateness of the issue must be determined. If any issues are too narrow, the chair will contact the individual submitting the issue and inform them of the proper channels for pursuing the issue. The chair announced that William Bruce has been appointed as the faculty representative to CSAC. Terry Bailey gave the report for the Staff Morale Committee and suggested that some issues need to be read with an eye toward whether they really are needed and justify the time and effort that would be required to implement. The staff mentoring program was offered as an example. A survey to employees hired over the past two years was suggested as a way to determine whether this issue is worthy of further pursuit. The Staff Morale Committee recommended that CSAC should be involved in a review of policies which directly or indirectly relate to staff. The recommendation was passed. In response to a recommendation that CSAC have representation on various university-wide committees it was decided to review the committees and determine which are applicable to staff participation. The Chancellor's Advisory Committee is one of those which has been suggested for staff representation. Since this a committee which is not appropriate for staff representation, it was suggested that an explanation of the committee in the newsletter would be helpful. Mike Honeycutt reporting for the Parking Committee recommended that the annual parking fee be made an automatic monthly check withdrawal. After discussion, it was decided that further research needed to be done before CSAC could vote on the recommendation. A second recommendation that employees working on the third shift be granted free parking also was postponed to allow for additional research. Chancellor Reed announced that only three people had signed-up for the September 24th "Chancellor's Lunch With 19" and invited anyone who had been considering attending to sign-up. The chair said he would like to have prepared, by October 1st, the CSAC letter to Dr. DeVries, executive administrator of the State Health Plan, outlining our concerns about the loss of the HMO plans in western North Carolina. Anyone wishing to sign is welcome to do so. It was suggested that copies be sent to the Western North Carolina delegation to the House of Representatives and the benefits coordinator for the UNC System. Under new business, Kristie Sutterman, Human Resources Director, reported on the status of state employees' pay increases. An effort to pull the salaries issue from the Budget Appropriations Bill failed, which means pay increases will not take effect until the entire budget process is resolved. If this does not occur in the next week and a half, it will be December. The question of the inequity between staff and faculty raises was raised. It was explained that faculty salaries are determined by the Board of Governors and SPA salaries are set by the Legislature. The committee discussed the form the CSAC newsletter should take. It was decided that the first issue will be put on e-mail in a brief form and mailed out in hard copy to those who don't have access to e-mail. A more lengthy form will be placed on the web page. October 1st is the deadline for newsletter submissions, with publication planned before the next meeting. A concern was expressed that newsletter content not be watered down. The chair announced that he will be communicating with all staff who have brought issues to CSAC. Linda Franklin explained the criteria for distributing the $1500 in staff scholarships. The money is to be used for non-UNCA courses relating to the employee's current career path and is available through the budget year, approximately mid-May. Roughly one half of the money will be distributed during the first semester with the remaining distributed during the second semester. The maximum per scholarship is $100. The scholarships are available to all permanent employees who are not on probation. If the number of requests exceeds the available number of scholarships, CSAC will review the requests and make recommendations to Human Resources for a final decision. A training calendar explaining details of the scholarship program is forthcoming. Linda Franklin made a presentation on an SPA employee salary study, focusing primarily on in-range salary adjustments, which she explained in detail. CSAC will study this further and make a recommendation to the chancellor. Kristie Sutterman announced that a new piece of legislation has been introduced which expands grieveable issues under sexual harassment to include all types of harassment. The meeting was adjourned at 3:48. The next meeting will be October 22nd at 1:30 in Highsmith 37. Respectfully submitted,   Elise Henshaw Secretary