Staff Senate Minutes
December 10, 2003
The Staff Senate met December 10, 2003. Those members in attendance were Gaye Calhoun, Very Camp, Charles Honza, Keli Honza, Sarah Jennings, Robert Jones, Kellye Ogle, Tommy Slaughter, Cledis Stuart, Sarajane Telford, Mark Trout, and David Wingfield. Our guest was Jim McCollum.
President Keli Honza called the meeting to order. Kellye Ogle pointed out an error in the last minutes as did President Honza. Those mistakes were noted and corrected. David Wingfield made a motion to accept the minutes with changes. Cledis Stuart seconded.
Questions for the Administration
Why do retirees who are still working part time not get a cost of living raise or any type of raise?
The school policy at one time was tied to the restrictions of how much one could earn and still receive social security. As that amount increased, internal budget reasons drove a decision to cap the amount paid for what is considered 3/8ths time. The cap is $10,200. If changing this is important, the Senate would need to make a recommendation on where a change should be in their list recommending budget priorities.
Committee Reports
Kathy Cole, Wilma Williams, Keli and Charles Honza have been meeting weekly regarding the CLIP program. They have met with Mr. Giles one time. Suggestions have been made regarding the Performance Evaluations and in stressing the importance that the evaluations be fair for everyone. The committee will continue to work on these projects.
Survey Progress
Gaye Calhoun reported that she had received 80 completed Staff Senate Surveys. She was praised for her work on preparing the surveys and for compiling the results. President Honza then opened the floor for discussion. “Where do we go from here?” was the general question. It was suggested that a PowerPoint presentation be shown at the President’s Council plus a hard copy to each member. Also, the possibility was raised of presenting the survey results at the next Faculty Senate. Action should then be forthcoming from the administration.
New Business
Cledis Stuart mentioned that there were many “general comments” made on the Staff Senate Survey that were important and he was very glad that they were called to our attention. One, for instance, questioned why we only get paid once a month. Is it possible to be paid every two weeks? Another question regarded salary increases pertaining to “grades and levels within the grades.” Many of us didn’t even realize that there were different levels within grades that could make a difference in salaries. These are definitely important and worth investigating. Please continue to submit questions to the Staff Senate so that we will know how to proceed and represent you.
Guest
Jim McCollum asked President Honza the status of the hiring recommendations. She informed him that Jason Goodrich had been appointed chair of that committee and that she had not talked with him about any “follow-up” information on the subject. She assured him that she will check with Jason and get an up-date on the committee’s progress.
President Honza then asked if there was further business. There was not. With that, David Wingfield made a motion to adjourn the meeting, with a second from Vera Camp.
The next Staff Senate meeting will be January 21, 2003 at 2:00 p.m., in Magale
