Staff Senate Minutes
September 13, 2006
The Staff Senate met on September 13, 2006 at 3:00 p.m. in Reynolds. Senators in attendance were Jill Bond, Rebecca Chiles, Wayne Garner, Brenda Garrett, Art Horne, Mary Hubbard, Diane Johnson, Pat King, Beth Scroggins, Linda Smith, Cledis Stuart, Houston Taylor, and Donald Wray. Julia Stroebele served as proxy for Dr.Roger Guevara. Visitors today were Shelley Keith and Mandy Creed.
Approval of Minutes
The meeting was called to order by President Houston Taylor. A motion to accept the minutes was made by Cledis Stuart and seconded by Beth Scroggins. The motion passed.
Old Business
Pat King and Diane Johnson reported that in addition to the bench that will be dedicated for Earl Miller, there is a dog statue that has been donated. The collar on the dog is inscribed with “We Miss You”.
Committee Reports
The Health Promotion committee is waiting on more information before making a report.
New Business
Nominations were requested for the position of Faculty Senate Liaison. Beth Scroggins was nominated and unanimously approved for the position.
Other
A question concerning the number of credit hours that a university staff member is allowed to take during a semester was brought before the senate. The discussion centered on some faculty or staff members taking as many as 9 or 12 hours during the normal work week while others are allowed to take only 3 hours.
The answer to this is addressed in the University Handbook under section 212 and is quoted as follows:
212 Faculty or Staff Members Taking College Courses. There are no restrictions for courses taken outside the faculty or staff member’s normal working hours; however, when classes fall within the faculty or staff member’s working hours, the following rules apply:
212.1 Courses for Training. When faculty or staff members take courses for the purpose of acquiring skills related to their present position, the course will be classified as on-the-job training and as a part of the faculty or staff member’s normal work week. Approval for the on-the-job-training must be given by the vice president of the area in which the faculty or staff member is employed. The approval will be filed in the faculty or staff member’s personnel file.
212.2 Other Courses. All other courses taken by a faculty or staff member during normal working hours, including the noon hour, require a written request from the faculty or staff member and approval from the supervisor and the vice president of the area in which the faculty or staff member is employed. The request must specify the course name, meeting time, and the arrangement between the faculty or staff member and supervisor for coverage of the workstation and the faculty or staff member’s revised work schedule for the length of the course. Three credit hours per semester is the limit for faculty or staff members during normal work hours; only one-half on the noon hour may be used to make up the time in class.
There was much discussion on this matter including what would seem to be inequitable treatment of these privileges. Beth Scroggins made a motion to table the discussion and this was seconded by Diane Johnson.
The senate body also discussed various views on the competition of other schools with which SAU is faced. Some of the two year colleges are now joining with other university systems to become four year institutions. Remaining competitive will require that SAU offer more noon and evening classes for the convenience of students.
Houston informed us that the Staff Senate will have a non-voting representative assigned to every committee. These appointments will be emailed to us later this week.
Adjournment
A motion to adjourn was made by Cledis Stuart and seconded by Pat King. The motion was passed.
The next Staff Senate Meeting will be held October 11, 2006 at 3:00 in Reynolds 210. (This meeting was later postponed to October 18.)
