The Staff Senate met on Wednesday, April 20, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. in Reynolds 205. Senators in attendance were Cynthia Blake, Ceil Bridges, Kendra Copeland, Brenda Garrett, Sarah Jennings, Josh Kee, Jeremy Langley, Eric Plummer, Shawana Reed, Becki Talley, Houston Taylor, Amber Sharp, Sandra Walker, Lesley Walthall, Wilma Williams and Donald Wray. Visitors included Brad Stout.
Approval of Minutes
The meeting was called to order by Houston Taylor. Jeremy Langley made a motion to accept the minutes with a second by Donald Wray.
Old Business
Houston Taylor noted that the proposed amendments that were discussed at the last staff senate meeting would be voted on by Survey Monkey as soon as the staff distribution list was updated.
Committee Reports
IRB
Sandra Walker reported on the IRB committee meeting. The IRB finalized the draft of their handbook to be approved by the faculty senate on April 29th.
Intercollegiate Athletics
Houston Taylor reported on the Intercollegiate Athletics meeting. Athletics at SAU officially moves into the Great American Conference on August 1st. The presidents/chancellors and athletic directors of the various schools in the new conference have been meeting, and further meetings with other athletic personnel will be held throughout the summer. Will Prewett of West Virginia has been hired as the commissioner of the new conference and the headquarters are tentatively located in Russellville.
Student Media
Shawana Reed reported on the Student Media meeting. A new Bray editor was selected at the meeting.
NCATE Visit
Cynthia Blake reported that NCATE had been on campus. An official report on the visit will be out in October.
Board of Trustees
Jeremy Langley reported that the Board of Trustees met by conference call. The bond sale was approved for the Ag Center.
New Business
Wellness Plan – Walking Hour
Amber Sharp suggested that the university begin a wellness walking plan for the employees. The employees could meet at 5:30 or so and walk the track together. The Staff Senate could sponsor a Kick-off Day and be responsible for handing out water or special items to the walkers to help motivate the campus to get involved. There was a lengthy discussion about it, but no decision was reached.
SAU Holiday and Vacation Calendar
Amber Sharp noted that Roger Giles had requested the Staff Senate discuss the holiday and vacation calendar. Several staff members had asked about being off on Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday as the faculty and students are, but following an explanation that the holiday counts as one of the days off during Christmas holidays, it was decided that the staff would prefer to leave the holiday during the Christmas break. It was also discussed about whether to leave the Wednesday before Thanksgiving like it is with 2-9 ½ hr days on Monday and Tuesday and 5 hours on Wednesday with Wednesday afternoon off or have all day Wednesday off with a 5 hour mandatory leave and Monday and Tuesday be 10 hour days. There was also discussion about spring break and Christmas holidays. The members decided to go back to their fellow staff members and ask what they would like to do and would let the Human Resource office know at a later date.
Benevolence Fund
Kendra Copeland asked if a decision had been made about the benevolence fund. She noted there were several staff members that could benefit from the fund. Josh Kee and Jeremy Langley will meet with the committee as soon as possible.
Other
Men’s Steak Dinner
Josh Kee noted the men’s steak dinner would be held at Dr. Rankin’s house on April 26th.
Ladies Spring Gala
Jeremy Langley announced that a spring gala for the ladies was in the planning stages and would be announced soon.
Legislative Update
Sarah Jennings reported that the state legislature did not pass the remedial bill, but did pass the common numbering system. This numbering system will begin July 1, 2013. She also noted that students with less than a 15 ACT will be allowed to enroll in school. A new program will be set up to help these students called the ability-to-benefit program.
Adjournment
The motion to adjourn was made by Jeremy Langley and seconded by Eric Plummer. The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, May 18, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. in Reynolds 205.
