Notes from USGSC Meeting February 27, 2004
Leora Myers called the meeting to order at 10:05 am and said we needed to approve minutes for the June meeting and the October meeting held in 2003. A motion was made and seconded for each set of minutes.
Treasurers Report
The Treasurer reported we have $794.33 in the fund and we have 21 institutions on the USG Staff Council list.
New Business
Columbus State University announced the Fall Conference dates October 7 & October 8. The University System of Georgia Staff Council conference will be held at the Elizabeth Bradley Turner Center for Continuing Education, Columbus, GA. Postcard reminders were given to members to distribute around their campuses. Information about the conference can be viewed via web site www.conted.colstate.edu then click on conferences beginning March 15.
Old Business
The members discussed the bylaw changes concerning the ListServ. A suggestion was made to include the two members from each campus on the registration form sent out each June. This would assist in keeping the ListServ current. A motion was made and seconded to accept the Bylaw changes. It passed unanimously. Albert Cook is the current manager for the ListServ. The host site is UGA.
Budget Cuts Leora asked how organizations are managing cuts. Discussion included talk about voluntary furloughs, possibility of RIFFs and layoffs. Suggestions were made to curtail business hours on Fridays, and consideration of hybrid courses that used online information in conjunction with faculty lectures. Many members suggested consideration of the four-day or four and a half day work- week.
Shared Leave UGA has a shared leave policy in place and other colleges are in the process of trying to pass shared leave policies in their campuses. For more information members can get the policy from the UGA Human Resources website. Leora asked campuses to let us know where the process is and how it is working.
Other Business
A question was raised about how holidays are determined on campuses. Discussion centered on the Christmas holiday schedule.
A question was asked about reactions to the Domestic Partnership Resolution. This resolution will impact same sex partner and common law spouse benefits for insurance and such. No one attending the meeting knew much about the Resolution. See attached notice.
Campus Reports
Columbus State University We have a new building going up on campus and are looking forward to hosting the statewide conference.
Darton Recently implemented casual Friday. Their staff pays to wear jeans and those funds are used to provide scholarships each year. They will sponsor an Online Auction called the Dart Board in conjunction with their Foundation. It will run like Ebay. They hope to open the new PE Building later this year. They are finishing up a comprehensive wage study and are making recommendations for the employee handbook.
Augusta State They will have new buildings in the fall. They are in the early stages of developing student housing. Their Foundation is working on it. They will host the Peachbelt Tournament next week.
Gainesville They are going to a once-a-month meeting. Evaluation is the hot topic in Gainesville. Some staff are not pleased with rating system. They will be hosting Staff Development Day that is a professional training day on March 9. The topic is Conflict Resolution.
GA Southwestern Recently hosted the Attorney General Lecture Series. Rosalyn Carter Institute is on their campus and it is gaining national recognition. They will host an award dinner for the Carters in April. They are in the process of historic renovation on their campus. 2006 will be their Centennial Celebration. The Foundation is looking into purchasing a Country Club and Golf Course that will be renovated into a conference center.
UGA Their current topic of concern is budget cuts. They have hosted several legislators and administrators but no good ideas yet. Shared Leave has been implemented on a trial basis. They also have several building projects in progress.
GA College & State University They are experiencing construction on a new library that will open soon. They are also looking at a shared leave policy that they hope will go on trial in about two months. They will host an Excellence Awards program to recognize staff.
Kennesaw - Will sponsor a fashion show with clothes for males and females in the spring with lots of door prizes. Will also host Staff Development Day during Spring break. Staff Awards are coming up they send out ballots to staff for voting and give out three awards. Their current president is working on affinity benefits discounts from business around the campus.
State University of West GA They are gearing up for Staff Development Day that will recognize two employees 1 exempt, 1 non-exempt. They are under construction now too. The Student Government recently voted to increase student activity fees to pay for a new student center.
Closing Questions
Gainesville recently got second campus and wanted to know how other sites consolidate meetings. Columbus is taking their meetings on the road once a semester to outlaying campus sites. Email is also the choice communication method.
A question was asked about how staffs are dealing with the new job categories. Some campuses have staff members with feelings of demotion from category changes. Several felt it was not publicized very well. It was noted that it is a People Soft issue for establishing consistent reporting rather than recognizing the job people do.
A question was asked about how many campuses are Smoke-Free campuses. A couple of campuses made the change. The changes that were made over a period of time were more successful that those that happened quickly.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:55am. The next meeting will be in June.
Sincerely
Wanda Campbell
Columbus State University