03-19-2008
Road to Zanzibar
Wed, Mar 19, 2008 -- 10-11am
M i n u t e s
Attended: Bertholf, Marcia; Gibson, William; Gieber, Kimberly; Kostelec, William; Ruff, Angela; Taylor, Jeffery; Tobin, Michael; Woodard, Timothy; Franks-Harding, Karen; Engle, Lorrie; Berryman, Dan.
Fr. Spitzer Meeting Outcomes
Marcia and William met with Fr. Spitzer and Joan Allbery last week on several topics. Liaison Role – Council members had asked last Fall to not have a liaison, which Dan Berryman supported. Fr. Spitzer’s response to the request is that all other group representatives (student, faculty), have liaisons, and he will not take on any more direct reports. Father did agree to two annual meetings with both the university president and vice president present, and also agreed to an annual “state of the Staff Assembly” presentation to the cabinet. Decision Processes – Marcia referenced the AVP search as an example of when Staff Assembly has been invited to the table, and Father emphasized that not all searches ought to include a general staff representative when a staff from that area would better serve the interest. Winter Break – Joan apologized that the proposal had been on her desk and a decision would be given to Dan very soon. Marcia and William also announced the rollout of Conversations on Mission, and the early stages of the Cares Initiative (which got an enthusiastic response from both), the annual Staff Picnic, the Staff Socials (liked that the money was being utilized for a wider benefit than the lottery), Mission Awards (funded a regulary $500 to cover the cost of the placards).
William invited comments on the rough draft of the current proposal. Due to Fr. Spitzer’s encouragement of this idea, we should move forward on the proposal. The compensation committee is awaiting details from Debbie Cerenzia who had apparently already researched what other Jesuit schools offer for sick leave and vacation donations. Suggestions were made about starting the cares activities other than the sick leave donation element in order to get started, and also to not request the university baseline the bank.
Heads Up Gonzaga CommitteeKim spoke to Maribeth Charleboix about getting the planning committee going, but with Maribeth away due to the illness of her niece. Mike Tobin volunteered to chair the planning committee, and Lorrie Engle will assist. Ad-hoc committee will include Marcia and Kim Gieber as well.
Spring Open Meeting CommitteeConnie is still working on getting a committee together.
Mission AwardsWilliam recruited Bill Randall to build a stand in early April. We need to reimburse him for materials (est. $40-80).
Board of Regent RepresentativeMarcia circulated an information sheet about the representative position – it’s a 3-year commitment. Are there any questions or any additions to the expectations.
Animal PolicyDan Berryman clarified there is no animal policy. He also shared that the risk management committee is talking about the number of animals brought to work by employees. Angela was invited by Steve Lunden to attend a meeting of his staff group to discuss what the Staff Assembly is doing, and to gather a list of needs for compensation and other issues. The compensation-specific concerns have been shared with the compensation committee. One concern that came up is the extra work created for grounds and custodial staff due to employees having animals in their offices and on campus. The grounds employees requested that a policy be developed that at least enforce the city ordinance to pick up waste and have dogs on leashes. There is a rule for students to not have pets in the dorms. Dan is drafting a policy now that would likely limit for service animals only, and work is being done to approach the issue politically and with sensitivity. He asked for the council’s help as the policy gets refined.
Staff Assembly Information and Communication
Lorrie encouraged special acknowledgement of visitors, and some follow-up to see if a need was met by their coming. It could be a way to recruit new members to future efforts. The council officers have been discussing ways to better communicate with the staff assembly community. It was suggested that changing the secretary role into more of a public relations/communication role might be more useful. Marcia explained that she often gets emails and messages. It was also suggested that we meet more often or meet for a longer amount of time. It also was suggested to have some agenda control.
Krystal and Tim are scheduling an appointment with Bob Cepeda; Kim offered to attend.
Performance Management Information Meetings
Dan asked for the council’s help to get people to attend the informational sessions in the Globe Room in Cataldo
Wed, 3/19 at 2pm
Tues, 3/25 at 1:30pm
Thurs, 3/27 at 9am
Wed, 4/9 at 9:30am
Action Items
Angela post the voting option for the Mar 5 minutes
Marcia will alert Tana Dugan that a decision on the winter break is coming soon.
Marcia and William will send a thank-you letter to Fr. Spitzer
Angela post the Regents Rep materials to the website and send a morning mail request for applications
Angela add Jeff Taylor to Blackboard
Angela post the PM info meetings to the Staff Assembly Calendar
