STAFF ASSEMBLY EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MINUTES
January 31, 2002 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Crosby Large Conference Room
Members Present: Bill Kostelec, Krystal Burns, Neva Bishop, Anne Thomas, Janice Resch, Brett Hendricks, Keith Gauthier and Theresa Castillo
Members Absent: Barbara Kolbet, Molly Spilker and Kim Gieber
Guests: Carie Schwede, Laurie Hanlon and Nancy Masingale
The meeting was called to order by President Bill Kostelec at 12:07.
New Business
Community Services and United Way Representatives came to our meeting to see how they could work together. Some of the issues discussed were:
· Incentives to donate to United Way
· Need more awareness of the campaign on campus
Seeking middle ground, don’t want community to feel pressured
· Possibility of reps in each building – Community Service committee to help with this
· Can donate to any non-profit through the United Way campaign
Community Services Committee is going to move forward on the welcome card program.
Mike Casey replied to us regarding the list of morale boosting ideas – His response is below.
Father Spitzer sends many thanks to your Executive Council for submitting eight well-thought-out suggestions for making Gonzaga a better place to work. Father Spitzer has directed me to have the suggestions staffed by Human Resources, stating that many look do-able. Steve Doolittle will be contacting you for any detail he needs to staff this project. He will also make sure there is a clear understanding of salary/benefits data which may be inaccurately stated in your memo. We can probably have some action in a matter of weeks.
Bill Kostelec is contacting Steve Doolittle
to find out what data is perceived as inaccurate.
Following is the list of ideas as submitted to Father Spitzer, via Mike Casey.
The Executive Council of the Gonzaga University Staff Assembly
December 12, 2001
The following is a list of suggestions offered to the President of Gonzaga University, Rev. Robert Spitzer, S.J., on the subject of what might be done in both the short and long terms to address the problem of staff morale at the University. This list of suggestions was compiled at the suggestion of Mike Casey, Corporate Counsel and our Liaison with Fr. Spitzer, and through a process of brainstorming and discussion at several Executive Council meetings. They are based on two bodies of information at the disposal of the Executive Council, A.) the staff survey of last year and the comments which were transcribed from small group meeting notes and B.) regular contact and conversation with fellow staff members by members of the Council. We have made it our task to keep our ears to the ground and one of the results of that is the recognition that staff morale at the University continues to be low, that there is a good bit of discouragement and discontent, and a rather pervasive mistrust of the administration to have our best interests at heart. With that in mind we have compiled these suggestions to aid the President in what we hope will be a whole-hearted effort to improve the workplace environment of this University to which we are all committed and which we all love.
1: A commitment from the President that staff members are significant stakeholders in the University
There is a general perception, fortified, for example by early “Why Gonzaga†presentations, that staff are discounted and considered insignificant. They are often left feeling as if they are considered by the administration as temporary, faceless and expendable. Their attitudes towards their work are crucial in forming the character of the University and the experiences of students and visitors, however, and feeling like we are part of the “team†is important for all of us.
2: Better communication from the top down
The “rumor mill†is such a part of the University culture that we have heard Vice Presidents relying on it as the conduit for information. It is, however, notoriously unreliable and a breeding ground for misperceptions and misunderstanding. This has led to a fairly rampant mistrust of the administration on the part of the staff. While budget presentations in recent years seem to attempt to address the problem of information, the flurry of numbers has, according to the feedback we get, only increased the sense of mistrust, in accordance with the general feeling that “numbers and statistics can be used to say anything you want.†Staff often feel that they are waiting for the “secret meetings†to get over with so they can find out what the next year means for them and their family budgets. There is also an apparent problem with “filtering†information through VPs and Deans and Supervisors. We would like more accurate and timely communication from the administration, so that there is no confusion or suspicion.
3: Compensation and Benefits
We need a commitment from the administration regarding the ending of the erosion of employee benefits. During budget meetings put on by Chuck Murphy and Fr. Spitzer it was stated that staff could expect a “modest†increase in pay. But that doesn’t really tell us anything. What is modest?
In 1996, the administration informed the staff that they would start sharing the cost of medical insurance with employees. Over the next three years, (1997-2000), employees would be asked to absorb the following increases in insuring employee dependents.
THE SHARED PREMIUM BREAKDOWN FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS IS AS FOLLOWS:
1996 - 0%; 1997 - 10%; 1998 - 30%; 1999-To Date 50%
In 2000-01 the three tiered prescription plan was enacted to once again help keep premiums down and we were asked to absorb this additional cost. Now in January 2002, we have been informed that MSC will be changing some prescriptions from the 2nd tier plan to the 3rd tier thereby raising the cost of additional prescriptions from $15.00 to $30.00. Five years ago when we were informed that we would be sharing these costs, the administration said it would raise the institutional retirement contribution from 5% to 6.5% or 7% . The retirement contribution did increase. This increase affected only the staff who qualified for Gonzaga’s retirement plan. Those who did not qualify did not receive any benefit. The Administration also stated it would raise salaries at a rate higher than normal to make sure we were not receiving a net loss. However,
THE SALARY INCREASES FOR THE LAST SIX YEARS ARE AS FOLLOWS:
1997-98 - 0%, 1998-99 - 2%; 1999-2000- 1% ; 2000-01- 2% 2001-02-2%.
If morale is to be improved, then the downward trend of staff salaries needs to be addressed effectively.
4: Community: Working to re-establish the feeling of community
Not very long ago, within the last ten years, on this campus there was a general and widespread attitude among employees of being in a working, contented, and proud community. Plant Services folks and custodians were always going out of their way to keep offices running and happy, and there was an easy camaraderie of staff and faculty. Staff people walked an extra mile to get the job done right, and were happy to do so. Many factors have contributed to a break down of the sense of community and family, and staff turnover has increased significantly. One way to try to regain that special part of the Gonzaga experience is to return to community gatherings, like the Oktoberfest, where it is all fun and recreation, and not a time to be lectured to, as the Charrettes became. We would like to see the President sponsor one or two events that would get everybody together for some relaxed, fun time.
5: Mandatory supervisor training
A lot of the complaints we get from staff seem to be related to clumsy and inept supervision. One bad supervisor can spoil a whole department and there are ways of resolving such things. We think a program of professional training for supervisors would eliminate a good deal of discontentment. Some departments on campus already have staff do supervisor evaluations and this works really well in keeping everyone involved in setting the tone of the department and feeling as if they are stakeholders there.
6: Staff Recognition Day
Harry Sladich did this as Acting-President in 1996-97. This day would be in addition to any vacation or personal days, specifically in appreciation for the extra duties and responsibilities the staff has taken on to deal with the added enrollment.
7: Monthly Lottery Drawing
We have in mind a very public recognition of one staff member a month, to be awarded a prize. All full and part-time staff would be eligible. With a budget of $1200.00, for example, we could offer such prizes as a $100.00 gift certificate to one of the local malls, a gift certificate to a local restaurant, tickets to an event at the Arena or the Symphony. Each month’s winner would be removed from the pool. The prizes would be significant enough that staff would be excited about the possibility of winning, an important psychological boost. Our Community Service/Outreach Committee would be available to administer the lottery and the gathering of the prizes, but we think as the President's Monthly Staff Prize, a great deal could be accomplished in solidifying the relationship between the President’s office and the University working community.
8: Anniversary Recognition
Something more than a service pin for the major anniversaries might be appropriate. Perhaps there could be a banquet for all those employees who have been here for 5, 10, 15 and 20 years, with a framed certificate. Faculty and staff service could be addressed together. At this point, loyalty and years of service (longevity) are not rewarded nor indeed, encouraged. The manner in which the pay scale is handled, in fact, almost makes long years of service counter-productive. We have to find a way to recognize and honor long years of loyalty, and recognize one of the fundamentals of the American work place for most of the 20th century, i.e., seniority and the value of the long-time and experienced worker.
Although the above recommendations are not listed in an order of priority, we strongly believe that the first is fundamental to all the rest. Turning the corner on staff concerns and attitudes ought to be done simultaneously with turning the corner on our financial situation, but the former is neither contingent on nor dependent on the latter. We firmly believe that all our suggestions are directly embedded in the mission statement of a Jesuit University and offer them without hesitation and with strong conviction as to the validity of our overall goals. The Staff Assembly has a mandate to take up the concerns and the complaints of the staff and we do so fully convinced that the health and well-being of the University are integrally tied to our issues and concerns.
Scheduling of future meetings
Next Meeting will be held on February 6, 2002.
Future meetings will be held each Wednesday in Crosby Large Conference Room from 12:00 – 1:00. Since this is the lunch hour, please feel free to bring your lunch. All SAEC members will be notified if there is a change to this recurring meeting.
By virtue of the bylaws, all Staff Assembly meetings are open unless otherwise designated by the Executive Council. Everyone is welcome to attend.
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