Minutes of Administrative Staff Council Meeting
December, 2001

Call to order: Chair John Clark called the meeting to order at 1:30.

Members Present: Ann Betts, Amelie Brogden, Nora Cassidy, John Clark, Tina Coulter, Jim Dachik, Sally Dreier, Laura Emch, Mike Fitzpatrick, Deborah Fleitz, Tony Howard, Thad Long, Sandra Miesmer, Jane Myers, Pamella Phillips, Keith Pogan, Diane Smith, Tom Scavo, Phyllis Short, Jack Taylor, Robin Veith, Barbara Waddell, Mary Beth Zachary, Robert Zhang

Members who sent substitutes: Mary Lou Stradtman for Sandy DiCarlo, Laura Waggoner for Sue Lau.

Absent: Linda Bakkum, Wayne Colvin, Montique Cotton, Carl Dettmer, David Garcia, Brady Gaskins, Kay Gudehus, Sally Johnson, Clarence Terry.

Corrections to Minutes: None

Guest Report: Executive Vice President Linda Dobb attended the meeting and addressed several issues and answered constituent questions. In response to the question regarding the current State of Ohio budgetary impact on administrative staff at BGSU, Linda Dobb indicated there were no plans for layoffs. There has been no final DeRolph decision. We will know how the state sales tax goes for the year in June/July. Linda Dobb shared how budgetary concerns were being handled in her division. There will be a 'wait and see' attitude. Hiring will be slow and they will be looking at ways to re-assign personnel. She doesn't want to get into having to lay off new hires. Those people who were hired under success challenge money will be reviewed very carefully.

Mary Beth Zachary asked if the administration is looking at slowing down any of the new initiatives. Linda Dobb indicated that she didn't foresee taking on many new initiatives. The centers were established to get grant funded money. All centers are on a three-year cycle for renewal.

Keith Pogan asked if people were aware that they were hired through success challenge money. Linda Dobb confirmed that they were.

Jim Dachik asked what happens with classified staff if they are hired on soft money. Linda Dobb explained that full time classified staff employees can 'bump' someone else on campus.

Linda Dobb then addressed wellness issues for administrative staff. She announced that Eppler gym would be available beginning this spring semester from 11:30 to 1:15 for walking. There will be no charge for use of the facility. Showers and lockers will be available. There will also be a series of five lectures on wellness issues such as good nutrition, stress management, exercising at your desk, etc. Dates for the series will be 1/24, 2/7, 2/21, 3/21, 4/4 She further asked for ideas for summer and fall semesters. (i.e. implementing other forms of exercise) She wants this to be employee driven. Linda Dobb indicated that the President would be amenable to low cost perks that would be staff morale boosters.

Linda Dobb asked Deborah Fleitz if discount tickets could be offered 48-24 hours before a performance. Deborah Fleitz will look into this.

Linda Dobb addressed the state of the IT budget. She stated that BGSU is still in debt. We are digging out slowly. Lotus cost the university 4-5 million dollars. We will be paying loans until 2005. We are still paying the leases on desktop units. Bruce Petryshak, chief information officer for ITS, will give a realistic assessment to Chris Dalton. There is a need to replace the administrative systems; maintenance on the supernet until 2003 costs 3 million dollars per year.

Linda Dobb thanked all for turning in health forms in a timely fashion.

Linda Dobb will be trying to get someone to update the Administrative Staff Handbook.

On the list proc issue- Marketing will send out communications on general events. Mary Beth Zachary asked for a timeframe on this, Linda Dobb indicated January 1, 2002.

John Clark asked about compensation points such as indexing of pay ranges, equity and market adjustment pool, five year renewal of JAQ, (check for salary inversion, tools to do job). Linda Dobb indicated that administrative staff members who teach part time should receive an annual teaching compensation increase in line with full time teachers’ increase. She also mentioned progress in working on grievance procedures.

Sandy Miesmer asked her to elaborate on the student dissatisfaction with the internet. Her office is getting letters from parents saying they don't want to pay the $88 technology fee that students in residence halls are charged. Linda explained the overload of usage coming from the residence halls. New methods will have to be looked into to handle excesses.

Keith Pogan praised the idea of having ITS building representatives to handle computer difficulties.

Chair Report: Health-care insurance plan: Human Resources reports that this year’s Open Enrollment for BGSU health care coverage was very successful, a great improvement over the 1994 Open Enrollment.

Telecommuting: Based on a constituent’s query, we have discussed some possibilities for full-time BGSU staff telecommuting with H.R. An administration perception is that BGSU should establish a telecommuting policy, and Continuing Education has drafted a set of guidelines for their area.

Policy on Violence: A proposed draft is expected to be submitted to ASC for approval in the early part of spring 2002 term. Prior to that submission, ASC Executive Committee will have an opportunity to review a summary of past discussions and decisions from the group that created the initiative. [More details from Chair-elect Emch]

Non-Compensation Conciliation Document: Despite some delay during Open Enrollment, we have been told to expect a proposed draft of this document to come to ASC for approval at approximately the same time as the Policy on Violence—January-February or February-March.

FMLA/Leaves Committee: H.R. Assistant Vice-President Ferguson has informed us that two issues of significance were recently passed from the Leaves Committee to the President’s Cabinet:

1. According to Ferguson, our FMLA policy now will be interpreted to allow up to 12 weeks of FMLA to each University employee in a single event, including employees whose spouse also works for BGSU.

2. General consensus among Cabinet is that BGSU must restrict FMLA leaves to immediate family, following the legal definition of: self, spouse, child, parent.

Barbara Waddell asked about stepchildren. John Clark indicated they would be covered if BGSU employee was primary care giver.

Deborah Fleitz questioned life partners being covered.

Dependent Fee Waiver Policy: Executive Vice President Dobb has asked that the dependent fee waiver policy be updated and articulated in more detail in the Administrative Staff Handbook. Of particular concern, as H.R.’s Ferguson informs us, is the three-year waiting period for new employees to access dependent fee waivers. H.R. will send us background information on fee waivers from comparable institutions and ours. We may need a small committee to review the issue/s.

Additional comments/discussion on fee waviers:

Nora Cassidy contacted President Ribeau via letter when she had been employed at BGSU for one and one-half years. Her request was approved for fee wavier.
The purpose of the three-year waiting period has been because of the impact on the auxiliary budget.
Becca Ferguson will get data from other institutions on fee wavier policy.
Compensation Issues: We have renewed our efforts toward establishing annual indexing of administrative staff salary ranges, relative to the consumer price index and/or other indexes. H.R. representatives Ferguson and Wittwer agree that such indexing is appropriate and that another major concern is University support for a salary equity pool.

My Organizations: ASC webmaster Roxanna Foster related to Executive Committee on December 4th some possibilities of Blackboard and the BGSU web portal for ASC communications and committee work. Foster and PWC Chair Brady Gaskins will initiate groundwork to establish an ASC sector on the portal. Foster will visit an upcoming Council session to elaborate upon our options and initiate broader discussion.

Chair Elect Report: The Ferrari Award winner receives a check, generated by payroll, for the $1000.00 prize. This award was incorrectly charged to our general budget number (550-3331) and should have been charged to a non-ASC budget (255-1944). I appreciate the research work done by Linda Hamilton and Lori Schumacher in correcting this ASC budget charge concern.

On November 16, the Policy on Violence Committee held a meeting inviting the constituent groups of the University. I attended this meeting representing ASC. This committee was organized after the Women's Center received $400,000 from the Department of Justice to create the Transformation Project to address all University domestic and sexual violence, including stalking within the BGSU community. At this meeting we were provided with the first draft proposal for BGSU's Policy on Violence. An updated draft proposal is being developed, and when the Policy on Violence Committee are ready to present it, the final draft proposal will be brought forth to ASC executive committee members, and then to all ASC representatives.

Secretary's Report: Diane Smith announced that the January ASC meeting would be on the 10th not on the 3rd. John Folkins will be attending the January 10 meeting. She asked that question for John Folkins is addressed to her, John Clark or Laura Emch.

Committee Reports:

Amendments- No report

External Affairs- Thank you to Phyllis Short for providing a Corvette in the Holiday Parade. Thanks to all for contributing candy to the Holiday Parade.

Awards and Recognitions: First Fall Spirit of BG went to Neal Allen

Internal Affairs- Committee has met two times. They are reviewing and updating ASC Orientation Handbook. They are also setting up a timeline for elections with Diane Smith and Mary Lynn Pozniak.

Personnel Wellness- The Non- Compensation Conciliation Policy is almost complete.

Professional Development- Approval has been given for the funding for several people for $500.00.

Salary- None

Scholarship- Raffle items have been finalized. Letters will be sent out in January.

Old Business: None

New Business:

Faculty Senate has published a document outlining specific uses for Faculty Senate list proc. Tom Scavo stated that it would be good to centralize. Limit attachments to ASC list proc, tighten up controls to list proc. Mary Beth Zachary suggested two owners for the list proc. She also suggested sending no attachments.

Faculty Senate goal is to have ASC and CSC member on Faculty Senate with full voting rights. Discussion has taken place to have charter amendment. Faculty Senate would like to have a member on ASC and CSC.

Good of the Order:

Laura Waggoner announced that Sue Lau has a baby girl. Mother and daughter are doing fine.

Mary Beth Zachary stated that visions and values would have to blue sheet any course that is developed or revised. This is a large issue that has not yet been resolved.

Mary Beth Zachary also announced that Jan Pallister had been awarded an honorary degree, Doctor of Letters.

Deborah Fleitz announce Verdi for Sunday (12/9) at 3 p.m., and Moscow Philharmonic for Saturday (12/8) night at 8 p.m. both in Kobacker.

Mary Lou Stradtman announced student orientation at Firelands 12/6-12/8. There are 195 new freshman and transfers.

Keith Pogan moved and Sandy Miesmer seconded to adjourn the meeting. The meeting was adjourned at 3:00 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Diane Smith, Secretary