Senate Meeting Minutes
August 13, 2009
September 9, 2009
October 14, 2009
November 11, 2009
January 13, 2010
February 10, 2010
March 10, 2010
April 14, 2010
May 12, 2010
May 18, 2010
June 9, 2010
Present: Kathi Adams, Matthew Albers, Heather Ballard, Sheila Bates, Darryl Carrington, Linda Claypool, George Corbin, Tonya Cruz, Lou Dixson, Renea Goforth, Lloyd Harp, Elaine Harvey, Jim Herron, Michael Hinkle, Blaine Linehan, Angela McNew, Dennis Moore, Garret Moyer, Lois Nicholas, George Schroeder, Jan Toth, Melinda Ware, Margene Webster, Jan Toth, Tanya Wickersham
Excused Absence: Cassandra Bell, Sonya Cotton, Bec Espinosa, Nikki McDermed, David Wise
Unexcused Absence: Walter Butt, Susan Fordyce
President Tanya Wickersham called the meeting to order.
Minutes of the May 13, 2009 meeting were approved as submitted.
Nicholas Beech is no longer at WSU. He will need to be replaced on the Classified Senate.
Tanya asked if anyone had ideas about speakers for this year. At the September meeting Lana Anthis, Associate Director of Human Resources, will speak about the new Performance Management Process which will replace the current CEEDS process for evaluation of employees. This will be a state-wide change and will take place October 1. Clint Harkness designed the CEEDS program, and he is currently working to at replacing that with the PMP.
At the October meeting, Connie Landreth, Benefits Manager, will speak about open enrollment for health insurance and the changes that we will have. Tanya expects that insurance rates will be going up but was not sure of the percentage.
Tanya suggested that Senate members think about some activities that the Classified Senate could sponsor. She has been gathering information about other Regents schools to see what they have done. One idea is to fund a scholarship for classified employees and/or their dependents. Emporia State University does this for employee dependents, and it is handled by payroll deductions for those who are interested. Two possibilities would be an endowed scholarship or a pay-out scholarship. Tanya spoke with the WSU Foundation and was told that an endowed scholarship must have at least $15,000 in the fund. With a pay-out scholarship, whatever amount is raised would be awarded to the recipient. Darryl Carrington thought this might fall under the Community Service Committee. Angie McNew suggested that Sheelu Serrender in Financial Aid and the Foundation be contacted about how a scholarship of this sort could be established. Tanya will continue to gather information about this and will report back to us.
Tanya also looked at the Kansas State University website and found a program that they call “Bragging Rights.” Anyone at K-State can submit information about an employee that he/she would like to recognize for doing a good job, to just say thank you, etc. Senate members felt this would be a good idea. Suggestions were discussed concerning how this could work for WSU such as the need for guidelines on submission of information; should it be handled in the Senate newsletter; privacy issues, etc. Tanya is checking with K-State to get more details about how they do this.
Jim Herron spoke about the car show that the Senate sponsors each year. He explained that at the Emporia State car show there is a charge and the proceeds go to the Senate. This might be a possible funding source for the scholarship. Darryl will contact Larry Keller, who is involved with the planning of the car show, to get more information. It is generally felt that if the Senate name is associated with the show, we should be more involved.
Jim Herron spoke about the fact that employees of Wichita State have to pay a parking fee, and he felt we should not have to pay. Tanya has spoken with President Beggs and Mary Herrin, Vice President for Administration and Finance about this issue and was told no changes can be made in this area. A survey of other Regents schools showed that we are charged less than other schools.
Mike Hinkle noted that there are a lot of new fire lanes on campus. This was done by the Wichita Fire Department and are considered city fire lanes. Both city representatives and campus police can issue tickets for parking in these areas.
Libby Gilbert, with the Human Resources department, has been going to Topeka every week to review position descriptions for Group II for the market adjustment. Information on Group I has been received, and it describes how the position descriptions were rated and noted any changes that are needed for classifications. With the budget situation as it is, it is not known whether changes will be made but Tanya feels that the state must feel this is a priority since they are proceeding. It is not known when the Group III position descriptions will be due, but it is doubtful that any pay increase will take place until next fiscal year.
Tanya Wickersham spoke about a story that was run by KAKE-TV earlier in the day entitled “Buried Treasure of State Money?” State agencies had to make cuts to balance the budget this year. A report had been prepared by the grass roots group Flint Hills Center for Public Policy which showed that WSU had 42 million dollars left over at the end of the fiscal year. The group was saying that this is left over cash and should be returned to the taxpayers. Mary Herrin of WSU explained that 90 percent of the 42 million in extra money at WSU is restricted to the department it came from. It can't simply go back to the state. The group plans to present the study to budget committees in August. The university is continuing with budget cuts. The last cut was 12 percent, and there probably will be another five percent.
With no further business, the meeting was adjourned following a motion and second by Mike Hinkle and Garret Moyer.
Submitted by Jan Toth, Secretary, Classified Senate
Present: Darryl Carrington, George Corbin, Lou Dixson, Renea Goforth, Elaine Harvey, Angela McNew, Jan Toth, Margene Webster, Tanya Wickersham, Melinda Ware, David Wise
Excused: Matthew Albers, Heather Ballard, Cassandra Bell, Linda Claypool, Sonya Cotton, Tonya Cruz, Bec Espinoza, Susan Fordyce, Lloyd Harp, Mike Hinkle, Blaine Linehan, Dennis Moore, Garret Moyer, Lois Nicholas
Unexcused: Sheila Bates, Walter Butt, Jim Herron, Nikki McDermed, George Schroeder
Lori Evans, chairperson of the WSU Car Show, was present to speak about the show. She distributed flyers. The Classified Senate is one of the sponsors. Lori organizes the show. Next year is the 10th anniversary for the car show. She works in conjunction with the Midian Shriners. The proceeds from the event help support the Plane of Mercy fund which provides transportation to children who need to go to Shrine Hospitals for treatment. The show starts at 10:00 a.m. Judging will begin at 12:00 p.m., and the show will finish up at about 3:00 p.m. There is a registration fee of $15 for early birds and $20 the day of the show to enter a car. So far, there are 41 preregistrations. Lori asked for volunteers to help with distribution of the flyers, advertising; solicitations of donations; set-up; to work the gate; registration, runners; ticket sales; and tear-down. Planning for the 2010 show will begin in October.
The minutes of the August 13 meeting were approved as submitted.
Lana Anthis, Associate Director of Human Resources was the speaker. She spoke about the new Performance Management Process (PMP) which will take effect October 1. Copies of the new forms were distributed. The actual process will be done online. The State of Kansas currently has 26 different versions of evaluation forms. Klent Harkness has been instrumental in designing the program. Training is expected to begin within the next two weeks. The forms can be found online at da.ks.gov/pmp. An example of the changes in the new process is that there are five levels of evaluation rather than three.
Tanya Wickersham spoke about the upcoming “Stepping Out Against Violence” walk against domestic violence on October 3. Campus Police Chief Paul Dotson is part of the organization committee. Everyone interested in participating should meet at the Koch Arena parking lot at 9:30 a.m. The organizers are looking for groups to help support this. The Classified Senate will be represented on the planning committee. The walk will be around campus for 1 1/2 miles. A suggested $5 donation will be given to the Women’s Crisis Center. A donation is not necessary to participate in the walk. For more information, please contact Tanya Wickersham at Ext. 3644 or Paul Dotson at Ext. 3450. Angie McNew felt that we need to be more active and participate in activities. Darryl Carrington agreed that we need to be more visible. It was suggested that we might think about purchasing a banner.
Tanya Wickersham spoke about the town hall meeting with Dr. Beggs. It will be archived and can be seen online. The next town hall meeting will be with Dr. Gary Miller. The Unclassified Senate sponsored Dr. Beggs’ meeting. The Classified Senate will sponsor the Miller meeting. Approximately 300 people attended the meeting or watched it online.
With no further business, the meeting was adjourned following a motion and second
by Renea Goforth and David Wise.
Submitted by Jan Toth, Secretary, Classified Senate
Present: Matt Albers, Heather Ballard, Sheila Bates, Darryl Carrington, Linda Claypool, Sonya Cotton, Tonya Cruz, Renea Goforth, Elaine Harvey, Jim Herron, Blaine Linehan, Nikki McDermed, Angela McNew, Dennis Moore, Lois Nicholas, George Schroeder, Jan Toth, Melinda Ware, Margene Webster, Tanya Wickersham, David Wise
Excused: George Corbin, Lou Dixson, Bec Espinosa, Susan Fordyce, Lloyd Harp, Mike Hinkle
Unexcused: Cassandra Bell, Walter Butt, Garrett Moyer
President Tanya Wickersham called the meeting to order. Several guest speakers were present.
Connie Landreth, Assistant Director of Human Resources, spoke about open enrollment for health insurance. Information booklets had been sent to all employees earlier. Any changes that need to be made will have to be done by October 31. After that date, changes can only be made in the case of a qualifying event. Connie talked about the different plans that are available. Ninety percent of the employees are in Plan A. Wesley Medical Center is looking into adding Preferred Plus to the insurance it will accept. Via Christi is likewise looking at adding Blue Cross to theirs. Prescription coverage is changing and may go up. The insurance companies are suggesting the use of generics where possible. Delta Dental insurance will be offering an enhanced level of coverage if you have been to the dentist and had cleaning and a check this year.
Rick Muma, Chairperson and Professor in Public Health Sciences, and Janet Brandes, Educational Coordinator in Public Health Sciences, joined the meeting and spoke about community health charities.
Delinda Royce, Director of Development for Campus Life, spoke about the United Way campaign. She noted that the funds raised will remain local. The community is struggling and help is needed. She brought several handouts. In the last year 627 WSU employees used a United Way organization. For help, you should dial 211 and they will help you find the right agency to help you.
Frankie Brown, Director of Human Resources, spoke about a new policy that is being signed by the Governor that deals with the leave advancement policy. This policy allows any classified employee who does not have a leave balance to borrow from future leave for any medical reason up to 80 hours. The time borrowed will be deducted from the employee’s time as it is earned. Any requests will be reviewed by the Leave Advancement Committee. The employee must have a satisfactory attendance record. If the employee resigns before paying back the time, it will be deducted from the final paycheck, deducted from the employee’s income tax refund, or the employee will be taken to small claims court. This will take effect Sunday, October18.
The minutes of the September 9, 2009, meeting were reviewed. Nikki McDermed was listed as unexcused. This will be corrected to show that she was excused. With this correction, the minutes were approved.
Two guests were in attendance: Carrie Wyatt from Communication Sciences and Disorders and and Patty McLinden from the College of Health Professions.
The Classified Senate had an opportunity to meet with members of the Board of Regents on Tuesday, October 13, during their visit to campus. Everyone who was able to attend felt there was good discussion and that the Regents wanted to hear what the Senate had to say. One point that was discussed was the 304 hour limit on unused vacation hours, and how extra hours could be handled so that the classified employees won't lose them. The Regents explained that this would be an issue that should be taken to the Legislature. The Board of Regents governs the state institutions. Everyone was encouraged to contact their legislator. The legislature meets in January, February and March. Tanya noted that the Regents do not get paid for what they do. It is voluntary. One Regent assured those who attended that what we are seeing in the news concerning KPERS is not correct. KPERS is fluid and is in good condition. Even if KPERS doesn't have the money, the State is still responsible to its employees.
Darryl Carrington reported from the Community Events Committee. He has spoken to the WSU Foundation regarding the Classified Senate setting up a scholarship for classified employees and their children. This committee has been invited to attend a meeting with the representatives from the Foundation to look at this idea. There was a vote about whether to continue this idea and it was approved. Several questions were raised: what is the minimum to start a scholarship; what kind of fundraisers we can have; would donations to the scholarship be tax deductible; can anyone donate; what about guidelines for awarding the scholarship, etc. The committee will report back with their findings.
There was discussion about the Tree Lighting in December. More help will be needed this year.
Tanya reminded everyone to read the Classified Senate position paper and to get this information to our constituents.
Two members have resigned recently — Kathi Adams and Nicholas Beech. Tanya will be sending new constituent lists by the end of the week. Please stay in touch with your constituents.
With no further business, the meeting was adjourned following a motion and second by Renea Goforth and Sonya Cotton.
Submitted by Jan Toth, Secretary, Classified Senate
Present: Matthew Albers, Heather Ballard, Sheila Bates. Cassandra Bell, Linda Claypool, George Corbin, Sonya Cotton, Tonya Cruz, Renea Goforth, Lloyd Harp, Elaine Harvey, Jim Herron, Blaine Linehan, Angela McNew, Dennis Moore, Jan Toth, Melinda Ware, Margene Webster, Tanya Wickersham, David Wise
Excused Absence: Darryl Carrington, Lou Dixson, Rebecca Espinosa, Nikki McDermed, Garret Moyer, Lois Nicholas, George Schroeder
Unexcused Absence: Walter Butt, Susan Fordyce
President Tanya Wickersham opened the meeting.
Christine Schneikart-Luebbe, Dean of Enrollment Services spoke about the Foundations of Excellence. In the spring of 2008, Enrollment Management Work Group, established by Provost Miller and Vice-President Kopita, recommended that WSU participate in the Foundations of Excellence Self-Study. The group wanted to develop a comprehensive plan to enhance student success ata WSU. The results of the study were presented to the Classified Senate. Many of our senators were a part of this study. President Beggs has received the report and is supportive of the recommendations.
The position paper will be taken to the Legislature in January. A joint senate conference call has been scheduled for November 12 at 10:00 a.m. Tanya will not be able to attend the call. If someone else can, please contact Tanya.
Renea Goforth, Angela McNew, Tanya Wickersham, Darryl Carrington and James Herron met with Lynette Murphy from the WSU Foundation concerning the scholarship plan the Senate is looking into. One of the interesting things that was discovered was that the Senate already has a scholarship established that no one was aware of. It is for WSU employees and their families. It was endowed with $10,000 in 1994. It must be applied for through Financial Aid. This year it paid out $400.00. It may be that we can just attach to that scholarship instead of creating a new one. Lynette is going to get more information about that scholarship. It was suggested that a committee be formed to decide who receives the scholarship.
Libby Gilbert spoke about the reclassification process that is now being worked on. Since May of 2008 Group One has been under review. The legislature wants to reduce the number of classifications down to 250 and have broader classifications. The biggest controversy seems to be the administrative assistant positions. With the new classifications, all three administrative assistant groups would be in one group called administrative associates.The fairness of putting them all together is questionable. Anyone who thinks their new classification is not correct should speak with their supervisor. Libby can be reached at Ext. 6124.
Preparation for the Christmas Tree Lighting is scheduled for November 18, 2009. From 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. the tree will be decorated. The actual tree lighting will be on December 2. Refreshments will be served in the fireside lounge, followed by the tree lighting north of the RSC.
Submitted by Jan Toth, Secretary, Classified Senate
January 13, 2010
Present: Matt Albers, Sheila Bates, Darryl Carrington, George Corbin, Tonya Cruz,
Lou Dixson, Renea Goforth, Elaine Harvey, Angela McNew, Lois Nicholas, George Schroeder,
Jan Toth, Tanya Wickersham, David Wise, and Guest Sadonia Corns
Excused: Cassandra Bell, Linda Claypool, Sonya Cotton, Bec Espinosa, Lloyd Harp,
Jim Herron, Blaine Linehan, Nikki McDermed, Margene Webster
Unexcused: Walter Butt, Susan Fordyce, Mike Hinkle, Dennis Moore, Garrett Moyer,
Melinda Ware
President Tanya Wickersham opened the meeting. She began by talking about Legislative
Day on the Hill. The joint senates have decided to go on February 23. The President
has allowed anyone interested in going to not have to use vacation since this is technically
work related. Please let Tanya know two weeks ahead if you are planning to go.
Governor Parkinson recently presented his “state of the state” address. Those who
watched thought it was very good. One of his starting points was higher education.
He said we need to start putting back into higher education. He noted that our founders
built Kansas with much less than we have now but made higher education a priority,
and we need to continue that. He spoke about the possibility of two revenue items:
increase the cigarette tax and the sales tax for 36 months.
Shocker Pride will be an afternoon celebration as it was last year. A date has not
been set yet. It will include the awards ceremony as usual.
Sheila Bates asked about the status of the Bragging Rights program that has been
suggested in the past. KSU has been contacted about their program. They allow anyone
to make a nomination. They don't request prior approval from the subject before posting
it. However, if someone insists the information will be removed. Their program seems
to be working, and it offers encouragement to people. We could create another link
on our website if we decide to do this.
On the subject of our website, Tanya thought that it needs to be worked on. She feels
the first page is confusing and discourages visitors to the site from going further.
If anyone is interested in helping Tanya with this, please let her know. She has also
been thinking of doing another link on the site that would be a scrapbook type page
that would contain photos of activities involving the Classified Senate.
Darryl Carrington had good news and bad. The Community Service Committee has been
meeting concerning establishing a scholarship for classified employees and/or their
dependents. They have also met with Lynette Murphy at the Foundation. They have discovered
that there is already a scholarship of this type. The decision to be made by the Senate
is whether they want to create a new scholarship with Classified Senate name attached
to it or just contribute to the established one. Another consideration for this is
how people could contribute to it. One idea is to have classified employees contribute
a dollar a pay period from their checks. This would involve gathering information
about how to start employee deductions. Gayla Shrank is Payroll has been contacted
about this, and she is meeting with Lois Tatro to see what steps need to be followed.
We will also need to stay in touch with the Foundation. A motion and second were made
by Sheila Bates and Angela McNew to proceed with plans for establishing a new scholarship.
The motion was approved. The committee is going to discuss possibilities for fundraisers
to raise money for the scholarship.
Darryl also reminded everyone to get involved with their communities through community
service projects. He is familiar with the program at Eisley School and the Kansas
Mentors Program. Classified employees are allowed to spend 90 minutes per pay period
as mentor in a school. Angela McNew also suggested Habitat for Humanity. A flyer was
distributed. Typically this organization builds new homes for the underprivileged.
They now have a new program that rebuilds and remodels substandard homes. It was suggested
that this opportunity to get involved be opened up to any classified employee.
The Fall 2009 issue of the Classified Times newsletter is ready to be posted on the
website.
The Election Committee is looking into creating a new system for the election of
members to the Senate. Tanya is working with Blaine Linehan to look into a more efficient
way to handle the election process online. Currently, paper ballots are sent to all
classified employees. Online there would be a security system for voting and it would
tally the votes.
Submitted by Jan Toth
Present: Matthew Albers, Healther Ballard, Darryl Carrington, George Corbin, Tonya Cruz, Renea Goforth, Lloyd Harp, Elaine Harvey, Jim Herron, Mike Hinkle, Angela McNew, Lois Nicholas, Jan Toth, Melinda Ware, Margene Webster, Tanya Wickersham
Excused: Sheila Bates, Cassandra Bell, Linda Claypool, Sonya Cotton, Lou Dixson, Blaine Linehan, Nikki McDermed, Dennis Moore, David Wise
Unexcused: Bec Espinosa, Susan Fordyce, Garrett Moyer, George Schroeder
The meeting was called to order by President Tanya Wickersham.
Dr. Wade Robinson, Vice President for Campus Life and University Relations, joined the meeting to present information about the renovation of the Rhatigan Student Center. He was accompanied by Jim Herrman, Director of the RSC, and David Kidd, MIS Manager at the RSC. They provided a slide presentation about the history of the RSC, plans for the upgraded facility and funding plans. The project is totally funded by student fees. More information is available on Facebook.
Tanya Wickersham spoke about Day on the Hill. The joint senates chose to do two days on the hill the end of January. We did not participate at that time. Another day was planned in February, but it has been moved to March 9. President Beggs has allowed anyone attending this meeting to be paid without take a vacation day. The position paper was finalized in January, and each university signed off on it. This will be taken to the legislature. The Board of Regents is taking the position that there will be no more cuts to higher education. The six regents schools have taken such a cut the last few years that they will not be able to do more. This will be presented to the legislature. The state will have to make cuts, but the university cannot handle further cuts. They will also be asked to continue with phase three of the pay plan. Anyone who is interested in going, should contact Tanya.
Shocker Pride has been scheduled to April 28. Everyone should have received a nomination ballot by this time and is encouraged to make a nomination for the President’s Award.
During a meeting concerning the possibility of the Classified Senate sponsoring a scholarship, Mary Herrin, Vice President for Administration and Finance, said it would be easy to set up payroll deductions for anyone interested in doing that.
Heather Ballard attended a Heskett Center Directors meeting. All programs have exceeded their expectations this last year. There are plans to increase programs, including intramural activities. The plan is to offer intramural activities at the practice facility at designated times. This is phase one, and there are plans for phase two, but this has been put on hold for the time being. Dr. Cheryl Adams, Dean of Students, is putting together a survey about what activities faculty and staff are interested in having at the Heskett Center. The information will be used to add programs in the future. It was suggested that classified staff work times be considered when planning activities. Shelley Rich, Associate Director for Programs at Heskett has gone to other schools to see what their health and wellness programs are like.
Darryl Carrington reported that we are still waiting to hear on a date when we could participate in Habitat for Humanity. He also mentioned that Iseley School needs mentors. The principal has welcomed this idea. Background checks will be necessary for anyone interested in helping in this area. The mentoring program is administered by Communities in Schools. Northeast Magnet is also working in partnership on a mentoring program. University employees are allowed to work in the mentoring program for 90 minutes per pay period.
Lloyd Harp asked about the idea of taking the paper ballot system of handling Classified Senate elections online. Blaine Linehan has been working on that project. The concern that was voiced is the availability of computers and the internet for some categories of employees. Mike Hinkle said that so many people on campus do not use WSU email maybe we should get people used to using this on any computer. Angie McNew suggested that we survey our constituents to see who has access. Most areas do have access somewhere to computers. Human Resources has computers that can be used and so does the library.
The meeting was adjourned following a motion and second by Mike Hinkle and Lloyd Harp.
Submitted by Jan Toth
Present: Matthew Albers, Darryl Carrington, George Corbin, Sonya Cotton, Tonya Cruz, Lou Dixson, Bec Espinosa, Elaine Harvey, Angela McNew, Lois Nicholas, George Schroeder, Margene Webster, Jan Toth, Tanya Wickersham
Excused: Sheila Bates, Linda Claypool, Renea Goforth, Jim Herron, Mike Hinkle, Nikki McDermed
Unexcused: Susan Fordyce, Lloyd Harp, Blaine Linehan, Dennis Moore, Garrett Moyer, Melinda Ware
Guests: Tonya Baldwin, Amy Delgado, Brandi Starr
The meeting was called to order by President Tanya Wickersham.
Copies of the Classified Senate Constitution and By-Laws of Wichita State University were distributed.
Matthew Johnston, Associate Director of Human Resources and Adviser to the Classified Senate, was the guest speaker. Matt addresses grievances, concerns and situations regarding personnel. He chairs the WSU Personnel Relations Committee. Specific issues were brought up and discussed that involved constituent advocacy, questions about university policies, work and compensation problems, harassment, work place environment, dissemination of information, responsibilities of senators, etc. It was generally felt by the senators that we are advocates for our constituents. Matt explained that issues involving personnel should be referred to him. He works with Ted Ayres, University Counsel, on a daily basis. He would like to take a more active role with the Senate and asked what we felt he could contribute. Matt is also a part of the University Behavior Intervention Team. He welcomes everyone’s feedback.
Tanya spoke about how new employees are welcomed to the University. A suggestion was made to have a Welcoming Committee to welcome new employees. It was decided that this would be a good idea. Tanya will be able to provide information about new employees and the committee members can meet with them, answer questions and provide packets of information. Elaine Harvey asked whether we would have a budget to work with. Tanya responded that we do and should have about $700 left to use before the end of the fiscal year. Darryl Carrington felt that the Senate needs to be more visible and suggested that we purchase a banner. We should be able to purchase that out of the OOE budget. A motion was made by Lou Dixson and seconded by Matt Albers that the committee be formed. The motion was accepted unanimously. Anyone interested in serving on this committee should contact Tanya.
With no further business the meeting was adjourned.
Submitted by Jan Toth
April 14, 2010
Present: Heather Ballard, Sheila Bates, Darryl Carrington, Linda Claypool, George Corbin, Tonya Cruz, Renea Goforth, Lloyd Harp, Jim Herron, Nikki McDermed, Angela McNew, George Schroeder, Jan Toth, Margene Webster, David Wise
Excused: Sonya Cotton, Lou Dixson, Blaine Linehan, Dennis Moore, Lois Nicholas, Melinda Ware, Tanya Wickersham
Unexcused: Matthew Albers, Bec Espinosa, Susan Fordyce, Elaine Harvey, Mike Hinkle, Garrett Moyer
In the absence of President Tanya Wickersham, Vice President Renea Goforth opened the meeting.
The guest for this meeting was Lynette Murphy. WSU Foundation, Director of Development. We have been speaking about the possibility of establishing a Classified Senate Scholarship, and Darryl Carrington has spoken to Lynette about this in the past. Lynnette described the possible scholarships and explained each one. There are two existing scholarships that we could contribute to, but we would have to use the established criteria for those scholarships. If we establish a new one, we will be able to determine the criteria for awarding the scholarship. If the scholarship is endowed, we will need to have $15,000 in the fund. We could also choose to establish a current fund where each year whatever funds in the account may be awarded or it may be left in the account to build the balance. Guidelines will need to be established, and there was discussion about what those might be. The committee was asked to work on a plan and bring the results to the Senate in May. It was suggested that we find ways to earn money for the scholarship.
The Welcome Committee has prepared packets for new employees. Matt Albers will be visiting with recent new employees. The January new hires have been contacted. Angela McNew will bring a packet to the next meeting.
Prior to the meeting, Tanya Wickersham emailed information from Christine Schneikart-Luebbe regarding the Foundations of Excellence policy statement about the first year of enrollment at WSU. The statement was included in the final report. The Classified Senate was asked to approve this statement. Following a motion and second by Lloyd Harp and Darryl Carrington, the motion to approve the statement was approved.
“Wichita State University is strongly committed to providing a quality experience for all students in their first year of enrollment. This commitment includes continual improvement of policies, programs, and services to facilitate academic success and personal growth; providing foundational educational experiences and creating a culture that supports firs-year enrollees’ aspirations; encouraging students to actively engage in campus life; and helping first-year enrollees at WSU to participate in a multicultural global community.”
There was discussion about the President’s Distinguished Service Award which is awarded each year to three classified, three unclassified and three faculty members for outstanding service to the university. It has been suggested that criteria be established for selecting the winners each year. The Shocker Pride Committee will look into this and report back at the May meeting.
An article was shared with the senate that spoke about what the Missouri legislature is discussing with regard to state employee pensions. Changes would effect the Missouri State Employees’ retirement system. Employees would be required to contribute four percent of their salaries to the retirement system, and the minimum age to receive retirement benefits would be raised. If passed, it is expected that this could save several hundred million dollars.
With no further business, the meeting was adjourned.
Submitted by Jan Toth
Present: Matthew Albers, Heather Ballard, Darryl Carrington, George Corbin, Sonya Cotton, Tonya Cruz, Bec Espinosa, Renea Goforth, Lloyd Harp, Elaine Harvey, Mike Hinkle, Nikki McDermed, Angela McNew, Dennis Moore, Margene Webster, Tanya Wickersham, Shanda Burch, Melissa Conley, Kyle Garwood, Brenda Khan, Richelle Stoner, Robin Traore
Excused: Sheila Bates, Linda Claypool, Lou Dixson, Jim Herron, Blaine Linehan, Lois Nicholas, George Schroeder, Jan Toth, Holidaye Evans, Bernie Smith, Hercilia Thompson, Felicia Torres
Unexcused: Susan Fordyce, Garret Moyer, Melinda Ware, David Wise, Ricky Kennedy
President Wickersham opened the meeting by welcoming all current and in-coming Classified
Senators to the meeting.
President Wickersham presented the out-going senators a certificate for their service to the Classified Senate. Angela McNew took a picture of these senators to put on the Classified Senate website.
This started a discussion about revising the Classified Senate website. Currently the homepage of our website is very plain and unappealing. President Wickersham proposed taking a picture of the new Classified Senate members and adding it to the homepage. This would help constituents identify who the Classified Senators are.
An introduction of all senators took place. This allowed the new senators to be introduced and become familiar with the current senators.
President Wickersham read the election guidelines for Classified Senate officers. After this it was noted that all positions would need to be elected. It was suggested that we start following the Classified Senate constitution and elect a President-Elect. This would prevent having to elect a president each year and would allow the upcoming president learn what is required of this position. Lloyd Harp noted that the original intention of the President-Elect was to be elected in January and serve until May. This would give them 4 months of training before taking over. It was mentioned that this needed to be included in our constitution as a revision if this is what we intend to do.
President Wickersham called for nominations for President. Several names were proposed, but no one was willing to accept the nomination for President. The President election was tabled until another time. A meeting will be called to hold this election.
Nominations were accepted for Vice President. Matthew Albers was unanimously elected as Vice President.
Next, nominations were accepted for Secretary. Shanda Burch was unanimously elected as Secretary.
Discussion regarding the proposed Classified Senate scholarship. President Wickersham presented 2 handouts for members to review. One paper presented the information about the scholarship and what guidelines that 2009-2010 Community Service Committee had established. The other paper outlined the reasons why we wanted to start a new scholarship. Matthew Johnston, Classified Senate Advisor, recommended a revision that would add the information of where the scholarship applications would be mailed and where the scholarship information would be posted. It was suggested that the Post Office reopen the Classified Senate mailbox to that scholarship applications could go directly to that box. Matthew Albers said that he would take care of this. Other discussion centered on what employees would be eligible for this scholarship – whether we would include student employees, temporaries, etc. It was suggested that we table the scholarship discussion due to limited time. This will be brought up at another meeting.
President Wickersham presented Matthew Albers and Darryl Carrington with a letter of appreciation for their help with the WSU Car Show (the letter was written by Lori Evans, Car Show Co-chair).
President Wickersham asked if anyone had read the email that was forwarded earlier in the day regarding the state budget. This prompted a discussion about the contents of this email. The email highlighted the authorization of the longevity bonus for Classified employees (but does not come with any additional money for the institutions to pay it); funding the market adjustments for FY2011; and included no furloughs or additional pay reductions. All good news for state employees.
The 2010-2011 Classified Senate committee sign-up sheet was passed around. Members of the senate were encouraged to sign-up for committees that they would like to participate in next year.
Heather Ballard updated the Classified Senate on the Health & Wellness Committee that is part of the Heskett Center Board. The committee has emailed a questionnaire to all employees asking for feedback on programs that they would like to see at the Heskett Center. Participation is encouraged. This committee is also promoting healthy eating within departments. Some ideas are a contest for number of fruits and vegetables eaten or sharing fruits and vegetables within your department. Heather also reminded the senators about the Heskett Center Poker Walk on May 19, at 11:30. This will include the ribbon cutting for the new ‘walking path’ on campus.
Vice President Renea Goforth stood to recognize President Wickersham for her work and service to the Classified Senate over the last 2 years.
With no other business, Mike Hinkle motioned to adjourn. Bec Espinosa seconded.
Respectfully submitted,
Bec Espinosa
Present: Shelia Bates, Shanda Burch, Linda Claypool, Melissa Conley, Sonya Cotton,
Tonya Cruz, Kyle Garwood, Elaine Harvey, Garret Moyer, Margene Webster, Tanya Wickersham,
Renea Goforth (non-voting guest), Matthew Johnston (non-voting)
Excused: Matthew Albers, Blaine Linehan, Brenda Khan, Bernie Smith, Richelle Stoner
Unexcused: Angela McNew, Hercilia Thompson, Felicia Torres, Robin Traore, Melinda
Ware, David Wise, James Herron, Heather Ballard, Ricky Kennedy, Susan Fordyce, Dennis
Moore, Mike Hinkle
President Tanya Wickersham, opened the meeting.
The purpose of this meeting was to nominate the remaining positions still open for the upcoming year, President and President elect. The Senate needs 17 voting members to be present to nominate and vote on Officers. We did not have enough members present at this meeting to do so. It is suggested another meeting be scheduled at the typical meeting time to promote more attendance. President Wickersham agrees to schedule another meeting.
With no further business, the meeting was adjourned.
Submitted by Shanda Burch
Present: Matthew Albers, Shelia Bates, Shanda Burch, Darryl Carrington, Linda Claypool,
Melissa Conley, Tonya Cruz, Elaine Harvey, Mike Hinkle, Brenda Khan, Angela Linder,
Dennis Moore, Bernie Smith, Richelle Stoner, Hercilia Thompson, Robin Traore, Tanya
Wickersham, Renea Goforth (non-voting guest), Matthew Johnston (non-voting Advisor)
Excused: Sonya Cotton, Lou Dixon, Rochelle Flowers, Kyle Garwood, Garret Moyer, Melinda
Ware, Margene Webster, David Wise.
Unexcused: Heather Ballard, Bec Espinoza, Holidaye Evans, Susan Fordyce, James Herron.
Resigned: Blaine Linehan and Ricky Kennedy resigned their Senate seats due to work obligations. Blaine is willing to continue to help with anything technical including possible electronic elections. We will decide how to fill those positions at a later time.
President Tanya Wickersham, opens the meeting.
The first order of business is to announce the new President of Classified Senate, Linda Claypool. Thank you for submitting your nominations and votes. Pat Campbell will contact Linda regarding meeting with President Beggs and other Senate Presidents.
We have had an inquiry from an unnamed individual regarding donating to our Scholarship fund. Tanya submitted what we have as a baseline but informed the donor it was not finalized. Tanya or Linda will let the Senate know what comes of the inquiry.
Tanya distributes the most current Scholarship information that was discussed at the May meeting for those who didn't have it. She recommends the Community Service Committee meet and try to finalize the information. Darryl Carrington would like to share that the Scholarship is already open for donations. He has already sent a donation to the foundation.
The Senators introduce themselves for any members who were not at the previous two meetings.
Matt Albers announces budget information. We have $133.10 currently in the FY10 budget. Matt has been looking into office supplies for the Welcoming Committee and promotional items for visibility. If anyone has any suggestions please let Matt know ASAP. Angie Linder suggests maybe there should be some sort of committee or Executive Council to help decide where the money is spent. Tanya agrees.
Tanya informs the Senate that many items in the current constitution could be reviewed. The current constitution is distributed to the Senators to review, such as the Advisor Position Paper. We could establish a new committee to review the constitution. Mike Hinkle suggests the Executive Council review the constitution. Elaine Harvey says she will be happy to work on the committee if it is formed. Tanya reminds the Senate that 2/3 of the voters must review and respond to any changes in the constitution. Elaine Harvey motions to have a new committee to review and reform the constitution; Bernie Smith seconds. A vote is taken, the I’s have it.
Matt Johnston was asked as part of his position in HR to be the Advisor for Classified Senate. He then began to attend the meetings. In the past, Advisors may not have been as active, but he chooses to be an active Advisor. Matt also agrees to advise and attend the meetings of the Community Service Committee. Lisa Jones has also offered assistance.
Andy Schlapp will visit one Senate meeting and give legislative updates. Linda will contact him to confirm.
Joint Senate meetings will be held at K-State in Manhattan. For budgetary purposes we can participate by teleconference. The joint Senate may meet sometime this summer to create a starting draft of the Position Paper before the September Board of Regents meeting.
The President Elect discussion will be tabled until the next meeting.
Visitors to the Senate meetings. Anyone may attend the meetings but only Senators may vote.
Constituent lists will be emailed to all Senators to make contact. Some constituents may not have email access. Matt Albers can help with contacting constituents via campus mail.
Attendance of Senators at meetings is required to remain on the Senate per Article IX Section D of the constitution. Senators must contact Shanda to be considered excused from meetings.
With no further business, the meeting was adjourned.
Submitted by Shanda Burch