Minutes of the Meeting, April 7, 2004 Union 404 A & B
Present: James Akey; Shannon Beeman; Rachel Bost; Brenda Brannan; Joey Brent; Joni Camp; Nina Cheshier; Judy Fos; Corrie Free;
Mary Harrington; Shellie Harrison; Melissa Hudson; Buddy Kahler; Ron Kitchens; Shannon Lovejoy; Ardessa Minor; Traci Mitchell;
Jennifer Pardoe; Paula Park; Deidra Phillips; Randall Pinion; Tony Seaman; Patti Welch
Excused: Hilary Bain; Kim Chrestman; Tiffany Edwards; Cara Hewitt; Sue Hodge; Bettie Puckett; John Sharpe
Unexcused: Barbara Leeton; Renee Moore; Kathy Sanders; Gina Starnes
Call to Order: At 2:30 pm, President Joni Camp called the meeting to order by welcoming all members.
Approval of Minutes: The March minutes were approved with no corrections.
Treasurer’s Report: Rachel Bost reported that no funds in travel have been used since the last report. Funds were taken from contractual services to pay for postage to mail petitions and letters to state legislators, and to purchase a suggestion box and a case of paper. Expenditures were also made for printing of the February minutes and printing of nomination forms for Outstanding Staff Member. Textbook scholarship refunds totaled $155.00, and $1,746.42 was deducted from the overhead account to purchase a new laptop for the textbook scholarship program. The treasurer’s report was approved with no corrections.
Old Business:
· Joni Camp announced that Executive Board members and other volunteers will be serving on the Staff Appreciation Day Committee. Ms. Camp asked all committee members to remain after the Staff Council meeting, and added that additional volunteers were welcome.
· Nominations for the positions of president-elect, secretary, and treasurer were held. Nominees for president-elect are Joey Brent and Judy Fos. Nominees for secretary and treasurer are Shannon Beeman and Rachel Bost, respectively. Nominations will be open until April 15. Council members may email Joni Camp or a member of the Executive Board to add names to the ballots.
· Rachel Bost thanked everyone for working to get signatures on the petitions regarding health insurance that were sent to state legislators. A total of 586 signatures were collected.
· Rachel Bost reported that the Staff Council closet is located in the basement of Johnson Commons. Members who need to store Staff Council files and other materials in the closet should contact Mary Harrington for the keys.
· Ron Kitchens announced that the Campus Clean-up program was well staffed. Staff Council members who worked at Campus Clean-up were Mr. Kitchens and Joni Camp, with Captain William Sheffield assisting Ms. Camp.
New Business:
·
Paula Park stated that the Faculty/Staff Appeals
Committee is in need of a new laptop.
Tony Seaman suggested contacting the Provost’s office, which may have
funds available to help with the purchase of a laptop.
·
Staff Appreciation Day will be held on Friday, May 14,
2004. The blood drive will be held on
May 12 from noon to 5:00 pm, and on May 13 from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm in the
Student Union. Kim Chestman will chair
the blood drive committee, with assistance from Jeanette Wells. Shellie Harrison is chair of the Outstanding
Staff Member selection committee.
Ballots for outstanding staff member will be mailed out next week. Ms. Harrison will send out an email asking
members to help count votes. Tony
Seaman added that he met with the Chancellor, who has agreed to allow the University
to close from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm on Staff Appreciation Day. Dr. Khayat will send an email to
administrators asking them to consider letting staff have this time off to
participate in Staff Appreciation Day activities. The Chancellor will also be presenting staff awards, Healthworks
awards, and will play in the staff band.
·
The Oxford Chamber of Commerce and the University will
again sponsor the Fourth of July celebration.
Traci Mitchell will be serving on the planning committee, while Buddy
Kahler and his crew will help with much of the set-up. Activities will include vendors, children’s
programs, bands on the Grove stage, a street dance on the Square, and an
interdenominational service in the Chapel.
·
The Exam Breakfast will be held on May 4, from 9:00 pm
– 11:00 pm. Joni Camp passed around a
sign-up sheet for volunteers.
·
Tony Seaman reported on the recent MASCO and IHL
meetings held in Jackson. At the MASCO
meeting, all eight universities were present, with 15 delegates attending. Andy Mullins was the guest speaker. Dr. Mullins outlined budget projects for the
next year, stating that state income is still not where it is expected to
be. Projections are that health
insurance will be fully funded until December 31, 2004. Starting January 1, 2005, deductibles for
insurance and drug coverage will likely increase. To avoid paying a premium, employees may have to pay a $1000
deductible, or they may pay a $50 per month premium in order to reduce their
deductible to $500. Mr. Seaman
suggested that Staff Council consider approaching Human Resources to employ a
person who is an expert in health care and insurance to serve as a contact
person for staff, and who can provide help to staff in dealing with health
insurance claims.
Mr. Seaman also learned at the MASCO meeting that Delta State University was allowed to close for two days during spring break as a benefit to staff. This idea has been presented to Chancellor Khayat as a way to benefit Ole Miss staff as well.
Meeting adjourned, 3:15 pm.
/s/ Joni Camp, President
/s/ Mary Harrington, President-Elect
/s/ Shannon Beeman, Secretary
Staff Council e-mail address: staffcouncil@olemiss.edu
Staff Council Homepage: http://www.olemiss.edu/orgs/staff_council
Staff Council Webmaster: dptjb@olemiss.edu