The University of Mississippi Staff Council

Minutes of the Meeting, November 3, 2004 University Museums

Present: James Akey; Hilarie Bain; Shannon Beeman; Debbie Bishop; Rachel Bost; Brenda Brannan; Joey Brent; Kim Chrestman; Judy Fos; Corrie Free; Mary Harrington; Shellie Harrison;

Melissa Hudson; Buddy Kahler; Ron Kitchens; Shannon Lovejoy; Paula Park; Deidra Phillips;

Randall Pinion; Tony Seaman

Excused: Nina Cheshier; Carra Hewitt; Jeff Howell; Judy Mills; Ardessa Minor; Traci Mitchell; Jennifer Pardoe; Bettie Puckett; Patti Welch

Unexcused: Pam Barefield; Paige Davis; Sue Hodge; Renee Moore; Kathy Sanders

Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 2:35 pm by President Mary Harrington. President Harrington thanked all members for attending, and then introduced Albert Sperath, Director of Museums and Historical Houses, as the guest speaker. Mr. Sperath discussed the history of the University Museum and the programs and services it offers, then conducted a PowerPoint presentation on current plans for expansion of the museum, which will include a handicapped accessible trail linking the museum with Rowan Oak. Mr. Sperath added that his staff is very pleased with the results of the Rowan Oak restoration. Since Rowan Oak reopened at the last Faulkner conference, 21,000 visitors have toured the historic home. All Staff Council members were invited to tour the museum after the meeting.

Approval of Minutes: The October minutes were approved with no corrections.

Treasurer’s Report: Most of the expenditures incurred in October were associated with the Staff Council Kick-off. The Chancellor has increased the textbook scholarship budget by $5000. No changes were made to the overhead account. The Treasurer’s Report was approved with no corrections.

Fall Staff Council Kick-off Follow-up:

President Harrington thanked everyone for participating in the Staff Council Kick-off. The program was a great success, and all comments, suggestions, and feedback from staff have been very positive.

Committee Reports:

· Judy Fos, coordinator of New Employee Orientation, reported that her committee is working to draft the letter that will be sent to new staff members. The letter will welcome new staff to Ole Miss, inform them about the Staff Council, and invite them to pick up a complimentary mug from either the Staff Council President or the President-Elect.

· The Publicity Committee, coordinated by Jennifer Pardoe, is currently working to add information to the Staff Council website.

· Paula Park, coordinator of the Exam Breakfast Committee, reminded everyone that the Exam Breakfast will be held in early December during the week of finals. Volunteers to work at the breakfast are needed, as are door prizes for students. Ms. Park will send an email to the Staff Council to confirm the date of the Exam Breakfast.

· The Executive Committee met with Chancellor Khayat on November 2, 2004. On behalf of the entire Staff Council, the Executive Committee thanked the Chancellor for his support of the Staff Council Kick-off.

Old Business:

· Mary Harrington distributed name tags to those Council members who had not yet received them.

· Ron Kitchens again encouraged everyone to participate in this year’s United Way campaign.

New Business:

· The Textbook Scholarship Committee reported that money for scholarships is going out faster than it is coming in. Despite the increase in funding, spending will need to be carefully controlled in order to make scholarships accessible to as many people as possible. The Textbook Scholarship Committee proposed that textbook scholarships be limited to the fall and spring semesters, and to one term in the summer. The Staff Council voted to accept the proposal.

· Due to the success of the Fall Kick-off, President Harrington proposed that the Staff Council host a holiday celebration for staff. Tony Seaman volunteered to coordinate the celebration, and to work on creating a holiday card to send to all staff.

Concerns

· A staff member has asked the Staff Council to check into the possibility of allowing staff to visit the Student Health Center, as is the policy at some other universities. The Staff Council was told that the University is prohibited from competing with private clinics in Oxford and that the Student Health Center did not have the staff and facilities to handle extra patients.

· Chancellor Khayat is still investigating the situation on heating and cooling of buildings outside of normal working hours for the benefit of custodial staff. Comments or suggestions regarding this issue should be forwarded to Mary Harrington or Kim Chrestman. Ms. Chrestman will call a meeting of this committee before the next Staff Council meeting.

· Human Resources has declined to allow fee waivers during Intersession and Wintersession. This policy is a cause of concern among staff, particularly those staff who wish to take graduate courses in the evenings. Because the majority of classes offered are four hours each day for two weeks, most staff cannot feasibly make up the missed work hours; therefore, the policy applies to all Intersession and Wintersession classes. The Staff Council has elected to have the textbook scholarship policy adhere to the Human Resources policy on fee waivers. Future concerns regarding the issue of fee waivers should be addressed with the Human Resources office or the Provost’s office.

Announcements:

· The Thanksgiving luncheon for University staff will be held on November 24, 2004, from

11:00 am to 1:00 pm in the Johnson Commons cafeteria.

· The next Staff Council meeting will be held on December 1 in the Student Union. Members should bring a $5.00 gift to exchange, as well as snacks to share.

Meeting adjourned, 3:35 pm.

/s/ Mary Harrington, President

/s/ Joey Brent, 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