The University of Mississippi Staff Council

Minutes of the Meeting, October 6, 2004 Union 404 A & B

Present: James Akey; Pam Barefield; Shannon Beeman; Debbie Bishop; Brenda Brannan;

Joey Brent; Nina Cheshier; Kim Chrestman; Judy Fos; Mary Harrington; Shellie Harrison;

Jeff Howell; Melissa Hudson; Buddy Kahler; Ron Kitchens; Shannon Lovejoy; Ardessa Minor;

Traci Mitchell; Jennifer Pardoe; Paula Park; Deidra Phillips; Randall Pinion; Bettie Puckett;

Patti Welch

Excused: Rachel Bost; Corrie Free; Judy Mills

Unexcused: Hilarie Bain; Paige Davis; Carra Hewitt; Sue Hodge; Renee Moore; Kathy Sanders;

Tony Seaman

Visitor: Waurene Roberson

Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by President Mary Harrington at 2:35 pm. President Harrington stated that no guest speaker had been scheduled for this month’s meeting, since most of the meeting would involve discussion of the Staff Council Kick-off Program planned for October 13, 2004.

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

Treasurer’s Report: The Treasurer’s Report was approved with no corrections.

Fall 2004 Staff Council Kick-off:

· Judy Fos distributed Staff Council business cards to each member. These business cards will be placed inside the cups that will be handed out at the program. Ms. Fos stated that the cups, which are red with white lettering on each side, have been ordered and are guaranteed to arrive in time for the program. Ms. Fos has also ordered 400 pizzas from Domino’s, which will be delivered at intervals during the program. Coca-Cola will deliver drinks and containers at 8:00 am. Campus Dining has agreed to donate the ice. Ms. Fos stated that several organizations have already donated a number of door prizes. Winners will be announced during the program. Staff must attend the Kick-off to register to win a door prize, but do not have to be present when their names are called.

· Ardessa Minor stated that a banner advertising the program has been hung in front of the Student Union. Ms. Minor also requested volunteers to help with set-up and break-down of the program. Set-up will begin at 8:00 am in front of the Grove stage.

· Jennifer Pardoe has submitted pictures and information about the Kick-off to be printed in Inside Ole Miss on Monday, October 11.

· Shannon Beeman reported that fliers announcing the program have been sent via campus mail to all University staff members, and discussed the set-up arrangements for the program. Ms. Beeman distributed fliers to each member, and asked that the fliers be posted on bulletin boards in various buildings.

Committee Reports:

· Judy Fos, coordinator of New Employee Orientation, reported that the remaining cups ordered for the Staff Council Kick-off will be given to new staff members in lieu of t-shirts.

· The Publicity Committee, coordinated by Jennifer Pardoe, has been primarily involved during the last month with promoting the Staff Council Kick-off. The committee is also working with Printing Services to obtain an estimate on printing a Staff Council newsletter.

· The Executive Committee recently met with Chancellor Khayat, who is very supportive of the Kick-off. Chancellor Khayat plans to serve pizza to staff members on the day of the program, and will send an email to all department heads encouraging them to allow their staff to attend the Kick-off. In addition, Chancellor Khayat will pursue supplementing the textbook scholarship fund by $5000 per semester to cover the increasing number of scholarships issued.

Old Business:

· Mary Harrington stated that at the last Executive Board Meeting with Chancellor Khayat, the Chancellor reported that it is too expensive at this time to operate air conditioning between the hours of 3:00 am and 6:00 am. However, he offered to ask if the air movers could be kept running in order to circulate air. Buddy Kahler added that the State has mandated that temperatures be set at 68 degrees in the summer and 74 degrees in the winter to minimize costs, and that it is very difficult to accommodate everyone and not violate the State mandate. Mr. Kahler asked that staff contact the Physical Plant’s main office instead of the individual offices to report heating and cooling problems, so that PPD management will know about these concerns. After further discussion, Mary Harrington, Kim Chrestman, and Waurene Roberson volunteered to further research this issue in order to determine staff needs for heating and cooling.

· Sympathy cards were sent to the families of the victims of the ATO house fire.

· A link to Terese Hanna’s presentation on state insurance has been included in the September minutes.

· Secure envelopes are now being used for mailing staff pay advices. Since this information is now available online, administrators are looking into allowing staff to “opt out” of receiving a printed advice in order to cut mailing costs.

New Business:

· Mary Harrington distributed magnetic name tags to all Staff Council members, and thanked Rachel Bost for having the name tags printed.

· Ron Kitchens asked for volunteers to serve on the United Way campaign. Information about the campaign will be delivered through campus mail. This year’s campus goal is $110,000.

Announcements:

· The Executive Committee selected Ardessa Minor and Judy Fos as co-winners of October’s Staff Council Member of the Month award. President Harrington thanked Ms. Minor and Ms. Fos for their enthusiasm, dedication, and hard work in coordinating the Staff Council Kick-off.

· The next Staff Council meeting will be held at the University Museum. Staff Council members will hear about the history of the museum, learn about upcoming events, and will be given a tour of the facility.

Meeting adjourned, 3:20 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