Minutes of the Meeting:
Present: James
Akey; Dotty Baker;
Excused: Mary Harrington; Ron Kitchens; Eddie Lovin; Ardessa Minor; Traci Mitchell; Jerry Moore; Deidra Phillips; Bettie Puckett; Tony Seaman
Unexcused: Pam Barefield; Debbie Bishop; Corrie Free; Ben Pharr; Timothy Woodard
Call to Order: The
meeting was called to order at
Approval of Minutes: The May minutes were approved with no corrections.
Treasurer’s Report: Rachel Bost reported that there were no expenses related to travel or equipment last month. The majority of expenses were incurred for Staff Appreciation Week. Although some funds were spent in the textbook scholarship account, most of the charges for summer school textbooks have not been posted. The Treasurer’s Report was approved as submitted.
Staff Appreciation Week Report:
·
Debbie
Binkley, committee chair, reported that the majority of comments about Staff
Appreciation Week have been very positive.
All door prize winners have been contacted, but six staff members have
not yet picked up their prizes.
·
Joey
Brent reported that Ardessa Minor has suggested the
Staff Council honor Chancellor Khayat for his support
of the Staff Council and Staff Appreciation Week. The Council discussed several ways to
recognize the Chancellor for his support, and to also commemorate his tenth
anniversary as Chancellor.
·
Some of
the entertainments provided during Staff Appreciation Week were well attended,
while some had low attendance:
o
Thirty
people attended convocation.
o
Karaoke participation
was lower than usual.
o
Twenty-five
staff members attended the landscaping presentation.
o
Attendance
at the plant swap and the Campus Recreation demonstrations were low.
o
Approximately
100 people participated in bingo. Amy
Saxton reported that many door prizes were distributed, and that the Johnson
Commons ballroom was a great venue for the event.
o
Susan
Neal stated that she has received wonderful comments about the picnic, and that
the event ran smoothly. She estimates
that 800-1000 people were served. Ms.
Neal added that next year it should be stressed to staff that spouses and
children may not participate in the picnic, and that “to go” boxes should be
provided for those staff who cannot leave their
offices.
o
Rachel Bost and Dottie Baker reported that there were no glitches
at the awards ceremony, and that they have received no negative comments. Ms. Bost reported
that attendance seemed better this year than in the past. Awards have been forwarded to recipients who
could not attend the program. Prior to
the program, some off-campus sites received their invitations late. Ms. Bost suggested
that next year these employees be contacted by phone to remind them of the
program.
o
Kim Chrestman, chair of the blood drive, stated that 31 units
of blood were collected, which is approximately seven more units donated than
in years past. Several door prizes were
given away, including the grand prize of a one night stay with two
complimentary buffets at Hollywood Casino.
·
Brenda
Brannan reported that the Elections Committee had to deal with several problems
during the elections process, but that the elections turned out well. Joey Brent thanked everyone who worked on the
elections committee to help facilitate the process. President-Elect Brent also suggested
developing an elections subcommittee to work on developing an electronic voting
process for next year.
·
Comments
and suggestions for planning next year’s event were as follows:
o
Joey
Brent suggested conducting an online survey of this year’s event in order to
gather feedback from staff to be used in planning for next year. Joey Brent, Debbie Binkley, and Jennifer Pardoe will meet to develop the survey.
o
More
advertising is needed, particularly on the Staff Council website. Posters and additional brochures could also
be distributed around campus.
o
Program
planning should begin earlier next year.
Additional advertising for a longer period would possibly improve
participation.
o
Two
Staff Council members reported that they were not allowed to attend the events,
so other staff members may not be allowed to attend, either. The Council should work on obtaining more
support from deans and department heads to allow staff participation.
o
Council
members who served on planning committees should forward copies of all notes on
Staff Appreciation Week to Debbie Binkley.
Ms. Binkley will compile these notes into one binder for next year’s
volunteers.
Exam Breakfast: Paula Park thanked Ron Kitchens, Timothy
Woodard, and the catering staff for their assistance at the exam
breakfast. Comments from students have
been very positive (even though no door prizes were available at the event),
and 120 more students participated this semester than in December. Amy Saxton volunteered to assist Ms. Park
with planning the fall program.
Committee Reports:
·
Jennifer
Pardoe, chair of the Publicity Committee, reported
that pictures taken during Staff Appreciation Week will be posted on the Staff
Council website. Mary Harrington also
has a link on the website to her awards ceremony speech. Joey Brent will check with Robert Jordan
about placing additional photos on the website.
·
New
Employee Orientation, which was held during Staff Appreciation Week, was very
successful. The committee plans to
continue this program.
Old Business:
·
The
suggestion box has been moved to the Central Ticket Office, but will be moved
to a better location after renovations to the
Announcements:
· The Staff Council expressed its appreciation to Mary Harrington for her great work and dedication as Staff Council president.
·
Shannon Beeman is
relocating to
·
The next
Staff Council meeting will be held on
Meeting adjourned,
/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