Minutes of the Meeting:
Present: James Akey; Dotty Baker; Shannon Beeman; Debbie Bishop; Robert Bishop; David Blackmar; Rachel Bost; Brenda Brannan; Joey Brent; Nina Cheshier; Kim Chrestman;
Cathy Grace; Mary Harrington; Carra Hewitt; Jeff Howell; Melissa Hudson; Ron Kitchens; Shannon Lovejoy; Ann Mason; Ardessa Minor; Patti Mooney; Jerry Moore; Susan Neal;
Jennifer Pardoe; Paula Park; Ben Pharr; Deidra Phillips; Randall Pinion; Amy Saxton; Karen Tuttle; Timothy Woodard
Excused: Pam Barefield; Debbie Binkley; Corrie Free; Judy Mills; Traci Mitchell; Bettie Puckett; Tony Seaman
Call to Order: The
meeting was called to order at
Introduction of New Members: President Harrington welcomed all newly elected Staff Council members to the meeting, and asked all Council members to stand and introduce themselves. Newly elected/re-elected members are:
At Large: Brenda Brannan
EEO3: James Akey; Dotty Baker; Shannon Beeman; Debbie Binkley; Rachel Bost; Karen Tuttle
EEO4: Ann Mason; Susan Neal; Amy Saxton
EEO5: David Blackmar; Ben Pharr
EEO6: Timothy Woodard
EEO7: Robert Bishop; Jerry Moore
Tour of Indoor Practice Facility: President-Elect Joey Brent introduced Lou Hazelwood from the Athletics Office, who then gave Staff Council members a tour of the Indoor Practice Facility. After the tour, President Harrington thanked Mr. Hazelwood and Mr. Brent for coordinating the tour and allowing the Council to hold its meeting in the Indoor Practice Facility.
Approval of Minutes: The February minutes were approved with no corrections.
Treasurer’s Report: Rachel Bost reported that the majority of expenditures for the months of January and February pertained to the Holiday Open House, Staff Council elections, textbook scholarships, and certificates of appreciation for outgoing Council members. There were no changes to the overhead account. The Treasurer’s Report was approved with no corrections.
Committee Reports:
·
Judy Fos, chair of both the Staff
Council Elections Committee and the New Employee Orientation Committee, has
rotated off the Council. President
Harrington asked Council members to consider serving in one of these positions. Cathy Grace agreed to chair the New Employee
Orientation Committee. Any Council
member interested in serving as chair of the Elections Committee should contact
President Harrington.
·
Jennifer
Pardoe, chair of the Publicity Committee, requested that
all new Staff Council members meet for a group photo. Ms. Pardoe will
send an email to new members to advise them of the date, time, and location of
the photo session.
·
Kim Chrestman, who serves on the Lecture Series standing
committee, announced that Elaine Pagels of
·
Ron Kitchens,
a member of the Honors Day standing committee, reported that Honors Day will be
held on
New Business:
·
President
Harrington announced that planning for Staff Appreciation Day will soon
begin. Many volunteers are needed, as
there are numerous opportunities for involvement in planning this event. A sign-up sheet for Staff Appreciation Day
volunteers was circulated. Council
members may also contact President Harrington to volunteer. Joey Brent stated that he has already been contacted
by Mississippi Blood Services regarding this year’s blood drive. The tentative dates for the blood drive are
·
Rachel Bost reported on changes to textbook scholarship
procedures. Eligible staff members are
allowed up to $150 per semester for textbooks.
In the past, there have been problems with getting Visa receipts for textbook
purchases from the Bookstore in a timely manner. The Textbook Scholarship Committee met with
Bookstore staff, who has agreed to let the Staff Council
have a running account for textbook purchases, rather than charging these
purchases individually on the Visa. This
system will give the Staff Council Treasurer more time to process
payments. The Bookstore will also be
able to flag money when a staff member returns books, so that refunds can go
back to the scholarship fund. The
committee will meet with the Bookstore before summer school begins in order to
finalize these plans.
·
Ron
Kitchens stated that he will be involved in planning this year’s LOU 4th
of July celebration.
Mr. Kitchens suggested that the Staff Council consider entering a float
in the parade.
·
Ben
Pharr, Jerry Moore, and Ardessa Minor agreed to
examine the Staff Council’s by-laws to determine if any by-laws need to be
updated.
Concerns:
·
A
concern was raised that the elimination of the new employee orientation
program, “Catch the Ole Miss SPIRIT” may have resulted in two issues: 1) employees having difficulty with the
on-line benefits procedure; and 2) the lack of a formal “Welcome to the Ole
Miss Family” for new staff. Results of the Staff Council’s informal survey of
on-line orientation procedures for new staff revealed that some staff members
feel more face-to-face contact would be helpful, and that it can be hard to
find time to complete the on-line benefits orientation process. President Harrington reported that, based on
a meeting with Human Resources, it appears the online orientation is an
effective way to inform new staff of their benefits options. However, HR staff will be diligent about
identifying new staff who may not be comfortable with
computers, and will provide those individuals with personal assistance. The Staff Council agreed to coordinate (with support
from Human Resources) periodic receptions for new staff in order to personally
welcome them to campus. Deidre Phillips
agreed to coordinate this project, with assistance from Ardessa
Minor, Jennifer Pardoe, and Kim Chrestman.
Announcements:
· The Staff Council Member of the Month for March is Rachel Bost. President Harrington thanked Ms. Bost for her many contributions to the Staff Council.
· Election of officers will be held at the May meeting. Nominations can be made at the April meeting, and can also be made from the floor prior to voting at the May meeting. Members must serve on the Council for one year before they can be nominated for office.
· President Harrington reminded everyone of the attendance policy. Members are allowed three unexcused absences/six total absences per year. This policy is intended to ensure active participation in Staff Council meetings.
·
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