The University of Mississippi                                                   Staff Council

Minutes of Meeting April 1, 2009                                                                    PPD Conference Room

 

Present:  Dotty Baker, Prema Balachandran, Pam Barefield, Debbie Binkley, Debbie Bishop, Lisa Bishop, Carol Bullard, Sandra Cox-McCarty, Tiffany Edwards, Mark Garneau, Angie Gurner, Shellie Harrison, Chris Ann Harwell, Marla Holcomb, Chad Hunter, Gwen Hutchins, MaryAnn Kerr, Natcha Knight-Evans, Erin Miller, Jane Michelletti, Stephanie Mitchell, Patti Mooney, Patricia Oswalt, Paula Park, Anita Randle, Dana Ros, Neal Sellers, Johnette Taylor, Ryan Upshaw, Benita Whitehorn, Pam Wilburn

 

Absent-Excused: Holly Bethune, Stan Fortner, Nina Jones, Julius Minor, Johnny Price, Deborah Purnell, Jennifer Taylor, Jacquline Vinson

 

Absent-Unexcused: 

 

Call to Order:  President Shellie Harrison called the meeting to order at 1:30 PM.

 

Speaker:  Introduction and welcome extended to speakers, Dr. Aruna Weerasooriya, Research Scientist with the National Center for Natural Products Research and Mr. Don Stanford with the National Center for Natural Products Research. 

Dr. Aruna Weerasooriya spoke regarding the plant garden at the National Center for Natural Products Research (NCNPR) and the study of vast and virtually unlimited sources of new agents for both the pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries. He noted the NCNPR was created to bring together an alliance of academia, government, and the pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries to integrate research, development, and commercialization of potentially useful natural products.  Research in the center is devoted to improving human health and agricultural productivity through the discovery, development, and commercialization of pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals derived from natural products.  The research focuses on discovering new drugs for unmet therapeutic needs such as cancer and infectious diseases, improving the quality and safety of dietary supplements, and discovering new, effective agrochemicals that will not harm the environment.

 

Mr. Stanford spoke about the medicinal plant garden and the contract the university has with the Federal Government to grow marijuana for medicinal purposes. The university is registered with the FDA and DEA as a pharmaceutical manufacturer.  Generally, the plants grown in our fields are cloned plants from mother plants; cuttings are made and rooted to produce new plants.  We have a contract with the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) for which we grow plants for research and compassionate use patients.  We grow the marijuana and a subcontractor in North Carolina rolls the dried marijuana into cigarettes.  Natural THC is produced here in our facilities for research and medicinal purposes. 

 

Part of the NIDA work is analytical.  NIDA sends the facility confiscated samples (about 3,000-4,000 samples per year).  These samples are tested for potency and content.  The testing information is kept in a database used by DEA and the White House (Office of National Drug Control Policies) and used for public relations, drug interdiction, etc.  The database is used by the DEA to help decide the origin of confiscated materials.   

 

    

Announcements:  JoAnn O’Quin - C.A.R.E. Fair & Workshop

Ms. O’Quin, full-time faculty member and gerontologist, spoke to Staff Council regarding the C.A.R.E. Fair and Workshop.  C.A.R.E. stands for Caring for Aging Relatives Effectively.  This is a volunteer effort.  She passed around the agenda for the fair and workshops scheduled for April 29th and a sign-up sheet for the all day event to address care giving to the aging to be held in the Student Union.  She would like to have as many faculty and staff come to the event as possible and requested the help of the Staff Council to help get the word out.  She also requested as many as possible sign up to volunteer throughout the day to help staff the event. 

 

Minutes:  Approved by general consensus

 

Treasurer’s Report:  Nina Jones has been out of the office and upon her return will get the Treasurer’s Report out as soon as possible.  The report will be addressed at our next Staff Council meeting.   

 

Unfinished Business: 

 

Committee Reports:

Staff Appreciation Update

The next Staff Appreciation meeting will be in the Lyceum April 15.  Shellie will send an email to everyone on the committee regarding that meeting.  Anyone interested in volunteering or any with questions or comments please send an email to Shellie or Dotty.  All Staff Appreciation gifts/prizes should be in to Patti by Friday, May 1, 2009.   

 

Plant Swap - Jane noted that she and Ann O’Dell had discussed the Plant Swap and it will be held on Thursday, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM, on the stage in the Grove.  Jane will be sending an email out to all those who were involved in the 2008 plant swap.   

 

Music & Meditation Committee

Carol Bullard noted that she and Gwen Hutchins did get the Music & Meditation finished.

 

Jeans for Justice

Email went out on Monday, March 30.  Anyone wishing to have more information should contact Marla Holcomb.

 

Outstanding Staff Member Committee:

Dotty noted that ballots for Outstanding Staff Member would be going out on Monday.

 

The question was raised as to why we do not have the golf scramble any longer. It was noted that at one time Staff Appreciation was a weeklong event; also, it was said to have been a question of liability.  It was also noted we now do games in the Grove that offer less chance of injury.

 

Shellie noted that the Chancellor’s Retirement event will be held in the Grove on April 30, 2:00-4:00.  She will be presenting the Chancellor with a rocking chair and a representative of a live tree.   Other organizations will be presenting him with representations of live trees as well.  These trees will be planted on campus in his honor.  All faculty, staff, and students will be invited to the event.  If you would like to contribute toward this gift, please feel free to do so, but it is not mandatory.

New Business:

 

Staff Council Officer Elections:

We will not be having a speaker in May, as we will be nominating candidates for Staff Council officers.  Johnette Taylor will be presiding as President in July, our first meeting of the new fiscal year. 

 

Paula Park noted that as of today warning cards will be issued to anyone smoking in undesignated areas.  As of April 15th anyone issued a citation will be charged $25.  In order to appeal the citation, students will have to go through judicial appeals and faculty and staff will have to go through faculty/staff appeals.  If you receive a citation and do not appeal or just don’t show up for the appeal process, the $25 will be withheld through payroll deduction.   

 

Meeting Adjourned

 

Next Meeting:  Wednesday, May 6, 2009, 1:30 PM, PPD Conference Room