2006 December’s meeting was held at Stanton Campus with Heather Brown presiding. In addition to Heather, those in attendance were Karen Bourne-Douglas, Rob McCray, Gail McCray, and Sandy Hinish. Also attending as an invited guest was Kathy Butler McDermott. Absent from Stanton: Mandy Emerson, Diana D’Amico, and Debbie Leech Absent from Wilmington: Cathy Hagan, Gary Heller, and Steve Webb Kathy Butler McDermott distributed a preliminary copy of a letter addressed to Gov. Minner outlining the Staff Senate’s support of the recent proposal by Dr. Orlando George for a Community College Infrastructure Fund. After making a few suggested revisions, the final draft of the letter was presented for signature of all officers. Copy of letter is part of these minutes….see attached. A motion was made by Karen and seconded by Heather to accept the minutes from November’s meeting as written. Treasury balance reported to be $1212.94. Awards Committee: Rob McCray had nothing new to report. Beautification Committee: Nothing new to report. Concerns Committee: Nothing new to report Education Opportunity/Parity Committee: Committee Chair, Mary Jane Arden, resigned from Staff Senate. Nothing reported Fundraising Committee: In Cathy Hagan’s absence, Karen reported the Office Makeover would be done on December 18 & 19. In January, a pair of tickets to Mardi Gras would be raffled. Mentoring: Karen said she had assigned two mentors in Wilmington. Sandy said there were two new employees at Stanton that would be mentored after the holidays. Communications & Outreach Committee: Sandy reported good response to the free drawings for the gift baskets. Winners were drawn during the meeting. Albert Richardson won in Wilmington, and Lynn Kirkpatrick won at Stanton. Baskets were immediately delivered. Also arranging for new photos of senators to be taken. By Laws/Elections Committee: Copies of new by-laws distributed, but since a quorum was not present, no action taken at this meeting. Robbie to distribute hard copies to absent senators as well as sending in PDF format. New Business Heather reported the New Employee Orientation is postponed until February. Heather also indicated she is stepping aside as Staff Senate Chair, and Rob McCray will take over effective the January 2007 meeting. Being no further business a motion to adjourn was made by Gail McCray; seconded by Heather Brown. November’s meeting was held at the Wilmington location. In attendance: Heather Brown, Sandy Hinish, Diana D’Amico, Debbie Leech, Rob McCray, Karen Bourne-Douglas, Cathy Hagan, Gary Heller, and Steve Webb. Absent: Mary Jane Arden and Mandy Emerson. Debbie Leech made a motion to accept October’s minutes with one correction; Nancy Vance seconded. The treasury balance was reported to be $1212.94. Awards Committee-Rob McCray, Nothing new to report Beautification Committee-Debbie Leech Stanton--A few departments at Stanton haven’t done anything with their projects (Marketing, CCP, and DIET). Ten dollars left for Staff Senate’s portion, and will be used in the spring. Wilmington—Since there is no chair person for Wilmington, Heather will send a letter asking that anybody who is interested in participating at Wilmington, to contact her or Karen Bourne-Douglas. By-Laws/Elections Committee-RobMcCray Petition being submitted. Plan to have the by-laws presented at December’s meeting. Concerns Committee-Heather Brown, No new concerns have been submitted. Education Opportunity/Parity Committee-Mary Jane Arden Nothing reported. Fundraising Committee-Cathy Hagan Office Makeover – the work on Linda Watts’ office postponed. Bake sale has been postponed until the new year. Mentoring Committee-Nancy Vance/Karen Bourne-Douglas With Nancy retiring the end of November, the Stanton mentoring assignments were handed over to Sandy Hinish. Karen to continue with Wilmington assignments. Communications & Outreach-Sandy Hinish Clarified the purpose of the committee to be responsible for marketing and public relations. Several ideas to enhance PR of Staff Senate, but need to meet with committee first. NEW BUSINESS Debbie Leech distributed the proposed Staff Senate backed scholarship packet. Discussion followed with suggested ideas and possible pitfalls. Debbie, Heather, and Robbie to meet with Dan Ehmann for further evaluation and information. Heather handed out the meeting schedule for 2007 as well as copies of the FY07 Minor Capital Equipment budget. Staff Senate members expressed their appreciation to Nancy Vance for all the work she’s done for Staff Senate, and wished her well with her retirement. Being no further business for discussion, a motion to adjourn was made by Heather, and seconded by Gary. October’s meeting was held at the Stanton location. Those in attendance: Heather Brown, Sandy Hinish, Mary Jane Arden, Diana D’Amico, Mandy Emerson, Debbie Leech, Nancy Vance, Karen Bourne-Douglas, Cathy Hagan, Gary Heller, Steve Webb, Gail McCray, and Rob McCray(via teleconference). No absences. The minutes from September’s meeting had one change after which a motion was made by Karen Bourne-Douglas, seconded by Mary Jane Arden to accept. The unofficial treasury balance was reported to be $1212.94. Heather asked if there was any discussion in regards to last month’s meeting. The general consensus from the group was that Staff Senate needed to be and act as one unit. Much has been accomplished as a group, and with a desire to accomplish more in the future we need to keep together as one strong unit. It was also acknowledged that the chair position of the Staff Senate is a demanding, thankless position, and that we all must support Heather in Staff Senate endeavors. Awards Committee: Robbie McCray had nothing new to report. Beautification Committee: Debbie Leech (Stanton)…Mums were purchased and planted for the area maintained by Staff Senate. Still has vouchers for use at Leon’s. Steve Webb (Wilmington)…Steve stepped down as Wilmington chairman of this committee, but expects to remain an active member of the committee. Karen Bourne-Douglas said she would help coordinate work at Wilmington, but doesn’t have the time to be the chair. By-Laws/Elections Committee: Robbie said the by-laws rewrite is continuing, and hopes to have it wrapped up before the holiday break. Concerns Committee: Heather indicated there have not been any new submissions. Mary Jane suggested Staff Senate have several awareness campaigns throughout the year, each time sending out feedback forms to all staff members. Education Opportunity/Parity Committee: Mary Jane reviewed reports distributed at last month’s meeting. Will be able to have a better correlation of the academic degrees per campus when research of last 4 or 5 years is complete. Fundraising Committee: Cathy Hagan plans to have another bake sale the Monday before Thanksgiving break, and hopes to have it run in conjunction with a Tupperware fundraiser. Mardi Gras tickets will be donated to Staff Senate to raffle as a fundraiser in January. Office makeover is planned for Nov. 10 and 11. Debbie Leech expressed the hope to be able to have the scholarship details worked out so it can be used in the Spring ’07 semester. Mentoring Committee: Nancy Vance had an application from Ken Weaverling to be a mentor. Communications and Outreach Committee: Mandy said Senator pictures need updated on the bulletin boards, and website needs some updating. Because of her busy work schedule, Mandy stepped down as chair of this committee, and is replaced by Sandy Hinish. Rob McCray offered to take Senator photos so updates can be made. NEW BUSINESS -Heather told the Senate she had received resignations from Sue Malec, Scott Stanard, and Dave Hall. Although new by-laws are not complete, Mary Jane Arden gave a brief overview of how the committee addressed the issue of replacing Senators. Any ideas or suggestions from Senators should be sent to Rob McCray. Karen Bourne-Douglas suggested a mass email to Plan B and C employees. -Karen Bourne-Douglas said the Wilmington bookstore will begin to sell postage stamps again as soon as their new cash register and system are operational. -Heather and Karen will do a power point and presentation for new employee orientation. -Personnel policy change on bereavement leave was distributed. -Reminder that the budget hearing is set for November 20. Motion made by Heather and seconded by Steve to adjourn. September’s meeting was an in-person meeting held at the Wilmington location with Heather Brown presiding. Those in attendance: Heather Brown, Rob McCray, Gary Heller, Sue Malec, Karen Bourne-Douglas, Dave Hall, Mandy Emerson, Sandy Hinish, Nancy Vance, Diana D’Amico, and Debbie Leech. Those absent: Mary Jane Arden, Cathy Hagan, Scott Stanard, and Steve Webb. The minutes from August’s meeting were accepted as written. An unofficial treasury balance was reported to be $1426.94. Awards Committee: Rob McCray indicated there will be no changes with Employee Excellence Awards until spring of 2007. Beautification Committee: Stanton: Debbie Leech said the program is still ongoing, and that Leon’s Nursery now has items that can be planted for fall and spring. Will be looking for some assistance with the Staff Senate area. Wilmington: Karen Bourne-Douglas indicated that she’s been approached by Wilmington staff who are interested. Heather plans to hold a meeting with interested parties and see what plans could be initiated at Wilmington. By-Laws/Elections Committee: Rob is in the process of getting the committee together to hopefully wrap up the rewrite of the by-laws. Concerns Committee: Heather said no new concerns had been submitted. There was discussion regarding designated smoking areas within the courtyard at Wilmington. Education Opportunity/Parity Committee: On Mary Jane’s behalf, Heather handed out and reviewed reports that Mary Jane had put together on the Topical Summer Workshops and the number of support staff at Stanton-Wilmington with educational degrees. Fundraising Committee: In Cathy Hagan’s absence, Karen Bourne-Douglas said $428.00 was raised with the Office Makeover with 50% going to the treasury and 50% going to make over the office of Linda Watts, the winner. Sandy commented on the outstanding job Cathy has done since she’s been chairing the committee. Mentoring Committee: Stanton—Nancy Vance said there haven’t been any recent mentees, but expects that to change with new hires that will be coming onboard. Wilmington—Karen said she hasn’t had anybody who needed mentored recently. Communications & Outreach Committee: Mandy reported the bulletin board at Stanton was moved to its new location. Both boards (Stanton and Wilmington) need to be updated. She plans to call a committee meeting soon. NEW BUSINESS Heather addressed the issues of attendance and participation of Staff Senators at meetings and on committees. Video conferencing for meetings was used in hopes it would make it easier for Staff Senators to attend meetings, but it has not made a difference. It also does not provide a good venue for round-the-table discussion and brainstorming. Because no Senator accepted an invitation to fill a special role on the Crisis Management Committee, Heather said she had asked Lynn Tesch, a Plan B employee who is not a Staff Senator, to take on the task on behalf of Staff Senate. A discussion took place with some Senators indicating displeasure over the Staff Senate not being consulted on this decision. Dave Hall made a motion to adjourn the meeting; seconded by Mandy Emerson. The August 2006 Staff Senate meeting was held via video conferencing with Heather Brown presiding. Stanton attendees: Heather Brown, Mary Jane Arden, Rob McCray, Gail McCray, Nancy Vance, Diana D’Amico, Mandy Emerson, and Sandy Hinish Wilmington attendees: Karen Bourne-Douglas, Gary Heller, and Steve Webb Absent from Stanton: Debbie Leech Absent from Wilmington: Cathy Hagan, Dave Hall, Sue Malec, and Scott Stanard. After two grammatical changes in the minutes, a motion was made by Diana D’Amico, seconded by Gail McCray to accept them. Treasury balance is $1055.27. Awards Committee: Rob McCray had nothing new to report. Beautification Committee: In Debbie’s absence, Heather reported that landscaping was on hold due to work schedules and excessive heat. Debbie to send reminder emails to the different departments. For Wilmington, Steve Webb plans to have a meeting after In Service. By Laws/Elections Committee: Rob said the committee would not be meeting until after the semester starts. Concerns: Heather said there were no major concerns. She submitted a workorder to have the bulletin board moved. Education Opportunity/Parity Committee: Mary Jane said attendance at the Topical Workshops has been very disappointing. Some suggestions were made: hold them mid way through a semester instead of in the summer, state in the flyer that employee does not need to use lunch time for workshops, and have workshops sponsored solely by Staff Senate; no co-sponsoring with Human Resources. Mary Jane asked Nancy Vance to research the past 4 or 5 years to see what the correlation is of academic degrees per campus as indicated in the booklets received at Employee Recognition events. Fundraising Committee: In Cathy Hagan’s absence Sandy distributed an example of the flyer that will be made into posters for advertising the Office Make Over. Kick off still planned for In-Service. Mentoring Committee: Nancy Vance said three employees were mentored at Stanton; Karen Bourne-Douglas had no mentees at Wilmington. A discussion was held regarding procedure for fire alarms and emergency procedures in general, and the need for updating. Mandy said she would follow up with John Fogelgren and Bob Jameson on this issue. Communications & Outreach Committee(formerly Peer Relations): Mandy said the committee met for the last time on the newsletter, and that Dan Ehmann approved the printing of it at no cost to Staff Senate. Newsletter will be distributed at In-Service; Robbie will put it on the Staff Senate website. New Business In follow up to discussion from July’s meeting, Mary Jane reported there are no rules nor regulations about having a nurse on campus; she also indicated there are no nurses at any of the other campuses. Heather announced that the Staff Senate meeting on September 20 will be held in Wilmington, and will be an in-person meeting; no video conferencing. Being no further business, a motion was made by Heather, seconded by Karen to adjourn. The July 2006 Staff Senate meeting was held via video teleconference with Heather Brown presiding. Stanton attendees: Heather Brown, Sandy Hinish, Mary Jane Arden, Mandy Emerson, Debbie Leech, Rob McCray, Gail McCray, and Nancy Vance. Wilmington attendees: Cathy Hagan, Karen Bourne-Douglas, Scott Stanard, and Dave Hall. Absent: Diana D’Amico(Stanton), Gary Heller(Wilmington), Sue Malec(Wilmington), and Steve Webb(Wilmington). After the minutes were distributed and read, a motion was made by Debbie Leech and seconded by Mandy Emerson to accept them with no changes. Treasury balance is $1055.27. Secretary gave a report of all greeting cards sent out on behalf of Staff Senate. Secretary read a card addressed to Staff Senate from Heather Brown. Awards Committee: Rob McCray said Dr. Hope Murray’s response regarding Employee Excellence awards was only that any work on the awards would not take place until late fall. Beautification Committee: Debbie Leech indicated the project is still on going; said she’s had offers of help to work on the Staff Senate area. In Steve Webb’s absence, Debbie said they’d like to use In-Service to kick off the Beautification Project for Wilmington. Scott Stanard offered to prune some trees in and around the Wilmington Campus. By-Laws/Elections Committee: Rob McCray said the total rewrite of the By-Laws is nearly finished, but committee is unable to meet prior to the start of the fall semester. Concerns Committee: Heather Brown reported receipt of concerns having to do with building maintenance, and the continual complaints about the cafeteria. Because Gary James (Food Services Mgr.) hasn’t been receptive to making changes nor addressing issues, the concern was tabled with a suggestion that it be addressed to the Dean of Student Services. Mary Jane said she had results of a Marketing survey of students and graduates on the issue of the cafeteria, and would gladly make it available. Nancy Vance raised concern over the lack of a nurse at Stanton and Wilmington. Some potential problems were discussed as a result of not having a nurse on duty. Heather is to discuss this concern with the Dean of Student Services, Regan Hicks-Goldstein. Education Opportunity/Parity Committee: Mary Jane expressed concern over the poor attendance at the first Topical Summer Workshop, and asked Senators for their thoughts on why attendance is low. It was suggested that summer is a bad time to hold workshops due to many vacations taking place. Another suggestion was to have workshops for shorter periods of time because many employees can’t be away from their offices for any extended time. Mary Jane also asked all Senators to personally encourage support staff to attend the workshop scheduled for July 20th. Fundraising Committee: Cathy Hagan said the plan is to kick off the Office Makeover at In Service. She’s hoping to have some nice posters made, and tickets will be available for sale at In Service. Mentoring Committee: Nancy Vance…more employees continue to be mentored at Stanton Karen Bourne-Douglas…suggests reevaluation of whether to continue mentoring TFT employees. Peer Relations Committee: Mandy Emerson reported that work on the newsletter is still on-going, but they plan to have it available to distribute at In Service. There was discussion about changing the name of the newsletter as well as a name change for the committee. Through a consensus vote, the newsletter name was changed from “The Buzzline” to “The Communicator – What’s the Buzz?” A consensus vote also changed the committee name from Peer Relations to Communications & Outreach Committee. New Business The Staff Senate officially decided to move their Stanton bulletin board to the hallway just outside the CCP offices. Jackie Jenkins, Human Resources Director, asked for Staff Senate to participate in new hire orientations which take place twice a year. A Staff Senate brochure should be included in the new hire orientation package. Heather spoke of the possibility of an alliance with the faculty senate. Debbie Leech questioned the possibility of having the U. S. Postal Service put a postage machine on campus. Karen Bourne-Douglas to make some calls about this. Being no further business, a motion was made by Heather, seconded by Mary Jane to adjourn. The June 2006 Staff Senate meeting was the first one held via the new video conferencing system that links Stanton and Wilmington. Rob McCray presided over today’s meeting in Heather’s absence due to the death of her mother. Those in attendance in Wilmington were Gary Heller, Steve Webb, Sue Malec, Cathy Hagan, Dave Hall, and Karen Bourne-Douglas. In attendance from Stanton were Rob McCray, Debbie Leech, Diana D’Amico, Sandy Hinish, and Gail McCray. Absent: Heather Brown, Mary Jane Arden, Mandy Emerson, Nancy Vance, and Scott Stanard The minutes from May’s meeting were distributed. Several changes were made, and a motion was made and seconded to accept the minutes with revisions. Treasurer’s report: current balance is $1055.27 Awards Committee: Rob McCray still has not received updates from Dr. Murray on the guidelines for Excellence in Service Awards. Beautification Committee: Debbie Leech said there are still some vouchers available. Some groups have already completed their areas, and have given positive feedback on the project indicating the voucher system to be a much smoother process for purchasing items. Debbie also asked for volunteers to help with the Staff Senate area. Steve Webb said the students from Wm. Penn HS who were assisting in the maintenance of the courtyard in Wilmington have not been there since school was dismissed for the summer. He expects to see them return in August. By-Laws/Elections Committee: Rob McCray said the committee has had many teleconference meetings and one in-person meeting. The committee is almost finished with the By-Laws and hopes to present them to Staff Senate in the very near future. Concerns Committee: Due to Heather’s absence, any committee updates were deferred to next meeting. Education Opportunity/Parity Committee: Due to Mary Jane Arden’s absence, any committee updates were deferred to next meeting. Fundraising Committee: Cathy Hagan reported on the meeting she and Heather had with Mr. Miller saying he was very enthused with the idea of the office make over, but indicated the ticket price needed to be lower than the original suggested price of $5.00. (It was voted to offer the tickets at $3 each or 2 for $5). Mr. Miller also suggested that we could some how tie in this make over with Mardi Gras. Planned kick-off for this fundraising event is anticipated for In-Service Day in August. Mentoring Committee: Karen Bourne-Douglas said there are 3 new employees at Wilmington who can be mentored. No updates for Stanton since Nancy Vance was absent. Peer Relations Committee: In the absence of Mandy Emerson, Cathy Hagan said they plan to have the newsletter ready for distribution at In-Service. Committee also suggested the newsletter needed a name change; a suggestion was “The Communicator-What’s the Buzz?”. Also suggested the committee itself needed a name change. Voting on these changes deferred to next month. Debbie Leech covered some changes that need addressed on the Staff Senate website. NEW BUSINESS Steve Webb reported on the danger of the Orange St. crosswalk in Wilmington; it was suggested he address that issue to Wilmington’s Chief of Public Safety. Gary Heller indicated concern over the Wilmington Bookstore not selling postage stamps any more, but said the Business Office is considering a postage machine as an alternative. Debbie Leech said the summer workshop, co-sponsored by Staff Senate and Human Resources on June 14, was well received. Being no further business, the meeting was adjourned. (The following are notes taken by Nancy Vance at the 5/10/06 meeting) Present: Heather Brown, Rob McCray, Nancy Vance, Diana D’Amico, Mandy Emerson, Steve Webb, Dave Hall, Karen Bourne-Douglas, Scott Stanard, Gary Heller, Gail McCray Absent: Mary Jane Arden, Sandy Hinish, Debbie Leech, Cathy Hagan and Sue Malec Guest: Nauleen Perry, Registrar Terry Campus Gary Heller wanted to make a correction. $10 for bake sale was given by Gary. Meeting minutes approved by Dave Hall and seconded by Karen Bourne-Douglas Nancy Vance replaced Sandy Hinish in taking the minutes. Awards Committee Robbie McCray – nothing to report; he wanted to wait until after Employee Recognition event. Beautification There are 10 groups involved in the project. Leon’s has agreed to help us. Vouchers will be given to the groups for purchasing plants, etc. Debbie Leech will contact John Szotckiewicz. Steve had the Wilmington Campus courtyard cleaned up. Dave Hall said that mulch and stones were put down by a landscaping company. Heather Brown suggested a meeting of the Beautification Project members. Gary Heller said the courtyard is being maintained by Wm. Penn HS, Learning Disability Program. By Laws – Robbie Robbie reported the work on the By-Laws is on-going. Wanted to have a meeting with all members. We are making progress. He’s going back to make recommendations i.e. part time staff. Concerns: Heather Brown said there were a couple of concerns re: the cafeteria and high prices. Gary James feels the cafeteria provides quality food to the staff and students. Prices will be going higher. Peer Relations – The bulletin board Heather Brown met with Regan Hicks-Goldstein re: moving the location of the Staff Senate bulletin board. The location outside of CCP is fine but Dean Goldstein is open to any other location. Dean Goldstein said we can put a bulletin board anywhere. Mandy Emerson suggested the bulletin board be located on the same wall as CCP’s – re-hung. Heather suggested we email her with any other suggestions. Education Opportunity/Parity Heather suggested we continue meeting with Jackie Jenkins. Heather passed out a flyer. Microsoft fulfills our obligation re: computer workshop for staff. Mandy said “Co-Sponsored” should be at the top. Dave Hall said a blurb should be added to the micro-potluck. Pot luck needs a side dish or monetary donation. Fundraising Cathy Hagan is not available. Heather Brown’s proposal for the office make over. Wants the Staff Senate input before we go to Larry Miller. Email Cathy if we have any other suggestions. Heather wants to meet with Larry Miller to get the project going. Money would go to Salary Plan B. There will be individual prices for each month. Mentoring: Nancy Vance said we have staff people at the Wilmington campus. Robbie with one supervisor. Supervisor wanted to wait until end of the semester. Robbie re: TFT. TFT are becoming RFT employees. Heather asked if TFT becomes RFT automatically. Mandy said TFT needs to know everything. Karen Bourne-Douglas asked Nancy Vance if we agree to mentor TFT. Peer Relations: Mandy Emerson said convened meeting on April 15. Plans to get newsletter up and going. Everything will stay the same. Mandy wants to put pictures from the bake sale. Bulletin board being updated every 6 months. Goal to have done by Inservice. Bulletin board will be updated before Inservice. Wants to have the website updated also. Meeting will change the title Peer Relations. There will be another meeting to finalize the changes. New Business Debbie was asked to represent Staff Senate on the Enrollment Task Force. Debbie going through the past meetings/correspondence. Heather stated we can now do video conferencing. Heather will coordinate with Linda Gallatin. Heather will let us know if meetings will be video conferenced. Heather said DTCC renegotiated contracts with Cardio Kinetics re: gym hours. Gary Heller asked if we have #’s of students vs. staff. According to responses they were from employees. Fitness center is now called the Wellness Center. Catt Houser and nurses are the Health Center. Mandy Emerson asked if anyone had information for the newsletter to let her know. Heather asked Mandy for an outline. Nauleen asked about our mentoring program. Karen Bourne-Douglas explained the mentoring program. Dave Hall motioned to adjourn; Gary Heller seconded. The April 2006 Staff Senate meeting was held at Stanton Campus with Marie VanEss presiding. Members present: Marie VanEss, Heather Brown, Sandy Hinish, Mary Jane Arden, Diana D’Amico, Debbie Leech, Rob McCray, Nancy Vance, Karen Bourne-Douglas, Cathy Hagan, Dave Hall, Gary Heller, Sue Malec, Scott Stanard, Steve Webb, and Gail McCray. Absent: Mandy Emerson Minutes from March’s meeting were read, and one amendment was made by Mary Jane Arden. Under the Concerns Committee section, Mary Jane clarified that there is no appeals process for an employee being denied a class, but an employee with concerns on this issue should contact Human Resources. Motion made by Mary Jane Arden to accept the minutes with amendment; seconded by Heather Brown. Cathy Hagan reported on the recent bake sale fundraiser. She said it was hugely successful, and indicated she’d like to have another one in September. A total of $411.19 was deposited from the bake sale, and Gary Heller contributed $10 during the meeting making an unofficial treasury balance of $1055.27. Committees Awards: Rob McCray had nothing to report. A letter has not yet been drafted and sent to Dr. Hope Murray regarding the criteria for nominating employees for Excellence awards. Beautification: Debbie Leech (Stanton) said vouchers to pick up items for the project are to be available through Admin. Services; supercards can be used to purchase items and charged to Admin Services. Steve Webb (Wilmington) reported he had a list from Admin Services indicating what they will do to help spruce up areas. No action has been initiated for the Beautification Project in Wilmington. Marie noted the parking areas were much cleaner; she sent a letter of appreciation to John Fogelgren, and she read his letter of response. He was pleased that efforts were being noticed. Scott Stanard said the tattered flags in Wilmington had been replaced with new ones. Gary Heller commended the efforts of Rich Reed, Leonard Blanco, and Bob Zorger; they’ve been coming into work earlier in order to help clean up parking areas. By-Laws and Elections: Rob McCray said the committee is still working on this, and could be quite a while before it is finished and presented to Staff Senate. He obtained a copy of articles and by-laws from Delaware Paralegal Assn., and is hoping to get ideas from their format. Concerns: Heather and Mary Jane are meeting with Jackie Jenkins again in follow up to previous discussion on Educational Parity. They also plan to address cafeteria pricing. Fundraising: Cathy Hagan would like to present the Office Makeover idea to Mr. Miller as soon as possible in hopes of being able to sell tickets in May, then do the makeover in June. She and Heather will present the idea to Mr. Miller. Mentoring: Nancy Vance reported there are a few new employees at Stanton. Karen Bourne-Douglas said Wilmington had a few including an employee coming from another campus. Peer Relations: In Mandy Emerson’s absence, Cathy Hagan said a committee meeting is scheduled for April 20th. New Business Steve Webb asked if a card or flowers could be sent to Christina Wise. She’s a patient at Riverside Hospital. Secretary will mail a card from Staff Senate. Several members brought cards to mail to employees as need arises. Mary Jane said an achievement report of Staff Senate activities and ventures should be done by June 1. Heather Brown made a suggestion to start a new committee just for Employee Enrichment issues to keep it separate from Educational Opportunity/Parity. After discussion a motion was made by Heather to start this new committee; Mary Jane seconded the motion. The members of this committee are Heather Brown, Mary Jane Arden, Karen Bourne-Douglas, and Nancy Vance. Gary Heller brought up a question regarding what kind of signage will be put in place to enhance the Stanton Campus. The Stanton-Wilmington Enrollment Committee wants some “quick fixes” put in place, and plans to have a large exterior sign put out front. There are also plans for putting up interior signs. Because the sign machine at Wilmington is broken and too costly to repair, a new machine was purchased and is housed at Owens Campus where all college signs will be made. Scott Stanard suggested, for future bake sales, that fruit and vegetables be included as well as selling V-8 juice. This was Marie VanEss’ final meeting. Because of a new job, she will be moving out of the area. She was given a card, a potted African violet, and a collection of postcards with photos taken by Mike Biggs. Heather Brown will now move into Marie’s position of chairing the Staff Senate which leaves Heather’s position vacant. Heather made a motion to nominate Rob McCray to take the co-chair seat. Rob accepted after no further nominations were placed. This motion was seconded by Nancy Vance. Marie thanked everyone for the support she received while chairing Staff Senate. Being no further business to discuss, a motion to adjourn was made by Marie VanEss and seconded by Mary Jane Arden. Respectfully submitted, Sandy Hinish The March 2006 Staff Senate meeting was held at the Wilmington Campus with Marie Van Ess presiding. Members present: Marie Van Ess, Heather Brown, Sandy Hinish, Mandy Emerson, Debbie Leech, Rob McCray, Nancy Vance, Karen Bourne-Douglas, Cathy Hagan, Dave Hall, Sue Malec, Scott Stanard, and Steve Webb. Absent were Mary Jane Arden, Diana D’Amico, and Gary Heller. Minutes from February’s meeting were read. There is a current balance in the treasury of $634.08. A motion was made by Dave Hall, seconded by Karen Bourne-Douglas to accept the minutes with no changes. Discussion Marie discussed the meeting she attended regarding enrollment numbers. The topics we suggested at last month’s meeting were some of those addressed. Additional concerns were parking (to include visitor parking) and outdoor signage. They will meet again on March 20th. Marie, Heather, and Mary Jane met with Jackie Jenkins. Marie preferred that Mary Jane report the results of that conversation regarding Education Opportunity/Parity at the April Staff Senate meeting. Marie did indicate Jackie’s desire to form a partnership with Staff Senate. She’d like to have more workshops through Employee Enrichment, and is receptive to our suggestions. A few of the ideas which were brought to the table today were short term (1 to 2 hr) workshops for Microsoft programs, using email, accessing files from home, CPR/first aid training. Dave Hall offered to present (or find someone to present) a workshop on computer related issues; Rob McCray said he’d present a workshop on telecommunications. Debbie Leech suggested an open house with Staff Senate. It was suggested that an open house could be done in conjunction with an HR (Human Resources) workshop. Mandy Emerson indicated that HR is planning to hold ongoing workshops regarding educational and medical benefits. Mandy is going to see about the possibility of inserting a Staff Senate flyer in the new hire packages. Committees Awards: Rob McCray reported that eventhough the nomination period for employee recognition has opened, the committee still has received no feedback from Dr. Murray. The committee met with her in June 2005 where they were told the guidelines for nominating would be more defined. To date the existing criteria for nominating someone has not been altered nor more defined in any way. Cathy Hagan suggested a letter be sent to Dr. Murray regarding this issue and our attempts at resolution so that we have a paper trail of our efforts to address this. By-Laws/Elections: Rob McCray indicated this is still ongoing with much progress made, but still much further work to be done. Beautification: Debbie Leech said she has heard from 8 departments who wish to respond to this project as they did last year. Steve Webb indicated reluctance that the Beautification Project would be feasible for the Wilmington Campus. It was suggested the attempt to beautify some areas be made before the project was totally discounted. Concerns: As indicated in the opening discussion, Marie, Mary Jane, and Heather met with Jackie Jenkins to discuss the denial of an employee to take a class. Jackie said there is no appeals process, but concerns on this issue should be addressed to Human Resources. Education Opportunity/Parity: Mary Jane Arden will address the Staff Senate with an update at April’s meeting. Fundraising: Cathy Hagan reported the bake sale is scheduled for April 10; flyers will be distributed. The funds raised from the bake sale will go towards funding the sale of vendor discount cards. Heather is to see about having a notice put in the Campus Connections. The idea of the office make-over is still being worked with the hope we can sell tickets in May, and perform the makeover in June. This project needs approved at the Campus Director’s level. Mentoring: Nancy Vance had nothing new to report. Peer Relations: Mandy Emerson had nothing new to report, but is planning a committee meeting before Staff Senate meets in April. New Business Rob McCray presented to the Staff Senate the possibility of including DeMEP (Delaware Manufacturing Extension Partnership) employees as being eligible candidates for Staff Senate. Rob to confirm that DeMEP employees are B and C employees of Delaware Tech, eventhough they are a separate subsidiary. Once their status is confirmed, Staff Senate would welcome them. Scott Stanard brought up the idea of having a motorized cart available at Stanton and Wilmington for handicapped employees to better negotiate the campus. After much discussion, it was decided that a Staff Senate feedback form be filled out and submitted on this issue. Dave Hall raised questions about the TV in the cafeteria at Wilmington. Anybody can control the programs, and undesirable programs (such as Jerry Springer) are usually on. Issue needs addressed to Regan Hicks-Goldstein, Dean of Student Services. Being no further business, a motion was made by Dave Hall and seconded by Steve Webb to adjourn the meeting. Respectfully submitted, Sandy Hinish The February 2006 Staff Senate meeting was held at the Stanton Campus with Marie Van Ess presiding. Members present: Marie Van Ess, Heather Brown, Karen Bourne-Douglas, Sue Malec, Sandy Hinish, Dave Hall, Debbie Leech, Steve Webb, Mandy Emerson, Nancy Vance, Mary Jane Arden, and Cathy Hagan. Absent: Diana D’Amico, Rob McCray, Gary Heller, Scott Stanard, and Gail McCray. The Secretary was asked to send a card to Rob and Gail McCray on the recent death of Rob’s aunt. Members were asked for card and stamp contributions to keep on hand. These are to go to Sandy Hinish who will mail them at appropriate times. Karen Bourne-Douglas thanked everyone for their support during the years she served as Secretary/Treasurer of the Staff Senate. Minutes were reviewed with one change noted: “Marie Van Ess and Heather Brown were elected (not nominated) Chair and Vice Chair respectively.” Committees Awards: In Rob McCray’s absence, Marie indicated that nothing new has transpired within this committee. Future information will come after Dr. Hope Murray can provide feedback to Rob. By-Laws/Elections: Marie (on Rob’s behalf) reported that much progress is being made. An in depth review and possibly a complete rewrite will be presented at a later date for consideration. Beautification: Debbie Leech said the project once again has the full support from Administrative Services with commitments of $200 per area in Wilmington, and $50 per area in Stanton. Concerns: Mary Jane Arden said she would be meeting with Jackie Jenkins to discuss a recent concern with an employee being denied the opportunity to take a class. Education Opportunity/Parity: Mary Jane met with Mr. Miller on January 23rd regarding the survey results and presentation of those findings at the Campus Update. There was much discussion at today’s Staff Senate meeting about the educational benefits available to employees, and the fact that many “gray” areas need defined to better understand and clarify exactly what classes employees can take, when they can take them, and who shall fund the costs. Fundraising: Cathy Hagan reported that many fundraising ideas were suggested at her recent committee meeting. Some ideas presented to Staff Senate were a bake sale, hot dog sale, pretzel sale, 50/50 drawing for an office make-over, and continuence of the project for selling vendor discount cards. A bake sale will be held on April 10th at both campuses from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Baked goods will be accepted from Staff Senators as well as any Plan B or C employee. Mentoring: Nancy Vance indicated that her committee discussed the assigning of mentors be done more timely. To assist, Sandy Hinish will work with Nancy at the Stanton campus, and Sue Malec and Cathy Hagan will work with Karen Bourne-Douglas at the Wilmington campus. Because more mentors are needed, Nancy suggested that each Staff Senator bring in the name of a person who would be interested in being a mentor. Peer Relations: Mandy Emerson said she received the layout for the newsletter, and will be setting up a committee meeting. Regarding the discussion mentioned under Educational Opportunity/Parity committee, Mandy said the Employee Enrichment program exists, but there isn’t as much funding currently in the the program compared to years past. A vast “gray” area exists within programs offered through Corporate & Community Programs (CCP). Many ambiguous areas regarding the educational benefit for employees need addressed by Jackie Jenkins, Human Resources Director. New Business Marie said Dr. Winner asked her to represent the Staff Senate at a meeting on March 1st to discuss the low enrollment numbers. Marie asked for input from Staff Senators as to why we think enrollment is down so she could relay the information at the meeting. Some responses were the unfriendly environment, cafeteria not open for evening students, lack of a student lounge area, availability of six week courses at other campuses instead of the sixteen week courses at DTCC, split classes between Wilmington and Stanton, and questionable transfer of credits through articulation agreements with other colleges. Mardi Gras It was decided the Staff Senate would not be donating a basket this year to the Mardi Gras Silent Auction. Being no further business to discuss, a motion to adjourn was made by Karen Bourne-Douglas; seconded by Mary Jane Arden. Respectfully submitted, Sandy Hinish Meeting began at 2:30 p.m. (Via Teleconference) Present: Mary Jane Arden, Karen Bourne-Douglas, Heather Brown, Diana D’Amico, Mandy Emerson, Cathy Hagan, Dave Hall, Gary Heller, Sandy Hinish, Debbie Leech, Sue Malec, Robbie McCray, Scott Stanard, Marie Van Ess, Nancy Vance and Steve Webb. Welcome - Marie opened the meeting by welcoming everyone. She also welcomed the newly elected Staff Senate members. Marie and Mary Jane gave a brief overview of the Staff Senate, they also expressed that Mr. Miller is a great supporter of the group. The voting processes for Staff Senate were also discussed. Marie Van Ess and Heather Brown were elected Chair and Vice Chair respectively. Marie will serve the first year. Committees - Committees were discussed. Each committee chair discussed the role of each committee. Marie also indicated that we should focus on the Bylaws and try and find a way to come up with an idea for the next voting of the chairs. The Staff Senate also discussed filling vacancies and how the bylaws will reflect said changes. The following is a list of the Staff Senate Committees: Committee List By-Laws/Elections Beautification Concerns Awards Mentoring Fund-Raising Peer Relations Education Opportunity/Parity Minutes - Minutes from previous meeting were read and confirmed with changes. Minutes were motioned and seconded by Dave Hall and Mary Jane respectively. New Business – Robbie indicated that Stacy from the Stanton Campus Bookstore has contacted him regarding the Bulletin Board at Stanton. Heather indicated that we should be more proactive in finding a space to relocate it. A space outside Corporate and Community Programs area was suggested. Next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, February 15, 2006 at 2:30 p.m., Stanton Campus. Meeting was motioned to adjourn by Karen Bourne-Douglas and Dave Hall respectively. Meeting adjourned at 4:00 p.m. |
