Council of University System Staff

Council Meeting Notes

September 24, 2013 at University of Maryland, Baltimore

In attendance:

Trish E. Johnson / BSU / Primary
Karen Tyler / BSU / Primary
Sheila Chase / CSU / Primary
SherryeLarkins / CSU / Primary
Yvonne Cook / CSU / Alternate
Rubin Stevenson / FSU / Alternate
Lisa Gray (Co-Secretary) / SU / Primary
Jen Ziegenfus / SU / Primary
Ron Butler / TU / Primary
Jayne French / TU / Primary
Mary Hickey / TU / Primary
Kristen Tull (Co-Secretary) / UB / Primary
Bill Crockett (Chair) / UMB / Primary
Roy Ross / UMB / Primary
Colette Becker Beaulieu / UMB / Alternate
Angela Hall / UMB / Alternate
Ben Goldberg / UMBC / Primary
Lynn Knazik / UMBC / Primary
Keisha Campbell / UMBC / Alternate
Barbara Higgins / UMCES / Primary
Sister Maureen Schrimpe / UMCP / Primary
Dana Wimbish (Vice Chair) / UMCP / Primary
Calynn Offer / UMUC / Primary
Anthony Scorsune / UMUC / Primary
Rosario I. Van Daalen / UMSO / Chancellor’s Liaison to CUSS
Carol McKissick / UMB / Guest – UMB Staff Senate Chair
Laura Bell / UMB / Guest – UMB Staff Senate - Outreach
Gynene Sullivan / UMB / Guest – Past Chair CUSS
  • Welcome and Introductions
  • Welcome – Chief Academic & Research Officer and Senior VP Dr. Bruce Jarrell
  • Continuing to work on a strategic plan for UMB
  • Expectation of faculty, staff, students to be a part of shared governance
  • Strategic plan is only effective if dollars are allocated. UMB is in the stage of matching funds to tactics.
  • Plans: Diversity, local initiatives, make UMB a good place to work and live within distance
  • UMB major economic engine within the state
  • MPower initiative between UMCP & UMB
  • UMB Staff Senate Introductions
  • Laura Bell – School of Nursing, UMB Staff Senate, Chair of Outreach Committee
  • Gynene Sullivan – School of Communications, CUSS Past Chair
  • Angela Hall– alternate CUSS
  • Carol McKissick, UMB Staff Senate Chair
  • CUSS – for clarification, we cover regular & C-2 employees that are not represented by collective bargaining (i.e. excluded from CB)
  • Consent Agenda – These items are information that we are putting forward and can be shared with Institutions. If you wish to discuss a consent agenda item, you can request that it be added to the agenda. At this time, no consent agenda items were moved to the agenda.
  • August Meeting Minutes –
  • Motion to approve – Sister Maureen Schrimpe, Second – Trish Johnson. By unanimous vote, minutes were approved.
  • Institution Updates: Discussed at previous meeting
  • BSU – Implemented pre-tax payroll parking deduction (non-contractual), new student center opened, participated in flex/alternative work schedule (second year) - staff council discussed whether or not to only have it for the summer time/discuss with president for the entire year.
  • CSU– open forum meeting for staff senate, over 40 people attended (first time with that many), President Dr. Neufville has been appointed permanent for the next two years, brought in 13 voting senators, brought in two alternates, spirit day planning, staff senate shirts passed out to wear around campus, in the middle of having a shared governance planning session to bring in a University Council (beginning stages of planning)
  • FSU– looking forward to the meeting in October, staff selected for chancellor’s awards
  • SU– Sexual Harassment Policy/Title XI Compliance, rolling out policy and training for faculty/staff/student employees, June successful employee appreciation day (served more than 600 faculty/staff)
  • TU– very first ever staff award was awarded at the fall President’s Address, added 2000 new students to enrollment, undefeated football team, homecoming preparations, TUSC reviewing performance evaluation/salary, one day for staff conference will take place spring/early summer, ½ day for the entire staff to attend the conference
  • UB – strategic plan, meeting with the chancellor to go over hiring procedures and concerns for the new president search. Looking at alternative work schedule policy.
  • UMB – broke ground on new health science building , child care and parking issues continue to be a problem, price and space are an issue for parking (greener, long-term solution is being researched), childcare facility in Social Security building north of campus will be closing – those Institutions with childcare facilities please forward information to Bill Crockett
  • UMBC – childcare center closed last Wednesday (inspection showed mold) – solution has been to connect people to other childcare resources in the area. Encouraging supervisors to be flexible, in Strategic Plan, work life balance, task force looking at Leadership Development (looking at other universities…certificates, classes, etc).; Nonexempt staff will be affected by Shared Services, concerned about what jobs will be lost due to moving of jobs to Shared Services center.
  • UMCES – no real shared governance, six locations across the state – do they know what CUSS is; try to make more people aware of what CUSS is; going through accreditation process to get graduate degrees
  • UMCP – July, no-smoking campus wide policy (not policed, there are several smoking areas on campus); getting ready to open new Physical Science complex (October 2013); new Department Public Safety to open (November 2013); Board of Regents award, to get more nominations (sent out thank you letters to supervisors for last year’s awards); this year there will the annual review (happens every 10 years) of the organization, looks at shared governance; two employees will receive President’s Awards;
  • UMES – smoke-free policy with a course for smoking; all faculty/staff/etc are combined into one council; special recognition for board of regents nominees (newsletter recognition)
  • UMUC – finished Operation Backpack (school supplies to MD and urban-Asia – joint initiatives with different departments on campus), 97 backpacks, amazon.com account setup; Global Meetings – make a uniform/universal system for reviews; Staff Senate re-elections; transparent issues with flex work schedule; reclassification is going on.
  • Summary of Institution – take this information back to the Institution, find out what can be taken from shared governance to CUSS; what are best practices at your Institution?
  • Chair’s Report
  • BOR Staff Awards – presented by Chancellor Kirwan on September 20, 2013. Important to have Staff Awards at the first Board of Regents Meeting of the Academic year.
  • Chancellor’s Council
  • Maryland Charity Campaign: Encouraged other Presidents to become engaged and active in the campaign. UMBC made Shared Governance a part of this campaign and contributed to the success of this. You only have to give a $1, contribution goes where you want it.
  • Faculty Council – shared information/findings within shared governance (wide diversity on implementation, support for shared governance); stressed budget transparency; want to continue to revisit tuition remission policy (refer to Old Business); concerned about policies being developed during summer months when faculty are not around to take part in shared governance (timing of implementation and policy development)
  • Student Council – student initiatives biggest platform is on cost of college textbooks (cost has gone up 1000% since 1978); objective is to push open-sourced textbooks; they would like to model California’s program; Executive Committee met with Annapolis legislation; they also look at federal legislation (rally on the Hill); financial aid funding issues (paid for performance – how well institutions have retention rates/graduation rates)
  • FY 15 Budget
  • Press for continued state support/push for same success of the past year
  • Affordable Care Act – will have an impact on the FY15 budget;
  • Push for FY 15 budget to fund the Merit/COLA
  • Enhancement Request – funds that are dedicated towards college completion initiatives, workforce development, academic transformation
  • Keep tuition capped (need 3% increase in State supported funding)
  • Board of Regents
  • Those that donate to foundations, SS# will have to be blind
  • Affordable Care Act
  • Still awaiting guidance/clarification from the State-DBM for implementation policy
  • Expected that USM will move forward as if it will go into effect Jan. 1, 2014 (even though mandates may be delayed until 2015)
  • MD was one of only 9 states to set up own exchanges (Maryland Health Connections, 17 plans in exchange)
  • Chancellor’s letter was distributed to staff who are eligible to receive health care through USM
  • Contingent Category 2s – technically receive compensation to get health care at UM Institutions; not at former BOT Institutions
  • Adjunct faculty credit load will determine eligibility. Dual employment a challenge in the calculations.
  • What about students? School-based student policies may be closed down. Schools will encourage students to go to the exchanges. International students are not eligible to the exchange but may be mandated to have some form of coverage (to be addressed).
  • Refer to USM website for information about upcoming meetings and projects/initiatives that are going on at each campus
  • Committee Meetings
  • Community Outreach & Recognition
  • Improved awareness of CUSS at institutions
  • Looked at potential tactics from last year, not everything falls under what the committee is doing. Looking at possibly changing the committee title (must be checked) or if some charges should be put to other committees
  • Communications
  • Increase use of technology
  • LinkedIn
  • Business Cards – research the cost of this, for use during Annapolis Day (research charge)
  • Newsletter – Photo is needed from UMCP meeting in January 2013
  • Hard deadline of Oct.1 will be met (picture pending)
  • Assessment will be revisited on Oct. 22
  • Benefits:
  • Goals: tuition remission, best practice for performance review cycles, update the wellness discounts, review ORP systems
  • Put together a list of items for different discounts for USM employees (per schools)
  • Look into a tracking system for goals that is accessible online
  • Visit/meet up CUSF about tuition remission policy change proposal
  • Legislative
  • Monitor legislation as it occurs
  • Tighten up and fine-tune CUSS Annapolis Day (best approaches)
  • Decide how important the tour is
  • Executive
  • Liaisons were appointed to each committee
  • Each committee will be charged with an in-between meeting
  • Chancellor’s Liaison’s report
  • Everyone should have received their open-enrollment packets
  • State employees who are working less than 30-hours a week should be of the healthcare exchange and related website by Oct. 1 (if the State continues with the Jan. 1, 2014 rollout, then we will need to inform USM employees working 30-hours or more a week of their eligibility for state paid health benefits).
  • Open-enrollment starts on October 1 (health and pharmacy must be included).
  • Retirement: Optional Retirement Program (ORP) retirees currently receiving state health benefits are being audited during the current Open Enrollment. ORP Retirees must show proof of receiving ORP periodic distributions by no later than November 15 in order to be eligible for benefits on January 1, 2014.
  • Wellness Vendor has been selected to be implemented System wide on January 1, 2014 (with the exception of UMCP since it already has had an excellent program in place for years). There will be no cost to the employee for use of the program.
  • Women’s Forum Conference – November 15th at Towson University

Motion to adjourn: Jayne French

Second – everyone

Next Meeting: October 22, 2013 at Frostburg State University

Minutes from CUSS (September 24, 2013) Page 1 of 6