University of Vermont Staff Council Standing Committee End of Year Reports

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University of Vermont Staff Council
Standing Committee End of Year Reports
2012 – 2013
On July 1, 2011 the Staff Council instituted a new committee structure that redistributed work from
several smaller groups to four larger committees. This change was implemented to create greater
efficiency by eliminating overlaps in purview of responsibility under the previous committee structure.
Below are end of year reports for the Staff Council’s four Standing Committees, highlighting the work
and accomplishments of each committee during the 2012-2013 Academic Year.
Compensation, Benefits and Budget Committee
Rodman Cory, Chair
Troy Krahl, Vice Chair
Members: Michelle Chapman, Naima Dennis, Marilyn Eldred, Mark Hall, Scott Hipko, Eileen
Kristiansen, Larry Magnant, Scott O’Brien, Parvin Pothiawala, Debbie Stern, Lynn Tracy
During the 2012-2013 academic year, the Compensation, Benefits and Budget Committee (CBB)
focused their attention on four major areas: Building Relationships with Key Administrators,
Education/Communication on UVM’s Budget and Total Compensation, Staff Accessibility to Tuition
Remission, and Concerns about Nursing Mother Facilities.
CBB continued its commitment to educating itself on matters pertaining to UVM’s budget. As part of
this effort, the committee continued to cement its strong working relationship with Richard Cate, Vice
President for Finance and Administration, with the goal of broadening awareness around the budget
building process through communication to the entire UVM community, and in particular to staff.
As a result, a Work Group that focused on Educating Staff on UVM’s Budget and Total Compensation
was formed. This group reviewed information provided by Richard Cate and kept an eye on the everchanging developments in order to communicate information about UVM’s proposed FY14 budget to
staff. This communication was incorporated into the May 2013 Staffline and offered staff the
opportunity to comment and/or provide feedback to be shared during the May 17th Board of Trustees Committee of the Whole meeting. Plans to provide a similar communication in Fall 2013 about total
compensation for UVM employees (i.e., salary, benefits, perks, etc.) is being discussed.
A second Work Group looked into Staff Accessibility to Tuition Remission and what recourse staff
members have when a supervisor denies a request to take a course. This arose from a policy put in
place in a College, stating that staff members were no longer allowed to take courses during the work
day, even if they had worked out coverage and other responsibilities within the office. When a staff
member attempted to use vacation time to take a class, the individual was denied and told that staff
must be enrolled in a program. These collegial policies seemed to conflict with UVM’s mission,
misinterpret the language about the tuition remission benefit in the Staff Handbook, and redefine the
rules. The Work Group investigated the language in the Staff Handbook about Tuition Remission as
well as the contracts for Faculty and some Staff employees at UVM. What they discovered was a
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component that was missing from the Staff Handbook, directing a staff member to the appropriate
resources to challenge a denial by a supervisor, director, Dean, or Vice President to take a class
through tuition remission. Language to meet this need was written and presented to Barbara Johnson,
Associate Vice President for Human Resource Services. After further discussion, a recommendation
was made to AVP Johnson and accepted. Language was incorporated into the Staff Handbook and
those staff in the College where the issue began have been able to take advantage of the tuition
remission benefit again.
A third Work Group looked into the issue of Parental Leave and Nursing Mother Facilities.
Recognizing the scope and complexity of the Parental Leave issue (i.e., what is offered to UVM
Faculty vs. Staff), the group turned its attention to the concerns around Nursing Mother Facilities, in
particular the space allocated in Waterman’s 4th floor Women’s bathroom for the purpose of
breastfeeding or pumping breast milk. Several new mothers in the Waterman building reached out to
Staff Council Representatives to complain about the space in the bathroom and how inappropriate it
was for its designated purpose. The Work Group worked with AVP Johnson to find alternative spaces
in Waterman and identified the Faculty/Staff Lounge as being a possible location to serve not only as a
lounge, but also as a Nursing Mother Facility in addition to the space in the 4th floor bathroom. A
recommendation was written that asked for a six month trial usage of the Faculty/Staff Lounge as a
Nursing Mother Facility and requested further outreach and education be made around UVM’s
designation as a Breastfeeding Friendly institution.
Under the old committee structure, the former Salary and Budget Committee made a salary
recommendation to the Administration each year, and this responsibility became a part of CBB’s
purview. Because there had long been concerns about the best time to submit these recommendations
and how they were received by the Board of Trustees and the Administration, the CBB began to
rethink its course of action. As a result a formal recommendation was not made in FY12 or FY13, but
a positive endorsement of the proposed 2.9% salary increase for non-represented staff in the FY14
Budget was included in the Staff Council’s FY13 Annual Update report sent to the Board of Trustees,
President Sullivan, and other senior leaders.
The Committee will continue to build relationships while pursuing knowledge and understanding of
the issues related to compensation, benefits and the University budget. We have discussed focusing
attention in the coming year on parental leave, on the creation of a sick leave pool for individuals in
difficult circumstances, on communication around UVM’s generous total compensation package, and
on inequities in access to professional development among non-represented staff. We look forward to
the opportunities that the new fiscal year will bring with it.
Outreach, Assessment, and University Engagement Committee
Susan Williford, Chair;
Karmen Swim, Vice-Chair
Members: Brendan Andrews, Ann Barlow, Jodi Barrows, Johanna Brabham, Joanne Montanye,
Wayne Tetrick, Bethany Wolfe
The Outreach, Assessment, and University Engagement Committee (OAUE) was created to oversee
the management and development of communication and outreach efforts to non-represented staff as
well as take ownership of the biannual Staff Council Survey that assesses the needs and concerns of
non-represented staff as well as where the organization can make improvements.
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The Committee worked diligently during the 2012-2013 academic year to review the 2011 Staff
Council Survey questions and prepare questions for the 2013 Staff Council Survey. The Committee
worked with Nguyen Bach from Institutional Research to review and develop questions and also
received feedback from Barbara Johnson, Associate Vice President for Human Resource Services. The
scope of the survey is to identify Staff Council’s performance in fulfilling its mission to “advocate for
staff by seeking out and responding to their ideas and concerns, representing them to the University
administration, and keeping staff informed of University initiatives. Staff Council works to create a
cohesive community, have a positive impact on staff culture, and promote the betterment of all” as
well as identify areas for future improvement and gain feedback on current issues facing UVM staff.
Due to timing issues, the Committee chose to delay the distribution of the 2013 Staff Council Survey
until September 2013. This will provide time during the summer to test the survey and work through
any remaining problems with the electronic program which will manage the distribution and data
collection components.
The Committee was integral to instituting the use of the UVM NewsTool for the Staffline monthly enewsletter which has expanded the scope and availability of Staff Council information on the web.
This also led to expanded use of Twitter and Facebook to reach out to the UVM Community.
Time was also spent on reviewing print communications sent to all non-represented staff employees in
the Fall of 2012 to educate and remind these individuals about the upcoming union vote for
Administrative, Technical, and Specialist job families at UVM. A large portion of the budget was used
to produce these print materials in UVM Print & Mail. Unfortunately, communication from the
University itself was limited due to legal restrictions. The Staff Council effort was to educate staff to
get out and vote while making an informed choice.
The Committee also reviewed outreach materials (i.e., an informational flyer and discount/event
bookmark) utilized by the Staff Council Office for promotion of the organization at new employee
orientation as well as the Benefits Expo..
For the upcoming Academic year, the Committee will begin work on the creation and execution of the
2013 Staff Council Survey to non-represented staff in addition to work on the how staff provide
information to the Council through its current contact sheet method.
Personal and Professional Development & Occupational Environment Committee
Sharon Mone, Chair
Laurie Juskiewicz, Vice Chair
Members: Jacqueline Drouin, Scott Edelstein, Isis Erb, Meghan Kelly, Gwen Landis, Noel McCann,
Tara Messier, Floyd Vilmont
The Personal and Professional Development & Occupational Environment Committee (PPDOE) was
established to work on issues that focus around personal and professional development of nonrepresented staff as they relate to conditions of employment. This includes concerns around performance
appraisals, supervisory training, and other development opportunities. In addition, the Committee also
addresses employee environment and facilities issues including ability and access concerns.
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The Committee began the year by focusing on the issue of performance appraisals for all employees.
The support for performance appraisals has been discussed by the Staff Council for several years
especially as it relates to Supervisory Training for those in managerial roles. At the request of President
Sullivan, a formal recommendation has been drafted and is expected to be approved by the full Staff
Council in advance of the June 4th End of Year Luncheon. PPDOE collaborated with Barbara Johnson,
Associate Vice President for Human Resource Services as well as Tara Messier in HRS Learning
Services to develop a recommendation that highlights the work of HRS over the years to address
concerns around Performance Appraisals and Supervisory Training, but the time to expand these and
take real action is now. Most significant in the recommendation is the need for accountability and for
Faculty supervising staff to have more training and understanding of their managerial roles.
The Committee also reviewed concerns about the Green Parking Pass Waiting List with Transportation
and Parking Services (TPS). Mary Provost came to explain the waiting list and after further discussion,
agreed to create a formal webpage on the TPS website to bring further awareness and transparency to
this concern.
In addition, the Committee also remained vigilant on the Tobacco Free University Health Initiative and
looks forward to being more involved with this effort in the new academic year.
In the next year, the Committee will continue its work to support the expansion of supervisory training
and performance appraisals at UVM as well as the Comprehensive Diversity Professional Development
initiative.
Social Committee
Karen Lemire, Chair
Marie Tiemann, Vice Chair
Members: Robin Lockerby, Veronica Metivier, Jane Nevins, Mary Parent, Holly Pedrini, Judy Riani,
Nicole Todd, Diann Varricchione
The 2012-2013 Academic year marked one filled with celebration and the organization of several new
events. We began FY13 by providing staff with a discount on tickets to the Champlain Valley Fair once
again. Over $11,000 worth of tickets were purchased with a little over $1,700 contributed by the Social
Committee as an additional discount. Our 8th Annual Golf Outing at the Links at Lang Farm raised $75.00
through the sale of Mulligan’s to benefit the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf. Great Escape discount
ticket sales also helped raise over $60 to help support Social Committee events. The Shopping Bus Trip in
November was extremely successful with over 40 participants. The annual President’s Day Casino Bus Trip
sold out sooner than anyone expected with 53 participants heading up to Montreal. Over 50 people attended
both a Murder Mystery Dinner Cruise on the Spirit of Ethan Allen III as well as attended a Lake Monsters
Baseball Game and Barbecue during the summer of 2012.
The Committee also assisted with the Second Annual UVM Staff Art Exhibit in the Fall of 2012. Plans are
underway to organize this event again for the Fall of 2013.
Our Annual Holiday Bazaar and Food Drive held in December was another huge success. Over 50 tables
were sold with 37 staff vendors selling their own crafts and artwork. Over $1,900 was raised to help defray
the costs of Social Committee expenses and 651 lbs of food was donated to the Food Drive to benefit the
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Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf, the most ever collected. Through the efforts of Parvin Pothiawala who
created Henna Tattoos at the event, $119 was also raised for the Staff Emergency Loan Fund.. Sales on
discounted Ski Day Passes were lower this season but $168 was raised through this effort to help pay for
future Social Committee events and discounts.
The Committee reviewed the Community Service Award guidelines and made some revisions to better
reflect the needs of staff who volunteer for non-profit organizations. Volunteerism by UVM staff will be
recognized with a $25 award (per UVM staff member) made payable to the non-profit or charity group with
a 501c3 organization. $200 is allocated each calendar year for this purpose. The amount set aside is now
determined each fiscal year.
The Committee will explore opportunities to expand volunteerism for UVM staff in the new academic year.
Thanks to the hard work of our committee members (both staff and retirees), we have had yet another
successful year planning and coordinating affordable recreational events and activities, including community
service opportunities.
Events in FY13
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Champlain Valley Fair Tickets 2012
8th Annual Staff Council Golf Outing at the Links at Lang Farm
Second Annual UVM Staff Art Exhibit
Shopping Bus Trip to Settler’s Green in North Conway, NH
Staff Council Holiday Bazaar & Food Drive 2012
Casino Bus Trip to Montreal
Murder Mystery Dinner Cruise on the Spirit of Ethan Allen III
Lake Monster Baseball Game & Barbecue
Other Work in FY13
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Season Pass Discount to local Ski Resorts
Discount Ski Day Passes
Discount Great Escape Tickets
Discount First Night Burlington Buttons
Discount Buy Local Coupon Books
Community Service Awards/Donations
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The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma – Response to Moore, OK Tornado Disaster
Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf – 651 lbs. of food donated at the Holiday Bazaar
Camp Ta-Kum-Ta
Champlain Adaptive Mounted Program (CHAMP)
American Cancer Society of Chittenden County
American Cancer Society of Franklin County