THE
Exempt Staff Council Meeting
Fortwood
Room,
Members Attending: Debbie Bell, Tonya Botts, Jean Dake, Tom Ellis, Anne
Gamble, Lindsay Pardue, Charles Scott, Barbara Webb.
Others in attendance: Dan Chase, representing Nate Pinkard; Dan Webb,
Director, Office of Human Resources; Melanie Sadler, Administrative Secretary,
Office of Human Resources.
Call to Order: Ms. Dake called the meeting to order.
Minutes: A motion was made and seconded to approve the
February 17, 2004 minutes as submitted.
Executive Council
Meeting
Ms. Dake stated that the
Executive Council had met once since the last ESC meeting; other meetings were
cancelled due to Spring Break and budget meetings. Chancellor Stacy presented a
fact book of the UT System showing data comparisons from different campuses.
Proposed Budget
Reductions in Academic Affairs
At the February 23 budget
meeting, Provost Friedl recommended elimination of subsidies to the Challenger
Center and Cadek Conservatory and closing one Children’s Center site. Ms.
Gamble said that eliminating positions is not an option due to the number of
employees necessary for licensing accreditation. Expenditures for equipment and
travel can be controlled but costs for benefits, attached to revenue producing
units two years ago, cannot be contained.
The Children’s Center
serves as a demo site for two grant programs, a state grant and a $1.2 million
grant, which is matched 50%, through the U. S. Department of Education. The
grant, Early Success Grant for Literacy, is not only for UTC students but
childcare providers in the community. Last fall and spring, education students
completed 3,000 contact hours in the classroom, according to Ms. Gamble.
The Provost has since
recommended subsidies to the Challenger Center be eliminated by July 1, with
costs being shifted to a grant. Monies that were set aside by UTC for the
Challenger Center expansion has been withdrawn. Cadek Conservatory will have
three years to become self-sufficient and the Children’s Center must develop a
plan to increase revenue. Ms. Gamble said she is unsure how this will be
accomplished.
The university budget
committee must vote on the proposed plans. Athletics, Student Development, University
Advancement, and Finance and Operations will present their budgets and members
are urged to attend the meetings.
ESC Recommendation to
the Chancellor
Due to concerns of proposed
budget recommendations, the ESC drafted a recommendation to Chancellor Stacy.
Members are asked to review the recommendation and submit comments to Ms. Dake
within the week.
“Whereas the Exempt
Staff Council is concerned about the proposed reduction in budgets to the
Challenger Center, Children’s Center, and Cadek Conservatory, the ESC
recommends that Directors of programs with proposed budget cuts be given the
opportunity to respond to proposed budget cuts at a budget meeting and before
the final vote of the university budget committee for the year 2004-2005.”
Changes to ESC By-Laws
A motion was made and
seconded to accept changes to the By-Laws, as presented by the By-Law Committee
(Debbie Bell, Jean Dake, Ellen Neufeldt, Charles Scott).
Section B (Membership) #1
to read: …there will be at least one
representative for each twenty (20) regular exempt staff members in the
represented group, with exceptions made by the ESC as needed.
Section D (Officers) #3b
delete current by-law and change to read: Nominations for Chair and
Vice-Chair will be accepted at the first meeting following the election of new
representatives.
Section D #3c to read: Election for each office shall be by a majority of votes of current (newly elected) representatives attending the first meeting.
Section E (Committees and
Committee Appointments) #2 to read:
…appointing ESC members to his/her committee. The Committee Chair may
also solicit members from the exempt staff roster, which is maintained by the
Office of Human Resources, with ESC representatives comprising a minimum of 50%
of the membership of any committee.
Changes to ESC
Representational Groups
A motion was made and
seconded to accept changes in representational groups, as presented by the
By-Law Committee. Ballots for the April election will reflect the changes.
Group 1: Grants & Research, Cont Ed, OPEIR, Teaching Resource Center
Group 2: Fin Aid, Records, Advisement, COOP, Adult Services, CAP
Group 3: Biology, CECA, Engineering, Sim Center, SCEA
Group 4: Children’s Center, CEAPS/HECO, PT, Urban Impact, Gear-Up, PRISM, Student Support Services,
Social & Community Services, Upward Bound, Music, Challenger Center
Group 5: UHON, Math, Psychology, THSP, EHLS, TPA, Art, Chemistry, COBA, Nursing
Group 6: Ctr Comm Career Ed, TEIS
Group 7: All Athletics
Group 8: Purchasing, Stud Health, Bursar, Disbursements, Fine Arts Ctr, Arena, Chancellor Office, VC-Bus & Fin
Group 9: Bus & Op Admin, Human Resources, Bus & Fin, Mocs Card, Parking, Safety, Law Enforcement
Group 10: Help Desk, Computer Center, Info Sup Serv-Stud Lab, IT, Network Services, Telecomm Services
Group 11: Stud Dev, Housing, University Center
Group 12: Placement, Admissions/Recruitment, C & C Plan Center, Minority Affairs
Group 13: Development, Athletic Fundraising, Alumni, Radio Station, University Relations
ESC Elections and
Retreat
Ms. Sadler will post an email for exempt staff to respond if they do not want their name placed on the ballots. The election process should take approximately 3 – 4 weeks.
Outgoing and incoming representatives will be invited to a retreat at the May 18 meeting, possibly at the Faculty Club. Ms. Barbara Webb volunteered to serve on the Transition Team Committee.
ERC Proposal for 37.5
hour Work Week
Ms. Julia Cronin, retiring ERC Chair, and Ms. Marge Fergason, current ERC Chair, proposed a 37.5-hour workweek in a letter to Dr. Johnson and Chancellor Stacy citing low employee morale, lack of pay increases, and precedent set by TN Board of Regents and state offices working 37.5 hours/week. The proposal will also be presented at the Employee Relations Board meeting in May and would need approval by the UT System. Members requested more information about the impact of the proposal before endorsing or rejecting it.
ESC Website
Dan Chase will provide a
link to the ESC web page from the UTC web site. New representational groups
will be posted on the web site.
Motion was made and seconded to adjourn the meeting. Next Meeting is April 20 at 10 am in the Fortwood Room, University Center.
Respectfully Submitted,
Melanie Sadler
Administrative Secretary
Office of Human Resources