A&P Council Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, September 10, 2007
1.
The meeting was called to order at 2:00 p.m.
Members present: Regina Brown, Christopher Akin, Bobbi Almirola, Fairfax Vickers, Meredith Nickles,
Sonya Jacobs, John Giannoni, M. Scott Young, Carl Musson, Pete D’Addio, Eric Anderson, Marilyn
Brislin, Denise Darby, Lynda Farris, Patrick Gall, Thomas Gordon, Claire Lessinger, Carolyn Mourey,
Allison Robinson, Justin Selph, Ken Short, Rosa Walsh.
2. Judy Lowry, Human Resources, Communications, Programs, and Events
Judy Lowry spoke with the Council about the upcoming Benefits Fair. On Monday, September 17 th,
several educational seminars will be held at the Alumni Center. On the 18 th, representatives from the
various providers will be on hand to disseminate information and answer questions. This will also be
at the Alumni Center. Ms. Lowry recommended that employees consider using the special shuttle
from the Administration Building on Tuesday, as they anticipate a large turnout and parking is limited.
Free health screenings will be available at the Benefits Fair, as well as terrific prizes. Very few
posters have been disseminated this year about the Benefits Fair. She noted that information from
the State of Florida will also be sent to employees’ home addresses beginning September 17 th.
Ms. Lowry noted the following changes in benefits. There will be two additional dental vendors. So,
instead of having a choice of five vendors, there will now be seven. Also, Supplemental Vision
coverage will be discontinued at the end of this year. The new Life Insurer is Minnesota Life, so
policies will be switched from Prudential to the new carrier. Employees will not need to re-enroll, but
may need to re-elect their beneficiaries. For employees who cannot attend this Benefits fair, there will
be others in the Tampa area – one in the Westshore area, one in Sarasota, and also one in St.
Petersburg.
Ms. Lowry also spoke about the upcoming United Way Campaign. Like last year, this will be a “quiet
campaign” – meaning there is no goal. HR is still determining how cash donations will be handled, as
there are new procedures in place. Once this has been determined, the Area Coordinators will be
notified. On October 16th, there will be an event supporting the campaign in front of the USF
Bookstore. There will be lots of gift baskets and promotions, and a percentage of the funds raised will
be donated to the campaign. More information about all these events will be sent in the USF Bulletin.
3. Approval of August Meeting Minutes
The minutes from the August meeting were approved and will be distributed.
4. Committee Overview and Reports
University Support – Christopher Akin is Chair of this committee. They just sponsored the Week of
Welcome Event. This year, participation was at an all time high. Over 1500 copies of the USF Map
(short version) were distributed at the tents. Photos from the event will be posted to the A&P website
soon. This committee also works on the annual elections.
Enhancement – This committee will need a new Chair. Eric Anderson was the chair last year. The
committee has not met yet. Current projects include the A&P Award (which was approved over the
summer), the Tuition Reimbursement Plan (to include additional classes), and the Career
Development Initiative.
Government and Legislative – This committee also needs a new Chair. A Special Session of the
Legislature is forthcoming, and R.B. Friedlander has spoken with Eric Anderson about this matter.
The committee is scheduled to meet on the 18th of this month. This committee discusses various
governmental and legislative actions that may impact the University.
Programs and Social – Carl Musson is the Chair of this Committee. They have tentatively scheduled
the Annual Breakfast Event for 1/15/08. It is on the President’s Calendar. Alex Sink, the CFO of
Florida, has been invited as a speaker at the Breakfast. The committee will be meeting soon. They
will need to discuss the Annual Golf Tournament – specifically the collection of funds and how that
will be handled.
Communications – This Committee also needs a new Chair. The committee is responsible for the
A&P website.
5. Budget Update
So far, there have been no changes and no additional funds have yet been allocated. Two tents were
replaced for the Week of Welcome Event.
6. Issues from the Floor



One individual mentioned the lighting on the USF Water tower – and the prospect for
changing the colors when the football team wins. This could be vetted as a new tradition.
Greg Gard was identified as a possible contact about this.
Two members of the Council will be serving on the Provost’s Budget Task Force – Carl
Musson and Bobbi Almirola. It was noted that this is an advisory task force and that there are
8-10 individual sub-committees.
The Constituency listings are currently being redone. If you are not receiving messages from
the A&P List serve, please let Chris Akin know.
7. Other Business



Review of By-laws – Eric Anderson stated that he would like to form an ad hoc committee to
look at the A&P Constitution and by-laws. Carl Musson volunteered. If you are interested in
assisting with this project, please let Eric or Carl know. It was agreed that the by-laws are in
need of a thorough review at this time. It was also noted that as a result of the Classification
Redesign Project, there are now over 1000 A&P/Administration employees.
Money Collection – The Council noted the findings of several recent audits, and there are
some new challenges ahead in terms of the Council’s collection of monies. In the past, the
Recreation Center served as our “bank.” Since the Recreation Center is not tied to the
Council, changes are needed. One option is the establishment of our own chart fields, and
the establishment of a concession account. Carl Carlucci and Eric Anderson will meet to
discuss this matter further. At this time, the University has limited the authorization to collect
funds. Currently, funds/cash should be routed through the Cashier’s Office. There are 20
other approved “cash” points (ultimately, the University would like less than 10 cash points).
Another option that may be possible is the Touch Net system. Information Technologies has
a Bank Merchant ID - funds are given on-line, and IT posts them to a chart field. This may be
an option for the Annual Breakfast event, but may not be appropriate for the Golf Scramble.
Letters of Commitment – Please have these letters returned by the October meeting. Later
this week, the Constituent lists will be disseminated from Eric Anderson. If you have a group
you want to keep, please let him know and he will do his best to keep your present
constituency list in tact. In general, Council members have constituents in their own areas,
but that is not always possible. Also, please encourage individuals to feel free to attend our
meetings. All our meetings are open and we want to continue to foster a sense of community.
8. Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 2:35