November Meeting Minutes
November 13th, 2013 10:00am-12:00pm
University Center 332/333
Welcome & Call to Order
President Singleton called the meeting to order at 10:00am.
Roll Call
Secretary Maggie Linder took attendance.
Attendees: Andi Armstrong, David Crowley, Kristine Csorosz, Matt Filer, Molly Fishburn-Matthew,
Geri Fox, Gary Hagler, Chuck Harris, Natalie Hiller-Claridge, Maggie Linder, Michael Maas, Becky
Maier, Maria Mangold, Denise May, Roger McDonald, Jaylene Naylor, Gloria Phillip, Kathy Reeves,
Maryann Robison, Hannah Singleton, Erin Steuer, Brandie Terpe, Kelly Wasson, Angela Weisenburger,
Jennifer Zellmer-Cuaresma, Judy Wellert (Administrative Associate), Darlene Samson (Ex-Officio)
Excused: Lisa Marie Hyslop, Sandi Nelson, Jimmy Stevens
Approval of October Minutes
President Singleton presented the minutes of October 9th, 2013. Minutes were approved.
Financial Report
Financial Officer Hagler presented the financial report which summarized the financial activities for the past
month. The financial advisory group has found that fundraising costs and revenue need a better way of being
tracked, and the group has set a goal to find an efficient way to manage and track those by the end of FY13.
Financial Report was approved.
UM Minutes
Senator Csorosz shared about a student that held a lunch to acknowledge Veterans. The luncheon’s purpose was
to share information about the services and benefits provided by Veteran Affairs. One specific example of these
services is Yoga Warriors International which is focused on stress reduction, and being offered each Monday at
5:15pm by Mary Hanson.
New Business
December Meeting Planning
Missoula College is offering a Moroccan typed food theme. President Singleton proposed the question of whether
the Staff Senate would like to go to lunch at the Missoula College or do something different. Senator Mangold
asked if Staff Senate could afford this expenditure, and Judy Wellert explained it has been budgeted for. Judy
Wellert asked all Senators to be sure to let Senator Linder know if they won’t be here as we need to RSVP. The
December meeting is set for December 11th from 11:30-1:30 at the Missoula College Culinary Arts Restaurant.
Human Resources Update
President Singleton provided a brief description and started some discussion about upcoming events in relation to
Human Resources including the Affordable Care Act, Performance Funding, and the Hiring Chill. President
Singleton asked for feedback from the senators and other staff. The Affordable Care Act will impact student
employees, adjunct faculty, and temporary employees as it essentially means that if a person works more than 29
hours per week, on average, over the course of six months that the employer would be required to pay for health
insurance for the next six months. Performance Funding addresses how the University measures performance, and
a question was posed on how to measure this, for example retention rates of employees. The upcoming Hiring
Chill means that anytime there is a vacancy, the hiring department must make a case and present this information
to the Vice President of the department on why they should recruit and strategically assess that position before
attempting to rehire. If it is determined that it is necessary, the VP takes it to the cabinet to approve the decision to
hire or not. If it is decided not to hire, it is then determined whether this position will no longer exist or if they just
won’t hire for the current year.
Holiday Leave
Senator Crowley brought up the point that the prior university president used to give staff a few hours of
administrative leave on December 24th and December 31st. President Singleton stated that it isn’t written
anywhere, so it is up to President Engstrom to make that decision, though we could request he contemplate doing
so.
Guest Speakers
Linda Green, Tobacco Task Force
Linda shared that 70% of employees and 53% of UM students supported going tobacco free when the initiative
first began in August 2011. However, after a few months and with no enforcement or education, compliance
started to lag. The Tobacco Task Force’s focus since last January has been to educate about the policy and work
with Missoula County Health Department to get free giveaways that support a tobacco free lifestyle. Much
discussion ensued among Senators about the challenges of enforcement. Senators shared that litter has been a
special challenge with the cigarette butts being thrown on the ground since the removal of the ash trays. Linda
provided samples of the handout cards that the Tobacco Task Force is providing. The business card size handouts
show the tobacco free zone and provide resource information for how to quit. Linda Green asked that senators
send her suggestions on how to address compliance.
Jessica Allred, Missoula Food Bank
Jessica Allred visited to share information about the Missoula Food Bank in preparation for Can the Cats. Jessica
explained that the Missoula Food Bank serves one in seven Missoulians, and one in three of their clients are
children. The Missoula Food Bank has seen increased numbers this year, although it is slowing from 2011 and
2012, and expects to see more than 17,000 people this year. The Missoula Food Bank has been serving the
Missoula Community for about 30 years. Jessica described their services. Patrons that visit the food bank get a list
that looks much like a grocery list when they come in to “shop”, and they also receive a resource list if they could
use SNAP or WIC. Patrons can come once a month to get a three day supply of perishable supplies in addition to
non-perishable items, and then a second time a month for another supply of perishables. The monthly allotment of
food gives patrons 7-10 days of food. The diversity of food they offer comes from food drives and donations, as
most of the food they purchase is in bulk, and 24% of their food is donated. Last year, 26,000 lbs of food (and
additional cash) were donated for Can the Bobcats. She shared that for monetary donations, $1.60 equals a pound,
but the money goes further if the food is purchased and then donated.
Dane Scott, UM Ethics Statement
Dane Scott shared the UM Ethics Statement his committee has been working on for the past year. He explained
that if UM adopts the statement, a permanent committee would be established to communicate this statement in
the residence halls, offices, um website, etc. In order to flourish as a committee, the Ethics Statement should be
adopted by the campus community to remind ourselves about the shared values as proposed in the ethics
statement.
A motion to vote was made. Motion to approve, seconded. A vote by show of hands was made. A few Senators
opposed, but support was passed with majority vote.
Jean Gee, NCAA Action Plan
Jean Gee explained that UM Athletics completed a lengthy NCAA investigation in July. An action plan has been
created to present to groups on campus to educate boosters, faculty, and staff. Athletics is looking for staff to
educate ourselves and needs to obtain “buy in” in order to adhere to NCAA standards. She explained that a
booster is someone that has in anyway contributed to the athletic department, ranging from buying game tickets,
donating money, donating items for auctions, to businesses that own seats in the stadium. There is a very low
threshold to become classified as a booster, and once classified as such, someone is a booster for life. However,
students, generally, are not considered a booster. She explained that in the past, boosters provided lawyer
agreements and home cooked meals to athletes. Jean explained that the NCAA likes to see secondary violations
reported, as it shows that UM is comfortable self reporting our mistakes. Athletics has now hired an additional
staff person for monitoring activities so that the director of the compliance can focus on education. Jean explained
that educating boosters is the biggest challenge, and athletics is using social media to communicate about the
action plan. Athletics has also set standards for student athletes to allow for an occasional meal, four per semester,
from boosters, however, that standard is not bound if there has been a prior relationship. Jean encouraged us to
contact her if we ever question whether or not an action would fall under NCAA regulations.
Eric Gutierrez, Director of EEO/AA, Discrimination Prevention Tutorial
Eric shared that he tries to provide an open conversation to talk about our ethical realities, and noted that there are
many unintended consequences during hiring and promotions. In regards to the Discrimination Prevention
Tutorial, he explained that the videos serve as a “mood candle” to get people ready to talk about discrimination.
Eric asked for feedback from senators, and positive features of the tutorial included specific examples and the
ability to “Test” a correct answer so that one could try different answer options. Eric explained that an agreement
with the Department of Justice states the University will have the training, but UM will also continue training and
providing ongoing education. The strongest issues on campus are the sexual harassment with faculty/student
stalking issues and employment discrimination on campus. Eric shared that entities think they can self regulate,
but it obviously doesn’t work. He also shared that if senators or colleagues don’t want to take the tutorial, they
can discuss it with Eric. He has been and will provide training focused for various departments if a department
wants to have Eric come in and discuss the training or something more specific. Eric is working very closely with
Lucy France and Maria Cole to put policies in place and reach compliance. He encouraged Senators to contact
him if there is ever an issue feeling like it is a discriminatory. He is in Main Hall-Rm 20, can be reached at x5710,
and has his cellphone posted online and available to everyone.
Committee Reports
CVC shared that the Title Boxing class did not have really high enrollment, but was successful as many attendees
enjoyed it and owner said he would be willing to do it again. Can the Cats drive is ongoing. Caroling Practice is
set for December 3rd and December 5th. Saturday January 18th is the movie night, and Staff Senators will vote on
the movie choice during the December meeting. Glacier Ice Rink rates are being assessed as a potential event this
winter. CVC Co-Chair, Senator Armstrong asked for ideas about and for the upcoming quarterly newsletter.
Due to time restrictions, other committee reports were not able to be presented.
Closing
Meeting adjourned at 12:00 p.m.
Next meeting: December 11th, 2013 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Missoula College-Culinary Arts