FINAL
Minutes of the General Meeting
Thursday, November 6, 2014
MD Anderson Library, Room 306
Members Present/Absent: See the November 2014 Attendance Report
Guest List is in the Staff Council Office
Call to Order: Staff Council President Martha Hayes called the meeting to order at 1:32 p.m.
Minutes: The minutes of the October 16, 2014, General Meeting were approved without correction
Staff Council Officer Reports
President: Martha Hayes
• FY15 One-time bonus: details provided in 10/31 conference call with Human Resources
o Bonuses of $1500 to be disbursed by HR through direct deposit in November 2014 to employees
who meet the following criteria
§ annual salary of $50,000 or below
§ benefits-eligible for 6 months as of 9/1/2014
§ no salary increase of 5% or more since 9/1/2013 through promotion or merit
§ no debt to UH as of 10/30/2014
o Discussion of criteria and communication regarding bonuses
§ Kimberly: complaints among staff regarding lack of communication, new stipulation
previously not communicated
§ Elsie: brought up complaints to HR about previous misleading email communication
from Provost Short; received response that Administration & Finance had not been
consulted about previous communication
§ Kimberly: Were stipulations put in place due to the amount of funds set for the bonuses?
§ Elsie: HR mentioned that there are always stipulations for bonuses or raises
§ Martha conducted informal poll among Staff Council members present; most indicated
that not knowing about the full bonus criteria was worse than having the criteria
• Future Pay Raises
o Martha and Elsie on Provost Task Force on Future Faculty/Staff Pay Raises; met 11/3, discussed
bonuses, faculty salary statistics; additional staff salary data to be provided by Dr. Carlucci;
preliminary salary statistics from Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board should be available
for next month’s meeting
o Basic question for staff constituents is preference for small salary increase every year or larger
increase every two years
o Also discussed bonuses at 11/5 Faculty Senate Executive Committee meeting; Faculty Senate
initiated internal task force on long-term pay for faculty, statistics on fair market salaries, and
allocation within UH
• Updates from UH President Khator’s Office: Elsie reported on 10/27 meeting between Martha, Elsie,
and Pam; and Theresa Singletary, Director of Operations, President’s Office
o Concern about lack of staff mention in President’s Fall Address; Theresa recommended that Staff
Council inform President’s Office of high-level staff recognition for possible mention in Fall
Address
§ Rebecca mentioned that at least the Staff Council President should have been
acknowledged in the Address since leaders of Faculty Senate and Student Government
Association were acknowledged
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Spring Focus: since the Texas Legislature will be in session, will need multiple possible dates to
help ensure that President Khator will be able to participate
o Spring Egg Hunt: Theresa recommended that Staff Council coordinate with Special Events
o CFI: Theresa provided strategies for implementing the CFI budget and how to approach putting on
the volunteer appreciation luncheon since there was uncertainty about the 2014 luncheon
Updates from Administration & Finance
o 10/24 meeting between Martha, Elsie, and Pam; and Dr. Carl Carlucci, Executive Vice President,
A&F, Emily Messa, Associate Vice President, Administration, and Tom Ehardt, Associate Vice
President, Finance
o Received preliminary information on bonuses prior to final details communicated on 10/31
o Game day parking issues: Dr. Carlucci recommended that issues be forwarded to Athletics since
that department set the game day parking policies
Foundations of Excellence: Martha is Staff Council representative on committee; Andy also on committee
o focused on first-year student success and retention
o will have implications for staff in multiple areas on campus
o new initiatives will emphasize culture, integration of cross-campus experiences, communication,
learning, and advising
§ Sawsan mentioned that international students are of special concern for success and
retention efforts; Matthew mentioned that the International Student and Scholar Services
Office is a good resource
o
•
•
Immediate Past President: Pam Muscarello
no report
President-Elect: Elsie Myers
See the submitted President-Elect’s Report
Secretary: Troy Christensen
October 2014 minutes submitted and approved
Treasurer: Kimberly Williams
• See the submitted Treasurer’s Report
• Will meet 11/7 with Nisho Khan of President’s Division Business Office, Martha, and Cassandra to review
financial reports
Parliamentarian: Wendy Gary
• See the submitted Parliamentarian’s Report
• October 2014 Attendance Report submitted
Historian: [vacant]
Staff Council Standing Committee Reports
Appointments: Karl Hearne and Chris Foster
• See the submitted Appointments Committee Report
• Karl reported that committee met to identify goals for Strategic Plan, provide recommendations to fill
vacancies on University-wide committees
• Recommendations
o Student/Faculty/Staff Traffic Court: Pamela Moses, replacing Stella Vasquez
o Children’s Learning Center Advisory Board: Juanita Samuels, replacing Robin Taylor
o Future incarnation of University Commission on Women: Gabriela Diaz, replacing Allyson
Plosko
o motion was made to approve recommendations as a slate, motion was approved
• SharePoint form added for submitting University-wide committee reports: Andy provided demo
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Communications: Bill Ashley and Andy Moon
• See the submitted Communications Committee Report
• Andy reported that the Conversations with Staff Council email was sent to all staff, and the Sock & Blanket
Drive email would be sent shortly; Martha mentioned that the Drive was reported by the Daily Cougar
Cougar First Impressions (CFI): Tommie Trevino and Andy Moon
• See the submitted CFI Committee Report
• Andy reported that the Spring 2015 CFI first call for volunteers would be sent mid-November, following
Conversations with Staff Council; follow-up calls would be scheduled for mid-December and early January
Events: Keri Myrick and Jennifer Potocki
• Martha reported that Events is in conversation with Sports & Entertainment regarding using the stadium for
the 3/28/2015 Spring Egg Hunt and have a verbal confirmation; Theresa Singletary had mentioned
coordinating with Special Events and getting any stadium agreement in writing; since SGA is in conflict
with S&E about stadium cost for Frontier Fiesta, will need to be exact on bureaucratic matters
• Discussion of Plan B locations in case the stadium is unavailable; Martha reported Cassandra will reserve
Butler Plaza; other locations mentioned: Satellite (Rebecca), Soccer fields - Campus Recreation (Terence)
Carl Lewis Field - Athletics (Matthew)
• Martha reported that Jennifer is now Events co-chair
• Staff Council Holiday Potluck will be 12/18 in the Honors College
Membership and Elections: Sawsan Shatleh
Sawsan recommended candidates to fill membership vacancies based on those who stood for election but did not
win:
• Academic Affairs: Carmen Robinson, UH Northwest Campus
• At Large: Robert Torres-Torres, Library
• Staff Affairs: Tonya Winters, Counseling & Psychological Services
• motion was made to accept candidates as a slate
• discussion: Jennifer asked whether it will be difficult for Carmen to get to main campus from NWC to
fulfill Staff Council responsibilities; Sawsan reported that she talked to Carmen about member
responsibilities; Andy mentioned that he would provide orientation for new members
• slate of candidates approved
Staff Affairs: Matthew Castillo and Alison Wells
• Matthew reported that committee transferred responsibility for scholarships and professional development
activities to Professional Development ad hoc
• Pulse Poll questions provided to Communications; Communications can decide order for four upcoming
questions in newsletter
• Conversations with Staff Council, 11/11
o discussion of topic questions: Staff Affairs recommended three questions regarding salary
increases, impact of Staff Council contributions, and how Staff Council can better serve
constituents; Sawsan mentioned that there should be a question about UH improvement or student
success; three questions revised for salary increases, Staff Council impact, and UH improvement
o members requested to volunteer as table conversation facilitators and note-takers, with a sign-up
sheet passed
o Sawsan mentioned that feedback should be sent to staff as soon as possible following event
o Martha reported that there would be a table with nametags, pens, and a sign-in sheet, a table with
food at entrance, and 10 tables for attendees
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Staff Council Ad Hoc Committees
Professional Development
• Rebecca reported that the ad hoc committee will have a meeting shortly
• ad hoc committee goals
o New Scholarships: Roll out 3 new scholarships / professional development programs approved by
Staff Council in FY2014
o Staff Excellence Awards: increase financial award amounts, group excellence awards, change
McElhinney Award criteria back to previous criteria; coordinate with Human Resources
o Professional Development Guide: to help UH staff with career aspirations
o Service to University MAPP: add to Professional Development MAPP as requested by UH
Leadership
Research Advisory
Elsie reported that Jennifer sent back results on the PI Portal, ad hoc committee will meet regarding details
Program Manager Mentoring
Martha requested that co-chairs invite Cassandra to committee meetings, involve her in upcoming activities and
initiatives
Unfinished Business
• Committee goals: were due 10/22; need goals from Staff Affairs and Communications; will provide
guidance for FY2015 Strategic Plan
• Position openings
o Historian: Martha opened nominations for officer vacancy; Robert Torres-Torres self-nominated,
was approved
o Events: Martha reported that she appointed Jennifer as co-chair
o Membership & Elections: co-chair needed
o Martha mentioned that Andy is co-chair for both CFI and Communications; need a new
Communications co-chair; discussion of possible co-chairs with no commitment or appointment
• Why I Serve campaign: Martha reported on campaign to raise profile of Staff Council
o produced brochure for Benefits Fair, and will have another at Conversations with Staff Council
o asked that all members send 1-2 sentences about why I serve on Staff Council or why I volunteer;
will be used for different collateral, brochures, digital signage, etc.
o mentioned that Dr. Carlucci saw the point of the campaign when shown a brochure at the 10/24
meeting: “I see you’re trying to build community.”
New Business/Open Discussion
• Document archiving/shredding
o Martha mentioned that Cassandra’s office is overflowing with boxes of files and financial records
going back to 1987
o need to archive or shred documents, determine which to scan and keep as digital files
o Matthew, Rebecca, and Bill will help look at documents to make decisions to present to the
Executive Board
Announcements:
• Staff Affairs: Matthew mentioned that meetings will be the third Tuesday of every month
• TPAC: Matthew and Dan are Staff Council representatives on committee; let them know if there are any
parking issues
• Sock & Blanket Drive: Cynthia asked how to move a box if it is not in a popular location; Elsie
recommended reaching out to Keri or Jennifer; Rebecca mentioned that the box might get full nearer the
end of the drive
• Staff Council space needs: Matthew mentioned continued search for space for Program Manager, meetings,
and storage
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Adjournment: motion to adjourn was made; meeting was adjourned at 3:06 p.m.
Minutes submitted by Staff Council Secretary Troy Christensen
5
General Meeting Agenda Thursday, November 6, 2014 M. D. Anderson Library Rm 306 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. I.
II.
Call to Order III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
Approval of the October 2014 General Meeting Minutes Officer and Committee Reports •
President •
Immediate Past President •
President-­‐Elect •
Secretary •
Treasurer •
Parliamentarian •
Historian •
Staff Council Standing Committees o Appointments o Communications o Cougar First Impressions o Events o Membership and Elections o Staff Affairs •
Staff Council Ad Hoc Committees o Professional Development o Research Advisory o Program Manager Mentoring Unfinished Business •
Committee Goals – Were Due October 22 •
Position openings on Council o Nominations and vote for Historian o Co-­‐Chair Openings •
Why I Serve Campaign New Business/Open Discussion •
Archiving and Shredding Documents Announcements Adjournment Note: Please sign in. The next scheduled general meeting is December 4, 2014. 2014-­‐2015 Staff Council
General Meeting Attendance Roster
Council Member
Ashley, Bill
Baccam, MyTrang
Barras, Kim
Castillo, Matthew
Chee, Jacqueline
Christensen, Troy
Diaz, Gabriela
Edwards, Jeremy
Ephriam, Princess
Foster, Chris
Gary, Wendy
Giannukos, Nalan
Hayes, Martha
Hearne, Karl
Johnson, Andrea
Martinez, Dia
Moon, Andy
Moses, Pamela
Muscarello, Pam
Myers, Elsie
Myrick, Keri
Ness, Anne
Oilvarez, Dan
Olmedo, Cynthia
Padovan, Dina
Parks, Jay
Parrish, Reuben
Pearce, Sheree
Plosko, Allyson
Potocki, Jennifer
Samuels, Juanita
Shatleh, Sawsan
Szwarc, Rebecca
Taylor, Robin
Tisby, Carla
Turner, Terence
Vasquez, Stella
Wells, Alison
Williams, Kimberly
Zorola, Jessica
9/11
P
X
P
P
P
P
X
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
X
P
P
X
P
X
P
P
P
X
X
X
X
P
P
P
X
P
10/16*
P
P
P
X
X
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
X
X
P
P
P
P
P
P
RES
P
P
RES
P
P
P
P
RES
X
P
RES
X
P
P
11/6
12/4
1/8
Legend: (P) Present; (X) Absent; (*) Not on Council at time; (RES) Resigned; (REI) Reinstated
This Attendance Roster reflects the signatures on the Sign-­‐In Sheet available at every General Meeting. Always sign in.
Review this Attendance Roster. Corrections: Wendy E. Gary, 2014-­‐2015 Staff Council Parliamentarian, wemyers@central.uh.edu
For more information about meeting attendance requirements, reference Staff Council Bylaw 2.6 (www.uh.edu/sc/about/bylaws).
* Date changed from original scheduled date
2/5
3/5
4/2
5/7
6/4
7/2
8/6
President Elect Report for Staff Council Executive Board Meeting 10/30/14 HR Meeting with Joan Nelson 10/10/14
Present at Meeting: Joan Nelson, Martha Hayes, & Elsie Myers
Bonuses: Still not final, 1.3 million available to work with, bonuses up to
$1,400 for centrally funded positions. State and auxiliary review is needed,
those not centrally funded will need to fund from their state cc’s and
auxiliary cc’s. The bonuses are to be available before the holidays,
November 17th. Guidelines include: 6 months employment, full time
benefits position eligible, and could not have received an increase of 5%
as of 9/1/13.
TRAM Rounding: To be reviewed closer and audited to ensure there is
compliance with this system, decisions to be determined soon.
Provost Pay Taskforce: If staff info is needed, Joan can provide if it is not
available at the next meeting.
Staff Award Guidelines: Info was passed forward and Joan will review
what has been put together. Martha and I will begin to work closely with
HR to get this task completed.
Meeting with Administration 10/24/14
Present at Meeting: Carl Carlucci, Emily Messa, Tom Ehardt, Matha Hayes,
Elsie Myers, & Pam Muscarello
• Employee/Administration Communication
◦ Employees are free to reach out to administration if needed
but be sure you have a clear and concise presentation of
information and facts.
◦ Use My Safe Campus; this is the best method to present
findings/issues.
• Football Parking Frustrations
◦ Send issues to Athletics, they make up the schedules for
football games and arrangements for parking
• A&F Updates
◦ Garbage issue on campus, plant operations crew to be
asked to get out of their carts or mowers to pick up trash and
keep community clean
No power outage during the holiday, they need to be sure
what and how to fix the problem
◦ Board meeting coming
◦ Waiting for the enrollment figures per coordinating board
◦ Parking lot to be built, options for location is at arts area,
stadium area, or spur 5
• Facilities Work Process (Research Lab Buildings)
◦ Vacuum & Air Compressor System in STL: Several
communications have been sent to facility managers
requesting contracts be renewed but no action has occurred
◦ A/C & Fumehoods issues in STL & SERC since move in
◦ Problems with condensation in SERC
◦ Fleming Patio: current problem with flooding and temp fix
was to cut hole in center of patio roof but problem has not
been fixed
◦ Roof leaks at SERC, problem for years
Per Emily Messa, there have been funding issues with getting these issues
resolved. I informed her that the lack of communication is the main issue,
if the building coordinators were informed, this would help keep the lines
of communication open. She suggested that work requests that are not
completed, should be escalated to Herman Taitt, the new Exec Dir of
Facilities. ◦
Meeting with Theresa Singletary 10/27/14
Present at Meeting: Theresa Singletary, Matha Hayes, Elsie Myers, & Pam
Muscarello
Presidents Office changes; pending new employee to fill position as Senior
Executive Assistant, to handle the Presidents calendar and travel. Theresa
may venture to another area as VP, when that occurs; we will need to
reach out to Tonja.
Presidents Office can use the digital info from SC that can be sent to
Theresa for posting in the Presidents Office. Bill Herndon is the one who
handles.
SC Focus is the event that the President should attend, in April. Dates
should be sent to Theresa, to place holds, to be confirmed in
January. Monday's and Fridays are historically safer days. Be sure to have
a back up, just in case.
Informed Theresa that the Spring Egg Hunt will take place in the
stadium. Martha and Keri need to confirm if this will be at no cost, Theresa
suggested that commitments be put in writing, schedule a planning
meeting. Keep TaShawna included in this regarding the budget and
Special Events, if needed. If this is a go and maybe the President can
attend, need to confirm the date and send to Theresa.
Marie Martinez is the contact regarding the What's Next Tour for the
President. Re-send Marie the SC meeting dates so that a date can be set
for the President and the Provost to attend.
Send Theresa full contact info, including cell phone number.
Two months before the Fall Address, if there are accomplishments from
staff, it should be sent to the President. Think of ways to identify nationally
recognized staff or other ways to recognize other great staff stories.
Next meeting should include Tonja from Special Events so we can discuss
the Staff Picnic
Staff Award discussion with Theresa, she likes the idea of asking
divisions/colleges to develop or provide their staff award winners to the HR
Staff Excellence nomination pool but is unsure the way to promote this
across campus. Need to discuss with HR soon. Staff Council Treasurer Report
Reporter: Kimberly Williams
Date: October 29, 2014
Duty: Maintain Financial Records for Staff Council
● Martha contacted TaShawna Wilson, Director, College/Division Business Operations
on Wednesday, October 27th and requested that a couple of dates be given so that a
meeting could be set up to discuss the entire budget. The meeting will include me,
Martha, Cassandra, and Elsie when scheduled. Cassandra is still waiting on access to the
budget and her P- Card, so the consensus was to move forward and meet with
TaShawna Wilson. We collectively expect to work with the same Staff Council budget as
last year.
In the meantime, regular purchases for the Sock and Blanket Drive have been/will be
made on a Staff Council member’s P-Card, and receipts will be given to Nisho Khan,
Department Business Administrator, to process. No purchases have been made for the
Conversations with Staff Council event.
If you have questions concerning budget, please direct them to me and I will forward to
the appropriate person if I am unable to handle.
Kimberly Williams – Staff Council Treasurer
Phone: (713) 743-2932
Email: kwilliams16@uh.edu
To:
Troy Christensen, Secretary
RE:
Monthly Attendance Report Attendance through October General Meeting 2014
From: Wendy E. Gary, Parliamentarian
We have had four resignations this year. There is one member who has missed both of the
meetings I will be sending that member a reminder that per the by-laws, missing three
consecutive meetings means a forfeiture of the position in the hopes that they will make
their best effort to attend the meeting on November 4, 2014.
Staff Council Appointments Committee Report
Meeting held Wednesday, October 22, 2014
The Appointments Committee met to discuss goals for the FY2015 and also make appointment
recommendations for vacant positions due to SC member resignations.
Our evaluation of FY2014 goals and updates for FY2015 were submitted to Martha and Elsie for review.
In working toward one of those goals, we have worked with Andy and now the Staff Council SharePoint
site now has a link in the side menu titled, “University Standing Committee Report” where Staff Council
members can easily submit the information from their meetings using a simple online form. This will be
rolled out at the next general meeting and SC members will be asked to start submitting items in
November.
New appointment recommendations:
Committee
Student/Faculty/Staff Traffic Court
Children’s Learning Center Advisory
Board
Future incarnation of University
Commission on Women
Submitted,
Chris Foster & Karl Hearne
New Appointment
Replacing
Pamela Moses
Juanita Samuels
Stella Vasquez
Gabriela Diaz
Allyson Plosko
Robin Taylor
Committee Reports
COMMITTEE REPORT
Name of Committee: Communication
Committee Members Present: Andy Moon, Anne Ness, Jessica Zorola, Troy
Christensen, Bill Ashley, Cassandra Millhouse, MyTrang Baccam, Elsie Myers,
Rueben Parrish
Committee Members Absent:
(A sign-sheet can be used for attendance)
Date and location of meeting: Tuesday, October 21st, 2014, Hilton, CE wing, room
109
Action Items Completed: None
Action Items Pending:
• Create Events page describing the events that Staff Council sponsors.
• Talk with Dr. Bott about enlisting students for S&B
Expenses incurred: None
Questions for the Board/Larger Group:
Summary of monthly meeting:
• Several website changes recommended
o Add Sock and Blanket drive to navigation (done)
o Add notes from Conversations to the appropriate page (Bill A. to
track down notes)
o Add Conversations and S&B blurbs to front page (done)
o Get a new SC group shot to put on the front page banner
o Prepare S&B and Conversations communications to be sent out to
staff
 Talk with Dr. Bott about enlisting students for S&B
o Prepare communications to go out for CFI volunteers, to be sent midNovember, mid-December, and early January
o Bill A. to proofread and prepare CFI volunteer survey
o Prepare a note to go to SC listserv regarding volunteers for Finals
Mania
o Beginning to test a revamped Coudos process
o Explore using Lync for committee meetings
Revised 09/13/2013
o Have Matthew share the Pulse Poll results with the SC Google
account
Action Recommended:
Date and location of next Meeting: Tuesday, November 18th, Hilton, CE wing, room
TBA
Announcements:
Note Taker: Andy Moon
Committee Co-chair (s): Andy Moon, Bill Ashley
Revised 09/13/2013
DisCommittee Reports
COMMITTEE REPORT
Committee chairs should submit monthly reports to the Staff Council Program Manager
no later than one week prior to the general/executive board meeting. The reports should
include a summary of the monthly committee meeting (including attendance). A financial
report should be included when necessary. For instance, the Events Committee would
submit documentation for the Annual Spring Egg Hunt. This information will be used to
help with monthly reports and to finalize the end of the year report.
Name of Committee:
Cougar First Impressions
Date, location of meeting: 10.10.14 in 112 Fleming Conference Room
List of Attendees: Andy Moon, Sheree Pearce, Elsie Myers, Tommie Trevino
Action Items Completed:
1. Discussed Spring CFI 2015
2. Discussed creating a letter or form for volunteers
3. CFI Goals and Initiatives
Spring CFI
Scheduled for January 20th and 21st
5 tables and tents
Spring CFI Locations: Clustered in the middle of campus. Could we spread them out?
Next meeting discuss the locations
PGH Breezeway (Table 1)
UC South (facing Hilton) (Table 7) (tent needed)
Eric’s Restaurant Corner (Table 8) (tent needed)
Cemo Hall & Engineering (Table 10) (tent needed)
Between Technology Annex & Social Work (table 11) (tent needed)
Fleming @ Entrance 14 Drive (Table 15) (tent needed)
Home Base (IT PGH)
Revised 09/19/2012
Budget:
None
Tents, Radios, Golf Carts:
1 golf cart is needed, 5 tents are needed. Fall tents were $120 each
Beverages:
We would like to continue coffee and tea. In Kind donations like a voucher for one of the
dining halls. Need a location for these items?
Supplies:
We have all the supplies needed right now. Binders need to be ready way ahead of the
first day of school/CFI. Elsie will reach out to Rebecca for links and other information.
Volunteers:
We would like to send call outs on:
End of October
Middle of November
First week of January
Flash Drive Initiative:
We still have some left over. 80 HP and 200 from Schlumberger. The committee
discussed whether we should give them out at SPRING CFI or hold for FALL CFI.
Maps:
Andy says we have plenty.
Ads and Digital Ads:
The committee will ask Martha Hayes to add to the TV monitors as in the past. We will
not have any regular ads for SPRING CFI.
Social Media:
Tommie will work with Martha Hayes to update the webpage for SPRING CFI.
Work Requests:
We will need work requests for the set-up of Tables, chairs, trash cans and recycle bins.
Reminder to cut the grass in the areas and to shut off sprinklers.
Revised 09/19/2012
Action Recommended: To work on action items and keep in contact with the planning
committee.
Announcements/Other Notes:
Next Meeting Date: November 11, 2014 @ 10:30 in 112 Fleming.
Andy reached out to Maria Honey for template of a volunteer form? Set-up a meeting
with Emily Messa.
Note Taker: Tommie C. Trevino
Committee Co-chair: Andy Moon
Committee Co-chair: Tommie Trevino
Revised 09/19/2012