Staff Senate
Full Senate Meeting
June 9, 2010
Senate Chambers
The meeting was called to order at 1:15 p.m. by President Scott. A quorum was present.
Roll Call
Guests: Doug Vinzant, Vice-President of Administration, Laura Alexander, Associate Vice
President of Human Resources
Senators Present: Aimee Appelhans, Rebecca Ashley, Amber Blough, Bonnie Botello,
Christi Byers, John Campbell, Cyndi Cowardin, Mark Davidson, Al Emmons, Cheri
Frank, Tonya Gerharter, Winter Hansen, Carolyn Herman, Stacy Lane, Jamie LeJambre,
Lori Lewis, James Logue, Rachel Martin, Kelly McMichael, Jauque Schuman, Tod Scott,
Diana Waggener, Linda Waggener, Maureena Walker, Kathi Zubrod
Senators Absent: Ginny Becker, Avery Cowardin, James Fuerholzer, Christy
Nordmann, Thyra Page, Maureena Walker, Tina Walrath
Proxies: Heather Warren for Thyra Page, Laura Barton for Christy Nordmann, Barbara
Thorpe for Jim Fuerholzer
Approval of Minutes and Agenda
A motion to approve the May minutes and June agenda was made and seconded by Senators
McMichael and Martin. Motion passed. A motion to approve the May budget report ( Attachment
A ) was made and seconded by Senators Logue and Campbell. Motion passed.
Administrative Reports
Vice President of Administration, Doug Vinzant, indicated that he had three items to discuss with the Senate:
First, the University Board of Trustees will be meeting in July for their annual retreat. Because the retreat is an opportunity for the Board to discuss specific items with President Buchanan and to set goals for the coming year, there will not be a public forum on the agenda. VP Vinzant noted that he plans to discuss the level of indebtedness of the university with the Trustees. He indicated that UW is in a good position, but that there are several capital projects on the horizon that may require taking on additional debt. No decisions will be made on this subject at the July retreat. Additionally, VP Vinzant will discuss the FY 2012 supplemental budget request with the
Board.
The supplemental budget request is due August 27, 2010, to the Governor’s office. Typically, this request is comprised of emergency items in off-budget years. The Board will determine what items to include in the FY 2012 request. There will likely be a few capital requests (such as funding for Phase Two of the Fine Arts project), as well as some operating requests. VP Vinzant noted that a narrative will be included in the request which notes that UW will endorse and

seeks to participate in any compensation and/or benefit changes that the State considers for its employees for FY 2012.
Senator Lewis requested clarification on the narrative portion of the supplemental budget request; she questioned whether UW would like to be a part of salary cuts, for example, should the State pursue such action. VP Vinzant indicated that it is not likely that salary cuts or freezes will be implemented by the State. It is more likely that there will be some quiet consideration of raises for FY 2012. Including the narrative is a strategic move on the part of the university to preserve political capital.
Senator LeJambre inquired about the status of the Half Acre renovation. VP Vinzant indicated that his office is in the midst of completing a new six-year capital facilities renovation plan, and
Half Acre is in the top portion of projects on the horizon. It is unclear when the project will begin, as the sequencing of other capital projects, as well as acquisition of private funding for the renovation will impact the start date. He noted that approximately one-half of the funding for the renovation will come from increases in student fees and the other half will come from private donations. Senator Emmons inquired whether staff will also see an increase in fees for accessing Half Acre. VP Vinzant is unsure. ASUW approved a student fee increase, but he is not clear as to whether this carries over to staff fee increases, as well. VP Vinzant invited
Senator Emmons to send him an e-mail about the subject, and he would follow up with VP of
Student Affairs, Sara Axelson.
Senator McMichael reported that some of the plumbers have indicated problems in the Ivinson
Building and are wondering when the building will be torn down. VP Vinzant indicated that the
Ivinson Building will be used for temporary housing of university departments while stimulusfunded projects are in progress. Upon completion of the stimulus-funded projects in June/July
2011, he will consider options for razing the building. Barbara Thorpe, proxy for Senator
Fuerholzer, inquired as to whether the Ivinson Building might be considered an historical building, and, if so, how this would affect plans for its future. VP Vinzant noted that even if it is an historical building, the cost to make the building viable and safe for employees would exceed that of taking the building down.
Thirdly, VP Vinzant reported that the Staff and Faculty Senate offices would be moving to Wyo
Hall so that they would be located in a building that is handicapped accessible. The move will take place toward the end of the fall 2010 semester.
VP Vinzant closed by noting that he has not forgotten about an earlier question regarding the cost of keeping the university’s salary matrix updated. He invited Senator Lewis to send him an e-mail to remind him to follow up on the topic.
Associate Vice President of Human Resources, Laura Alexander, began her report by distributing a copy of the June 9, 2010 UW News Release informing staff and faculty that pay stubs will no longer be sent via US Postal Service. The paperless payroll system will go into effect starting with the July 31 payroll. This system is estimated to save approximately $40,000 annually. Pay stubs are accessible via Employee Self Service on WyoWeb. A user guide is available with instructions for accessing and using Self Service.
Associate VP Alexander noted that she discussed computer accessibility with Jim Scott,
Physical Plant Director, and Beth McCuskey, Executive Director, RLDS and Wyoming Union.

Both have assured her that their staff will have access to computers in order to see their pay stubs. RLDS plans to do a training session for their employees, as well.
Senator Frank inquired about accessibility to printers, noting that some staff may have access to a computer, but not a printer to print out their stub. Associate VP Alexander said that printers are available at HR and the departments have indicated that they will also make them available.
Senator Frank asked if the implementation of this policy might result in more employees requesting their paychecks to be mailed to them. Associate VP Alexander responded that in her experience this is not likely to happen. She stated that the flexibility of the online format outweighs any benefit of having a hard copy sent in the mail.
Senator Frank inquired if the policy change is occurring at the same time as the change in retirement contributions. The retirement contribution change will take place in September.
Senator Campbell asked if employees who are currently receiving their checks in the mail will be asked to change to a direct deposit. Associate VP Alexander noted that statute prevents forcing individuals to choose a direct deposit option. Senator Campbell inquired about the number of employees currently receiving their checks via mail. Associate VP Alexander reported that eight percent of benefitted employees and 19 percent of non-benefitted employees receive paper checks.
Senator LeJambre asked for approval to post the information from the news release to the Staff
Senate website ; Associate VP Alexander enthusiastically agreed.
Associate VP Alexander noted that President Scott had asked her to address the addition of minimum qualifications to job postings. She reported that UW had a long history of listing minimum qualifications (such as education and experience) on job postings until a few years ago when a switch to Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities was made. Human Resources is moving back to minimum qualifications. Associate VP Alexander would like to address this topic in more detail at the July Senate meeting, when Nancy Olson, HR Manager, can attend.
President Scott had also asked Associate VP Alexander to speak about background checks being required as part of the hiring process. Associate VP Alexander acknowledged that HR is exploring requiring background checks on new hires. UW employees who seek a position at a higher pay grade would also receive a background check. Employees making a lateral move would not be checked. If a staff member has questions about the minimum qualifications on positions currently posted, they can contact Associate VP Alexander or Ms. Olson.
Officer reports
President: President Scott continues to meet with the Performance Management Team.
The Team would like to have evaluations online, so that some of the fields can auto-fill.
He thanked everyone for assisting him during the last four months, and he wished incoming Staff Senate President, Stacy Lane, the best in her term and offered her his assistance.
Senator LeJambre inquired about having a designated agenda item for updates on the
Performance Management Team. President Scott indicated he will be happy to speak about it during open forums, or he will request time on the agenda if there is information that is especially important for Senators to know.

Vice President: Senator Frank reported that Carolyn Smith and Mark Collins are rewriting UniReg 3-179 which relates to the use of university motor vehicles. They wish to establish a focus group, and invited someone from Staff Senate to participate. If a
Senator is interested, they should contact Senator Frank or Senator Lane. President
Scott encouraged Senators to consider serving.
Budget Officer: Senator Martin reported that excess Section 1 funds are being expended. She is considering opening a non-discretionary account with the UW
Foundation, as well as purchasing some promotional items for Senate. A list of expenditures will be included in the July report.
Old Business
Senator Lane reported that Staff Senators will be receiving a survey requesting feedback on
New Senator Orientation and the Staff Senate retreat. Senator LeJambre emphasized that all comments will be anonymous.
New Business
Senator Lane stated that Senator Hansen has agreed to serve as Staff Senate Secretary.
President Scott opened the floor for additional nominations. Seeing none, a motion to appoint
Senator Hansen for Staff Senate Secretary was made and seconded by Senators LeJambre and Logue. Motion carried.
A motion was made and seconded to confirm Senate Seats 7, 31, 38, and 12 at once by
Senators LeJambre and McMicheal. Senator Martin proposed an amendment to confirm seats
7, 31, and 38 only due to David McCoy’s absence. Senator Lane reported that Mr. McCoy agreed to his appointment via email and had requested to be excused from today’s meeting due to prior obligations. Senator Martin withdrew her amendment. Motion passed.
Liaison reports
ASUW Representative: Senator LeJambre is working to set up training sessions with the
ASUW Parliamentarian on how to write legislation and follow parliamentary procedure. If anyone is interested in attending a session, let her or LouAnn Chakmakian know.
Senator LeJambre noted that she has been approached with the idea of encouraging
Staff Senate, Faculty Senate, and ASUW Presidents to meet once per month.
Faculty Senate: No report.
Committee Reports
Communications Committee: Senator D. Waggener has completed her term, and will submit her year-end report to the Staff Senate office. Senator Campbell will assume chairmanship of the committee on July 1.

Compensation Committee: Senator LeJambre is in the process of completing the end-ofyear report. It will detail the monthly HR meetings, work accomplished on the Employee
Handbook revisi ons, and the committee’s role in training revisions. The report will also provide some suggestions for the committee in the coming year. Senator Byers is the new chair.
Credentials and Elections Committee: Senator Nordmann will assume chairmanship of the committee beginning July 1.
Finances Committee: Senator Lane reminded the Senate that they are invited to participate in the Relay for Life event (June 18-19) at Laramie High School. Senator
Herman provided information on a Senate Highway Cleanup ( Attachment B ) which all
Senators are encouraged to participate in. She noted that Senators are welcome to bring their family and friends along. All equipment, except for gloves, will be provided. Senator
Lane noted that she hopes to do a highway cleanup twice per year in the future.
Recognition Committee: Senator Frank invited anyone interested in participating on the committee to attend a meeting in Union Room 10 on June 10, 2010, at 1p.m. Senator
McMicheal will be the new committee chair. The very last meeting of the committee for this year will be June 24. The committee is working toward streamlining the awards process and learning the history of the awards. In addition, excess funds from Staff
Recognition Day will be spent before July 1, 2010. An end-of-year report will be filed with the Staff Senate office.
Open Forum
A brief open forum followed the regular business of the Senate.
The meeting was adjourned by President Scott at 2:02p.m. with cake and fruit to thank the outgoing officers/Senators.

Attachment
A
Return to Minutes

Attachment B
Return to Minutes