Staff Senate
Full Senate Meeting
November 12th, 2008
Senate Chambers
The meeting was called to order at 1:15 p.m. by President Schuman. There was a
quorum present.
Roll Call
Present: Phill Harris VP of Administration; Joe Montelongo HR interim director; Mary
Petroski, HR representative; Tom Burman, Athletic Director; Milton Ontiveroz, Public
Relations Coordinator
Senators Present: Kara Bobbitt, Angela Bules, Chris Clements, Avery Cowardin, Lana
Craig, Jane Forsyth, Al Emmons, Cheri Frank, Dorie Gallegos, Kathy Hearne, Carrie
Hesco, Stacy Lane, Laurie Jaskolski, Jamie LeJambre, Lori Lewis, James Logue, Rachel
Martin, Pam Mathewson, Kelly McMicheal, Richard Reynolds, Janis Phelps, Becky
Riley, Sally Schuman, Tammy Scott, Tod Scott, Mary Ann Stout, Diana Waggener,
Ronda Whitman, Kathi Zubrod
Senators Absent: Rebecca Despain (excused), Diana Waggener (excused), Kelly
Wiseman
Proxies: Nicole Farnham proxy for Jane Wolfinbarger
Approval of Minutes and Agenda
It was moved and seconded to approve the October minutes and November agenda by
Senator Kelly McMicheal and Senator Becky Riley. The motion passed.
Administration Reports
Phill Harris, VP of Administration, thanked Staff Senate for their work on Wellness and
the Employee Assistance Program. They were on the agenda for the Board of Trustees
meeting over the weekend. They will be asked to authorize adding the benefit program
and then to authorize issuing a request for proposals. These are the first steps toward
enacting the recommendations for mental health and substance abuse training. VP Harris
said that the constant state of construction disruption won’t change any time soon. The
supplemental budget request the Governor gives to the Legislature will be published on
December first. We will then know what parts of our request Governor Freudenthal
chose to pass along.
Joe Montelongo, from HR, spoke about trying to create well-defined processes for
dealing with worker’s Comp, FMLA and ADA issues. He will present his
recommendations to the Executive Council after the Legal Department has gone through
them. The searches for HR Director and Internal Auditor will close on November 21st.
Joe also informed Staff Senate if we get a cold call asking about another employee, we
should refer the person to HR. Departments should also run any job advertisements by
Nancy Olson in HR before posting them.
Mary Petroski, HR representative, reminded us of the vendor fair for 403(b)s. The last
one will be on Thursday, November 21st from 1-3 in the Wyoming Union West Ballroom.
Those vendors who are on the list were the only ones who sent in the required forms
about information-sharing. There is a charge for rolling over accounts to a new vendor,
so please take that into account.
The flexible benefits plan forms are due to HR by November 26th.
HR finished the second session of Advanced Leadership Training. Graduation ceremony
will be November 21st.
Educational Guest Speaker
Milton Ontiveroz gave an update on the Holiday Basket Program. The non-perishable
food, checks, and gift cards gathered will go to needy staff members and their families.
If you know of a family, or individual, that could use a little help, please let Milton know
at 766-6709 or miltono@uwyo.edu. by November 21st. Tod Scott will collect the things
from the collection boxes on Friday, November 21st.
The deadline for the Christmas food/toy drive will be Friday, December 19th. President
Schuman will contact Animal Science/Molecular Biology to see if they would like to
donate.
Tom Burman, the Athletic Director, then spoke about what Athletics brings to UW. He
listed five things Athletics does for us:
 Provides a source of entertainment
 Enhances school pride and engages donors and legislators
 Provides visibility both regionally and nationally
 Improves diversity
 Gives UW something to rally around
Old Business
The President’s brown bag lunch is scheduled for Thursday November 20th. These are at
noon in the Old Main board room.
President Schuman stated the President’s office will pay for one air bike station up to
$5,000. The unit will be maintained by UW and will be located at the Union. A plaque
that states “this air is provided by Staff Senate” will be placed above the unit. A second
unit will be set up at Physical Plant where the old gas pumps are located once the pumps
are removed.
New Business
There was discussion about having a Budget Office/Treasurer as an elected position.
There will be future discussion about the duties of this position and the desired
qualifications. If you are interested in this position, please email Kelly McMicheal.
Senator Tammy Scott handed out information on NEA (National Education Association).
Committee Reports
ASUW Representative – Senator LeJambre stated they are working on the “Look Who’s
Working for You” campaign and student fee increases.
Faculty Senate Representative – Senator Becky Riley stated they are reviewing UniReg 803 Revision 7.
Communications Committee – Senator Chris Clements stated the committee is working
on the December Lariat. If you would like to post your committee’s notes, please contact
Jamie at lejambre@uwyo.edu.
Compensation Committee – Senator Jamie LeJambre stated the committee is working on
how to educate staff on the salary policy, evaluation policy, and helping with insurance
questions.
Credentials & Elections Committee – Senator Kelly McMicheal stated the committee
has not met yet. If you are interested in chairing this committee, please let Kelly know.
Elections for President will be in January, so please contact Kelly if you are interested in
running or would like to nominate someone.
Employee of the Qtr – Senator Angie Bules said the committee is working on updating
the form and hopes to be in place by January. Angie also stated that Friday, December
5th is the deadline for Employee of the Fourth Quarter. Please nominate a deserving staff
member.
Ad Hoc Budget and Fundraising Committee – Senator Tod Scott stated the committee is
working with Milton for the Holiday Drive. The committee is working on raffling a bike
sometime this spring.
Policy and Procedures Committee – Senator Sally Schuman noted the seven sections of
the Staff Senate guidelines that the committee is working on: Introduction, Membership
Structure, Meetings, Structure of Leadership, Committees, General Policies, and
Financial Policies. If you have any input to provide the committee please email Sally at
sschuman@uwyo.edu.
Recognition Committee – Senator Carrie Hesco reported the committee is finalizing the
menu and are busy asking for donations for door prizes. They are asking Joe Legerski to
be the speaker. If you would like to help with this committee, please contact Carrie.
Ad Hoc Wellness Committee – Senator Lana Craig handed out information on healthy
vending options that are available in Old Main, Classroom Building, Law School, and
Wyo Hall. She also read the mission statement as follows:
The mission of the wellness committee is to ensure and motivate progress at UW in the realm of
University Employees wellness- an all encompassing approach to health.
President’s Report
President Schuman reported the next LRDP meeting will be December 3rd and
encouraged all employees to attend this meeting.
Jauque said the VP retreat was very informative. There was discussion concerning
evaluations, raises and staff development opportunities. Staff Senate would like to
remain involved with the discussions.
Jauque also noted the University has searches going on for three major positions: - HR
Director, VP for Administration and Internal Auditor.
The Trustees lunch is November 13th at the UW Conference Center. Please feel free to
bring up any ideas or concerns you have.
Open Forum
The next Staff Senate meeting will be on December 10th in the Senate Chambers at the
Student Union. The guest speakers are: Troy Lane, Dave Cozzens, and Dan Socall
They will speak at 2:15 about campus safety.
The meeting was adjourned by President Schuman at 3:05 p.m.
Respectfully submitted by L. A. Chakmakian and Pam Mathewson