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USAC Monthly Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, April, July 14th, 2015
Kissam Center
Present
Did Not Attend
Sent Regrets
Guest/Visitors:
Drotos-Cuthbert, (Wellness Programs & Alcohol Education)
Key, Tammy (HR)
Thomsex, Jaclyn (HR)
Hammotle, Patrick (Group 5)
Hills, Chris (HR)
Lockett, Midori
8:33 am President, Rachell Harrell, called the meeting to order.
OLD & NEW BUSINESS ANNOUNCEMENTS
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Motion to approve June meeting minutes approved.
Rachel welcomed all new members to USAC and encouraged introductions of staff at
their respective tables.
Ways to stay connected to USAC were identified:
o Visit the USAC website: www.vanderbilt.edu/usac
 Constituents can submit questions, comments, or concerns through the
comments form available on the site home page:
http://vanderbilt.edu/usac/comment-form.php
o E-mail USAC at: usac@vanderbilt.edu
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o Like USAC on Facebook: Vanderbilt University Staff Advisory Council
Executive Structure of USAC Introduced
o Officers:
 President – Rachel Harrell
 Vice President/President Elect – JJ Street
 Secretary – Vacant
 Please let Rachel know if you are interested in serving as secretary
 Treasurer – Eric Jones
o Committee Chairs:
 Communications: Jenny Mandeville
 Rules & Administration: Melissa Wocher & Vickie Latham
 Staff Life: Al Brady & Andy Richter
 Events: Wynn Jeter & Michael Pring
 Membership: Susan Rose
o Past Presidents
COMMITTEE REPORTS
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USAC Members who have not selected their committee for the 2015-2016 year were
encouraged to take the committee questionnaire to help identify the right placement
USAC Members were asked to indicate their committee preference on the sign in sheet at
the end of the meeting
An overview of each committee was then provided to help members determine what
placement they would like to have
Rules & Administration, Co-chairs: Vickie Latham & Melissa Wocher
 Areas of responsibility include: Bylaws, Operations Manual, Parliamentary Procedure
Events Committee, Co-chairs: Wynn Jeter & Michael Pring
 Main responsibilities: (1) Coordinating volunteers when requests are made for USAC
participation (2) Facilitating council-sponsored activities such as blood drives, turkey
toss, food drives, etc.
 Highlights 2014-2015: Staff Happy Hour at The Pub, Red Cross Blood Drive, Employee
Tailgate, Share the Love Food Drive for Second Harvest, Employee Celebration
 Upcoming Events & Ideas for 2015-2016:Employee nights at Predators and Sounds
games, Employee Celebration, Employee Tailgate, Turkey Toss
o Blood Drive: Friday, July 31st 10am-4pm in Sarratt Student Center 331 &
325/327; e-mails will be going out soon for people to sign up to donate and
volunteer
Communications, Chair: Jenny Mandevill
 Responsibilities include: Communicating (1) among membership (2) with constituents
(3) to larger VU community about the great work USAC is doing
 Opportunities include: USAC website, newsletter, mailing lists, social media, & more
Membership, Chair: Susan Rose
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Chair’s goal this year: Unite USAC
Responsible for: (1) maintaining the council’s membership roster (2) the current list of
standing committee chairs and members as well as an archive of these lists (3) conducting
and managing elections (4) working with the USAC officers to facilitate reapportionment
(5) considering initiatives to promote team building between USAC members
Staff Life, Co-chairs: Andy Richter & Al Brady
 Member of the Month is from the Staff Life committee: Lorna Schmittou for her work
on the FAQs about Traffic & Parking
 Main Responsibilities: (1) researching & prioritizing the issues of staff concern (2)
recommending for the council’s consideration a specific course of action when
appropriate
 Highlights: Retired recommendation, All Gender Restrooms recommendation, Meal
Plans now offered in May and December, Updated FAQs on website, Civility,
Appreciation, and Respectful Work Environments (CARE) events
 Conducts the bi-annual staff poll in July and January
STANDING COMMITTEES
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Benefits: Nothing to report
Traffic and Parking: Nothing to report.
Athletics: Nothing to report.
Kroger card program update: We had a year-end record high for USAC of $10,167.81 after
changes to the program’s structure this year. The goal to exceed this in the upcoming year. As a
reminder, all proceeds for the program go to the Employee Hardship Fund.
GUEST: Katherine Drotos-Cuthbert, Wellness Programs & Alcohol
Education
Katherine made an announcement about a new collaboration that has begun between her office
and Work-Life Connections to have ae new recovery meeting on the medical center side. This
meeting is for anyone in recovery including people who may be participating in programs like
AA, LA, or LNON. It takes place on Tuesdays at noon in the Medical Arts Building, Room 209.
There is also a recovery meeting for students on Thursdays at 9pm in the Kissam Center.
GUEST SPEAKER: Tammy Key, HR
Tammy indicated that during the split she would remain with the University side of HR.
She provided a handout that gives an overview of HR Professional Development Workshops.
These include:
 Workshops for All Staff:
o Dealing with Change
o Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI): Understanding
o Peer Interviewing
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o Workplace Civility (focus on effective communication)
Workshops for Leaders:
o Becoming a Leader
o Leading Change and Transition
o Leading Teams through Conflict
HR Leadership Foundations Modules
o Module 1: Hiring New Staff
o Module 2: Targeted Selection
o Module 3: Coaching and Developing Staff
o Module 4: Managing Performance and Behavior
o Module 5: Legal Issues
o Module 6: Leave Management
To enroll in a workshop, go to The Learning Exchange:
https://learningexchange.ea.vanderbilt.edu/#/dashboard
Most workshops have a small cost associated with them (~$50-60) which would be paid
for by the staff member’s department if permitted
There are more workshops offered on the learning exchange beyond those provided
above/on the handout
After the split, University HR is interested in doing a needs assessment for staff. Tammy
expressed that we often do not plan time for our own development and have trouble
distinguishing the urgent vs. the important. HR wants to play a role in helping staff with their
development and “sharpening their saw” as Stephen Covey calls it.
Tammy then led a group activity that was a Professional Development Needs Assessment. The
questions that were asked were:
1. What organization goals will your team be a part of in the next year or what major
changes will occur (or have occurred)? What do you need to learn to be successful?
2. Any changes in your industry or field of work that are causing you some anxiety? What
knowledge do you need to build your confidence?
3. What are some skills you would like to develop to be more effective with people?
4. Who is someone you admire in your field of work or at Vanderbilt? What skills do they
have that you would like to emulate? How might you develop more in these areas?
Professional Development Needs & Ideas for Workshops Identified By Staff:
 Respect
 Communication: team communication, effective communication, top down, campus-wide
 Managing up
 Mindfulness
 Having your back and owning it
 Empowerment and decision making
 Job security and advancement
 Conflict management; leading through conflict
 Public speaking/presenting skills
 Ongoing skill development and job training
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Innovation & creativity  how to carve out time to develop this
Dealing with change/transition:
o Leading through change
o Adapting to new leaders, structure, colleagues
o Managing new priorities with the same (or less) resources
o How to remain positive through change
Setting personal and professional boundaries
Managing your time and workload, especially when asked to do more with less
Legal & compliance issues and training: ex. Title IX, FERPA
“What the heck are we doing here?”
Resources for professional development  time, $, and permission to attend
Programs tailored to specific department needs
Succession planning/mentoring
How to provide constructive feedback to peers; peer leadership
Setting two-way expectations and managing them
Breaking down the org chart  institutional knowledge
Team building
More learning opportunities about finance, travel, and policies  staying ahead of
changes about these items
Aligning work with passions and interests
Mediation
Group Communicators: Each USAC group was asked to identify their group communicator
who will send out a monthly e-mail to their constituents as well as additional e-mails on an as
needed basis.
Our Vision: Through communication, consultation, and service the Council will promote a
strong partnership among the staff, faculty, students and administration of Vanderbilt
University.
Our next meeting will be Tuesday, August 11th at 8:30am in Alumni Hall Room 201. Our
guest speaker will be Anders Hall who is the Vice Chancellor for Investments and CIO.
Meeting was adjourned at 10:03am.
For more information about the council, please visit the USAC website.