CLASSIFIED EMPLOYEE PERSONNEL ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Roll Call

• Voting Members:
• Michelle Larsen, Chair-elect
• Eileen Baker
• Mary Engel
• Sheron McIlhattan
• Matt Blazicevich
• Steve Burk
• Dan McGuire
• Ray Byerly
• Kristine Mashaw
• Non-voting Members:
• Kerry Evans
• Carol Shannon
• Clarinda Marcoff
• Sue Martin
• Jeanne Wagner
• Mandy Hansen
  joining the meeting at 10am for committee reports:
• Jodie DeLay
• Saralyn Sebern
• Judy van Andel
• Mark Reinholz
• Others Present:
• Ron Ramsfield
• Beth Littlefield
• Kyle Bruller
• Sara France, CEPAC Administrative Associate

In the absence of Genevieve Burmeister, CEPAC Chair, Michelle Larsen, Chair-elect, conducted the meeting.

Minutes of the Last Meeting

Apologies for Absence

Introductions

Old Business

1. Shared Governance - Sara France reported that Faculty Council Chair, Shannon Taylor, has committed to making the formation of some kind of shared governance council a priority with Faculty Council in January (previous Chair Jones had commenced proposals for this last spring). CEPAC has been regularly raising the issue at meetings with faculty. Mary Engel reported on President Gamble's positive comments about CEPAC and Shared Governance at OPS Round Table yesterday.
2. MUS Staff Compensation Program/Performance Evaluation - Arising from CEPAC's concern that unresolved compensation, hiring, and performance evaluation issues it forwarded to the MAP Advisory Committee currently have no forum for consideration, CEPAC has made pursuance of these issues into a goal for 2005-06. (The MAP-AC ceased to meet when the MAP Performance Evaluation procedure was eradicated). As per previous CEPAC meeting minutes, Susan Alt and Personnel and Payroll Services are keen to work with CEPAC in this area. Any system-wide agreement on common aspects of the replacement performance evaluation procedure, and on refinements to the compensation program remain pending. CEPAC will stay in close contact in these regards and has already raised its most pressing concern: the possibility that MSU staff and supervisors are awaiting performance evaluation instructions, rather than improvising. As such, staff eligibility for flexible pay options could temporarily be jeopardized. Those present at today's meeting again discussed some of the problems of aspects of the MUS Staff Compensation Program, which validated CEPAC's belief that these issues, originally raised with MAP-AC, are still of concern.
3. Spotlight Program Policy - Further to previous discussion, and Spotlight's launch, the Program's policy has been refined to include publication criteria. This is on-line and CEPAC will encourage the campus to submit further short, photo features celebrating the classified contribution to MSU, in January.
4. November Board of Regents Meeting - Michelle Larsen and Sara France reported on a very successful meeting with both CEPAC peers (collectively referred to as "the Senates"), and the Regents last month. More information is available via our Board of Regents' Page. The Senates' proposal for the creation of a Pooled Resources facility providing professional development and training opportunities for classified staff was very well received and the Regents authorized the Senates to move to the next step.

CEPAC Administration, Budget and Accounting

1. Membership Elections - Sara France reported having met with Kerry Evans and Darcy Halpin to discuss the logistics of the 2006 membership elections. Ray Byerly, Matt Blazicevich, and Eileen Baker's terms are ending and so Skilled Crafts, Service Maintenance and Technical Paraprofessional staff are affected. CEPAC is aware of electronic communications difficulties within these EEO categories and, unfortunately, Kerry, Darcy and Sara determined that manned "polling booths" are infeasible at this time. Therefore, CEPAC will maximize its contacts, made through outreach, to ensure that as many staff as possible may participate in the election which will be conducted with a mixture of electronic and hardcopy balloting. It is slated to take place during the last two weeks of March.
2. Spring Speakers - Sara France reminded the meeting of the new arrangement, agreed at a CEPAC extraordinary meeting on October 19, whereby guest speakers are scheduled outside the monthly CEPAC meetings to ensure sufficient time for both guests and business. Sara read a list of suggested speakers, eminating from the work of the CEPAC Goals Subcommittee, last fall, and asked for email input about speakers to invite, times and venues. CEPAC obviously wants maximum participation at speakers' presentations.
3. Outreach Update - CEPAC members have completed eleven visits with various staff groups; two more are imminent, and a further nine in the pipeline for next semester. Feedback from CEPAC's 360 Review indicates that we were wrong to assume that Technical Paraprofessional staff regularly utilize electronic communications, and outreach efforts are now being focused in this area also. Sara France reported that the first quarterly hardcopy mailing of a CEPAC "bulletin" describing our latest activity went out last week. Our electronic bulletin, sent after each monthly meeting, is apparently growing in popularity with 397 visitors this month. A letter to Department Heads describing our work, and the benefits of Shared Governance, will be mailed in January.
4. Budget - Following Craig Roloff's visit with CEPAC, November 9, a .75FTE and Operations budget request for CEPAC was verbally confirmed by his office as included in the FY08-09 drafts presented to the Board of Regents last month.

Committee Reports

• University Facilities Planning Board - Sheron McIlhattan shared various handouts and presentation materials, and summarized the committee's activity over the last month, including:
  • a pedestrian study for sidewalk placement planning
  • possible renovations to the 3rd floor lobby of Leon Johnstone Hall
  • the location of the Federal bioscience building. Questions were asked about replacement parking lost to construction of the Federal building, and Sheron confirmed that plans for this are in place.
  • long range planning. Sheron emphasized that this is our opportunity to give input on the look and feel for the campus for many years to come. Where will the new buildings go? Where will parking lots be located? Will they be garages or what we have currently? Will we develop neighborhoods for the various colleges and where will they be located? What about green space and trees and walkways? Meetings are slated for January 25th and 26th. The Executive Oversight Committee would also like to meet with CEPAC, in early January, and Sara France undertook to arrange this.
• Parking Task Force - Sue Martin referred us to Jo Oudshoorn, Chair, for full details of the Task Force's activities. Jo's information is available here. Carol Shannon reported that Bobcat and Gallavan transit systems have combined in applying for Federal funds (submission due in February) which will hopefully result in a bus service next summer.
• University Planning, Budget and Analysis Committee (UPBAC) - Jeanne Wagner circulated a 2009 Biennium New Proposals document, and reported that the Board of Regents were now asking for budget proposals relating to global initiatives. Submissions for FY08-09 were less refined than UPBAC had at first intended due to a severe shortening of the project time frame. Prior to the document's completion, CEPAC received email from UPBAC Chair, Dave Dooley, confirming UPBAC's plan to incorporate CEPAC's recommendation of an electronic recruitment process.
• TIP Incentive Award Program - Clarinda Marcoff described the Program, and reported that four to five new applications have come in this Fall. Clarinda will submit minutes for publication as soon as she receives them from the committee.
• Strategic Planning and Budget Committee - Mark Reinholz reported that SPC is not meeting this month. Sara France mentioned CEPAC's involvement with various tactics from the Five Year Vision: that (i) the professional development and training aspects from 9 of the 23 classified tactics are incorporated in the Pooled Resources concept, and (ii) classified tactics #108 (smorgasbord of benefits) and #111 (all leave personal leave) continue to be researched by CEPAC. It appears that #111 may not be advantageous to the staff and, at this stage, CEPAC is not proposing to progress it. However, we are gathering input on #108 on campus and with peer groups across the MUS with a view to perhaps submitting a proposal to the MSU Benefits committee.
• Facilities Services Advisory Committee (OFSAC) - Kerry Evans reported on the reorganization of Administration and Finance and the resulting potential for altering the scope of the Committee. However, it was decided that OFSAC should continue to focus on Facilities Services issues only, as before.
• Benefits Committee - Carol Shannon and Jodie DeLay reported on various benefits issues including:
  • The expiration of the mamogram screening agreement, and subsequent billing and logistical problems. They stressed that resolution is being addressed and the current problems are not due to a reduction in benefits provided by MUS, nor our TPAs (third party administration - Allegiance, New West, BCBS).
  • VEBA.
  • Coding errors have been reported which have resulted in employees being billed for such preventative screenings, and this is also being addressed.
  • Discussion today then turned to secondary and tertiary billing, and the description of some serious problems. Jodie undertook to investigate specific issues, while it was recommended that all such experiences be reported to Doug Young, Chair of the MSU Benefits Committee. Jodie also mentioned the existence of a contact at the Commissioner's Office responsible for resolving catastrophic insurance issues.
  • A forthcoming survey of all employees in which we may give input about our experience of the new TPAs.
  • Questions were asked about newspaper reports of the instability of the Public Employees Retirement System. Stockmarket and investment management influences, that may have brought about this situation, were discussed as was the fact that, currently, the greater concern likely lies with those retiring in 30+/- years. Jodie confirmed that it will be a focus of the spring 2007 legislative session (if not at the upcoming special session).

  At 11:10 am, time having run out, the meeting adjourned.