TOPICS DISCUSSED
EMPLOYEE COUNCIL MINUTES
SPECIAL PROJECTS-PROGRAM REVIEW
UPDATE ON THE PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS
EMPLOYEE OF MONTH-SELECTION AND WEB PICS?
PARKING COMMITTEE
CWU IMMUNIZATION POLICY
HUMAN RESOURCES ANNOUNCEMENTS
ADJOURNMENT/ NEXT MEETING
EMPLOYEE COUNCIL MINUTES
A correction was added under the paragraph "NASC Accreditation Report"
to read " Some clerical staff joined the union before 1981." Under
"Human Resources Announcements" to read “a $30.00 per participant charge."
Minutes were accepted as corrected.
The newsletter is being distributed on GroupWise. Paper copies are still
being sent to departments without general e-mail access. You can
access the minutes via the web page. Go to the CWU home page; click
on Administration, then on VP Business and Financial Affairs, then on meeting
minutes. From here you will see a list, click on Employee Council
(past and present minutes are listed).
SPECIAL PROJECTS-PROGRAM REVIEW
Mark Young presented the campus discussion on program review. This
project is looking at "functional programs" rather than departments for
program reviews. For example, under "resources to the public"
the library is included as part of the functional unit, which also includes
other departments such as the Conference Center. We will be looking
at all the “functions" that we perform as an university, e.g. advisement,
recruitment and admissions, computer services, undergraduate programs,
scholarly works, etc. Criteria will be established and standards
set for each respective functional program area. The intent is to
include this as part of strategic planning. Mr. Young will be presenting
a white paper to the Board of Trustees on December 10. He has been
contacting and working with many groups on campus and is willing to take
comments from you. You can contact him, ph: 1406, or youngm@cwu.edu
UPDATE ON THE PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS
The address was held Tuesday, November 23rd in the Lombard Room.
There were two sessions, 10-11:30 am and 2:30-4 pm. Speakers, in
addition to Dr. Norton, were Marilyn Thompson who spoke on the progress
of the Presidential Search, and Renée Hanson who spoke on training
opportunities. The afternoon session included sign language interpretation
and was taped for distribution to the six CWU Centers. If you missed
out, and would like to view a video, it is available through the Training
and Development Office, ph: 2288.
EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH-SELECTION AND WEB PICS?
Chapter three--the discussion of "pictures on the web" pages continues.
There was consensus that it is a nice option, but that individual employees
always have the choice to decline. Jesse Days is willing to scan
the photos if we decide to proceed. The next thing is that we need
is a VOLUNTEER who has the time and ability to set up and maintain the
web page. If you think you would be interested check with your supervisor,
and then contact Kari Taylor, ph: 1218.
Joanne Stevenson, Program Support Supervisor II, Academic Services, was selected Employee of the Month for October. Here are some of the comments that her colleagues have made about her and why she was selected: "Joanne is always courteous and helpful to all students, co-workers, faculty, and administrators. She is dedicated and loyal and one of the most hard-working people we know. She treats everyone with respect. She is an "ideal" co-worker and employee. She has contributed to this division and CWU above and beyond expectations. Joanne is one of the most caring and honest people we all know." Congratulations, Joanne.
There are many wonderful employees at Central. Please consider nominating one of your co-workers for the award. The application form is available at http://www.cwu.edu/~humanres/hrforms.html. Remember that nominees are kept "in the hat" for consideration all year long. Don't despair if the name of your favorite employee doesn't immediately grace this newsletter.
PARKING COMMITTEE
Dorothy Tenney sent word from the recent Parking Committee meeting.
A concern discussed at their meeting was the impact on parking that the
new music building will have if it is built/remodeled in the same location.
This area already suffers from congestion.
CWU IMMUNIZATION POLICY
It used to be you had to have your shots to get into kindergarten,
then middle school, and now college. Since fall of 1998, entering
freshman (born after 12/31/56) need immunization against Measles, Mumps,
and Rubella (MMR). A (TD), Diphtheria and Tetanus booster within
the last ten years is also required. The university recommends the Hepatitis
B series and the Polio series. The student health center also
recommends influenza vaccine for all students.
A recent press release from the Student Health & Counseling Center
also discusses meningococcal vaccine. Washington State averages 100-125
cases per year. It is not recommended as a routine vaccination at this
time, but has the vaccine available at the center. Call the
Health Center, ph: 1881 for more information.
HUMAN RESOURCES ANNOUNCEMENTS
Civil Service Representation on Search Committees
A concern was brought up about the composition of search committees.
Pam Zupan from Human Resources answered our questions. There is no
requirement that all employee groups be represented on all search committees.
Searches for faculty and professional exempt positions rely on active participation
of search committee members, and often involve participation of employing
units, various campus constituencies, and the local community.
Winter Holidays
CWU will be closed for the Christmas Holiday on Friday, December 24th,
for the New Year’s Holiday on Monday, January 3rd , and for President’s
Day on Tuesday, January 4th.
Retirement Web Site
Wendy Rittereiser from Human Resources provided information about a
new service on the Department of Retirement Systems interactive web site:
http://www.drs.wa.gov Through the WEB site, employees
can get an instant estimate of what their PERS retirement income will be.
Employees can compare estimates based on different retirement ages and
spousal survivor benefits. Go to the website, choose "member information",
then PERS Plan 2 Online Retirement Benefit Estimator. You can quickly
compare a range of scenarios. If employees are interested in finding
out more about their PERS or their option of having a Supplemental Retirement
Plan, Wendy is available to attend department staff meetings for a brief
presentation and to answer questions.
Long Term Disability Insurance
Reminder: Effective January 1, 2000, Long Term Disability insurance
rates will go up approximately 13%. If you’d like to make a change,
call Becky Baker, ph: 2269, to make an appointment.
Computer Training
Training and Development's computer trainer, Nancy Taft, reported on
her classes. Interest has been high. The demos - "Byte Breaks"
are one-hour presentations that do not require registration.
The three-hour workshop classes (What is Access anyway?- December
9 and Excel:Charts, Macros, and Database Functions-December 13) require
a $30.00/participant fee. All current classes, including extra sessions,
have been filled. However, they expect to offer more to meet the
demand, so call for current information. Nancy can be reached at
963-2295 or at taft@cwu.edu . She can also do customized training
sessions at your location.
TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT
Browse the Training website (www.cwu.edu/~training) for current information
on workshop and other training materials
Training Library Review:
Easy English
(Book by Diana Bonet)
Overcome old fears of grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Administrative
assistants and support personnel will find guidance through the landmine
of subject-verb agreement and punctuation. If you are a student,
you will find the practical help that you need to pass your courses, and
move into the business world with ease. If English is your second
language, the sections on usage and articles are helpful. Perhaps
you are an employee working toward a promotion and you want to improve
your communication skills in speaking and writing. Easy English contains
chapters on usage, grammar, punctuation, and spelling to help you meet
your goals.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 3:50 p.m.
NEXT MEETING
The next meeting is scheduled for December 16th, at 2:00 p.m. in SUB
209. All representatives need to attend, alternates are always welcome.
Present:
Kim Thomas, Business & Admin Support: Unit A
Paula Moffatt, Business & Admin Support: Unit B
Karol Barker, Dining Services
Kariann Taylor, Instructional Support: Unit A
Gene Wilson, Instructional Support: Unit A
Leona Johnson, Library Services
Ginger Linnell, Student Services & SUB: Unit A
Absent:
Marilyn Thompson, Housing & Residential Services
Sharon Kies, Housing & Residential Services
Karen Simmons, Instructional Support: Unit B
Debbie Nethery, Instructional Support: Unit B
Dorothy Tenney, Plant & Facilities
Vernon Bier, Plant & Facilities
Jeri Francisco-Porter, Plant & Facilities
Pat Devlin, Plant & Facilities
Carola Alden, Student Services & SUB: Unit B
Also Present:
Colleen Rose
Nancy Taft
Mark Young
Pam Zupan
Wendy Rittereiser