COUNCIL MINUTES
-OMBUDS OFFICE
-PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS TO STAFF
-SELECTION OF EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH
-HUMAN RESOURCES ANNOUNCEMENTS
-FOR THE GOOD OF THE ORDER
-ADJOURNMENT/NEXT MEETING
COUNCIL MINUTES
The minutes of the October 18, 2001 meeting were approved as written.
OMBUDS OFFICE
Rob Lowery spoke to the Council as a representative of the ad-hoc task
force formed to meet with Donna Kramer, the new Ombuds person for CWU.
He distributed a job description drafted by the committee, for comments
or suggested revisions by the Council. Lowery clarified that the ombudsperson
is a troubleshooter position, funded by the President's Office. They
serve as an un-biased, independent arbiter and do not report to any higher
office. She will, however, report to the President periodically.
Lowery says that her services have already been in demand on campus.
The Council will review the job description and submit any comments to
Rob Lowery by Tuesday, November 27.
PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS TO STAFF
Patty Minshull and Tina Klampher met with Staci Sleigh-Layman, Affirmative
Action Representative, and Margaret Smith, Director of Auditing and Control,
to discuss the President's address to the classified and exempt staff.
It was agreed that the address should be kept relatively short to make
attendance easier to arrange. The idea of inviting a guest speaker
was also positively considered. The suggestion was made that Donna
Kramer, the new Ombuds person for the University, might be a good selection.
*** Classified staff are asked to contact their Employee Council representative if they have topics that they would like to see included in the program. Please get any comments to your delegate by the next Employee Council meeting, scheduled for Thursday, December 20. Including administrative exempt staff and faculty was discussed. It was agreed that an invitation would be extended to all university personnel who are interested in attending, but the address will specifically focus on the needs and concerns of the classified staff personnel. It was agreed that two sessions, one morning and one afternoon, would be scheduled to allow the greatest number of staff to attend.
SELECTION OF EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH
Karol Barker presented the Employee of the Month candidates in Marilyn
Thompson's absence. Brad Sparks, Plumber/Pipefitter/Steamfitter Lead,
Facilities Management was selected as the Employee of the Month for October,
2001. The following comments were written about Brad:
Brad is a highly skilled and willing worker. His areas of expertise include boiler maintenance, diagnosis, repair of large rotating equipment, pump repair, and back-flow prevention. Brad does consistently high quality work in these areas and always goes the extra mile to ensure the equipment he’s working on is running properly and reliably. This is often hard and dirty work, but the results are clean air, safe water, and comfortable workspaces for us all.
Brad is respected by all of his coworkers for the unique skills he brings to the shop. This, along with his positive attitude and friendly demeanor make him a natural teacher for the newer mechanics as well as a valuable asset to the university.
Besides his mechanical abilities, Brad is a conscientious and friendly person. He encourages his fellow workers and sets an example of good attitude and behavior for all of us who work with him. He is well liked by his coworkers and customers alike.
Brad is worthy of any special recognition you may offer. Unfortunately, the results of his efforts are seldom noticed since his good work results in the buildings simply performing as they should.
Promotion of the Employee of the Month program was discussed.
It was suggested that the Council send an e-mail and hard copy of the nomination
form to everyone on campus, including faculty and administrative exempt
employees. The selection criteria for the Employee of the Month were
discussed; this will be reviewed at the next Council meeting.
HUMAN RESOURCES ANNOUNCEMENTS
PERS 2
Ona Youmans reminded everyone that all current PERS 2 employees will
be asked to make the choice between staying with PERS 2 or switching to
PERS 3 in the coming months. The period for making these decisions
is from March 1, 2002, to August 1, 2002. There will be three seminars
offered to help us make informed and intelligent decisions. The first
of these seminars is slated for mid-December.
Shared Leave
CWU employees may donate leave to a fellow employee who is severely
ill or injured or has a family member who is severely ill or injured.
"Severely" is defined as serious or extreme and/or life threatening.
Recipients must be off work and have used all their paid leave to be eligible.
Employees who wish to receive shared leave must notify Human Resources
and submit a doctor's certificate.
The following individual(s) are in need of shared leave: Donna Miglino (Psychology).
Individuals interested in donating leave should request a Shared Leave donation form from Human Resources. Copies may also be downloaded from the HR Forms section of the Human Resources home page: www.cwu.edu/~hr/hrforms.html#other. Requests must be approved by your supervisor before forwarding the form to Human Resources. Donated leave is also subject to approval by your department head and Human Resources.
Annual leave may be donated in eight-hour blocks. Employees who wish to donate annual leave must retain at least ten days (80 hours) of vacation leave and cannot donate excess leave (that over 30 days or 240 hours) that he/she would otherwise lose at the beginning of the leave anniversary month. Sick leave may also be donated in eight-hour blocks. The donating employee must retain a minimum of 480 hours sick leave balance after the transfer. No more than six days of sick leave may be transferred during any twelve-month period. An employee’s personal holiday may also be donated. Please call Human Resources (963-1202), if you need a shared leave donation form.
Washington Legislature
The Washington Legislature will convene the 2002 session on Monday,
January 14. The regular session is scheduled for a maximum of 60
days.
Note from the Payroll Office
The end of the year is coming upon us once again, and I would like
for everyone to review the address that is on your paycheck to ensure accuracy.
We would like to make sure all information is correct so we may deliver
your W2 fast and accurately. If the address is not correct, please
go to Human Resources or Payroll and complete a new W4. We will then
be able to correct your file and have your W2 sent to your mailing address
by the end of January 2002. If you have any questions, please feel
free to contact the Payroll Office at 2221.
Note to CWU’s West-side Employees
The Seattle Office of the Employee Advisory Service is MOVING!!!
As of December 17, 2001, the Seattle EAS Office will have a new address
and new phone/fax numbers. They are as follows:
Employee Advisory Service
701 Dexter Avenue North Suite 108
Seattle, WA 98109
Phone: (206) 281-6315
Fax: (206) 281-6319
If you have any questions about this, please feel free to contact the
Seattle EAS Staff at (206) 281-6315 (after December 17, 2001).
Department of Retirement Services Seminar
Department of Retirement Services will offer a free seminar and workshops
in Ellensburg on Saturday, April 20, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The seminar
will help you plan for your retirement years and includes pension workshops.
It'll also provide presentations by experts in financial planning, estate
planning, health insurance and Social Security. The 60 to 90
minute pension workshops explain the rules of your DRS-administered retirement
pension, and cover service credit, retirement eligibility, benefit calculations
and payment options. Because the seminar includes the pension workshops,
please do not register for both.
For more detailed information, and registration go to http://www.drs.wa.gov/member/roa_current/workshop.htm , email register@drs.wa.gov, or call 1-888-711-6676. Hearing impaired members may call the TDD line at 1-360-586-5450.
FOR THE GOOD OF THE ORDER
Some staff members who picked up their paychecks have voiced that they
missed the most recent insert that accompanied the checks sent to departments.
Ona mentioned that the same inserts that accompany monthly checks are available
at the Cashier's Office, usually in a stack at each window on payday, for
anyone who is interested. She also reminded everyone that they can have
their paycheck deposited electronically in the bank or credit union of
their choice. Call the Benefits Office at 963-1267 to receive the
materials necessary to start this safe and efficient and TIME-SAVING way
of getting your money to the bank every payday.
Kim Thomas reported that there has been a good response to the sale of the CWU denim shirts.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 3:30p.m.
NEXT MEETING
The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, December 20, at 2:00 p.m.
in Black Hall 229-19. If you are a delegate and cannot make the meeting,
be sure to notify your alternate so he/she will attend.
PRESENT
Lorinda Anderson-Ramsdell, Student Affairs and
Enrollment Management
Nancy Bradshaw, University Relations and President
Dorothy Tenney, Facilities Management
Karol Barker, Dining Services
Tina Klampher, Computing and Telecommunications
Services
Kariann Taylor, Instructional Support: Unit A,
Chairperson
Patricia Minshull, Student Affairs and Enrollment
Management
Kim Thomas, University Relations and President
Laury Berner, Facilities Management
Kirsten Garland, Business Support
Pedro Garcia, Facilities Management
Gene Wilson, Instructional Support: Unit A
Cheri Lince, Accounting
Leona Lindvig, Library
Kerry Slaughter, Library
ALSO PRESENT
Robert Lowery
Colleen Rose
Ona Youmans