Members present: Bob Orr, David Whitaker, Debie Connelly, Jan Gilbert, Litta Adams, Linda Beja, Nancy Dillard, Bill Haggard, Chris Hall, Jane Hall, Fred Hinson, Casey Hurley, Chloe Little, Dianne Lynch, Jesse Lyons, Jermaine Perry, John Ritchie, Newt Smith, Saretta Tatum, Roger Turk and Tori Ellison, recorder
The meeting was called to order at 3:30 p.m.
The Council was briefed on the activities of other university governance groups.
- Faculty Senate, Casey Hurley
General Faculty Meetings Were Held on October 15th and 16th
- Student Government, Jesse Lyons
Catamount Discount Cards
High School Leadership Academy, December 1st
Organizational Presidents Meetings
SGA Holiday Dinner, December 5th (The Board of Trustees will be invited.)
- Staff Forum, John Ritchie
Town Hall Meeting, November 29th at 3:00 p.m. in Hoey Auditorium –
Guest, Vice Chancellor Caruso
July 4th Holiday -- 313 Change to July 4th, 202 Keep @ Christmas
State Employee Bonus Incentive Plan
Campus Beautification Day – Make an Annual Event
Health Insurance Benefits
Chancellor Bardo graciously agreed to invite Dan Robinson and Phil Haire to campus in the spring to participate in an information-gathering session on health insurance benefits. Bob Orr will coordinate a planning committee that will include representatives from all university governance groups.
Student Academic Appeals Procedures
Currently, the Student Handbook, the Faculty Handbook and the University Catalog each list a different set of appeals procedures. The Faculty Senate is working with the Student Affairs Council to consolidate the messages in each. The final product(s) will be presented to the UAC for feedback.
It has also been requested that the UAC examine the entire appeal process. Presently it is very long and cumbersome for students and there is no written documentation required until the third step/meeting. Bob Orr requested that the Student Affairs Council meet with SGA’s Academic Affairs Committee to create procedures that will serve all constituencies and make certain the correct procedures are given in the Student Handbook and University Catalog.
Security of Social Security Information
Social security numbers are often used for student/employee identification. When documents containing these numbers are not disposed of properly, a large security risk is created. Bob Orr asked Linda Beja to chair a task force to outline the problem and to a devise a strategy to correct it. The Council felt strongly that representatives from Facilities Management, the Computer Center, the Registrar’s Office, as well as student representatives should be included.
Task Force on Mediation, Conflict Resolution and Advocacy
Bob Orr shared the Chancellor’s response to the request for a university ombudsman. The Chancellor agreed this would be wonderful, but due to the current budget situation, funds are not available. UAC members agreed to explore what their constituencies can do on an individual basis until this position can be filled. They will report back to the Council.
Executive Committee
It was proposed that the University Advisory Council form a new committee to deal with faculty and staff benefits (a committee like the Leadership and Communications committees).
Since this issue does not effect all campus constituencies, the Executive Committee recommends that a joint committee be formed with members from
- the Faculty Senate’s Benefits Committee and
- the Staff Forum’s Salary and Benefits Sub-Committee.
This committee would be welcome to come to the UAC for assistance whenever necessary.
Communications Committee
The University governance groups are working on a joint newsletter.
The UAC web site is up to date – check it out.
Leadership Committee
Having established the WCU Leadership Institute, the Leadership Committee is now searching for ways to take leadership training at Western to "the next level." This will involve defining Western’s leadership philosophy and developing ways to cultivate that style through training initiatives. Bruce Berger, LeVon Wilson and Chris Dahlquist have agreed to assist with this process. Through their business, Integrated Management Resources, Bruce and LeVon conduct several leadership retreats a year for a variety of organizations. They have volunteered to conduct such a retreat for the UAC Leadership and Executive Committees.
The direction for Western’s leadership philosophy will come from Chancellor Bardo. Bob Orr, Casey Hurley, John Ritchie and Jesse Lyons will meet with the Chancellor about this issue on November 20th.
Food Service
David Whitaker asked that the Council examine the use of food service facilities. Students have been asked not to move tables and chairs for meeting purposes. Litta Adams volunteered to talk with Clete Myers, Food Service Director.
**Special Meeting**
The Chancellor has asked for a special UAC meeting to be held on November 30th at 2:30 p.m. in the Catamount room.
The meeting was adjourned at 5:00 p.m.
