Documents and Info for the Open Forum

Hi Everyone,

This entry repeats the earlier call to attend the Open Forum with President Fogel at the upcoming Staff Council meeting (January 6, at 12:05pm, in the Livak Ballroom of the Davis Center).

In the right-hand column I've also posted four documents that were sent to us from the Staff Council office to be passed along to you. The first is a detailed agenda for the meeting, and the other three are summaries of meetings from standing committees of the Board of Trustees:

• Audit Committee Summary Report of Meetings - October 6, 16, 20, & November 25, 2008


• Budget, Finance and Investment Committee Summary Report of Meeting - December 5, 2008


• Educational Policy And Institutional Resources (Epir) Summary Report of Meeting - December 5, 2008

These documents all discuss some aspect of University finance and resource allocation, so it would be a very good idea to look them over in preparation to forming some questions for the Forum.

Remember, even if there isn't time for every question, they still can be submitted in writing after the Forum. If you prefer to remain anonymous, the question can be sent to the Staff Council to arrive by Monday, January 5, 2009. More information about the Forum procedures can be found on the SC website.

I hope everyone's break is going well--see you all soon,

Joanne

Into December

Hi Everyone,

The December Staffline is out, with the main address written by our Staff Council Vice President Jon Reidel: it's the summary of a meeting he recently attended with President Fogel, Chief of Staff Gary Derr, Staff Council President Beth Walsh, and Staff Council Administrator Jeff Bukowski. While we already have heard the discouraging news, this informative account also reminds us of some of our relative strengths compared to other universities, and lets us know that President Fogel seems to be aware of our level of concern. The Staffline is available online here from the Staff Council website.

Our guest presenter at last Tuesday's(12/2) Staff Council meeting was Professor Frank Bryan, who introduced us to his basic rules for Public Speaking. He used demonstrations, examples and humor to make a scary topic feel more user-friendly (approximate list below).

• It's normal to be afraid; don't worry, expect it. A podium is specifically intended for hiding behind-use it if that helps. Remember to breathe: in, out.


• Know your subject and be enthusiastic--who else will be if you aren't? And discard Ego- the audience is doing you the favor by listening.


• Over-prepare and bring notes--memory is undependable. If you don't bring notes, carry a folder so it still looks to the audience like you have some.


• Know your audience and what they consider PC-avoid using trigger words or phrases. Don't talk down to people, and never use &%#$%$ foul language.


• Use self-deprecating humor so the audience can identify with you--save the controversy until they like you. But, not too much humor--be serious about the important parts so they take them seriously too.


• Dress up a bit--it shows respect for the audience and for the topic.


• Speak up! Clearly! And use a mic if the audience is "over 30".

He answered questions about when it's better to extemporize from notes, memorize a speech, or read the text. (Use a combination, depending on the type of topic, and how experienced you are at presenting it) And he strongly opposes using "technology aids"(PowerPoint, etc.) unless absolutely necessary, to avoid distracting from the speaker. We thanked him very much for the valuable and painless lesson!

Don't forget that First Night buttons are available at an incredible discount to UVM people until 12/21/08-you can get them at the Staff Council Office or call 656-4493 for more information.

Try to stay warm and have a good week,

Joanne

Upcoming Meeting

Hi Everyone,

The next Staff Council Meeting is scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday December 2nd at 12:05 pm at the Davis Center in the Livak Ballroom. Our speaker this month will be Professor Frank Bryan (John G. McCullough Professor of Political Science), on the topic: Public Speaking.

The agenda is available online at the SC website, or you can get a printable version here. The November minutes to be approved on Tuesday contain a very good transcript of Barbara Johnson's presentation about the HR department's reorganization-they should also be posted on the website shortly after the meeting.

The Staff Council Annual Holiday Bazaar is also on Tuesday December 2nd, from 9am - 3pm in the Davis Center Grand Maple Ballroom. The Recreation Committee's events page promises "fragrant evergreen wreaths, soft, woolen garments, sparkling jewelry, scrumptious goodies" and more--go visit just to admire the artistry of our talented colleagues!

Well, I hope everyone had a happy & healthy holiday break, and has come back well-rested. Exams begin December 12, but I'm sure that we and the students are up to the challenge!

I hope to have more updates later--enjoy the coming week,

Joanne

Short Updates!

Hi Everyone,

I have confirmation of the roster of speakers for the year's upcoming Staff Council meetings. The list posted before is correct with the addition of one more name for May. We're also told that Chris Lucier, VP for Enrollment Management would like to address the Staff Council, but we don't have a firm date for that yet.

Professor Frank Bryan- Public Speaking
Provost Hughes- Annual Presentation
Professor Patty Prelock- Leadership
Associate Provost Jill Tarule- Accreditation Visit
Professor William Cats-Baril- Consensus Building
Exec. Dir. Kathryn Friedman- Affirmative Action

Watch for the e-mail with the flyer of local discounts for UVM and FAHC staff!

More later,

Joanne

November Highlights

Hi Everyone,

At the latest (11/4/08) SC meeting, our guest speaker was Associate VP for Human Resources, Barbara Johnson.

Her topic was the recent re-organization of Human Resource Services. The process was started several years ago out of the perceived need to make department operations more open and interactive between employees and administration. People were retrained and re-assigned into areas of specialization, and functions were re-grouped for better alignment with HRS business partners across campus.

The best first source of information is still their website. It's in the process of being redesigned to reflect the new structure, but to keep us able to find what or whom we need, for this transition period it lists the old dept.s we used to contact under the new categories they'll be wrapped into. The "Information Center" team of people who'll be answering questions on the phone or in person, will cycle periodically from the front desks to the data processing office in Colchester so that everyone stays current and accurate with information, policies and procedures.

During the Q & A period, the questions tended to focus on the pay band system, pay compression and staff development, and the answers fell mostly under the need to complete the third phase of the pay band: identifying and codifying skills levels for advancement across all the pay "families". She is very aware that this is an acute need, and it's high on their list of future goals.

We also offered alternative ideas to replace the increasingly controversial employee appreciation item that has accompanied the annual Employee Appreciation Week: create a scholarship or development fund, donate to a worthy charity chosen by staff, etc. She's open to all constructive ideas on this topic, so if you have a good suggestion you can pass it along via the Council either through a rep or directly to the Staff Council Office.

We thanked her sincerely for coming and clarifying the changes in HR, and for being so open to hearing from all the staff.

Next Speakers

I'm waiting for confirmation from the SC Office on these, but an "unofficial" list of future guest speakers and their topics is:

Professor Frank Bryan- Public Speaking
Provost Hughes- Annual Presentation
Professor Patty Prelock- Leadership
Associate Provost Jill Tarule- Accreditation Visit
Professor William Cats-Baril- Consensus Building


Holidays Approaching

However you celebrate or not, hopefully everybody has pleasant plans for the Thanksgiving time off. (If you need some ideas, there are lots of great deals still on the Discounts & Events section of the Council website!)

Try to stay warm and dry and have a great weekend,

Joanne

Happy Halloween

Hi Everyone,

The next Staff Council Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, November 4, 2008 from 12:05 pm - 1:30 pm at the Davis Center in the Livak Ballroom. It always seems to fall on Election Day in November, but we can just try to consider it frosting on the cake of an already exciting day! You can read the meeting agenda on the SC website, or open a printable version here. The minutes from last month that we'll approve at this meeting contain a nice write up of Richard Cate's opening remarks, so if you get a chance, check them out on the website (under Meetings/Minutes).

Our guest speaker this month will be Barbara Johnson, Associate VP for Human Resource Services. She plans to address the Council from 12:15-12:45pm, mostly on the reorganization of the HR departments. There'll be a short Q&A session afterward, so feel free to bring or send along any questions you might have.

The next Staffline should be out quite soon, with Council Committee Reports, Staff news and announcements, lots of good deals on recreational activites, and a note from President Fogel about the Vermont Climate Collaborative.

Speaking of climate, both the National Weather Service and the Farmer's Almanac advise preparing now for a cold winter: gather it in, bundle it up, or tie it down. Don't forget to bundle up whether you're going trick or treating, or out to vote!

Stay warm and well and have a great weekend,

Joanne

Notes From Richard Cate's Presentation to the Staff Council

Hi Everyone,

Here are my "unofficial" notes on Richard Cate's (VP Finance & Enterprise Svcs) presentation to the Staff Council meeting on 10/7/08--the meeting minutes that'll be approved at the November meeting are sure to be more complete, but these can serve as an early draft.

Also, kudos to Michael Breiner for attending and asking what turned out to be an important question, and many thanks to anyone else present from the Libraries unit (in case I missed seeing you while writing so fast!).


Richard Cate:

He began by speaking about UVM's current financial situation: UVM's operating money, held in the Common Fund that is backed by Wachovia, was frozen along with all the rest of Wachovia's assets. Common Fund investors are gradually being allowed to withdraw their funds but under very restricted terms and amounts. UVM was able to find other back-up sources for daily operating cash, so our day-to-day operations & payroll are being covered for now. Future incoming funds (tuition, etc.) will be placed into more, smaller, nearer, more accessible accounts.

For the Future:

Short term: he has made a new budget cutting over $2 mil., none of that from academics, and hopefully with no impact on running the university.
Good: fuel costs are not as bad as projected, incoming student tuition is more than expected, and cuts have been concentrated in central administrative costs.
Bad: the current budget is not as balanced as it could be; UVM had to use one-time funds to balance this budget. Those monies are not going to be available next time around, so we must find other sources of revenue.
Long term: budget hearings are slated for December to make new plans that address these concerns.

He also briefly mentioned PeopleSoft issues-- everyone is working on improving them. Reporting, budgets, and retros have all been a challenge, but all functions are getting better and more timely. The improvements are a combination of learning the program better and changing old accounting practices to match the PeopleSoft preferences and defaults. For retros, they're trying to find either a programming or an operational answer.


Q & A Period:

Q- Our Vice President asked him first to tell the Council about his personal history, as a way of understanding his depth of knowledge on financial and management subjects:

A- He was grew up in Calais VT, attending schools so tiny that sometimes there were only 2 students in his grade. He graduated from UVM in Civil Engineering, served in the ROTC, and worked after that in the state and private sector. He was city manager for Barre, VT, and earned a degree in public finance from SUNY Albany. He worked in the NY Education Department, and was VT's Commissioner of Education for 4.5 yrs. (There was even more, but this was the most that I could get written down)
His talent is that he likes to tackle things that others don't care for, especially fixing problems.


Q- Since only a percentage of UVM's operating funds were held by Wachovia, where are the Rest of the liquid assets?

A- He moved them, hopefully with the least amount of penalties, into shorter term, more accessible funds and treasuries. We will get less ROI this way, but the principal is protected.


Q- Why weren't our investments more diversified in the first place?

A- That previous strategy was not of his choosing; he would have selected resources that are less diversified but have a shorter maturity term along with greater accessibility. Currently he's sticking to more treasury-backed funds.


Q- What is the role of the Board of Trustees in oversight & strategy?

A- They have the say/advisement over endowment funds; they support the actions he's taking.


Q- How will UVM meet the challenge of the next 3 years; are downsizings or freezes planned?

A- He can't promise, but downsizing is not in his strategy for saving money. We need to maximize our use of people, be careful with money, and not price the university out of the market by raising tuition too high; he wants to stabilize the university fiscally to be able to ride out bad times without having to shed people to economize.


Q- Before the current financial problems began, a letter from President Fogel mentioned substandard returns on short term funds--will it be a problem that he's now going to funds with even lower returns?

A- In planning the new budget, he isn't factoring in returns any higher than the current low level, making it so that fluctuations wouldn't have an impact--ROI here is not something he wants to bank on, so there'll be no bad surprises if returns are not increasing to a projected level.


That was all there was time for--we thanked him for coming and explaining so clearly and with such candor. The minutes that come out in November will certainly be more comprehensive, but I hoped this early overview helped!

More later-

Have a Good Weekend,

Joanne

Fall & Finance

Hi Everyone,

We have the agenda for the upcoming full Staff Council meeting (Tuesday, October 7, 2008). You can read it online on the Council website or get a printable version here. The Standing Committee reports that we review at the Council meeting will be printed in the October Staffline(which should be out soon). I don't know if they'll have a separate place of their own on the website, but the Staffline itself is posted there, so you will be able to get them if you want them.

Richard Cate, Interim Vice president of Finance and Administration, will address the Council at the start of the meeting. He'd probably be an interesting speaker anyway, but the current financial situation adds some import to what he tells us. There is a Q & A period scheduled for afterwards, so if you have any questions for Mr. Cate you can ask a Council rep to bring them, or come to the meeting yourself. If you didn't get a chance yet, this might be a good time to browse the current Board of Trustee finance documents posted in the right hand column.

Well, Fall has arrived, complete with students carrying laptops, report assignments, and respiratory viruses. Take your vitamins, and have a good week,

Joanne

Cold Weather Coming

Hi Everyone,

We've been given summaries and reports from the Audit Committee, the Budget, Finance, and Investment Committee, and the Educational Policy and Institutional Resources Committees to share with you. Considering the current events in the national and international financial sectors, these make very interesting reading. Between investigating past actions and proposing future long and short term actions, they provide a lot of food for thought and discussion for the staff.

If after reading these anyone has any ideas or specific questions, we are encouraged to pass them along to President Fogel via our Council President Beth Walsh. Don't forget that you can give your questions to a representative, or bring them to the next Council meeting in person--any staff member can come listen or participate.

Now, if you're reading this on Thursday, I recommend taking a look at the Doppler Radar box below the Documents section--there's a hard freeze warning for tonight, and if you click on the red title you can scroll through the resulting page to find the forecast for your area of the state. If it's past Thursday, you can still see a Doppler forecast for whichever day is coming- it has a lot of different formats, so have fun with it!

Have a good evening and cover those veggies,

Joanne

Many Updates

Hi Everyone,

The new semester has hit the ground running, and there are all sorts of updates, so I'm just going to get right to it:

Staffline:
The September Staffline is out, and contains a great synopsis of the ongoing parking issues. There're also pages of information(and discounts) on local orchards and the UVM Hort Farm's annual apple sale. (I have to admit I'm biased; the Hort Farm still grows the old varieties my Gramma depended on for her best pies) The Recreation Committee contributed the information for the ski pass discounts, and also order forms for a very nice UVM "soft shell" vest.



Highlights from this academic year's first Staff Council meeting (9/2/08):

In the announcements section, Jeff Bukowski told us of the new business hours for the SC office:
Mondays through Thursdays from 8:00 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. & Fridays from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.
They're also posted on the SC website, just below the link to the 2009 UVM Holiday Calendar.

Council President Beth Walsh also addressed the Board of Trustees with a summary of what we accomplished last year, and what we hope to work on this year. That address is available from the homepage too, and linked here.

We approved the new chairs elected for this year's committees--the names are updated on the website, but the list isn't final since some people are serving as interim, and one or two committees haven't been able to vote yet.

Beth Walsh, Jon Reidel and Jeff Bukowski reported on their meeting with President Fogel: they talked about ongoing SC representative recruitment and President Fogel's letter to the community concerning budget cuts.

We then discussed issues surrounding committee work: whether committees get their work primarily by assignment, contact sheets, or developed in committee by perceived need--it seems to vary a lot between different committees, and by the issues specific to each new year. We also talked about the benefits of standardizing the timelines of response to contact sheet issues. Questions came up about our power as an advisory body to effect recommended changes: President Fogel is certainly open to hearing from us, but we should learn how best to persuasively present our advisements.


President Fogel's address to the Staff Council:

President Fogel thanked us for serving, and said he was pleased at the transformation so far of the council into a representative body to give a voice to the Staff. He went on to say that he supports the council's advocacy and participation, and that he has no illusions but that the quality of the UVM student experience is "on the shoulders of a dedicated and talented staff", creating "value for students and the communities".

He wanted to talk about the position of the University regarding budget issues, saying that this is a moment in time "extremely challenging" for both educational institutions and enterprise; because the situation of the economy affects everyone. Competition for students is climbing, and our investment values decreased with the drops in the stock market. The budget proposals he's sending to the Board of Trustees should hopefully protect the academic core, and respond to the cuts in state funding--including the possibility that more cuts are likely.

He sees this challenge as an opportunity to build a strong financial plan with better management and procedures. His September 4, 2008 Report to the Board of Trustees contains much of what he told us, so I'll send you to read his own words instead of paraphrasing with mine.

Some of our questions for him naturally concerned cuts that were pending or had already occurred. He is trying to make the necessary budget reductions(hopefully without layoffs) outside of the colleges, schools and libraries, by focusing on finance and administration. He hadn't heard about some of the cuts and staffing issues we brought up to him (changes in the offerings and charges for Wellness programs, hiring freezes and unfilled positions in depts. already very burdened), and he urged us to continue to communicate these concerns so that transparency is reciprocal. He does want to hear about staff concerns, and he invited all staff members to attend the upcoming Sept. 4-5 presentations to the Board of Trustees meeting- agenda here.

We thanked him for coming and for his promise to keep the "information flow" open--difficulties are more easily faced where everyone is informed and has a voice in decisions. Any further questions for President Fogel can be sent to Beth Walsh, at beth.walsh@uvm.edu or 656-1436.


Representatives to other Boards and Workgroups:
(any staff member is welcome to participate-it's not necessary to be a council member)

The Executive Board is reviewing nominations for the last staff member opening for the Socially Responsible Investment Workgroup. One more each is still needed for both the Transportation and Parking Advisory Committee (TAPSAC), and the Traffic Board of Appeals.

Application Directions From the Staff Council Office:
'If you are interested in being a part of TAPSAC and would like to nominate yourself, contact the Staff Council Office at Staff.Council@uvm.edu by Friday, September 19, 2008. If you are interested in being a part of the Traffic Board of Appeals and would like to nominate yourself, contact the Staff Council Office at Staff.Council@uvm.edu by Monday, September 22, 2008.
Please include a short paragraph explaining why you would like to be considered for this important role. The appointment will be made by the Staff Council President and announced at the Tuesday, October 7, 2008 Staff Council Meeting.'

~*~

Well, that's the end of my notes from that meeting! Richard Cate, VP for Finance & Enterprise Services will be the featured speaker at the next full Council meeting Tuesday Oct 7th, 12:05pm in the Livak Ballroom of the Davis Center.

I hope everyone gets to enjoy the last few days of Summer--Fall will be here in less than 2 weeks!

Have a good weekend,

Joanne

Farewell Summer

Hi Everyone,

Just a quick note before the holiday!

We have the first full Staff Council meeting of the new academic year on Sept. 2nd., at 12:05pm in the Silver Maple Ballroom of the Davis Center. (next month we'll be back to our usual location in the Livak Ballroom) The agenda is accessible at the SC website--and the printable format is linked here.

Among the other topics covered, President Fogel is scheduled to be the guest speaker, so I'm hoping there'll be enough time for us to ask him some questions too.

I'm hurrying to get this posted so I'll leave it there. Ready or not, here comes the Fall Semester!

Enjoy the weekend Everyone, and Welcome Back to the students,

Joanne

What Will They Think of Next

Hi Everyone,

There's not much to report this week, but there is one excellent bit of news: with the roll-out of the new UVM web template, many departments have been making long-awaited improvements to their websites. The Board of Trustees' website now has an accessible and searchable archive of the minutes, agendas, and summaries that I've been posting and keeping here in the right-hand column. (Yowsa!!)

Now that they've opened access, I don't need to provide it independently; and the only documents I'll need to keep in that section will be the most current offerings. As back-up in case the BoT's site goes down, the Staff Council office will archive the previous documents too. So, if you're looking for information from an past month's BoT's reports, you now have 2 resources available!

To find them, look in the UVM A-Z website, and choose B-Board of Trustees. At that site choose "Committees_Standing" from the left-hand column, then in that same column choose "Full Board" from the list of committees that opens. The documents are all listed on that Full Board page. It's a little work to get at, but not nearly as much as recreating all that in Google Docs. Here's a short-cut right to that last page. Have fun, they can be interesting reading.

OK then, harvest and the student's return are simultaneously upon us--back to work!

I hope everyone had a good weekend,

Joanne

We Meet Again

Hi Everyone,

Just a few notes on the full Council meeting we had this past Tuesday, 8/5.

This was our first meeting with the newly elected President & Vice President Beth Walsh and Jon Reidel. They both spoke about some of their ideas for the next years' work, but also stressed that ideas from the floor or the community were equally welcome. Improved outreach and communications were central themes to nearly all the discussions, with many good suggestions.

The Recreation Committee was thanked and praised for organizing such excellent events throughout the past year.

Diane Trono brought us up to speed about the status of the recent elections and where we are with recruitment:

Most units have had elections and filled all, most, or at least some of their representative posts; while others haven't begun the process at all. President Fogel's recent campus-wide letter is meant to encourage participation first in those groups that have no representation, and then in broader roles for the rest of the staff.

Also, we all recently got an email from the Staff Council about the Socially Responsible Investing Work Group needing another member from the staff population. (With attachments: SRI History, and SRI Process) If you or someone you know is interested, here are the application directions again:

"Contact the Staff Council Office at Staff.Council@uvm.edu by Friday, August 22, 2008. Please include a short paragraph explaining why you would like to be considered for this important role. The appointment will be made by the Staff Council President and announced at the Tuesday, September 2, 2008 Staff Council Meeting.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Staff Council Office at Staff.Council@uvm.edu or by phone at 802-656-4493."


Well, with the weather predicted to stay rainy, everyone please be careful on the roads this weekend. Vermont is under flash flood warning south beyond Rutland. The website for Vermont Emergency Management has information on what roads are closed, and contains links to current weather conditions too.

Have a good weekend,

Joanne

doc. - doc. --Who's there?

Hi Everyone,

We've been given several more documents to share with you: the first group of August Executive Committee docs is significant to us because they concern funding approval for the Library's subscriptions with EBSCO. The minutes from July contain information about enrollment, real estate, audits, and reconstruction of the Geology lab (which was destroyed by fire last May).

Today's meeting should be informational and procedural, getting us ready for diving into the new school year in September. I can post updates about what we cover hopefully by the end of the week.

Also the August Staffline is out! It has welcome messages from the newly elected President and Vice President (Beth Walsh and Jon Reidel), reviews of recent recreation events, several amazing discounts, and campus news and announcements.

Well, I hope everyone enjoys the brief respite of sunshine before the rains come back! (Wouldn't it be a lovely irony if some of the mosquitos drowned?)


Joanne

Brief Agenda Update

Hi Everyone,

Here's the agenda for the upcoming 8/5 meeting--you can open and print it here, or view it on the Meeting Agendas web page. (The location this time is the Waterman Memorial Lounge--the Davis Center was booked for August.)

It looks to be mostly a session for information and procedures as we get ready for the year starting in September. This will be our first full year of operations under the new by-laws; so a lot of the processes will be new to everyone. Please feel free to bring any suggestions for improvements to the Council's attention--we really want to do the best representing we can.

Don't forget that you're all welcome at all the Council meetings, and also eligible to join one of the standing committees. Information about the committees, lists of current members, and directions on how to apply to join a committee are on the Council Committees web page.

Have a good weekend,

Joanne

Summer Fun

Hi Everyone,

We have a location for the August 5th Full Staff Council meeting--Memorial Lounge of the Waterman Building, at 12:05pm. There won't be an agenda available until a week prior to the meeting--I can post it here then and it'll also be on the Staff Council website.

I've posted 5 Board of Trustee documents (minutes, summaries, etc.) that have been sent to us to make available to the staff. They're linked in the right-hand column as usual, and are probably as exciting, if not less, than the last set. Two of them describe meetings held entirely in executive session! However, the money they're discussing is being measured and moved by the millions-- so we do help the University maintain accountability by reading and keeping these "receipts". OK, duty done-phew!

Next: Beth Wright, our Staff Council Administrator & Ex-officio will be moving to another position for health reasons, and she has been chairing the search committee for her replacement. We've just heard that the committee has chosen Jeff Bukowsi. He is a 2008 UVM MS graduate, and was active as a Graduate Student Senator. We look forward to meeting him in August- welcome Jeff!

That's all I have to report so far, but on a personal note, if you know of anyone in Franklin County who's missing a flock of domestic grouse after the damaging storms this past weekend--they've taken refuge in my backyard. (see photo) Please call to claim them!

Have a good week,

Joanne

Very Brief Update

Hi Everyone,

This is just a very brief update:
There will be a summer meeting of the Staff Council on Tuesday, August 5th, from 12:05 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. The location so far is TBA. So is the agenda, although it's pretty likely to be a planning session for the coming year's calendar. I'll post more complete information as I get it--

Have a good weekend,

Joanne

Summertime

Hi Everyone,

The Staff Council election for 2008 is completed, with Beth Walsh as President-elect, and Jon Reidel as Vice President-elect. Both of their terms begin 7/1/08. There are messages from both the presidential candidates on the Council homepage.

I've been waiting to post until I could find out if there were any extra meetings or events scheduled over the summer, but apparently we have a quiet stretch until August. A Staffline should be published at least once, for July/August, but I don't have a specific date on that yet either. Sounds like vacation time!

On that thought, there are still a lot of good recreation deals listed in the June Staffline, so feel free to see if any of them could enhance your activity plans.

I hope we all get a chance to enjoy the weather (whatever that turns out to be),

Joanne

Ending the Council Year

Hi Everyone,

Thanks so much for re-electing me! It's an honor to be trusted with the role and I'll try hard to make sure you're well represented.

The voting for President and Vice President is still open, so if you haven't sent in your ballot yet, please try to make a choice soon--you've got till next Thursday the 19th. Video clips of candidate presentations are in the previous post here, and also on the Staff Council homepage along with the candidate's statements.

The council members were honored for this year's work with a luncheon with President Fogel at Englesby House on June 6th. It was a pleasant meal with only a few necessary speeches and many fond words for people finishing their terms or changing their positions.

One highlight was when President Fogel awarded outgoing Council President Eileen Hanerfeld a Simon Pearce gavel, to be passed along to each subsequent council president. (see photo below)




I don't have much more news; I can tell you more about the election results after June 19th. Don't forget to check the Staffline for recreation events, trips & discounts, and do try to get outside sometime today before the rains come back--Spring comes only once a year!

Have a good weekend,

Joanne

Candidate Forum

Hi Everyone,

As promised, here are the forum presentations of the candidates for Staff Council President and Vice President. Their bios/statements of qualifications are on the Staff Council homepage. The forums are past now, and since this is the Council's first time at arranging a campus-wide election, there hasn't been a decision yet on how to get any further questions and answers communicated between the candidates and the staff at-large. (i.e., should there be a web forum, should questions be sent to the council office, should people email the candidates directly, etc., etc.?)

My completely personal suggestion is that if you have any further specific questions for any candidate, or perhaps the same question for All the candidates, would be to send it to the Council Office--they have the most direct lines of comunication between the candidates and the whole University, and the ability to get information onto the Council website for all to see.

So without further ado, we present to you this year's candidates for Staff Council Office:



Staff Council Presidential Candidate Shari Langlois




Staff Council Presidential Candidate Beth Walsh




Staff Council Vice-Presidential Candidate Renee Berteau




Staff Council Vice-Presidential Candidate Jon Reidel


Have a good weekend, and don't forget to vote,

Joanne

Really June at Last

Hi Everyone,

There's more information concerning the Staff Council officer elections posted on the Council homepage: names of the candidates for President and Vice President, brief campaign statements, and dates for public candidate forums.

The second set of forums will be at the full Council meeting on June 3rd at 12:10 pm, in its usual Davis Center site. Here is the agenda on the Staff Council website--please try to attend or encourage others to come and take part.

I'll be filming the candidates' forum presentations, and hopefully posting them online here for staff who can't attend. This is the first full-staff vote ever for the Council officers, and having a chance to see them may help some people make up their minds, or decide whether to vote at all. As soon as they're done and posted, I'll get the links to you and provide them to the Council Office too. The videos will only be available for the period of time the vote is open--after it closes they'll come down; so if you get a chance to watch them, don't wait too long.

Next, just when you thought it was safe to look away from the right-hand column, I have some more Board of Trustees financial documents for your examination. Two are the agenda and summary of the 5/27/08 meeting of the Investment Subcommittee, and the other two are the summary and agenda for the RFP( Request For Proposal) Subcommittee's meetings on 5/28 and 6/2/08.

The June Staffline is out, with a congratulatory notice about the Bailey Howe's Darcelene Lewis-Wedge being named a 2008 award winner for the State of Vermont’s Commission on National and Community Service! Yay Darcelene!

Well, I hope everyone's garden is getting off to a good start--I know the woodchucks have been quite pleased with mine!


Have a good week,

Joanne

Flu Who?

Hi Everyone,

Don't forget that the Pandemic Planning Presentation (canceled once by illness) has been rescheduled for Wednesday, May 28th 10:30 to Noon, in the Dean’s Conference Room (114 Bailey/Howe). If you can't make it to the talk, here at least is the PowerPoint the Staff Council was given that contains a lot of the information, and directions to sources:



(If the display is too small for you, the full-sized Powerpoint can be opened here.

Now that it's Spring we tend to forget the flu (well, maybe not totally), but let's not get too amnesiac to prepare!

Stay well,

Joanne

Flowers That Bloom in May

Hello Everyone,

Hopefully Spring is here to stay! I never get tired of seeing the trees blossom each year; even the magnolia images I've been using come from beside Dana's front doors.

You've probably seen the e-mail announcing that it's Staff Council election time again.

My preliminary year is up. I'd love the chance to continue representing you and the Libraries & LRG unit, so if you think I've done well this past year please vote for me again! However you choose, please do participate--get informed and vote!

We have no nominations for Staff Council Vice President at this point. So, we're re-opening the call for nominations for Vice President through Friday, May 23. Nomination forms are available on the Staff Council home page. Information about the qualifications, role and responsibilities of the Vice President may be found in Article VII. of the current bylaws.


Our May 6th Full Council meeting was brief, but notable for a guest presentation from Barbara Johnson, Associate Vice President of Human Resources. She explained that HR had restructured and retrained several positions so that many of their staff will be spending more time away from the office to be out on campus in the various units. This is supposed to make them more available for questions and assistance in a timely manner. The official announcement will roll out later in the summer, but their actual presence will start sooner. So, if you are seeing more HR staff in your departments, they are there to help.

We've been given several more reports from the Board of Trustees to pass along to the you: they comprise the most recent group added to the Documents list in the right-hand column. Please check them out--it isn't as much reading as it appears! The first two are just the agenda and summary of the Board of Trustees meeting of 5/12/08, and the next 5 are the attachments (minutes and reports) referenced in that summary. Still, they merit our attention since they cover topics and a time period notable for UVM financial disturbance.

The last document is a year's-end summary of what the Staff Council subcommittees have worked on and/or achieved since last September. They've all covered an impressive amount of ground this year, and deserve our applause!


The May Staffline is out, available to read or print at: http://www.uvm.edu/~stffcncl/staffline/May2008.pdf
Besides campus news and events, and a message from President Fogel, this month's issue contains some very nice discounts for staff, including a bus trip to Boston (filling fast, register now!), kayak tours and special prices on automobile leasing.


For those interested in Vermont history or just scenic sites, UVM's Center for Research on Vermont has sent us the summer press release from the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation:

"VERMONT STATE HISTORIC SITES OPEN FOR SEASON

Many of the Vermont-State owned Historic Sites open for the 2008 season on Saturday, May 24. "These beautifully preserved gems allow us to experience history where it happened," says John Dumville, historic sites operations chief at the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation. "They tell us the exciting story of Vermont and our nation--from the first inhabitants to the Vermonter who became our 30th president." In addition many special exhibits and events are scheduled throughout the season."

See their website- http://www.historicvermont.org/ for more information, dates of special events, directions and more!


Commencement is this weekend--three cheers to all graduates and their families, our work study students, and the rest of us who supported all that academic labor. Best Wishes and Good Fortune to all of them!

Have a nice weekend,

Joanne

30 Days of April

Hi Everyone,

Tomorrow is May 1st!! So here are some announcements of upcoming or ongoing events:

May is National Bike Month (Message from the League of American Bicyclists)

"The League of American Bicyclists is promoting Bike-to-Work Week from May 12-16 and Bike-to-Work Day on Friday, May 16. Need some ideas? Here are 50 ways (large PDF) to celebrate National Bike Month. Help us Count Cyclists In this May, and every month!"


Staff and Faculty Excellence Awards

Don't forget that Wednesday April 30th is the last day to nominate your colleagues for the Staff and Faculty Exellence Awards! For directions, see the Awards Program Website at http://libstaff.uvm.edu/committees/staffandfacdev/awards.html.

If you don't recall how to get into the libstaff site, the log-in is the same as you use to log into your own computer, with only one possible change--if your password has fewer than 7 characters, you must add enough exclamation points ( ! ) to bring the character number up to seven. If your password already has seven or more, no exclamation points are needed.
Example: If your password is short like the word "SMITH" (5 letters), you would need 2 exclamation points to get into libstaff: "SMITH!!" (7)
On the other hand, if your password is more like "RUMPLESTILTSKIN", you won't need to make any changes at all.

So log in and go for it! Here's a chance to do something nice for your co-workers, AND celebrate afterwards with excellent cake!


Council News

There is now an open Call for Nominations to the offices of Staff Council President and Vice President. Within the new by-laws are changes to the eligibility, term of service and manner of election of these offices.

Rodman Cory, the chairman of the Rules and Elections Committee, sent us a letter that explained the changes much more clearly than I could, so I'm quoting parts of it below:

These are the changes to the eligibility rules:

1. The President and Vice President will now be elected by all staff who are eligible to serve on Staff Council. [Eligible staff are defined as those whose record in Human Resource Services shows that they: (a.) are permanent full-time or part-time employees at UVM, who are not on probation at the time of election; (b.) whose jobs are part of the University's Career/Pay system {generally signifying that they are not top-level executives}; and (c.) who are not employed in the Staff Council office.]

2. The President and Vice President will each be elected to serve for a two-year term. (In addition, the outgoing President will serve an additional year as Immediate Past President, in order to offer transitional leadership to the Council.)

3. Eligibility to serve as President or Vice President includes meeting all the criteria for eligible staff (see #1 above), plus the stipulation that the Staff Council President and Vice President shall have served a minimum of six months on the UVM Staff Council over the course of the last six years.

4. For a list of the responsibilities of the Staff Council President and Vice President, see the Staff Council Bylaws, Articles VI. and VII.


These are the new nominating procedures:

1. Completed nomination forms are due in the Staff Council office by 4:30 PM on Wednesday, May 7. (These forms are available on the Staff Council web site, and may be filled out by the candidate, or by a third party with the permission of the candidate.)

2. Nominating Committee members shall meet with each candidate during the second week of May to ensure that each candidate understands the breadth of responsibility associated with the office s/he is seeking.

3. Candidates shall share in the Staff Council meeting on June 3rd and at an additional "meet-the-candidates" forum in late May or early June. In both venues, each candidate will make a short campaign speech and may have the opportunity to answer questions posed by those in attendance.

4. Elections shall be held online from June 9 through 17. (There will be further information concerning elections distributed by the Staff Council office as the election period approaches.)

If you have questions, please contact the Staff Council office or a member of the Nominating Committee. (The committee members are: Joan Kieran, Mary Lafayette, Robin Lockerby, Michelle Mullarkey, Ida Russin and Catherine Symans).


So, please take a look at the rules and responsibilities to see if you or someone you know might be interested. Remember that all in the university community are welcome to attend the full Staff Council meetings--please feel free to come to the June 3rd meeting to hear from the candidates, and perhaps participate with questions.


That's enough for today--maybe we should organize a pool to see who can come closest to guessing when the lawnmowers first tackle the Green this Spring--or are we already too late?!

Have a good week,

Joanne

Brief Updates

Good News--the Library Forum on Pandemic Planning has been rescheduled for:

Wednesday, May 28th 10:30 to Noon
Dean’s Conference Room (114 Bailey/Howe)

Links to their resource pages are in the post previous to this one. Please make sure to read all the way down to see the video that will answer that burning question of "Why Don't We Do It In Our Sleeves?"

See you on Monday,

Joanne

"Why Don't We Do It In Our Sleeves?" (read down)

Hi Everyone,

The full Staff Council meeting on April 2nd was brief but to the point. We received the news that the revised by-laws that we forwarded to the administration have passed muster with Legal Services and been signed by VP Gower and President Vogel. So the new by-laws are now official!

Other items mentioned for distribution were:
*OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Act) has designated April 28th as Workers Memorial Day to remember workers who have died or been injured on the job. ( Wikipedia entry, Information and History page from the AFL/CIO, Workers Memorial Day Poems and Tributes )

*The April Staffline is now available online at http://www.uvm.edu/~stffcncl/staffline/April2008.pdf.
Along with reports from several Staff Council committees, it contains sign-up information for a bus trip to Boston in June, and news about the timing of the upcoming Staff Council election seasons. It's rumored to be getting a "new look" next month too, due to modernizations and upgrades, so we'll all see the debut together when the May issue comes out.

*Benefits Fair: May 2nd, 7 am - 5 pm in the Memorial Lounge, Waterman Building.

*Way to Go! Commuter Challenge May 5-9, 2008. UVM is an active participant; learn more and/or register at www.waytogovt.org.

On the Agenda for Next Month:
Barbara Johnson, Assoc. VP for Human Resources has been invited to attend the next Staff Council meeting on May 4th to address questions from Council members as well as provide an update on current Human Resources initiatives. Please try to attend if you can; it could be quite interesting.

Other news specific to the Libraries unit:
The Pandemic Influenza Planning presentation meant for the 3/26 Libraries Forum had to be canceled due to illness; we hope very much that they'll be able to reschedule. Irony aside, there is a lot of information on the above linked website, and specifics from earlier forums (including the Powerpoint) linked here. One highlight is the streamed video of Recommended Coughing Techniques, available in English, English with captions, Spanish, and American Sign Language. If any video deserves to be "viral", this is the one.

And Because it's the Season:
The Center for Research on Vermont presents Research-In-Progress Seminar #212:

The Taste of Maple Syrup: Past, Present, and Future
by Amy Trubek, Nutrition and Food Sciences, UVM
Thursday, April 10, 2008 4:30 p.m., Memorial Lounge, Waterman Building

"Maple syrup makes the Green Mountains edible. When we pour this thick, sweet liquid over our pancakes, we are bringing the much loved Vermont landscape into our houses—we get to taste the Green Mountains. Maple syrup is a wild food, harvested first by the Abenakis, then by early colonists, and now by farmers, homesteaders, and others. Maple syrup links us to our landscape, but what does it taste like? We will explore the tastes of Vermont maple syrup and why Vermont’s maple syrup could be the first of many foods that define our future tastes. The event will conclude with a tasting of syrups from different parts of Vermont."
For more information check out the website linked above!

Well, April is here, the geese are headed North, and the weather is stuck on the spin cycle. Somewhere in the weekend there might be some sunshine, so try to enjoy it if you can,

Joanne

Update on Pandemic Flu Planning at UVM

Hi Everyone,

Important news: if you weren't able to attend the campus-wide presentation on this topic on the 18th, there is another upcoming at the Libraries' Forum on Wednesday, March 26 from 11 a.m. to Noon. The UVM associated website is linked here.


Also, the VWHE (VT Women in Higher Education) is now taking registrations for their Annual Spring Leadership Dinner featuring guest speaker Ellen McCulloch-Lovell, President of Marlboro College.

    Time: April 1st, 2008, 5:00-7:30
    Location: Sheraton Hotel & Conference Center in Burlington
    Cost: $35 fee for dinner and stimulating conversation
    Register at: www.vwhe.org

For More Information Call: Sarah Hooker
sarah.hooker@goddard.edu
802-454-8311

With March and the equinox passing, the Vermont sugaring season has definitely begun! If you're as interested in the science as the flavor, the UVM Extension Maple site contains an amazing amount of information from beginner to professional level. It includes sign-ups for conferences, classes and newsletters, and links to UVM related sites and state organizations. Also the UVM Proctor Maple Research Center has opened their TreeMet site for the 2008 spring season. You can find research highlights, and read continually updating metrics on the trees, the sap and the surrounding temperatures.

Mud season has also begun, and that's enough said about that. I'm off to wash a few floors, and I hope everyone has a good weekend,

Joanne

Hi Everyone,

Good news! The revised by-laws received their second approval at the March 4th full Council meeting. They were then sent to President Fogel and his leadership team for review before being adopted by the Staff Council--this process should take thirty days or less. This was a major accomplishment on the parts of the Rules & Election Committee, and the rest of the Council at large. Many thanks to all our colleagues for their hard work and dedication!

Next, we've been asked to seek nominations or volunteers from staff members wishing to be considered to serve as Staff Representative on the Athletic Advisory Committee. This appointment begins in May '08 for a four year term.
Beth Wright from the Council Office described the duties:
"There is work involved, meetings are often held on the members' own time (late afternoon and into the
evening), it's a 4-year commitment and the primary reason for serving is to be a resource to the athletics director and athletics department on how UVM can continue to keep the standards high for its student athletes. UVM consistently is one of the strongest Division 1 schools for academic achievement among its athletes."
So if you or someone you know of is interested in serving, please contact Eileen Hanerfeld directly with a copy to Beth in the Council Office: eileen.hanerfeld@uvm.edu and beth.wright@uvm.edu.

Finally, an open forum on Pandemic Flu Response Planning is scheduled for Tuesday, March 18th from 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm in North Lounge, Billings. The descriptive flyer is posted here.
I devoted most of a previous post to this topic on Friday, December 7, 2007 (titled "Off and Running "). It contains links to the presentation powerpoint and other important references; so instead of repeating it all here, I recommend that you scroll down through the blog posts to that date or click this link to jump straight to it. This is a serious plan with far-reaching consequences if implemented, particularly for unrepresented staff. We should make every effort to learn the details: please try to attend, listen, and ask questions.

I hope everyone had a chance to participate in at least some of the Mastering the Maze events. The workshop selection this year was especially rich and varied- literally something for everyone! Whether it's an exhibit or a new outreach program, there always seems to be something new our colleagues are working on, and something to get excited about.

Stay safe and warm this weekend--no more ice, please!

Joanne

Ice Storm Photos 3_8_2008

It really was a dark and stormy night, but here are some pictures from the morning after!




Franklin County got a great deal of ice that left no detail untouched-






Some of it was dangerous...


but all of it was beautiful.

Viral Information

Hi Everyone,

The next Staff Council meeting is scheduled for today, March 4th. I apologize for not posting that notice sooner, but I was out for the count with the latest cold that's sweeping campus. If you've got it too, I sympathize, and if you haven't had it--stock up on disinfectant and hand sanitizer! This is one virus you really don't want to catch.

The meeting agenda is posted on the Council website and available here for printing. We'll be working on getting the by-laws to their final vote for passage, and everyone is welcome to attend--there's a place on the agenda for audience comment too.

We've been given several new reports to share with you; from the Audit Committee, the Budget, Finance and Investment Committee, the Educational Policy and Institutional Resources Committee, and the joint meeting of the Audit Committee and the Investment Sub-Committee. (Now, doesn't that sound exciting!?)

Seriously though, financial reports might seem very dry reading, but a quick glance-through could be worth your time. They give quite an overview of the financial structure, operations and actions of the University as a business: it was very educational to someone like me who usually focuses on the academic side of UVM. Future financial plans are discussed too, which should interest everybody! (See especially: Campus Life Task Force Presents Report to Board in the most recent The View.) To read the reports here, see the top entires in the right-hand documents column.

The March Staffline is out now too, so watch your inbox or the Staff Council website-the link to the Staffline is in the left-hand column. I've got a lot to catch up on, and I need more tissues, so I'll leave it there and post some more after the vote.

Have a good week,

Joanne

Big News on the By-laws Front!

Hi Everyone,

At our special meeting on Tuesday February 19th, the new proposed by-laws passed their first required vote. There was a lot of discussion, some of it intense, that took up two meetings to get us this far. There were motions made proposing some amendments to the original document prior to the vote, but in the end those didn't pass. After more discussion, there should be a second and final vote at the next meeting (which is scheduled for Town Meeting Day, March 4th).

So, three cheers! If we continue to find consensus, we'll finish the voting and have by-laws to work by in time for the next election cycle. And as a protective mechanism, written directly into these by-laws is the power to amend them. If we discover down the road that some things need to be done differently, we'll have the ability to deliberate, vote and make those changes. I don't think I can publish the document while it's in draft form, but I can say that it gives the individual staff member many more voting rights, and covers many more contingencies. It's definitely something we can work with.

We also received updates from the University Benefits Advisory Committee. Their report is posted in the right-hand column. They have a full list of interesting topics to consider, but right now they're focusing on benefits issues for retirees, and availability of on-campus child care for working parents.

So, heading into the weekend, don't forget to register for Mastering the Maze. Take a look at the current Staffline and make sure to wish Helen Olson well in her retirement!


More soon,

Joanne

Workgroup For Socially Responsible Investing- Open Seat

The Board of Trustees has let the staff Council know that they still need someone to serve on the Workgroup For Socially Responsible Investing, which reports to the Budget, Finance, and Investment Committee of the Board of Trustees.

In his letter, Mike Gower said: "This work group is different from other trustee committees in that each appointee is a full voting member. The work group would meet at least a few times to receive presentations from the proposers, deliberate, and put together recommendations to the BFI Committee, probably for its May meeting."

So if you think you would be a good fit for this workgroup, please let someone on Staff Council know, or contact the president Eileen Hanerfeld directly at: eileen.hanerfeld@uvm.edu

Thanks!

Joanne

Another Fond Farewell

The Dana Medical Library is bidding Helen Olson a fond farewell, as she retires at the end of February. Her last day is the 29th, so be sure to say goodbye before then. She's been with us 7 years, and we're going to miss her, but we know how much fun she'll be having with her family!

Best Wishes, Helen, and Congratulations!

Voting In The Air

Hi Everyone,

The full Council is having a special second meeting Feb.19th, primarily to keep working on the by-laws. Time and place are: noon in the Maple Ballroom of the Davis Center. The agenda is available on the Council website or in a printable format here.

Otto von Bismarck is credited with comparing sausage-making to legislating (he considered both procedures too messy to watch). But this is still a meeting open to the whole UVM community, and I'll bet you're brave enough to come witness the creation of a new "recipe". Come take part in making a piece of UVM history!

Item #4 on this meeting's agenda will be a report from the "University Benefits Advisory Council". President Vogel announced his intention to create this group in his letter responding to the student hunger strike for UVM livable wages in May 2007. Hopefully we'll have time to learn more about their mission and purpose, and what's been done so far.

Our next Full Council meeting coincides with Town Meeting Day (3/4). (Are you registered to vote? These links at the VT Secretary of State's website tell you how and where to register, and find your polling place, and simply a host of other valuable information) At this writing, there's no plan to re-schedule the meeting because we should still have enough members present for a quorum; if that changes and the date gets moved, I'll let you know as soon as I'm informed.

On other topics, VP J Michael Gower's recently sent around an email listing upcoming presentations of UVM's Pandemic Plan. The first date has passed, but a second is scheduled for Mastering the Maze on March 13th. Please attend if you can; listen, and ask questions. If you can't go, or if you'd like to know more before attending, you'll find links to the Emergency Planning Team's website and presentation materials right here, in my December 7th post titled "Off and Running". (To find it, scroll all the way down and click on the link to "Older Posts")

Don't forget to read through your February Staffline; the Council News page has some very useful FAQs about discounts and services UVM members can access through the Council website. Links to the Spring Semester Campus Recreation listings are there too, along with the Spring 2008 Wellness Center Incentive Program information. If anyone had the chance to take the bus trip to the Montreal Casino this weekend, please feel free to drop us a note in the comments link here, and give us some of the highlights of the trip!

Well, that's enough for one posting. I'll try to give timely updates on our progress with the by-laws, and I have a few more items that didn't fit here today.

So, I hope everybody had a good President's Day! See you on Tuesday,

Joanne

More Shoveling!

Hi Everyone,

To start off, the Board of Trustees has asked the Staff Council president Eileen Hanerfeld to appoint 5 staff representatives to various Standing Committees, so we're calling for volunteers. The representatives do Not need to be council members; anyone who feels they can contribute may submit their name for consideration.

The committees in question are: Audit (1 rep), Budget, Finance & Investment (2 reps), and Educational Policy and Institutional Resources (2 reps). Detailed descriptions of the committees and their functions are available at the Board of Trustees site. (Choose the links from the left-hand column under "Committees_Standing")

The letter finishes: "These positions will include training from Corinne Thompson prior to the beginning of term (3/1 - 2/28) All interested parties should email Eileen Hanerfeld directly by close of business on February 15th.
Eileen.Hanerfeld@uvm.edu"

So, if you'd like to serve on any of these committees, please contact Eileen.

Next, we're working hard to finish the by-laws in time for the next round of elections. The Rules and Election Committee submitted a very comprehensive framework for the full Council to consider, but we're still hammering out the details paragraph by paragraph. We're almost exactly halfway through, with another special meeting called for Tuesday Feb. 19th to tackle the rest of it--please come and see your reps at work!. (12:05pm in the Grand Maple Ballroom of the Davis Center)

The good news is that this by-law structure should be more transparent in all of its operations, and offer the entire staff more involvement in the election of the Council officers. Our greatest concern is to make sure that no unit or even a single staff member is left out, or underrepresented, in any procedure or action outlined in the by-laws.

The minutes from January were also approved, and those are now available on the Council website.

Well, here's hoping that everyone is coping safely with the new snow. It really is beautiful enough to (almost) make you not mind clearing the driveway, again.

Have a good weekend,

Joanne

"Leap" Into February

Hi Everyone,

The agenda for the upcoming February 5th meeting is available on the Council website, or here in printable format. At this meeting we'll get our first chance to consider in full Council the revisions proposed to the Constitution and By-Laws by the Rules and Election Committee.

I can't praise this group enough for their hard work and the quality of their final product. The proposed rules are complete, comprehensive, and workable; no small feat with such a large and diverse body of staff to consider, and on a tight deadline too! We should be proud of Scott, one of our own Library reps on this committee-take a moment to thank him if you can. (The other committee members are listed here online; thank them too, if you can get or make the opportunity)

Please note that the regular 2/5 meeting will take place in the usual Livak Ballroom location, while the special second meeting scheduled for 2/19 will be located in the Grand Maple Ballroom of the Davis Center.

The February Staffline is also now available on the website. This month's issue contains Committee Reports, Recreation news and event registration forms, Council News and FAQ's, Wellness programs information, and upcoming Council meeting schedules.

Here's hoping that no one was too seriously inconvenienced by the weekend's ice storm--and let's give three cheers to our physical plant colleagues who kept the roads and walkways safe for the rest of us! Enjoy the beauty of the winter, travel safely, and stay warm.

Have a good weekend,

Joanne

Workgroup on Socially Responsible Investing

Hi Everyone,

There isn't a lot of Council news this week--I think everyone is busy getting back in sync with the academic schedule, and the new semester.

However, we received an important request this week from Mike Gower, VP of Finance & Administration:

"I am writing on behalf of the Budget, Finance, and Investment Committee of the Board
of Trustees. At its November meeting, the Chair, Debbie McAneny, charged a work group to study two issues that were submitted from a "Call for Issues" to the UVM Community in October (attached). Debbie has asked John Snow to chair the work group, and Trustee Jeff Davis will also serve as a member. As we are following the process of the former "Committee on Socially Responsible Investing," each of your groups would appoint two members using your regular appointment processes. The President would appoint one member of the Administration to serve as well.

This work group is different from other trustee committees in that each appointee is a full voting member. The work group would meet at least a few times to receive
presentations from the proposers, deliberate, and put together recommendations to the BFI Committee, probably for its May meeting.

Please let me know when you would be able to make appointments. I hope to schedule an organizational meeting of the group as soon as possible. Many thanks for your
assistance, and please let me know if you have any questions.

Mike"

Our Council president Eileen Hanerfeld has been asked to appoint two staff members to this new group. They are not required to be members of the Staff Council, so anyone interested in serving should contact Eileen directly at eileen.hanerfeld@uvm.edu by Tuesday, January 22nd. Even if you don't think you can do this, you might know of someone else on staff who could, so please pass this this information along to them.

Don't forget that next week UVM is honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a series of events on campus(schedule here). For those of you who have the holiday off, keep an eye on the weather and stay Warm! For those who have to work that day, travel carefully!

Whatever your schedule, have a good weekend,

Joanne

Back To Work

Hi Everyone,

I'm just going to dive right in:

At last Tuesday's full Council meeting(1/8/08), growing pains and time pressures were the main themes running through all the topics discussed. Perhaps the most urgent task is to complete the upgrade/revisions to the by-laws, so that we have working cohesive rules and criteria by which to conduct business, and complete all the rest of our assigned responsibilities. We'll be doubling up on the number of full Council meetings to get in enough discussion periods and required votes to pass the new bylaws in time for the next mandated elections. The next two meetings are scheduled for 2/5/08 and 2/19/08.

The minutes for the December 5th '07 meeting are now available on the website. They contain the committee reports I mentioned earlier, and also references to UVM's Flu Pandemic plan proposals. (see my Friday Dec. 7th post for links directly to documents)

Again I urge you to at least skim over the plan reports--some of these seem to raise far more situational questions than they answer. It would be in All the staff's interest to check out the available information and then ask some of those questions. You can send them to the Staff Council via a contact sheet (form and directions) if you'd like us to see if we can forward a recommendation, or contact the Emergency Management team directly at the email addresses given.

There is usually some interest in the Staff Council's Salary Recommendation to the Administration- for 2009, beyond the numbers, some new changes in merit award criteria were proposed, based on input from the staff body. While we're an advisory body only, our voice is strengthened by informed support from an engaged staff--many thanks for all your participation, both great and small!

On a cheerier note, the Winter Staffline is out! You can find it on the website at http://www.uvm.edu/~stffcncl/?Page=staffline/default.html or open it directly here.
Harry Belafonte will be coming to campus on January 22nd to speak at the Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations, and there is a registration form for the President's Day (2/18) Bus Trip to the Montreal Casino--sign-up deadline is February 1st. Mastering the Maze is coming on March 13th, and ski passes to Jay Peak and Smuggler's Notch are still available. Spring Registration for classes is open, and the new semester starts on Monday! Where did the time go?

See you next week,

Joanne

The New Year

Welcome Back, Everyone!

Here's hoping that you're all feeling refreshed and cheered from your time off. Even at current temperatures, we're on the brink of the Spring Semester!

The next Staff Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday January 8th, in the Livak Ballroom (Davis Student Center), at 12:05 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Here is the link to the agenda on the Staff Council webpage, and here's a printable format.

It should be an informative meeting, since the committees will be reporting on their work on the various facets of restructuring the by-laws, policies, and procedures to reflect the larger and more representative group the Council has become. (and to better serve the Staff body, which is the main point of the Council) Growing pains are everywhere, but we're meeting the challenge with surprising levels of patience, good grace, and humor. I think all the units can feel proud of the representation they've had this year. Please do try to attend a meeting and watch the work in progress--it's a very "interesting" point in UVM history.

The next Staffline will be out soon--watch the website and/or your email for the link to the PDF. Among other information, it contains the Salary & Budget Committee's recommendations for the FY'09 salary pool. Also mark your calendars for Mastering the Maze, (http://www.uvm.edu/maze/)which takes place on March 13th this year.

More later, and have a very good weekend,

Joanne