THE COUNCIL ON STAFF AFFAIRS
THE COUNCIL ON STAFF AFFAIRS
Minutes of July 13, 2004
{Handouts mentioned are available at the COSA website.}
Chair Patrick Smith called the meeting to order at 8:39 a.m. in the Rose Room of the University Center. Members present: David Bennett, Leann Boyd, Sharon Butcher, Steve Fesler, Bobby Flowers, Beth Giddens, Shawn Gibbons, Mike Hamm, Inman Grimsley, Stanley Jones, Mike McKinley, Patrick Smith, Rebecca Kimbrough, Josie Stone, Shana. Yorkey, Tim Yorkey. Members absent: Ann Holland, Bob Lee, Marshall McLane, Trisha Taylor, Thor Withers
1) Special Order Of The Day
a) Dr. Laverne Gaskins, sexual orientation/harassment clause presentation:
Dr Gaskins was unable to attend, but did provide an informational handout (Handout 1) for everyone to review. A copy of the proposed modified statement that has already been approved by the Faculty Senate and the Student Government Association (Handout 2) was also distributed. After discussing the possible legal ramifications of adopting the proposed modified statement, it was decided that Dr. Gaskins really needed to be in attendance so that COSA could make a more informed decision. Tim Yorkey suggested that we find out the timeline for making a decision on the issue and submitting that decision to the President. A motion was made by Bobby Flowers to table the issue until the August meeting. Josie Stone seconded the motion.
b) Committee Assignments for 2004-05: The committee assignments were put on hold until the end of the meeting due to the length of time needed for this task.
2) Approval of the minutes of the June 15, 2004 meeting of the Council on Staff Affairs
Mike McKinley moved to approve the minutes as submitted; Josie Stone seconded the motion. The motion passed.
3) Treasurer’s Report
The COSA budget for FY 2005 has been increased to $2603.00 due to the added expenses of postage and telecommunications. There is an $899 retirement luncheon expense that has not yet been posted to the account. Bobby Flowers moved to approve the June Treasurer’s Report (Handout 3) as submitted; Shawn Gibbons seconded. Motion passed.
4) Committee Reports
a) Academic Scheduling/Procedures: Their next meeting will be in the fall.
b) Benevolence Committee: Patrick Smith stated that this committee needs volunteers. It is currently handled by two outgoing COSA members.
c) Elections: Bobby Flowers stated that the committee will be meeting later this month to work on election procedures.
d) Faculty Senate: Their last meeting was in May, and they will not have another meeting until fall semester. Patrick Smith asked if all the representatives had received an email copy of the May meeting minutes from David Boyd (http://www.valdosta.edu/vsu/facsen/Minu8tes/040520min.pdf).
e) Faculty/Staff Campaign: No Report.
f) Parking Appeals: (Handout 4)
g) Policy: No Report
h) Staff Appreciation Day: Bobby Flowers encouraged everyone to attend the meetings. Currently being discussed are issues regarding t-shirt designs, fundraisers, etc. Beth Giddens announced that the tickets have been submitted to Printing and should be ready to distribute to COSA members in a couple of weeks. T-shirt designs have been discussed and will be decided upon at the next meeting. Patrick Smith has the contract for Port-A-Pit and will submit it to Jim Black today. The next meeting is Wednesday, July 21st at 2:00 p.m. in Conference Room #1, second floor of the University Union.
i) Development Committee: No Report.
j) State Charitable Contributions Program: Bob Lee is investigating the possibility of changing the yellow color of the fountain since it is not very visible.
k) Welfare Committee:
1. Employee of the Semester: Ballots are currently at Printing and will be distributed soon.
2. Retirement Walkway/Luncheon-Employee Recognition Committee: A committee meeting will be scheduled as soon as the new committee members are elected. There are a few duplicate bricks that need to be removed from the walkway and one brick needs to be moved to the President’s area.
3. University Planning Advisory Council. No report. They will not meet again until the fall semester.
5) Report From The Chair:
a) Patrick Smith stated that he was looking forward to serving as COSA Chair in the upcoming year. He expressed his confidence that the group will get a lot accomplished and will make COSA shine. He also thanked everyone for their help and encouragement.
b) Patrick Smith was unable to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the new housing units, and asked Tim Yorkey to give a report. There were a lot of staff members in attendance and COSA was also well represented. Information regarding the project and its funding was very informative.
6) Unfinished Business: No unfinished business.
7) New Business:
a) Inman Grimsley thanked COSA for the brick that we presented to him upon his retirement.
b) Procedure 10C – Committee Responsibilities: This section, which explains and delineates the responsibilities of committees, is currently listed in the Policy Manual under Procedure 10: Other Committees, section C (Handout 5) rather than being listed with each committee’s procedure or in a section dealing with all committees. Patrick requested that the Policy Committee to review section 10C and determine whether it should be moved.
c) Committee Meeting Minutes: Patrick Smith asked that all committees keep minutes of their meetings and report their activities at the monthly COSA meetings. Sharon Butcher will order 3-ring notebooks for each committee to use.
8) Other Business: Committee Assignments
a) Benevolence Committee
This committee exists to recognize and assist staff members who experience a death in their immediate family. The assistance primarily consists of sending sympathy cards and flowers to the staff member, and word-of-mouth notification to other members.
Serving: Leann Boyd, Mike McKinley, Shana Yorkey, and Tim Yorkey
b) Elections Committee
Serving: Sharon Butcher, Shawn Gibbons, Mike McKinley, and Patrick Smith
c) Faculty Senate Committee
Sharon Butcher asked if COSA members could be contacted in the event that none of the three committee members could attend a meeting so that another COSA member could be selected. This procedure would ensure that COSA is represented at all Faculty Senate meetings.
Serving: Bobby Flowers, Rebecca Kimbrough, and Patrick Smith
d) Parking Appeals Committee
The next meeting is tomorrow, July 14th, at 2:00 p.m.
Serving: David Bennett, Bobby Flowers, Beth Giddens, Mike McKinley, and Josie Stone
e) Policy Committee
Serving: Steve Fesler, Mike Hamm, Bob Lee, Patrick Smith, and Trisha Taylor
f) Staff Development Committee
Serving: Sharon Butcher, Leann Boyd, Rebecca Kimbrough, and Tim Yorkey
g) Welfare Committee
1. Employee of the Semester Subcommittee
Serving: David Bennett, Mike Hamm, Stanley Jones, Mike McKinley, and Josie Stone
2. Retirement Walkway Subcommittee
Serving: Sharon Butcher, Shawn Gibbons, Beth Giddens, Inman Grimsley, Tommye Miller (non-COSA member), and Shana Yorkey
3. University Planning Subcommittee
Serving: Steve Fesler, Bobby Flowers, Rebecca Kimbrough, and Patrick Smith
Motion to adjourn was made by Bobby Flowers, and seconded by Mike Hamm. The motion carried. The meeting adjourned at 9:25 a.m.
Respectfully submitted:
Shana Yorkey
Shana Yorkey (for Trisha Taylor)
Representative, Council on Staff Affairs