Draft Minutes

 

Wednesday, March 9, 2005

10:00 am - 12:00 noon by video conference

Fairbanks location:  Butrovich Building – Sherman Carter Conference Room 204

Anchorage location: ULB Videoconference Room

 

 

1.          Call to order and roll call

 

            P = present

            AE = Absent-excused

            A = Absent

 

            Members present:

 

Current Members

Lisa Sporleder, President - P

Isabel Martinez for Juli Gillispie, Vice President - P

Rosen Kehayov for Lori Merdes, Co-Secretary - P

Betty Dupee, Co-Secretary - AE

Vince Yelmene for Linda Harrigan - P

Bess Rounds - P

 

Michael Simmons - AE

John Mitchell -  AE

Lisette Richmond - AE

Kenneth Coon - P

Larry McGrady - P

Jodi Bailey, alternate - FOR ONE HOUR

Alicia Wyse, alternate - AE

 

 

            Others present:

 

            Pat Ivey, Executive Officer, System Governance

            Mike Humphrey, Director, Benefits

 

 

2.         Adopt agenda

 

MOTION: passed

 

“The Statewide Administration Assembly moves to adopt the agenda for the March 9, 2005 meeting.  This action is effective March 9, 2005.”

 

3.         Approve minutes of February 9, 2005 meeting

            http://gov.alaska.edu/saa/minutes/2005-02-09.html

 

MOTION: passed

 

“The Statewide Administration Assembly moves to approve the minutes for the February 9, 2005 meeting as amended.  This action is effective March 9, 2005.”

 

Amendments:

 

·                    List Bess Rounds as absent, excused.

·                    Delete fourth paragraph of Staff Alliance update.

·                    Delete “on a”, next paragraph, 2nd to last line delete everything after word “earn.”

·                    Item 14, add an “e” to Jodi Bailey’s last name.

·                    Page 4, item 11, next to last sentence, “The Anchorage MARCH OF DIMES office…”

 

4.         Public Comments

 

There was no public comment.

 

5.         Staff Alliance Update

            http://gov.alaska.edu/staff/minutes/

 

            Lisa Sporleder updated SAA on the Staff Alliance March 8 meeting. 

           

6.         Acceptable Use Computer Guidelines

http://gov.alaska.edu/SAA/2003-10-03-Response-to-Possible-Abuse-rules-and-procedures.pdf

 

The formation of acceptable use guidelines is a standard agenda item for SAA meetings.  David Bantz initiated the document some time ago. Sporleder went through the guidelines and made comments to Bantz in preparation for SAA working on the document soon. This item was placed on the June annual meeting for further work.

           

7.         Elections Update                                                                 

            http://gov.alaska.edu/saa/elections/2005/2005-01-06.elections.pdf

 

Coon still needs to contact the nominees to find out if they will serve.  Coon said over 30 have been nominated, including several new faces.

 

8.         Outstanding Employee Awards Update - Lisa Sporleder

 

Nominations closed on Monday.  SAA has received three department nominations, two student nominations, three or four APT nominations and five or six classified nominations.  Sporleder is the chair and members include Larry McGrady, Betty Dupee, Bess Rounds and Hans Gunderson.  Sporleder will schedule the committee meetings.

 

9.         Make Students Count Awards

            http://gov.alaska.edu/staff/studentscount/default.html

            http://gov.alaska.edu/staff/studentscount/2005factsheet.pdf

            http://gov.alaska.edu/staff/studentscount/2005nom-form.pdf

 

No nominations have been submitted to SAA as of yet, but at least one is expected.

 

10.        March of Dimes Walk America May 14, 2005 Pioneer Park Update      http://gov.alaska.edu/saa/2005-02-11.walkamerica.html

 

Isabel Martinez reported that five people have signed up for the Walk America event May 14.  April is fund raising month.  March of Dimes has agreed to give t-shirts and stickers as prizes. Martinez has drafted a letter to President, and Martinez will send a copy out to SAA by email.  Promotions include April 14 lunch potluck with soups and salads at 11-1pm, Bluejeans for Babies on Fridays, and Wrist Bands for Babies.  She is also selling Beanies for Babies and is already receiving donations from Statewide employees.  This is an SAA-sponsored event.

 

11.        IT Merger Update - Bill Gregory

            http://www.alaska.edu/itmerger/

 

Bill Gregory reported that IT is merging between statewide and UAF.  The merger team consists of IT members from both Statewide and UAF.  Steve Smith met with IT managers in March to blend three organizational plans into one plan that represents the seven functional areas.   Next the group decided which duties will fall under each one of those.  Then the group then came up with three areas, campus only, enterprise, and common core infrastructure.  Last Thursday, the merger group sat down and listed out all the core functions performed under IT support and put them under the three categories.  The campus IT committee is meeting with Steve who will introduce the draft.  The goal is to have the review and comment period completed by end of this month so the resource that delivers the service can be identified. Procurement and travel functions are being coordinated out of the Statewide administrative group. UAF and SW Budgets will be kept separate. Smith has, on several occasions, stressed that positions are not going to be lost, but depending on need, positions may be reassigned.  The issue of retaining pay when moving to a lower-ranking job and the issue of probation should be addressed as soon as possible.

 

12.        Telephone Update

            http://www.alaska.edu/its/projects/phones/

 

Ken Coon said that the telephone number change project is right on track.  Budget just moved; IT will move next in April with User Services, System Services first, then Operation Services in weeks opposite payroll weeks, then the smaller IT groups.  There are some problems with information getting updated in the statewide directory.  Departments have the ability to update E-DIR.  The data for the statewide directory will be drawn from E-DIR.  Two or three numbers cannot change such as Alaska Scholars. Three months forwarding from old numbers is up for president’s office so Bess Rounds asked for an extension.

 

13.   Other Items of Interest

 

Mike Humphrey asked how UAA and UAF E-DIR were being kept up to date.  Coon said he was not sure, nor did he know what was happening at UAS. Beth Mercer provided training for Statewide IT folks. Humphrey said if the university can come to a uniform start date, that would fix the E-DIR problem.  Part of the new employee communications person’s duties is to develop a communications plan and this should be part of the plan.  Humphrey said he has developed his email distribution list by pulling them down from the web.  Said he has a 70-75 percent success rate in that 70-75 percent of the email addresses are accurate.

 

Humphrey explained the PERS/TRS bills introduced by Mike Kelly.  One changes board makeup to more members who are not affiliated with PERS/TRS.  One removes employee contribution rate from statute.  The current employee rate is 6.75 percent.  Tier IV would only allow retirement benefits to those employees who retire directly from a PERS/TRS employer, so those who leave the university without retiring and take another job with a non-PERS/TRS employer will not receive PERS/TRS benefits upon retirement. Humphrey sat in on PERS/TRS board meetings and said it was evident that the board members who are PERS/TRS retirees could not see past their own programs.  Employers need a greater place at the table.  Current boards are not looking at the budget problems but only looking at maintaining the benefit to retirees only.  Well over 50 percent of university faculty are in optional retirement plans (ORP) and managing their own investments.  Executive candidates are more familiar with ORP plans than with PERS/TRS.   Right now, new employees take five years to vest and ten years before receiving PERS/TRS benefits.

 

Regarding UA Choice, medical inflation is still out there. All three unions are in the process of deciding whether or not to join UA Choice.  If the unions do elect UA Choice, rates would be determined based on all 4300 university employees.  The proposal is out for union vote right now.  Humphrey said rates will go up regardless.  He has seen a 12 percent increase in services, and increases in claims over $50,000.  Hospitals are adding lots of capital projects, additions, MRI wings, etc., and more and more medical technology entering the Alaska market. Hospitals have to show a profit to their shareholders so rates will go up.  Around April 18, the open- enrollment documents will go out.  Humphrey will do a mass email if the E-DIR works. Out of pocket deductible will move from 100 dollars to 500 dollars on the deluxe pharmacy plan. 

 

Humphrey was invited back to update SAA next month.

           

 

14.        Agenda Items for the Next Meeting – Thursday, April 7, 2005

 

Agenda items may include but may not be limited to:

 

*          Benefits Update and Open Enrollment Update with Mike Humphrey,

*          IT Update

*          Staff Alliance Update

*          EDIR project update from David Bantz and Beth Mercer.

*          April 20 Employee luncheon update with Amy Gold,

*          Walk America Update with Isabel Martinez.

 

Ken Coon will give David Bantz a heads-up and Pat Ivey will send Bantz the agenda.

 

15.        Member Comments

 

Jodi Bailey said Walk America posters will not be allowed in the halls. The best places to post them are on the cubicle walls.

 

16.               Adjourn

 

The meeting was adjourned at 11:30am.