21 December 2011

Staff Advisory Council
Meeting Minutes for December 21, 2011

Attendance:

Kelly Fitzpatrick, Linda Hunt, Mary Carr, Lynn Grady, Sheila Magee, Dorothy Kunzig, Jacqui West, Susan Smythe, Alex McClung, Steve Palmer, Rose Maio, Donzella Franklin, Delroy Griffiths, John Dukes Jr., George Darbes, Lisa Maginnis

Ex-Officio Members:

Sharmaine LaMar

Marr Carr convened the meeting at 9:50 a.m. in the Scheuer Room.

Inadequate Signage

A staff member requested additional signage for the parking area by Wharton as there seems to be cars parked there often without the proper stickers. Facilities will check to make sure that the signage present is sufficient. If you do notice cars parked without the proper stickers please notify Public Safety.

Pets in the Workplace

A revised pet policy will be sent to Faculty and Staff at the start of the spring semester. The new policy will contain statements regarding community responsibility and how conflicts will be resolved. A reminder to community members that pets must be leashed while on campus grounds.

Grading of Academic Administrative positions

A staff member submitted a question as to why some Academic Departments administrative positions are graded as Assistants vs. Coordinators. SAC briefly discussed the issue but decided that it would be best to wait for the arrival of the new VP of HR to pursue the reasoning behind this. In the interim it should be noted that anyone can ask the Provost's Office for a review of their position to see if the position is graded properly.

Winter Gathering Timing

A question was posed as to why the Winter Gathering seems to always fall on the last day of class. HR said that they make every effort to not have the gathering on the last day of class and it usually never is. Unfortunately this year due to the schedules of the key people involved it was the only time that worked. They also try not to make it too late into the month as a lot of people would miss the event due to vacations.

Determination of Usage for Campus Space

Library staff was told that they could not use Ashton House for an event in December and was wondering who determines the usage of space on campus. There was also an issue with the Wellness Group using Scheuer for their events. Susan Smythe said that the policy regarding the use of Ashton House was changed last semester and that the first floor of the space was no longer available to use for department events. Reservations for the rest of campus space should be made through the EMS system. It was suggested that the Wellness Group talk to Patricia Maloney in the beginning of the semester to find a space that will work for their events. Facilities only has 1 person that is responsible for set up and break down of spaces on campus so there are times when a room will not be available because there is not enough manpower to breakdown the room 2-3 times in one day. Back-to-back events can cause an issue for EVS staffing as well.

Staff Development Week

Staff development week is January 10^th through the 12^th. Please encourage staff to look at the website, http://www.swarthmore.edu/SDW2012.xml, to sign up for events. Supervisors are asked to post the schedule for those staff members that do not readily access email and the internet. No one is expected to attend all the events, but should instead pick and choose the events that appeal to them. Advance registrations will close on Thursday, January 5 to allow for final plans. So register today!

Being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 10:45am.

Next meeting will be on January 18, 2012 at 9:30 in Scheuer.

Respectfully submitted,
Kelly Fitzpatrick
Whittier Circle Representative