September 4, 2008
I. Call to Order
Meeting called to order on September 4, 2008 at 1:35PM by Staff Senate Chair Casey Comoroski.
II. Roll Call
Present members
- Casey Comoroski
- Konya Knackstedt
- Lenord McGownd
- Cathy McFall
- John Avery
- Cindi Barnett
- Kelly Barnts
- Ron Boaz
- Debbie Branson
- Patrick Day
- Marian Green
- Norm Griffith
- Tabitha Haynes
- Lisa Langston
- Steve Lowery
- Janelle Melton
- Dennis Perry
- Terry Plank
- Teresa Steele
- Jaimie Trussell
- Lynette Walker
- Christopher Herr
Absent members
- Troy Black
- Donald Clark
- SuzAnn Ferguson
- Sue McCrory
- Orlando Hodges
Guests
- None
III. Approval of Minutes
The Senate approved the June minutes and made a correction to the August minutes. Both June and August minutes were approved.
IV. Meeting
Executive Committee Report
Casey Comoroski reported on the Executive Committee's meeting with Dr. Nietzel, Paul Kincaid and Greg Burris. We updated the group about:
- the very successful Staff Picnic in July
- looking at a smoke free campus
- the Staff Senate Scholarship
- the 2008-09 initiatives
In regards to initiatives, Dr. Nietzel brought up some concerns about the smoke-free campus. He indicated that Legal Counsel and others had been looking into this issue and discovered a State law stating that a smoking area would need to be set aside for smokers to use. It appears that this issue is a complex one and we look forward the Smoke-Free subcommittee's report in the near future. Dr. Nietzel indicated that the Administrative Council has already examined the issue of increasing fee waivers for staff and faculty. The Admin Council has approved an increase from 12 to 15 credit hours for staff and faculty. They also have approved that up to 6 hours of that waiver could be used to offset the fees associated with Greenwood Lab School. Dr. Nietzel was pleased to hear that a plan had been worked out with Sodexo to provide discounted meals in a package of 10 meals. More information to follow...
Website
Casey wanted to thank Tabitha Haynes for stepping up and taking charge in updating the Staff Senate's website.
Committee Reports
Work-Life
Konya reported that the committee's final report should be issued soon and delivered to Dr. Nietzel and the Admin Council
Campus Rec Center
They have hired an architect and focus groups will be formed in the upcoming months to get input
Staff Senate Scholarship
Jaimie gave an overview of the finalized wording of the Scholarship. She brought to everyone's attention that the wording originally stated that an employee had to be at Missouri State for 2 years before they could apply for the Scholarship. Most scholarships require only 1 year of employment and you can be a Senator after only 1 year of employment. A motion was made and seconded to change the requirement to be 1 year of employment.
Denim Day
Cathy McFall gave a report about Denim Day. Below is a calendar of events:
| Date | Time | Event |
|---|---|---|
| September 24 | 1PM | "Locks of Love" Tressa Arnette, staff member, donated her hair for cancer patients |
| September 27 | 1PM | "Paint the Campus Pink" by tying ribbons on trees and light posts |
| September 28 | 4PM | Missouri State Making Strides for Cancer 5K Run/Walk at Nathaniel Greene Park. T-shirts and awards will be given, and all participants completing the race will receive a free admission ticket to a home football or volleyball game. |
| September 29-October 2 | 11AM-1PM | Donate $5.00 at the collection table located on the 2nd floor in Plaster Student Union and receive a coupon for a free slice of pizza |
| September 29-October 2 | All Day | Pay to wear jeans on Friday, October 3 - see a collection coordinator to make a donation |
| September 29-October 2 | All Day | Collection containers will also be located at all Union vendor locations |
| October 1 | 11AM-1PM | University-wide luncheon sponsored by Sodexo in the Plaster Student Union Ballroom |
| October 1 | All Day | Kaldi's Coffee, Union and Library locations, will donate 10% of sales to the philanthropy |
| October 3 | All Day | Lee National Denim Day - wear your pink ribbon and jeans to show your support |
| October 15 & November 4 | The St. John's Wellness Bus will be here to do mammograms. |
Cathy and Casey will be working with some student athletes to collect donations at the home football games. Last year's goal was $3000 and we made $8000. This year the goal was moved to $10,000. Cathy is hoping to have A Cub Bella, the women's acapella group, perform during the luncheon on October 1.
Discussion
A question was brought to the floor about what measuring will be occurring this year for staff to offset their contributions to their health insurance. Casey was going to look into this issue and report back to the Senate next meeting.
A reminder was given for Greg Burris' going away party on September 9 from 3-5 in the Union Club.
A motion was made and passed to adjourn the meeting at 2:05PM
Submitted by Lenord McGownd