Attending: Nancy Brady, Marti Hobbes, Merrilyn Lewis, Steve Monteiro, Laura Matta, Karen LeHouiller, Kim Allen, Laura Rauscher, Adrian Beaulieu, Susan Hollingsworth, Jan Cole, Jinny Mason, Karen Hebert, Tara Zidonik, Janice McDowell, Chris Carr Hill, Patricia Swan

Excused: Adrianne Andrews, Linda LaFlam, Diane Mikucki, Janine Nye, Linda Rainville, Mike Washut

Guests: Sandy Bycenski, Lou Ann Krawczynski, Lauren Seidman '04
 
I. Feb. 5 minutes were approved.

II. COMMITTEE REPORTS

Activities

Merrilyn said although Staff Council declined participation in the Rally Day show this year, she'd like the activities committee to add it to its agenda for 2004-05. Someone suggested that the activities committee contact Sam Rush of Theatre to ask if he could find a student who could help with creating a skit. (This is what Staff Council did last year.)

Personnel Policy Committee hasn't met since last Staff Council meeting; will meet next week.Nominations and Elections hasn't met yet; however, they will be meeting next week. Serena Harris resigned as chair, so Kim Allen is looking for volunteers to help. She'd like to get nomination forms out by the first or second week of March. Next week she plans to send an e-mail to all staff announcing upcoming elections.

Communications

Tara Zidonik has been working on re-designing the brochure. It's almost ready.

The spring issue of the Council Chronicle is nearly complete thanks to the design efforts of Ferris Shelton, and they hope to get it out by mid-March. Karen Hebert is putting the finishing touches on a staff resource directory. The plan is to continue to distribute hard copies of the Council Chronicle via bulk mail to all staff.

Ad Hoc Diversity Committee

Patricia Swan presented the committee's plan for cultural awareness programming in 2004-05 and said since it will require significant involvement by Staff Council representatives, she needs to know whether we think the ideas are feasible. Some ideas for cultural awareness programs include a family heritage event at which staff would showcase their different kinds of families -- maybe starting with Staff Council members and then expanding the program to the rest of the campus in two years; designating the fall for a cultural event and the spring for an open event, like a lecture. Someone from the Activities committee suggested that rather than directly organizing diversity events, the committee might consider setting aside funds to sponsor student affinity groups.

Merrilyn had one more suggestion for diversity committee: she thought they might consider inviting a speaker, Jane Elliott, a teacher from Iowa whose "blue eyes/brown eyes" experiment provides a compelling lesson for anti-racist education. Merrilyn said there are funds available specifically for lectures and that Staff Council could underwrite such a talk. Also OMA and institutional diversity could help out.

Ad Hoc Parade Float Committee

Staff Council plans to give $300 to the effort, bringing the total budget for the parade float to $1,400. Also they can ask Activities Committee for more money.

They plan to construct the float components in the sculpture courtyard and get community involvement.

III. OLD BUSINESS
IV. NEW BUSINESS

A. Karen LeHouiller received a letter from Janet Hukowicz about parking problems at Lamont House. According to Hukowicz, staff are regularly blocked into the lot by delivery trucks, and after repeated complaints to Dining Services, the problem continues. Merrilyn suggested Janet send her letter to Public Safety. Someone pointed out that although the cars have gotten bigger over the years, the size of the parking spaces has stayed the same. Someone said Gary Hartwell has a log of all the parking places on campus.

B. Student Lauren Seidman introduced herself to the Staff Council reps and said she wanted to attend one of our meetings because she's worried about dining issues and diversity issues, and she feels that students are not listened to by the administration until the last minute when it's too late. She wondered if staff had the same experience. Sandy Bycenski, who said she's been at Smith 30 years, said in the last ten years, she's seen a huge improvement in the administration's communication efforts with staff. Others commented that they felt administration was very accessible and forthcoming in the most recent round of budget cuts, citing the forums as well as senior staff brown bag lunches.

Lauren also asked if Staff Council felt it was being involved in the choice of the next diversity director. Someone told Lauren that indeed we did and that the search committee even attended a recent staff council meeting to solicit suggestions.

Lauren's third question was about what Staff Council thought of the faculty retirement plan, which she believes will force younger professors to retire.

She also asked Staff Council if we could suggest a faculty advisor for her student group's coalition-style activism efforts.

C. The leadership training with Carol Bevan-Bogart for March has been rescheduled to April, from noon to 2 p.m.

D. The Training and Development brochure will soon be distributed by Human Resources. The classes focus on change and stress, including two sessions with Jan Morton and Izzy Gissell.

E. The letter from Susan Hollingsworth raising concerns about walkway safety on campus during inclement weather and whether appropriate decisions are being made about weather delays will be forwarded to Lianne Sullivan- Crowley via the Personnel Policy Committee.
F. Merrilyn asked reps what they felt the general pulse is on campus.
 
Steve Monteiro said recently Ruth, Bill Brandt and Rick Myers met with Physical Plant staff and that the budget cuts could affect up to ten positions. He remarked that the last round of layoffs last fall was upbeat because the departures were voluntary; i.e., people taking the package, but this time the layoffs will be involuntary and, consequently, morale is low.

Someone remarked that at least unionized staff have some control via their labor union over how the cuts will take place; but non-unionized staff do not have that control.
 
Submitted by Marti Hobbes, co-secretary.