Staff Assembly Meeting Minutes
September 2, 2003
Members
Attending: Chris
Arreguin, Ruben Ayala, Ross Bailey, Karen Baker, Mcleod Baker, Lois Biege, Gay
Boydston, Jonathan Brown, Emily Burgwyn, Alice Carter, Nancy Carter, Randy Cobb,
Carlene Coover, Brad Davis, Dan Dehart, Kay Edmondson, Craig Elders, Marilyn
Eudaly, Roger Fisher, Ervey Garcia, Rocio Garcia, Rebecca Glass, Julie Graver,
Mesina Gray, David Grebel, Nancy Grieser, Josh Harmon, Dorothy Holland, John
Householder, Sharon Hudson, Pam Hughes, Mary Kaszynski, Mary Lane, Joe Laster,
Tommy Love, Debbie Mar, Valeria McDougle, Amy McDurham, Kevin O’Connell,
Gabriel Perez, Tara Pope, Melinda Rubenkoenig, Barbara Savak, Emily Sullivan,
Tracy Syler-Doctson, DeVonna Tinney, Hao Tran, Darron Turner, Robert Vann, Juan
Varela, Shawn Wagner, Esco Weatherspoon, Paula Work, David Yale, and Richard
Yantis.
Guests:
Chancellor
Victor Boschini, Nadia Lahutsky (Chair of the Faculty Senate), Kurk Gayle
(Director of the Intensive English Program), and Robin Williamson (Director of
Community Service).
Members
Absent: John
Butler, Jackie Callanan, Maria Leyva, and Donna Shepherd.
Welcome:
The meeting was called to order at 3:32 p.m.
Chair David Grebel introduced Nadia Lahutsky, chair of the Faculty
Senate, and Chancellor Victor Boschini, both of whom greeted the Assembly.
Minutes:
The June minutes were approved as
submitted.
Chair’s
Report:
Grebel introduced three at-large members appointed to the Staff Assembly:
Julie Graver and Rocio Garcia from residential housekeeping and Shawn
Wagner from the student center. He
told members how to submit agenda items and reminded them of their
responsibilities to the Staff Assembly and to their constituents.
Announcements:
Kurk Gayle announced that English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) classes are
available to TCU employees and the Fort Worth community.
TCU employees are allowed one free class each semester.
Contact the Intensive English Program for assessment and advising (ext.
7485 or iep@tcu.edu) or Extended Education
(ext. 7130 or www.lifelong.tcu.edu)
to register.
Robin
Williamson encouraged staff members to attend TCU LEAPS on October 4 at 9:00
a.m. Last year 750 students and
employees participated in this day of community service.
For more information or to volunteer, contact Robin at ext. 7830 or
R.Williamson@tcu.edu.
Roger
Fisher, co-chair of the university’s Retirement, Insurance and Benefits (RIB)
Committee, reported that changes to TCU’s benefits program were proposed by
the administration and recommended by the RIB Committee.
Invited John Hancock
Insurance Company to submit a proposal for long-term care insurance.
More information will be forthcoming after the proposal’s
submission.
Recommended eliminating
benefits for temporary employees. Currently,
with the exception of retirement, benefits are granted to temporary faculty
who teach at least nine hours a semester or six hours in summer school and
staff who are employed at least four and one half months at 75% time.
This change would affect all temporary employees hired after Jan. 1,
2004. Temporary faculty and staff hired prior to the effective
date would be grandfathered until the completion of their temporary
appointment, provided they continue to meet current requirements and
continue to participate in eligible plans. [Although it was not mentioned at the meeting, it
is estimated that this change will save the university approximately
$140,000 per year according to the Aug. 28, 2003, minutes of the RIB
Committee.]
Recommended changing the
TCU tuition benefits for employee dependents.
Currently, eligible employee dependents receive full tuition
assistance benefits after one year of employment.
Under the proposed plan, eligible dependents would receive a waiver
of 50% of tuition after one year of employment and 100% tuition after three
years of employment. This
change would affect all employees hired after Jan. 1, 2004.
Faculty and staff hired into regular positions before the effective
date of this change would be grandfathered under the current tuition
assistance policy. [Although it
was not mentioned at the meeting, it is estimated that this change will save
the university approximately $340,000 per year according to the Aug. 28,
2003, minutes of the RIB Committee.]
Recommended eliminating the
provision of allowing a dependent child that does not meet TCU admissions
requirements to attend another Texas college or university and receive full
tuition benefits. The
university has an alternative that was not available when this provision was
incorporated into the Tuition Assistance Policy.
The alternative is the Tuition Exchange Program, a national program
with over 500 participating institutions.
The university exports and imports dependent children without an
exchange of funds between schools. It
was recommended that the change become effective January 1, 2004, and that
dependent children of faculty and staff employed on December 31, 2003, be
allowed to participate in this benefit provided the dependent child meets
all requirements of the current Tuition Policy and attends another Texas
college or university no later than fall term 2005.
[Although it was not mentioned at the meeting, it is estimated that
this change will save the university approximately $80,000 per year
according to the Aug. 28, 2003, minutes of the RIB Committee.]
The
recommendations of the RIB Committee have been forwarded to the administration.
Planning
Session: Members,
grouped by committees, had small discussions about priorities for the Staff
Assembly in 2003-04. Each group
reported their recommendations, and these will be compiled and summarized for
the October meeting.
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 4:55 p.m.