Civil Service Committee

The following summarizes the discussion and action items of the Civil Service Committee at its meeting held at 9 a.m. on Thursday, February 11, 1999 at the Minneapolis campus.

South Mall Project Update

Ms. Towle convened the meeting at 9:00 a.m. and welcomed Rich Straumann to provide an update on the South Mall project. Phase I of the project is well under way, said Mr. Straumann, and includes a new underground parking ramp behind Coffman Union and a new residence hall. Phase II is the renovation of Coffman Union. Funding for Phase II has not been secured. As a 'self-support' building, Coffman Union is expected to fund its own operations through student fee dollars and any revenue generated through various leases and services. The Coffman Board of Governors has undertaken a fundraising feasibility project with the help of the U of M Foundation and learned that private fundraising for this project is not feasible. An analysis of peer student unions across the country shows that in a typical model, 75 percent is student fee funded and 25 percent comes from other revenues. Coffman Union's original construction and past renovation were funded primarily by student fees. Given this information, the Coffman Board of Governors has asked the Student Services Fees Committee to support the Coffman renovation project by recommending an increase in the student service fee of $15 per semester during the next three years and after that period of time $45 per semester. Some end-of-year profits from Food Service may be returned to Coffman, but that is speculative.

Ten of the most important facilities and services students want in Coffman include:

• more accessible short term parking
• bookstore
• computer lab
• post office
• first run movie theater
• air conditioning
• additional quiet lounge space
• discount ticket office
• copy center
• food choices with national/local brands

Bringing in these kinds of facilities/services, of course, will bring in revenue to help support the project. Currently, vendors are reluctant to locate in Coffman because of the low traffic. It is expected that with the renovation, the traffic will increase dramatically not only by students but faculty and staff as well.

The following proposed timeline assumes Coffman will be closed during the renovation. A partial closure of the building would add approximately two years between the "begin" date and "completion" date and 30 percent to the cost:

• Student Services Fees decision, March 1999
• Architect hired, Spring 1999
• Bid and awarding of construction contract, Winter/Spring 1999-2000
• Renovation begin date, Winter/Spring 1999-2000
• Completion date, Fall 2001

Goals of the renovation include:

• adding more student centered services, such as a 24-hour computer lab, satellite financial aid, student employment and registrar services, etc.
• re-establishing Coffman as the center of student life and activities on campus
• making Coffman a user-friendly, brighter, more comfortable facility
• upgrading and air conditioning the aging building structure
• providing more students leadership and involvement opportunities through Coffman's Program Council, Governing Board, student employment, internships, graduate assistantships, and student organization opportunities

Phase III of the South Mall project would involve a transit system, skyway system, and redesign of the East side of Coffman.

Mr. Straumann said he and Maggie Towle, Director of Coffman Union, would be willing to return in April at which time they will know more about the funding of Phase II.

Ms. Towle thanked Mr. Straumann for the report and said the committee will look forward to another update in April.

Committee Business

Approval of Minutes

The December and January meeting minutes were approved as presented.

Chair's Report

President Yudof is scheduled to meet with the committee in March and Vice President Carrier in May. Between now and May Ms. Towle and several other committee members will meet with Vice President Carrier to discuss Civil Service employee issues. Ms. Towle also reminded members of the March 18 dinner at Buca Restaurant in St. Paul.

Vice Chair's Report

Stephanie Dilworth reported that she has been working with the Communications & Public Relations Subcommittee on Staff Day and with the Compensation Subcommittee. Reports from both subcommittees will be provided later in the meeting.

Treasurer's Report

Deb Melander distributed the budget worksheet for the period ending 1/31/99. It showed that the committee is still working within its proposed budget. She noted a $220 expense that was incorrectly charged to the Committee and will be corrected.

Human Resources Update

Kaye Aho updated the Committee on the Student Support Services Assistant classification. At this time, all employees who will be moved into AFSCME have been notified of the change. The change will take effect after March 1. Of the 34 positions reviewed, 21 were determined to be clerical positions and, thus, will be moved into AFSCME. For the time being, there will continue to be two parallel classes, one for clerical and one for professional.

In response to a question concerning using the same title for both classes, Ms. Aho said hiring authorities will have to make determinations based on the responsibilities of the position. Both classifications will be retained for only a limited period of time, that is, until Human Resources implements the new student services classifications for civil service employees.

The grievance procedure is available to employees who disagree with the decision. Ms. Towle suggested the Advocacy Subcommittee be asked to inquire into this matter.

The unions have also informally indicated an interest in examining the executive assistant classification. Some members expressed concern over this trend and questioned the unions rationale. Chair Towle emphasized the importance of the Civil Service Committee being kept informed of any further developments or initiatives by the unions.

As a result of the information technology compensation study conducted by Human Resources, there has been some discussion about establishing an information technology specialist classification within the technical unit, said Ms. Aho. The discussion is not centered around the issue of moving people into this new classification, but around creating a classification that can accommodate individuals who provide local technical support.

Ms. Aho was also pleased to announce that the job analysis for the student services professional category is complete and recommendations will be presented to the Classifications Subcommittee on February 16.

In closing, Ms. Aho announced her retirement from the University at the end of February. On behalf of the committee, Ms. Towle thanked Ms. Aho for her outstanding work with the University and Committee during the past several years. The Committee hoped she could join their March dinner and wished her well in her new endeavors.

Subcommittee Reports

Communications & Public Relations Subcommittee

George Hoh was pleased to announce that plans for Staff Day are moving forward and that there has been support from the administration, faculty, and academic professionals. The proposal is close to being approved. At this time, Coca Cola, Aramark, Human Resources, and the Bookstores have all agreed to sponsor the event. Mr. Hoh especially thanked Roger Forrester for his time and talent in securing the sponsorhips. He anticipates the budget to be between $22K and $32K. The U of M Foundation has declined sponsorship.

The committee is communicating with the coordinate campuses to join in the event. Thus far, Duluth and Morris have responded. The Staff Association at Morris has suggested that all non-staff wear pins that say "We count on you!"

Two small chorus groups and a small orchestra have been formed to perform at Staff Day and are practicing on a regular basis. Ms. Towle proposed that they be asked to perform in advance for the committee. Mr. Hoh will make that arrangement.

Staff Day is scheduled for June 2, 11:00-2:00 at Coffman Union and the St. Paul campus terrace. Free T-shirts and food will be given away. Besides entertainment, there will be speakers, booths, a food drive, and recognition of civil service staff. Governor Ventura has been invited and the Subcommittee is awaiting his response.

Mr. Hoh also touched on the Sesquicentennial plans. The Sesquicentennial Committee has decided to sponsor four signature events: State Fair prelude in August 2000; TC campus kick-off in September 2000; Charter Day on February 25, 2001; and a Finale in May 2001. Mr. Hoh suggested the Civil Service Committee take a pro-active position in involving civil service employees in these events.

Reporting on communications, Ms. Williamson said she had reestablished the committee listserve. The new address is: csc-list@socsci.umn.edu. She has also become the owner of the "um-uccsc" listserve that contains approximately 385 subscribers.

The Committee agreed to hold publication of In Touch until April when it can feature Staff Day, include compensation information and, hopefully, the Civil Service Rules changes.

Compensation and Classification Subcommittee

Mary Berg presented the Compensation Subcommittee report. The Subcommittee has reviewed the salary principles and past compensation plans. It is discussing whether the civil service plan should be similar to the AFSCME plan (i.e. across the board increases) or to be more reflective of the plan for P&A (i.e. include flexibility to provide for merit increases). The salary principles will allow for both, but constituents will need to be informed of what that means. It will also be important to let their constituents know why the compensation plan might not be approved by July 1, the date it will be effective.

The Governor's budget recommended a 3% increase and an additional 2% for faculty. The University's request included a 3% cost of living increase for both years of the biennium and an additional 2% increase both years to fund merit and market increases for faculty and staff. Committee members expressed concern over the Governor's recommendation to single out the faculty to receive a higher percentage increase. This will make the second year that staff have been overlooked.

The Subcommittee is also concerned with the way the increases have been delivered in the past. By implementing a 2.7% increase effective July 1 and then 2% January 1, the net cost of the first year of the biennium is approximately 3.6%. It would be more desirable for the full increase to be effective July 1.

Employee Benefits Subcommittee

Gavin Watt distributed a breakdown of benefits by employee group. It appears the most glaring difference is in the retirement plans. Faculty and P&A contribute 2% to the faculty retirement plan and the University contributes 13%. In the MSRS plan, employees contribute 4% of their salary and the University 4%. The Subcommittee has discussed with Bob Fahnhorst making the retirement plans more equitable. The University is not able to change the terms of the MSRS plan, but it would be possible for the University to contribute to employee 403B plans. They could contribute even if the employee does not. The Subcommittee believes this is an avenue that should be pursued and it will continue to discuss this option with Mr. Fahnhorst.

The Subcommittee will also continue to look at the comparison data during the next month or two, solicit input from civil service employees, and meet with Bob Fahnhorst, John Erickson and other appropriate administrators in the hope of reaching some preliminary recommendations by April.

One person raised the proposal in the new Civil Service Rules that would allow an employee to buy out up to five vacation days per year.

Mr. Watt also serves on the Health Plan Task Force which is discussing health care options. The University, he said, has hired a consultant, Watson Wyatt, to gather data and help the Task Force understand its options. The first report of the consultants was presented at a meeting a couple of weeks ago and they will be meeting with the Task Force again on February 18. According to the preliminary data, it appears that the University is paying more than it needs to for health care.

Finance Subcommittee

Deb Melander distributed a draft FY00 budget. It included a proposal to contribute to the printing costs of the Civil Service Rules book. However, the Committee did not believe it should be responsible for any portion of the printing costs for University employment documents. It knows of no other constituent group that is asked to do so from its own budget. Therefore, the proposal was amended to reflect that change and then unanimously approved. It will be forwarded to the Senate Office for consideration during the budget process. The Subcommittee anticipates the printing costs for the Rules book will be approximately $3,850 and will submit that as a special fund request to the Senate and President along with the proposed budget for next year.

Professional Development Subcommittee

The Subcommittee recommended the approval of two professional development applications, one for a conflict management class and the other for a training program. The full committee concurred and approved both applications. Wendy Williamson said she has also met with the Recognition Event Committee to begin plans for the annual event. The committee is thinking about a 2-hour cruise on one of the river boats from Boom Island. The date has been set for June 3.

Ms. Williamson has also met with the Gifts Selection Committee to upgrade the gifts program for long-term civil service and bargaining unit employees. Roger Forrester has secured an increase in funding for this program which will allow the Committee to explore higher quality gift choices.

Rules Subcommittee

Ms. Towle announced that she has not heard back from the Administration concerning the proposed Rules changes.

Search Subcommittee for C.S. Vacancies

Mr. Felipe reported that broader advertising has been done to solicit nominations for Civil Service Committee membership as suggested by the Committee in January. It included placing an announcement in the February edition of KIOSK, in BRIEF, and on the Civil Service Committee listserv. A letter from President Yudof is also being sent to the deans, directors, and department heads informing them of the vacancies, stressing the importance of the committee's work, and encouraging the DDDs to submit nominations and allow employees time off to participate in University governance.

Mr. Felipe said he is also seeking individuals to serve on the search committee.

Strategic Planning Subcommittee

The next meeting of the Subcommittee is scheduled for March.