University of Washington, Tacoma Staff Association
Minutes from the April 20, 2006 General Meeting

Introduction of new employees:

• Ainslie Kopperud, Student Involvement Coordinator
• Maria Trujillo, Program Assistant, IAS
• Tamara Grunhurd, Recruiter/Adviser, Business

Distinguished Service Awards

Jessica Richardson announced the DSA winners.  Congratulations to Bob Hardie and Laurie McKay!  Jessica gave special thanks to those who served on the selection committee and she also noted that there were many outstanding nominations; the selection was a very difficult process.  Bob and Laurie will be recognized at the Founder’s Day Ceremony in May.

Coffee with the Chancellor update

Brian let everyone know that these meeting are currently being scheduled and invitations will be going out to the staff shortly.  These coffee dates will be in an open question and answer format with about ¼ of the staff attending each one. 

Brian also noted that the UWTSA Board has a new contact in the Administration, Jan Rutledge.  The Board members will begin having regular meetings with Jan in order to open communication from the Administration to the staff.  The Board will solicit staff for any questions/concerns via e-mail.

Staff Box Talks

Julie Buffington gave an update on the upcoming staff box talks (schedule attached).

Safety Update

Jessica Roshan gave staff an update on the status of safety at UWT.  Currently, UWT is not on the list to receive assistance from fire departments or police during an emergency situation.  Because of this, we must be aware of safety issues on campus and be ready in case of an emergency. 

Facilities has brackets used to secure cabinets to the walls for everyone on campus at no charge.  Send them an e-mail requesting these for your department.

A few safety tips:

• Know your floor warden
• Get disaster kits for your office
• Keep comfortable shoes at your desk/in your car (Linda Kachinsky)
• Have a plan in case of an emergency--talk about it with your family

Laurie McKay suggested that we do a food drive for emergencies on campus.  We could store the food and then donate it if we don’t use it.  Worries were that we didn’t have a place to store this amount of food.  Jessica Roshan suggested that we keep a personal supply of food at our own desks. 

Brian asked about having this as a topic for a Staff Box Talk.  Julie said that this is already in the works.

BBQ

Naarah gave a brief explanation of the UWTSA finances, and said that we will need to raise some more money before our summer time BBQ.  She handed out donation forms to anyone who was interested in giving to the organization.

She also noted that we need volunteers for the BBQ committee.  Brian will send an e-mail asking for volunteers. 

On a related note, Deana Holmes asked if the UWTSA would be interested being involved with the UWT Taste of Tacoma at the New Student Orientation in the September.  The Board members said “yes!”

Summer Community Service Project

Jessica Roshan and Brian discussed this summer’s upcoming service project.  UWT will work with St. John’s Baptist Church to offer a summer tutoring program.  There will be staff mentoring opportunities during this project, but the details are still being worked out.

There was some concern that this was a religiously affiliated community service project.  Brian stated that he understood the concern, and that the tutoring program will be open to all children, not just members of the church.  More details will follow at a later date.

UWT Budget Committee

The Chancellor is forming a Budget Committee and would like to have a staff representative on it.  The committee will consist of 2 faculty members, 1 staff member, and various administrators.  There was concern that the Chancellor only asked for one staff representative, and Brian said he would check into this.

The committee’s goal will be to help facilitate an open and available budgeting process.  The staff volunteer will serve for 2-3 year terms, will receive training, and will be asked to look broadly across campus lines to figure out the best way to use funding at UWT. 

Brian will send out an e-mail requesting self-nominations.  We will need these nominations by April 29th.

Freshman Issues for Staff

Jessica Roshan summarized an e-mail the Board sent to the Chancellor and her response (attached) regarding the March 30-31 Freshman Training Presentations.  Concern was noted about the timing of the training which was bad for staff because it was during the first week of the quarter.  Others felt that it was more like a brainstorming session and that we needed more concrete information.

Jessica Roshan noted that the UWTSA is the vehicle staff can use to voice concerns.  The Board members want to know staff concerns so that they can be addressed and hopefully resolved.  E?-mail a Board member at any time.

Meeting adjourned.