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17 November 2010

Staff Advisory Council
Meeting Minutes for 17 November 2010

Attendance:

Cathy Pescatore, Lisa Maginnis, Kelly Fitzpatrick, Linda Hunt, Mary Marissen, Cassy Burnett, Lynn Grady, Sheila Magee, Pat Hearty, Tami Gura, John Dukes, Betsy Durning, Terry McGrath, Carolyn Vance, Patti Shields, Ursula Young

Ex-Officio Members:

Melanie Young, Sharmaine LaMar

Winter Gathering

  • This year the award ceremony will be held in the Lang Concert Hall on Friday, December 10th
  • SAC has been asked to help people move throughout the facility and assist with handing out programs, so please arrive early to help.

Giving Tree

SAC is sponsoring the "Giving Tree" project again this year. Tami Gura is heading the project. About 5 "Trees" are expected to be up around campus by 11/22. Melanie asked that the email regarding the "Giving Tree" and "Adopt a Family" be sent by Friday, 11/19. Tami talked about distributing disposable cameras to the families and Melanie offered to have HR purchase them.

Whittier Circle Nursery School Traffic

A concern was brought to SAC regarding the traffic that backs up in Whittier Circle during nursery school drop offs and pickups.  A SAC representative contacted the Nursery school to discuss the problem.

  • Nursery school drivers who arrive before 9:00am know they may be asked to move if they are blocking the circle, so if you encounter a line of traffic please ask the individuals to drive around.
  • If you encounter resistance please call the Nursery Staff at 610-328-8584 or Public Safety @ x8333.

Dress Code

A concern was brought to SAC as to why a certain department was no longer allowed to wear denim. The office in question felt they were being discriminated against since other offices on campus are allowed to wear denim.

  • The office in question has since been given an answer as to why the dress code has changed for their office, and after discussion resolved the issue.
  • Many SAC representatives were unaware that a dress code policy exists. http://www.swarthmore.edu/x57355.xml
  • Staff should be aware of the policy. If disagreements occur, they can contact HR for further discussion.

Equal Opportunity Advisory Committee

2 staff representatives are needed to serve a 3-year appointment. After reviewing the position criteria, candidates were discussed and through a SAC vote Angela Andrews and Melanie Maksin were selected. Angela and Melanie were contacted and both accepted the nomination.

First Friday

SAC members discussed resurrecting some form of First Friday. The committee thought it was a great idea but that some changes were needed to make it a success.

  • Instead of monthly gatherings there would just be 1 meeting a semester.
  • The locations will change per meeting and will be held during lunch.
  • Betsy Durning, Lisa McGinnis and Terry McGrath volunteered to head the project.

Pets in the Workplace

Representatives from EVS were present to discuss the ongoing issues encountered with allowing pets in the work place. Some of the issues raised were:

  • Fear that animals pose to some of the staff and students on campus
  • Allergies
  • Long term wear and tear on administrative space occupied by staff with pets
  • Safety of faculty, staff, students and visitors on campus

After a lengthy discussion, SAC members agreed to present a request to the President's Staff, via Melanie Young, to consider revising the policy and removing pets from the workplace.

Recycling

EVS representatives fielded questions from SAC members regarding the recycling procedures currently in place. There have been some concerns from people on campus that recycling was not being handled properly. Patti Shields assured SAC members that EVS staff is recycling properly. Patti also asked that if any staff member notices something amiss to please contact her to discuss, the sooner the better.

  • SAC members thought it would be a good idea to do a recycling education campaign on Campus.
  • Sheila Magee will contact Earthlust to see if they could assist us with the project.
  • If you need recycling receptacles in your space please contact EVS.

Staff Development Week

Staff Development week 2011 is scheduled for January 11-13. If you have an interesting talent or hobby that you would like to showcase during the event, or know of a coworker that does, please let the SDW 2011 Planning Group know. You may email: staffdw@swarthmore.edu

Being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 10:55am.

Next meeting will be in December 15, 2010.

Respectfully submitted,
Kelly Fitzpatrick
Whittier Circle Representative