Staff Council president outlines the year's challenges and changes

Pat Kenner

fyi: It seems that your tenure in office began with a baptism by fire. What issues have you dealt with since you became president of Staff Council?

Kenner: Wow! At my first meeting, the council voted to approve a resolution against hate and in support of the students, staff, and faculty at the College of Dentistry. A great many councilors marched in the Walk the Talk march to the College. In May, I attended my first meeting of the Board of Regents and thanked them for their recommendation to accept a salary policy that mirrored President Coleman’s 4% average increase. This increase was to be funded at 3.75% by central administration and .25% by the departments since the legislature did not allocate enough money to fully fund the policy. Another issue early on was the domestic partner insurance plan. At that first meeting in April, Staff Council voted unanimously to support the proposal. In June, Carolyn Colvin, president of Faculty Senate, and Sheldon Kurtz, co-chair of the Funded Retirement and Insurance Committee, and I attended the Board of Regents meeting to show our support.

The new parking proposal has been a very tough issue. We have been working with Dave Ricketts of Parking and Transportation to resolve the issue equitably. The current proposal, awaiting approval by President Coleman, is not ideal for staff, but at least faculty and staff will be treated equally on a waiting list, with their names coming up based on years of seniority. That means that a UI employee who has ridden his or her bike for years and then needs to drive, won’t be penalized for not having had their name on a parking waiting list.

Parking will continue to be a front-page issue at the University, and it needs to be considered whenever buildings are remodeled, designed, or constructed. And we need to continue to work with the Parking office to come up with incentives to encourage people to carpool or use alternate transportation.

fyi: What are some other issues you’ll be looking at this year?

Kenner: As part of a review process, we’re looking into revising the grievance process for professional and scientific staff. Since the policy was last reviewed, there have been a number of alternative opportunities made available for dealing with disputes before they reach the stage where they need to be dealt with formally. Those groups and organizations include the Staff Council peer support group, the mediation program, the employee assistance program, UI WorkLife, and others. We’d like to see a grievance policy that is more user-friendly. I’ve been exploring what is done at other Big 10 schools as well as talking to the Office of the Ombudsperson and other programs on and off campus.

President Coleman has charged the members of the Staff Council and the Faculty Senate budget committees to work together with the President’s Council on Strategic Implementation to generate ideas for dealing with the underfunding of the UI’s budget request.

We are also concerned with the rising costs of health insurance and issues of internal reallocation.

On a more fun note, Staff Council will continue to support those things that provide opportunities for staff members, such as Preparing Our Sons and Daughters for Life activities, supporting daycare issues through the Office of Family Services, continuing our support of professional development opportunities, and other activities. This year’s Staff Celebration Day was the most successful one yet—we counted a thousand people coming through the door—and we’ll certainly continue to support that. The opportunities provided by the Coke funds and by the Mary Jo Small Fellowships, which provide tuition support for staff development, have been a good thing, and their benefits are shared across the campus.

It’s a continual challenge to unite the east and west sides of the river and to make sure that the folks at Oakdale feel they’re a part of things.

Using Coke funds, we are implementing a longevity recognition program, asking HR unit representatives to help us verify continuous service for all staff. Once this information is complete, our Staff Council office manager will prepare certificates for President Coleman’s signature. These certificates will then be mailed to staff members around the month of their 25th, 30th, 35th, and 40th anniversaries.

In addition, Staff Council will work with faculty, staff, students, and Mark Braun, who directs state relations for the Office of Governmental Relations, to help convey to state legislators the impact of the University statewide. Overall, we’re hoping to take a proactive approach to a lot of issues.

fyi: Phew! It sounds like a busy year. What interested you in taking on such a huge task?

Kenner: This is my sixth year in Staff Council, and I’ve really enjoyed learning about how the university operates. It’s amazing how big it is, and that’s hard to see from the vantagepoint of the single area you work in. Overall, this is a great University, and a good place to work. My goal is to make positive changes and make it even better.

Article by Linzee Kull McCray

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