Staff Council president: Staff solidarity is a must

Charlie Eastham. Photo by Tom Jorgensen.

Charlie Eastham, a desktop support analyst and team leader for Health Care Information Systems at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, is the 2003-04 Staff Council president. He moved to Iowa City in 1971 to attend law school and has been either a student or University employee nearly continuously since then. This is his third year on Staff Council.

Eastham took some time recently to reflect on his involvement with the council and to discuss current and upcoming campus issues.

Why did you decide to get involved with Staff Council?

In part, I got involved at the invitation of some people I knew on the council who I respected and who found that involvement in University governance was effective and interesting. Also, I thought I'd gone well past the time to stop complaining about this and that and be a little more committed and active. I think people on the council, including myself, believe that personally we have something of value to offer and we want the University to succeed, not only as a university but as an integral part of the community and of the state of Iowa.

And how do you see your new role as president?

Of course, each term a president serves has its own unique circumstances and challenges, and hopefully I will be able to address some of the current issues. I am delighted that I am able to work with the previous president, the vice president, and the other members of the executive committee and all the Staff Council members who I think are all extremely well qualified, committed, and dedicated to improving the University and its staff's well-being.

What do you expect will be those “unique challenges and circumstances” coming up in the next year for Staff Council?

We're going to continue providing advice and input that the University administration has asked us to provide on budgetary issues, including salary policies and ways of addressing increased health care costs. We want to continue the Staff Council programs that provide tuition and professional development assistance to staff members, and we would like to expand those programs if possible. We are looking forward to a successful Staff Celebration Day in the latter part of May—a time for all staff to have a good time, get to know each other a little better, and brag about ourselves and how we contribute to the University.

How have the budget concerns affected staff, and what can Staff Council do to ease the pain?

The annual allocation of state funds has been declining and that has made it difficult for staff members to maintain their salary at levels adequate to meet their needs and those of their families. That is, of course, a concern to us. I think one of Staff Council's roles can be to communicate to all staff at the University that we are a valuable and important part of the University's mission and that our efforts are appreciated by the University community. Hopefully we can convey that message well to staff members and provide some encouragement as we deal with reductions in annual budgets.

What would you say to those people who question the fairness that merit staff continue to receive guaranteed raises because their contract calls for it, but P&S staff have no guarantees?

It's my understanding that if we actually look at recent history and compare average increases in salaries for P&S and increases in salaries for staff who are represented by bargaining units, the differences may not be quite as much as you might think. It is certainly true that staff within bargaining units have, in some years, had larger percentage increases; I think Staff Council is urging administration to continue its past practice of providing percentage increases for P&S staff that are as close as possible to the percentage increase that bargaining unit staff have received. It's important, also, that we maintain ourselves as a community of all staff and that we don't succumb to the temptation to divide ourselves along the lines of who's receiving the largest increases and who's receiving the smallest increases. It can be divisive in budget times.

How will Staff Council work with the new University president?

I'm just delighted to have the opportunity to work with President Skorton. I've known him since the early '80s and have had the opportunity to work with him in doing research in the Department of Internal Medicine. I believe President Skorton has been very encouraging in saying he wants to know the viewpoints of staff members. He is committed to working closely with staff and faculty in resolving not only budgetary and salary issues but all issues we face as members of this university community.

What will the combined faculty/staff governmental relations committee be doing this year to support the University at the Legislature?

I think they're particularly interested in expanding the number of times people from the University, both faculty and staff, are able to go to communities and talk about what they do as members of the University community and how their own individual work helps the state and its residents, as well as helping fulfill the University core mission.

Are there some ways you're going about trying to boost participation and interest in Staff Council around campus?

One way is to make Staff Council more visible. We try to take every opportunity we can to get Staff Council activities publicized. As other staff members become familiar with the council and what our role is, their interest will expand. We invite staff members to attend the monthly Staff Council meetings, and we hope staff members visit our web page (www.uiowa.edu/~stafcnsl), particularly to read information about staff tuition scholarships and professional development programs, as well as the staff excellence award programs.

Article by Amy Schoon