2012-13 Meeting Summaries

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In Attendance: Marc Bragin, Todd Burson, Chris Ellsworth, Michelle Fidler, Meg Galipault, Cathy Kempton, Mike McCardel, Aaron Miller, Sherrie Moore, Erin O'Neill, Kate Posey, Lee Schott

Old Business

  • End of Year President's Meeting & Years of Service. Mike McCardell reminded members that PACT will meet with President Nugent for a lunch and wrap-up. He added that past, present and future co-chairs will present President Nugent with flowers during the Years of Service event, in appreciation of her leadership at Kenyon. Finally, McCardell noted that the next and final PACT meeting of the year, May 15, will include new members.
  • Annual Reports. McCardell said that he received all committee annual reports and will send them to President Nugent.
  • PACT Election. According to Elections Chair Carol Duvall (email, 5/3/13), the following candidates have been elected to serve on PACT for the 2013-2016 term:

Leslie Harding - Student Affairs, Exempt

Robin Ball - College Relations, Non-Exempt

Steve Martin - Library and Information Services, Exempt

Jared Hoffman, Member-At-Large

Jackie Teater - Finance, Non-Exempt

Barbara Kakiris - Finance, Exempt*

*Note that Barbara's term is actually one-year as a replacement for Todd Burson's seat. Todd is joining senior staff on July 1, 2013. Barbara could run for re-election after the one-year term.

New Business

  • PACT Officers. PACT members voted through an electronic survey for co-chairs, appointing Chris Ellsworth (exempt) and Kate Posey (non-exempt) to serve for the 2013-14 academic year. Michelle Fidler was nominated to serve as secretary, Aaron Miller as treasurer, and Marc Bragin as elections chair. Erin O'Neill moved to vote and Todd Burson seconded the motion. The motion carried with all present voting in favor of the appointments.
  • Committee Assignments. Members who are staying on for the next year selected their committees assignments:

Benefits: Chris Ellsworth, Michelle Fidler

Outreach: Lee Schott, Kate Posey

Communications: Meg Galipault, Marc Bragin

Events: Erin O'Neill

  • Discussion then centered around committee responsibilities. McCardell shared that Carmen King felt that cheer baskets be the responsibility of the outreach committee, rather than events. All agreed that this made sense. He also expressed that PACT needs to work on employee morale and that he would like to see PACT become a representative body with some authority.
  • Communications Recommendation. It was suggested that the communications committee, based on the enthusiasm for the "Get to Know Your PACT Member" emailed profiles, begin featuring non-PACT staff and administrators.
  • Lunches in Honor of Department/Divisions. Marc Bragin recommended that PACT lunches be held in honor of individual divisions/departments as a way to recognize their work.
  • PACT Mailbox Monitoring. Meg Galipault said that she will keep checking the PACT email box during the summer.

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In Attendance: Marc Bragin, Todd Burson, Chris Ellsworth, Aaron Miller, Aimee Parsley-White, E. Mike McCardel, Sherrie Moore, Michelle Fidler, Cathy Kempton, Lee Schott, Kate Posey, Erin O'Neill, Carmen King.

Committee Reports

Benefits: Todd reported on two upcoming meeting

  • April 15th -- The benefits committee will meet with Jennifer Cabral and a member of the company overseeing our self-insured medical plan. The focus of the meeting will be to outline what will be the effects of the new Affordable Healthcare Act.
  • April 23rd (tentatively set for common hour) will be a Town Hall Meeting to present information on the changes coming to our health coverage

There is a lot of confusion regarding how the Affordable HealthCare Act will impact the College's healthcare plan and these meetings will attempt to clear up some of that confusion. 

Events: Carmen reported--

  • March Bingo event well attended. Last Staff Lunch of the year to be Thursday April 18th. Aimee will get Meg the menu for employee-info emails
  • Several more cheer baskets distributed. Continue to keep Carmen updated on employees who might need a basket delivered to them
  • Information about limiting cheer baskets to one per person, with a follow up card if the illness continued was discussed. The duplication of the basket not being necessary, but a second card being more productive (note: perhaps have a few "cheer" 99 cent cards signed & ready to go might be efficient next year).

Communications:

  • The first of the "Getting to know your PACT member" went out and it has been a rousing success. More of these (possibly 2-3) will be distributed each week for the remainder of the term, so please get your information to Meg and E. Mike.
  • 10 facts about the library also distributed. The student info email was also included since the information seemed important enough for the wider distribution
  • New employee list has not been sent out as yet

Outreach:

  • Middle Path Challenge has tapered off, need to revitalize the challenge in preparation of the marathon. Unfortunately the marathon is the same date as a huge visit day on campus.
  • No new employee names to report, the last report was run and names were vetted to be sure they were still here.

New Business

  • Reminder: Annual Reports Due April 26th You can find last year's annual reports at the following location on the P: Drive: P:\Committees\PACT\Annual reports\11-12 annual reports\ Years prior to last can be found in the sub-folders at P:\Committees\PACT\Annual reports\
  • Upcoming Elections — Send names to Carol Duvall for new members. Back in your own divisions encourage people to run for election. The only people who may not run are the members just finishing their current term. We should get out an email very soon announcing the forthcoming election and asking for names of people to serve.
  • Co-chairs and committees for 2013-14-- Elections for next year's co-chairs. Think about who would like to serve as the co-chairs. These elections may need to be done by a specific date (if not, probably best done by the end of April to ensure continuity). Also, members continuing on next year should start thinking about which committees they want to serve on.
  • Recycling event information--Spread the word, this is for personal electronics and will lead up to the Earth Day Events: Saturday April 6th & Saturday April 13th (second week may be cancelled if too much is collected in the first week)From 11 am - 2 pm @ The Recycling Facility(Behind The KAC). This event is for personal electronics. If you have Kenyon-owned electronics that you would like to recycle please contact the helpline at helpline@kenyon.edu or E. Mike McCardel. The event is for the Gambier Community not just Kenyon. Help spread the event information! If you have any questions please contact Jason Kass at kassj@kenyon.edu.
  • Earth Day Challenge and Earth Day Festival.....Sunday April 21st.
    • Marathon - Sign up here: http://www.premierraces.com/viewevent.asp?eventID=649
    • Earth Day Festival, Kenyon Athletic Center, 10am - 2pm. Keep yourself and the planet healthy - two goals that go hand-in-hand! Enjoy this FREE event with exhibits, vendors, kids' activities, farm marketers, live music & more. The event uniquely brings together the best in local resources with over 70 exhibitors. Celebrate Earth Day by shopping green, enjoying entertainment, and connecting with organizations that support healthy living for ourselves and our world. Brought to you by the Brown Family Environmental Center, Knox Co. Park District, and Knox Co. Health Department.

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In Attendance: Marc Bragin, Chris Ellsworth (sans bells), Michelle Fidler, Meg Galipault, Cathy Kempton, Carmen King, Mike McCardel, Aaron Miller, Sherrie Moore, Aimee Parsley-White, Kate Posey, Lee Schott

Committee Reports:

Benefits: Meeting with HR Director Jennifer Cabral had to be cancelled. A town hall on how the new Affordable Care Act affects employee health insurance is expected to take place, to be announced.

Events: Bingo & Brunch- Scheduled for Thursday, Mar. 21, in the Pub. The final all-employee lunch for the year will be held in April.

Communications:

  • Still need to send out the new employee announcement. Aaron Miller offered to review the list Lee Schott developed to see if those listed are still employees. He will send this to Meg Galipault.
  • Carmen King asked for a PACTFact to go out on the child care decision. Mike McCardel said he would send Galipault the memo from Mark Kohlman.

Outreach: No report

Old Business:

  • Earth Day Challenge/Middle Path Challenge. Need to continue to spread the word about the division challenge. Lee Schott noted that the admissions division is planning to compete. Galipault will send out emails again.
  • PACT Profiles. Aimee Parsley-White and McCardel will finish the profile questionnaire and send to PACT members, who are then expected to fill them out and return to McCardel and Galipault. PACT members whose term is to expire this year will be the first to be featured in email PACTFacts.

New Business:

  • Year-End Reports: McCardel said that committee reports from PACT are due April 26. The reports should summarize activities from the academic year.
  • Elections: Carol Duvall is coordinating this year's PACT election. PACT members are encouraged to recruit candidates from their divisions to run for open positions.
  • Year-End Meeting with the President: McCardel said he will contact Kathy Lake to see if we can get on President Nugent's schedule for the annual recap meeting.


Meeting adjourned.

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In Attendance: Marc Bragin, Todd Burson, Chris Ellsworth, Michelle Fidler, Meg Galipault, Cathy Kempton, Carmen King, Mike McCardel, Aaron Miller, Kate Posey

Special Guest: Robin Goodstein, Adviser to the President

Discussion: Athletics, Fitness and Recreation at Kenyon

Robin Goodstein attended the meeting to ask PACT members for their perspectives on Kenyon's athletic program. She explained that last summer President Nugent commissioned a study of Athletics, Fitness and Recreation at Kenyon. The committee charged with this task is conducting in-person conversations with various groups who might have thoughts to share--students, staff, faculty, community members, alums and parents. Then a survey for the entire Kenyon community will be designed. Goodstein said that the committee wants to know how athletics fits into life at Kenyon and how it should fit in. She noted that work groups have been assigned to survey different segments on and off campus. (Note: Goodstein's questions appear in italics; comments appear as bullets below.)

Goodstein started off by asking what we see as the role of varsity athletics.

  • Sees a lot of varsity athletes in the library. Their role adds another level of development in team building. They have important relationships with coaches, new students, etc.
  • Participating in varsity sports complements the college experience; it would be a lot different if they didn't exist.

Is Kenyon is a "sporty" school?

  • Everyone shook their heads, no.
  • Students don't really support sports, except for those participating.

Do varsity athletes have time to pursue other co-curricular activities?

  • Varsity sports force students to prioritize and manage their time better.
  • Not many athletes are in drama. Both drama and athletics consume too much time for a student to do both.
  • A liberal arts education means a well-rounded education, and that includes activities outside the classroom. Varsity teams are important for learning healthy lifestyles throughout one's life.
  • Wished there were more physical education classes but club sports at least fill a gap.

Someone asked if statistics are available on numbers of students who come enroll to participate in a varsity sport but who then drop out of the sport. Goodstein said that is a good question. She said that what she knows, anecdotally, is that students stay engaged across the board.

  • Students measure success in different ways. How they view themselves athletically affects other parts of their life.

What about cliques among athletes-are they a problem?

  • Drama students hang out together. If anything, athletics might bring students with different interests together.
  • Human nature to gather in groups when you have things in common.
  • Lots of cliques beyond athletics.

When the KAC was built, it was intended to be used by everyone, not just varsity athletes. Was this achieved?

  • Absolutely-see lots of non-students and non-varsity students in the gym.
  • Run into colleagues at the KAC; it's one of the few places where everyone can gather.
  • Usually see groups of varsity athletes working out at different times.

Is scheduling a problem?

  • No. Coaches and staff are really helpful.• Dancers want to teach classes in the KAC and that is sometimes difficult.

How should we reach out to the community?

  • Encourage athletes to get out in the community.
  • People like to see a winning team.
  • Need to give more attention to awards dinner and individual athletes, like the last alumni bulletin that focused on a female athlete.

Other comments?

  • Likes the sushi.
  • Likes KenyonFit programs.
  • Fitness and health classes don't seem very structured; they should be a requirement.
  • Wishes that student athletic clubs did a better job communicating when/where they meet.
  • Feels very blessed that Kenyon doesn't charge for events (except tournaments). No one seems to notice that we don't have to pay for these things.

Committee Reports:

Benefits: Todd Burson reported that Human Resources has asked to meet with the committee to talk about implications from the new Health Care Act.

Communications: Mike McCardel passed out the Middle Path Challenge stickers for PACT members to distribute to walkers. It was agreed that, beginning March 1, we will expand the Challenge to Mon., Wed., and Fri., each week leading up to the Earth Day Challenge.

Events: Carmen King said she is continuing to deliver cheer baskets. She also asked that everyone encourage co-workers to attend the Feb. 21 Bingo Lunch. She said that the Earth Day Challenge organizers are thrilled about PACT participating as a co-sponsor and efforts to promote division teams. King will be the emcee at the event.

Outreach: Sent the communications committee a list of new hires.

Old Business

  • Bylaws. McCardel distributed copies of the by-laws with proposed amended language regarding the term of those PACT members appointed by President Nugent to fill a mid-term vacancy or fill an at-large position for which no nominees came forward. The change occurs in the fourth and fifth paragraphs under Section II - Membership, as follows (amended text is in italics):
    "This election will occur no later than May 15th each year, and will be coordinated by the Office of the President along with the PACT Election Coordinator. All administrators and staff (full time and part time) at Kenyon College are eligible to both vote and sit on PACT. Members of PACT whose terms have expired are ineligible for reelection for a period of one year following their term.  

This period of ineligibility is waived for members appointed or elected to fill mid-term or uncontested vacancies for one and one half academic year or less. "If, during the nomination process for a Division or an At-Large opening for PACT, a nominee does not emerge, the position will be filled by appointment of the President. The appointment will last for the duration of the academic year in which the vacancy occurred. A new member will be elected during the next election to fill the remainder of that unexpired term. The temporary, appointed member will be eligible in the election to fill the remainder of the unexpired term."

Meg Galipault moved to adopt the amendment. Todd Burson seconded the motion. No discussion followed. McCardel called for the vote. All ten members present voted in favor, none opposed and no abstentions.

New Business

  • McCardel said that he and co-chair Aimee Parsley White will be meeting soon with Ombudsperson Carrie Knell to discuss supervisor training.

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In Attendance: Todd Burson, Chris Ellsworth, Michelle Fidler, Meg Galipault, Cathy Kempton, Carmen King, Mike McCardel, Aaron Miller, Sherrie Moore, Erin O'Neill, Aimee Parsley-White, Kate Posey, Lee Schott

Committee Reports:

Benefits - No report.

Events

  • Cheer Baskets: Carmen King stated that 38 cheer baskets have been delivered to Kenyon employees. She said that an email will go out to employee-info reminding staff to contact their PACT representative for cheer basket requests. She further noted that faculty who received baskets during illness/grieving have been especially moved by the gesture, with some saying that their own colleagues didn't make such an effort.
  • Lunch and Learn: King also reported on the recent "Lunch and Learn" on bullying. Only five people showed up. She asked that the communications committee add a link on PACT's web page to Carrie Knell's page where a link to information about bullying in the workplace can be found. PACT will also be purchasing a book on the topic.

Communications

  • New Employee Welcome: Mike McCardel said that he would like to send a welcome announcement to new Kenyon hires. Lee Schott will put together the list and send to the committee. Meg Galipault will put the announcement together.
  • AskPACT: Galipault noted that a new question was answered and added to the AskPACT web page. McCardel added that an AskPACT question was submitted, asking senior staff to encourage managers to attend the Bullying in the Workplace program. He subsequently emailed President Nugent with the request, who affirmed that she would be happy to do this.

Outreach - No report.

New Business

  • PACT Bingo Lunch. The next lunch is Bingo and Pasta on Feb. 21, 11am-1pm. Both lunch and bingo will take place in the Pub. King urged PACT to ask fellow employees to attend as the bingo lunches tend to attract fewer people.
  • Middle Path Challenge. Members were also asked to encourage co-workers to participate in the next Middle Path Challenge, scheduled for March 1, noon.
  • Earth Day Challenge Proposal. King presented a proposal, sent in advance of the meeting, inviting PACT to partner with the Earth Day Challenge and promote the event to campus divisions. PACT members agreed to join John Hofferberth, EDC Race Director, and members of the EDC Race Committee in challenging members of the Kenyon community to participate in the 4 mile walk/run on Sunday, April 21, 2013. Miles completed by each Division's team or individuals (all must be registered) participating in the event will be entered into a statistical formula (based on the number of people in each division) and the three divisions with the highest percentage of miles will receive prizes. Details for the race and entry forms are available at http://www.premierraces.com/viewevent.asp?eventID=649. Participants must be registered to have their miles count towards their division's total. Mileage counts only from members in a division. Much discussion followed on the prizes offered to the top three divisions. The division winning first place will share a $50 pizza lunch gift certificate courtesy of the EDC. Second and third place awards TBD.
  • Kudos Proposal. Aimee Parsley-White proposed that PACT create a way for employees to share positive experiences with other employees and/or divisions publicly. She explained that such public recognition would help to boost morale among staff, which is sorely needed right now. Galipault suggested that it could be called PACTKudos. Parsley-White added that she would like to see it set up like the AskPACT page. Individuals would fill out a form that asks for information about the person/division to be recognized and why. The form would be sent to the PACT email account, which would then be retrieved and formatted for uploading to the site by a member of the communications committee. Galipault said that she would need to talk with Patty Burns about how to set it up on the site.
  • Gund Gallery Happy Hour. Parsley-White announced that the Gund Gallery is hosting a happy hour for all employees on March 7.
  • By-laws Proposal. McCardel distributed copies of the by-laws with proposed amended language regarding the term of those PACT members appointed by President Nugent to fill a mid-term vacancy or fill an at-large position for which no nominees came forward. McCardel will revise the amended bylaws and circulate before the next meeting so that it can be voted on. A 10-day waiting period is required to pass bylaw amendments.

Old Business

  • Division PACTFacts. King asked that the division PACTFACTs be distributed via email.
  • Childcare Proposal. Parsley-White reported that the President recently informed the co-chairs that the childcare proposal was not approved and CBO Mark Kohlman emailed the co-chairs to explain.

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Members Present: Marc Bragin, Todd Burson, Carol Duvall, Chris Ellsworth, Michelle Fidler, Meg Galipault, Cathy Kempton, Carmen King, Mike McCardel, Aaron Miller, Sherrie Moore, Erin O'Neill, Aimee Parsley-White, Kate Posey

Special Guests: S. Georgia Nugent, Jennifer Cabral, Garry Straker (Chernoff Diamond)

Summary

This special meeting was spent reviewing Mr. Garry Straker's presentation of the 2013 Compensation Market Analysis, the same Powerpoint presentation that Straker shared with all employees attending the Town Hall following the PACT meeting. Slides from the Town Hall can be downloaded here. A taped recording of the Town Hall is also available at http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/kenyonadmin.portal# - click on the "OnDemand" tab and then click "Watch" button on "Town Hall Compensation Survey."

Time ran out before new business and committee reports could be addressed.

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Members Present: Marc Bragin, Todd Burson, Carol Duvall, Chris Ellsworth (with bells on), 
Michelle Fidler, Cathy Kempton, Carmen King, Mike McCardel, Aaron Miller, Sherrie Moore, 
Erin O'Neill, Aimee Parsley-White, Kate Posey, Lee Schott, Carolyn Waggoner

Committee Reports:

Benefits - Nothing new to report.

Events

  • Workshops - Completed two workshops introducing Ancestry.com to the community; 25 attendees at each class. Additional interest has been generated so may continue providing this information during the Common Ground lunch hour with Pam Faust. Ancestry.com is a free service through the library.
  • Another "Anti-Bullying" workshop will be held on the 31st of January at noon in the Leach Dining Room. This is part of the Lunch-N-Learn featuring Carrie Knell, Ombudsperson.
  • Holiday Luncheon - 217 attended and we have received positive feedback regarding the food and the event. Raised an additional $447.00 for hurricane Sandy victims, altogether the total for the two fundraisers is $644.00 along with 50-60 cans of food. The food was delivered to AVI and will be added to the collections from various groups on campus.

Communications - Nothing new to report.

Outreach - Two new employees since the last mailing; athletics and the library. The group 
is preparing packets and will send out to the new employees.

New Business:

Discussion regarding the need for transparency as well as confidentiality as a sitting member of PACT; reminder to everyone to review the published meeting minutes and to refer questions to the co-chairs.

Update on the Compensation Market Analysis: The compensation committee met with Garry Straker, Chernoff Diamond, President Nugent, and Jennifer Cabral, HR Director, to review the results of the compensation market analysis. The information was broken down into two groups (exempt and non-exempt personnel) but was not available by gender groups and did not include collective bargaining employees. Highlights, in general:

  • Market data for the exempt group was pulled from four sources.
  • A total of 87% of exempt positions were benchmarked by job titles and/or job description.
  • A total of 82% of non-exempt positions have been matched to 15 benchmarked positions from the market data sources.
  • Approximately 20-30% of exempt staff may be impacted.
  • Approximately 55-62% of non-exempt staff may be impacted.
  • For exempt employees, Chernoff Diamond recommends a review of benchmark positions and implement market adjustments (if warranted) and that market adjustments should be considered on a case-by-case basis and factor in experience and qualifications, degree of benchmark match, etc.
  • For non-exempt positions, pay structure should be adjusted to realign with the local and regional market data. Also, market adjustments should be implemented to ensure staff remain at or above the grade minimum, taking into account their time in position.
  • It was further recommended that non-exempt payroll should be standardized; some staff are currently paid in the same way as exempt employees (once a month), and others are paid bi-weekly.
  • Senior Staff reviewed and has conducted ongoing discussions about the Chernoff Diamond recommendation.
  • The recommendations have the full support of President Nugent and Senior Staff and will be presented to the Board of Trustees at their next meeting February 6, 2013. Any action the Board of Trustees may take on the recommendations will need to consider the availability of resources when determining how to make adjustments.

More detailed information on market analysis and recommendations will be presented during a Town Hall meeting scheduled for Tuesday, January 15 at the Community Theater during common hour. PACT is investigating the possibility of offering a "live feed" of the event.

The compensation committee reviewed the email that was sent to the community providing a 
brief update of the results.

Meeting adjourned.

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Members present: Marc Bragin, Todd Burson, Carol Duvall, Chris Ellsworth, Michelle Fidler, Meg Galipault, Carmen King, Mike McCardel, Aaron Miller, Sherrie Moore, Erin O'Neill, Kate Posey, Lee Schott

Committee Reports

Benefits: The committee met with Jennifer Cabral, Director of Human Resources, prior to the PACT meeting. Todd Burson reported on this discussion:

  1. Thanksgiving off proposal. Cabral expressed that now is probably not a good time to propose more time off, given the current financial status of the College. An alternative was suggested that employees be given the Wednesday before Thanksgiving off. Cabral stated that if this was a priority for PACT then the group should pursue it.
  2. Exit Interview Process. Cabral said a form currently exists for those leaving Kenyon. She added that most people simply contact HR before leaving but also said that some divisions are more proactive than others in assisting those leaving. Burson said that Cabral intends to add the form to the supervisor tool kit on the web site. Carmen King suggested that a checklist of things to do and items to return (keys, etc.) be created. Mike McCardel asked what privileges continue to be available to retirees. Burson said he would check into these things.
  3. Healthcare on-site clinic. Burson said that the health center is not available for employee use. However, he relayed that Cabral has been exploring on-site employee clinics to see if there could be cost savings.


Events: King reported that the Thanksgiving luncheon, Nov. 13, was a success and raised $187 for the American Red Cross. Burson submitted a receipt for the donation. King said that the committee hasn't met since the last lunch but the holiday lunch is scheduled for Dec. 13. The Operations Division will be picking up the tab for employees at this luncheon. However, we will still collect donations for Hurricane Sandy relief.

Communications: The committee still hasn't met but has been communicating. McCardel noted that several AskPACT questions have been received. Meg Galipault said the question on the compensation survey has been answered but it hasn't been uploaded yet.

Outreach: Lee Schott reported that the committee hasn't met but is still distributing welcome packets to new employees.

Old Business

Compensation Study. McCardel said that a two-hour Compensation Study Committee meeting has been scheduled for Dec. 17 with Garry Straker and Jennifer Cabral. He hopes to email a PACT-Fact following the meeting. He anticipates that a town hall will be held in early January. McCardel also noted that PACT received an email from an employee who inquired about the study's progress. McCardel read aloud his response to this employee.

Middle Path Challenge: The group decided to promote the fitness/walking challenge on the first Friday of each month, beginning with January 4, noon. Marc Bragin offered to make stickers for those participating - something like "I took the Middle Path Challenge." Galipault will send out emails and put on the calendar.

New Business

  • Health Insurance info - Burson shared that urgent care is not eligible for co-pay. It has never been but the previous health care insurer mistakenly treated it as such. The current insurer, however, has been requiring that urgent care visits be paid by the individual, which is credited toward the deductible.
  • PACT Web pages - Galipault asked for discussion on the privacy of PACT's web pages beyond Kenyon. As the College's new web site is soon to launch, planning for private pages is needed. The question is, whether or not PACT wants to continue user name/password access off campus. The consensus among the group was to keep the pages private, available only to Kenyon employees.
  • Revisiting "Fresh Ideas"- McCardel reported that he and co-chair Aimee Parsley-White met recently with Robin Goodstein, advisor to Present Nugent, about various PACT topics. The College's budget continues to be a concern. He reminded members about the "Fresh Ideas" campaign from 2007 that was created to "invite community members to share ideas for improvements." [For sample ideas generated, seehttps://www.kenyon.edu/x39057.xml] The question "Should PACT take an advocacy role to play in helping the College find ways save money by soliciting ideas from the Staff?" was posed.
  • A long discussion followed. Concerns were expressed that efforts by employees to assist in cost-reduction need to be balanced with a commitment from Senior Staff/Board of Trustees to eventually increase the wages/benefits of non-faculty employees. There seemed to be a sentiment there isn't the will among senior staff to make such a commitment. Another point raised was that the "Fresh Ideas" program often required initial investment from the College that no one was willing to undertake.
  • Some expressed concern about the expenses the college is incurring for the compensation study: How much is this costing versus the outcome we might see? And what about the practice of replacing computer equipment every 4 years-is this seen as a policy that entitles staff and faculty to new equipment when some computers can last far longer? There is a negative staff perception that the Trustees, Senior Staff, and faculty aren't seen as making sacrifices when it comes to cutting costs.
  • Another worry is that some ideas from the staff may be construed as endorsements that may lead to staff cuts and fewer people doing more work. It is obvious that cost-cutting has already been taking place across campus and many of these ideas have already come from the staff. What else can we do effectively? Would PACT's time and energy be better spent looking for ideas on how to increase morale as opposed to how to control costs? PACT may revisit the "Fresh Ideas" concept at another time if the sentiment changes.

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Members present: Marc Bragin, Todd Burson, Chris Ellsworth, Michelle Fidler, Carmen King, Mike McCardel, Aaron Miller, Sherrie Moore, Erin O'Neill, Aimee Parsley-White, Kate Posey, Lee Schott, President Georgia Nugent

Committee Reports

Benefits: The committee met. Todd Burson reported four issues are in progress:

  1. Childcare Proposal
  2. Staff Sabbatical (Meg Galipault and Development Department). No proposal on the table at this time.
  3. Week of Thanksgiving off proposal - will meet with Jennifer Cabral in the next few weeks.
  4. Healthcare on-site clinic - Is it available for employees also, or just for students?


Aimee Parsley-White suggested that HR offer an exit strategy session for people who leave Kenyon. It would help to discuss timeframes involving vacation time, insurance, etc. Todd stated the HR department is "very lean" with just three full-time employees.

Events: Aimee reported there was an awesome turnout for the Halloween luncheon - 170 employees participated.

The Thanksgiving luncheon is re-scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 13, due to the student Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday, Nov. 15.

There will be a Lunch & Learn, Nov. 15, 12-1, at Chalmers library concerning the availability to use Ancestry.com, co-hosted with Rocket. Another Lunch & Learn about bullying will be scheduled, date to be determined.

Communications: Marc Bragin suggested having a PACT table Nov. 17 on Employee Appreciation Day at the bookstore. Committee will discuss.

Outreach: Kate Posey reported three new employee packets were sent out by interoffice mail last week.

New Business

Middle Path Challenge: Mike will send out again. Tom Stamp was to provide a history of the path (started in 1841, is .8 mile long).

PACT Facts: Mike reported that he has enough PACT Facts to start sending out via email.

Possible Sandy fundraiser: Aimee offered with staff and faculty family on the East Coast, we should consider having a fundraiser, possibly working with an organization. President Nugent suggested we team up with the Thanksgiving luncheon to take a collection. It was suggested we collect money, clothing, personal items. Organizations mentioned were American Red Cross and Salvation Army. We could include the Holiday luncheon. We could charge $5 for luncheon with $1 going to the fundraiser. Aimee will send out an email.

Old Business

  • Compensation - President Nugent shared that Gary Straker will be on campus Nov. 13 to report on the Compensation Study. The Trustees have been alerted.
  • MMAP - Mike stated the committee will vote on a final recommendation summary and an announcement will be made by the end of the week. Everybody should read the MMAP meeting summaries.

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Members present: Marc Bragin, Todd Burson, Chris Ellsworth, Michelle Fidler, Meg Galipault, Cathy Kempton, Carmen King, E. Mike McCardel, Sherrie Moore, Erin O'Neill, Aimee Parsley-White, Kate Posey, Lee Schott

Committee Reports:

Benefits. Todd Burson reported that the committee has not yet met but plans to soon.

Events. Aimee Parsley-White said that the October 11th Lunch and Learn was interesting and informative, even though attendance was low.

Carmen King talked about the upcoming Halloween luncheon and contest, scheduled for Oct. 29. She asked for volunteers to help with setting up decorations in the Pub, beginning at 9:00 AM through 11:00 AM. She also requested suggestions for judges. Four judges are needed and preferred for one each to be a community member, retiree, student, and faculty member. Erin O'Neill said she would identify a student judge. Meg Galipault suggested Joyce Klein be the community member judge. King said she would contact Klein.

Galipault asked when the costume contest and skits would take place. King said that she needs to find out whether or not President Nugent will permit a 90-minute lunch before determining the event schedule.

Marc Bragin agreed to emcee the contest. It was noted that no microphone will be available.

Parsley-White reminded the group that a second Lunch and Learn on bullying will take place early next semester.

Communications. The group has not met but announcements for events have gone out via employee-info. McCardel said that a new ASK PACT question was received, answered, and posted on the site recently. Galipault also noted that she added an "upcoming events" section on the PACT home page. Mike McCardel hopes to get an email out about the Middle Path Challenge walking program. Parsley-White asked if a web page could be created to archive PACT Facts. Galipault said she would look into this.

Outreach. Kate Posey reported that the committee has not met since their first meeting but that packets were distributed to new employees.

New Business

PACT Facts. McCardel again requested that members submit PACT Facts to him.

LBIS upcoming workshops. King announced that LBIS' education team is planning two workshops for employees-one on the consortium database of books and another on the college's access to ancestry.com's site. She hopes that the team and PACT can work together in promoting the workshops.

Next meeting. McCardel said that President Nugent plans to attend the next PACT meeting, scheduled for Nov. 6. Galipault noted that she will not be in attendance that day and that someone will need to take minutes.

Old Business

  • Compensation Study - The Compensation Committee revisited their original meeting notes and sent a list of four questions to Jennifer Cabral regarding the study's progress. The committee received a follow-up email from Cabral, which McCardel read aloud. In particular, Cabral asked for suggestions on how the results of the study might be shared individually with employees. Several recommendations included a process in which senior staff are given the info from HR and employees wanting information would be directed to request it from supervisors. It was pointed out, however, that not all supervisors currently have access to salary information and that employees might have to go directly to appropriate senior staff. No single suggestion was identified. McCardel said that the committee probably won't meet again until after Oct. 30.
  • Presidential Search - McCardel noted that the questions raised in the Town Hall meeting on the presidential search were nearly identical to those raised by PACT members in their meeting with the search committee. He said that he sent out a reminder to college staff requesting that they participate in the online survey. King expressed concern that no non-exempt staff members sit on the presidential search committee.
  • Childcare - Parsley-White reported that there was no update.
  • MMAP - McCardel briefly talked about the Town Hall meeting and reiterated that the panel members understand that not all non-exempt, non-union staff are managers. The panel is still discussing recommendations on how to deal with the non-union staff, both managers and non-exempt staff.

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Members present: Marc Bragin, Carol Duvall, Chris Ellsworth, Michelle Fidler, Meg Galipault, Mike McCardel, Aaron Miller, Sherrie Moore, Erin O'Neill, Aimee Parsley-White, Kate Posey

Committee Reports:

Benefits. The committee has not met yet. Aimee Parsley-White asked if an exit strategy plan was added to the list of items to discuss with Human Resources. Carol Duvall asked about the policy for compensation during Leap Years. She suggested that HR clarify this. Mike McCardel said that he would bring these issues up, along with the possibility of extra time off during Thanksgiving, when the committee meets.

Events. Parsley-White reported that the committee met with Tom Karako, director of the Center for the Study of American Democracy, Carrie Knell, ombudsperson, regarding the upcoming Lunch and Learn program on civility in the workplace. The event, Civility in Political Discussions, will take place October 11, noon, in the Pub. Karako and Knell will speak for 10 minutes each and then the floor will open for Q&A. Meg Galipault sent out the first event announcement and will follow up with others.

The Halloween luncheon will be held Oct. 29. Competitions for individual and group costumes and skits will occur in the Pub. Parsley-White asked the communications committee to announce the luncheon soon so that employees can plan their skits and costumes. Galipault said she would do this.

Parsley-White also asked if an events section on the web site could be created. Galipault said she would look into this.

Communications. McCardel reported that the group has not met.

Outreach. Kate Posey pointed to the prepared packets for new employees and asked that PACT members deliver them to employees in their respective divisions. The packets include welcome letters and coupons.

New Business

  • Middle Path Challenge. McCardel revisited the idea of encouraging employees to spend time during the day, perhaps during lunch, to walk all or part of Middle Path. The idea is to promote physical exercise, make new connections, and build community. He asked if PACT want to sponsor the ongoing challenge. All agreed that this no-cost activity should be pursued.
  • PACT Facts. McCardel reported that he has received some submissions for division PACT Facts and encouraged others to send more. He said that he will ask the maintenance department for content, as well, even though the department isn't represented on PACT. Parsley-White suggested that McCardel talk to Tom Stamp for Kenyon history facts. Marc Bragin suggested that PACT host a special Kenyon archive exhibit in LBIS every month.

Old Business

  • Todd Burson - Following up on the last meeting's recommendation that PACT members decide if Todd Burson should continue to serve on PACT, McCardel opened the issue to discussion. (Burson will be taking over Teri Blanchard's job as Associate Vice President for Finance when she retires next year. To that end, Burson has been attending senior staff meetings as an observer.) Galipault expressed support for Burson's PACT appointment, stating that it would be good to have someone with experience on PACT who will be on senior staff (understanding, of course, that Burson would not be representing PACT in senior staff meetings). Duvall asked if there is any need to revise the bylaws to address this type of situation. Consensus was that the bylaws didn't require any change. McCardel then asked for a voice vote, asking all in favor of permitting Burson to serve on PACT until his new position begins to say "aye." The motion passed unanimously.
  • Compensation Study - McCardel shared an email from Jennifer Cabral that explained why the study has been seemingly stalled. McCardel said that the consultant, Mr. Straker, has had difficulties identifying and getting feedback from comparable colleges, and was also gathering data on local compensation. Galipault asked if the consultant was seeking data to fit the narrative. Several individuals expressed concern that this is the case. Galipault recommended that the Compensation Committee revisit their original meeting notes to affirm exactly what the study was purported to deliver-particularly with regard to raw data. The committee plans to meet soon to do this and to plan next steps.
  • MMAP - McCardel and Galipault highlighted the recent decision to recommend that union employees not be outsourced. Duvall expressed concern that by calling out union employees and not exempt/non-exempt staff in the maintenance dept., precedence could be set that would result in other positions being vulnerable to outsourcing. Galipault and McCardel reiterated that no recommendation has been made yet with regard to non-union employees, only because the panel hasn't gotten that far yet. This should not be construed as a recommendation that non-union employees be outsourced.

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Members present: Marc Bragin, Todd Burson, Chris Ellsworth, Michelle Fidler, Meg Galipault, Cathy Kempton, Carmen King, Mike McCardel, Aaron Miller, Sherrie Moore, Erin O'Neill, Aimee Parsley-White, Kate Posey

Special Guest: President S. Georgia Nugent

President Nugent addressed the group, explaining why she created PACT nine years ago: to give staff a tangible voice and open communication with the president's office. Nugent said that she wanted the body to be elected, not selected. She added that the concept of representation has been a challenge at Kenyon.

She also wanted PACT to have the ear of the president and senior staff. She looks to the group to advise on issues that affect staff, particularly moving away from individual grievances to that of representing collective concerns. Finally, PACT has been helpful in undertaking special projects, such as the compensation study.

She pointed to PACT's success in social activities for staff, such as the luncheons, and learning opportunities through Lunch and Learn; PACT Facts; and, as noted above, moving from individual to group issues.

Nugent expressed interest in having more contact with PACT during this last year of her presidency and intends to advocate for the group's continued existence to her successor.

Nugent also discussed two issues that PACT is involved with:

Compensation Study. Nugent updated the group on progress by Kenyon's compensation consultant, Gary Straker, who has run into some challenges in collecting info from a broad group of peer colleges. She noted that out of 30 colleges invited to participate in Straker's compensation survey, only 11 responded. The results from these colleges varied widely. Mike McCardel added that Straker will meet with senior staff and the compensation committee again before sharing results in a public forum, which is expected in the next few weeks.

Child Care. Nugent said that the child care plan will be reviewed during budget discussions this year. Meg Galipault asked about the budget process. Nugent explained that it actually begins today with a visit by an enrollment consultant and will continue over the next several weeks. Typically, the budget is finalized by the holidays and then voted on by the Trustees at the February board meeting.

Old Business

Committee Assignments:

Aimee Parsley-White announced that everyone was assigned their first picks for committees.

The 2012-13 PACT committees are:

  • Communications: Marc, Mike, and Meg
  • Compensation: Carol, Mike, Aimee, Carmen, and Marc
  • Benefits: Chris, Todd, Michelle, and Sherry
  • Events: Erin, Carol, Carmen, and Aimee
  • Outreach: Lee, Aaron, Kate, and Kathy

McCardel pointed out that individuals outside of PACT are permitted to serve on both the Events and Outreach committees and urged members to invite their peers to volunteer. The Outreach committee provides a particularly good opportunity to recruit future PACT members.

Committee Reports:

Benefits . The committee has not met yet. Because all members are new to the committee, McCardel will meet with them to share his experience with topics addressed by the Benefits committee last year. He also shared that one suggestion has come forward to request more paid time off be given during Thanksgiving as some compensation for a small pay increase last year.

Events . Carmen King reported that the committee met last week. The first luncheon is on Sept. 20. She said that the group plans to offer a second Lunch and Learn program on bullying this semester. In addition, plans are in the works for a Lunch and Learn program on civility in the workplace, to be led by Tom Karako, director of the Center for the Study of American Democracy, Carrie Knell, ombudsperson, and one other speaker (possibly a psych or philosophy professor). The event is slated for October 11 in the Pub and details are forthcoming.

King also said that another Lunch and Learn program will be planned for the spring semester.

The Halloween luncheon is scheduled for Oct. 29. Competitions for individual and group costumes will be held in the Pub.

Finally, King asked that PACT members contact her regarding baskets for those experiencing illnesses, deaths, etc.

Communications . McCardel reported that the group has not met but will soon. He does expect that responsiveness to PACT Q&A submissions will improve, thanks to support from Robin Goodstein.

Outreach . Kate Posey said that the group met on Sept. 7 and has already received the list of new employees (appx. 20). Welcome packets for these newbies will include coupons to the bookstore and new Wiggin St. Coffee instead of candy. McCardel asked for the names of new employees so he could post them in a PACT FACT as a welcoming gesture.

MMAP - McCardel and Galipault shared that the panel heard from a representative from Wabash College that works with Sodexo and received additional material regarding Sodexo's proposal for Kenyon. Both expressed that they sensed the panel was coming to a consensus, although the individual panelists have not actually shared their recommendations.

New Business

· Division PACT Facts - McCardel asked that each PACT member provide a PACT Fact that offers insight into his/her division's work. The PACT Fact should be two to three lines. He would like 10 of these by the next meeting.

· Todd Burson - McCardel announced that PACT member Todd Burson will be taking over Teri Blanchard's job as Associate Vice President for Finance when she retires next year. To that end, Burson has been attending senior staff meetings as an observer. McCardel would like PACT to consider whether or not this is a conflict for the group. Galipault noted that last year the group had expressed interest in having a PACT member at senior staff meetings and that this might be a good thing. Burson was asked and agreed to not attend the next PACT meeting so that the body could debate the issue freely.

· Smoking Policy - McCardel asked that PACT consider how Kenyon employees might develop a smoking policy similar to the student council's new policy. Marc Bragin asked if it is PACT's responsibility to shape policy. It was suggested that we find out more about what the student council decided.

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Members present: Marc Bragin, Todd Burson, Carol Duvall, Michelle Fidler, Meg Galipault, Mike McCardel, Aaron Miller, Sherrie Moore, Erin O'Neill, Aimee Parsley-White, Kate Posey, Lee Schott

This first meeting of the 2012-13 academic year opened with members introducing themselves.

Old Business

  • Compensation Committee - Mike McCardel reported. An update on the salary survey was emailed to employees, courtesy of PACT, on August 20. Since then, Gary Straker of Chernoff-Diamond visited the campus again, this time meeting with Provost Samhat, Chief Business Officer Mark Kohlman, Director of Human Resources Jennifer Cabral, Assistant Controller Todd Burson, Bookstore Manager Jim Huang to review exempt positions. Straker will return in two weeks to report his findings to the committee. Plans to share the findings with the campus will be announced soon thereafter. Serving on the Compensation Committee are PACT members McCardel, Carmen King, Carol Duvall, Aimee Parsley-White, and Marc Bragin, former PACT member Carolyn Waggoner, and HR's Jennifer Cabral.

 

  • Maintenance Management Advisory Panel (MMAP) - McCardel reported. MMAP was established by President Nugent in June to study Kenyon's long-term maintenance needs and make recommendations for how best to meet those needs while reducing costs. McCardel and Meg Galipault serve on the panel as PACT representatives. Specifically, the panel is expected to:

  • Become familiar with research concerning college costs, maintenance operations, maintenance industry standards and best practices, and alternative maintenance solutions.

  • Meet with knowledgeable individuals and relevant groups to gather more information.

  • Create opportunities for input from the campus community.

  • Evaluate strategies.

  • Recommend to the administration a plan of action in the best interest of Kenyon.

McCardel noted that several individuals have spoken to the panel, which has met four times to date, including Sodexo reps, CBO Kohlman, Superintendent of Grounds and Buildings Greg Widener, UEMWA representative Dennis Painter, and others. The panel is continuing to review materials and will request additional speakers to address the industry, alternatives and best practices, as well as experiences with outsourcing among peer colleges.

The panel likes the November date to force them to stay on task, but if they reach the deadline and feel that they are not quite there, they can continue; if they reach the deadline and determine that they have found the right option, we can affirm it.

Duvall asked if there was a timeline for implementing the plan recommended by the panel. McCardel and Galipault responded that it is unlikely the panel itself will define the details of how to implement its recommendations, that the plan of action details will more likely be the responsibility of those carrying out the plan. McCardel emphasized that all options are being kept on the table. Both McCardel and Galipault urged members to read the panel minutes. They can be found online at: https://today.kenyon.edu/mmap

  • Child-care Options - Parsley-White reported. After surveying the community on child-care needs, several interested PACT members met with Cabral at the end of last academic year. Kohlman and Cabral need to look at the budget and the process of offering child-care benefits, as well as the tax implications of this, and then present a plan to senior staff. As it stands, a decision will not be implemented in this fiscal year. Parsley-White and others are committed to seeing the option presented to senior staff.

  • Senior Staff Retreat - McCardel reported. McCardel and Parsley-White presented an update on PACT activities and plans for the coming year to senior staff. Following up on President Nugent's statement in May that she would like to spend more time with PACT, McCardel and Parsley-White expressed their enthusiasm for seeing more of the President this year.

  • PACT Lunches - Parsley-White reported. Seven lunches have been scheduled and are listed on the PACT luncheon web page.

  • September 20 - Picnic Theme

  • October 29 - Halloween

  • November 15 - Thanksgiving

  • December 13 - Christmas

  • February 21 - Pasta Bar, Bingo

  • Mach 21 - Breakfast, Bingo

  • April 18 - Tacos

New Business

  • Committee Assignments - Parsley-White distributed a sign-up sheet for committees; McCardel shared ideas he and Parsley-White brainstormed for the different committees. These were listed on the meeting agenda. One idea shared by Parsley-White that wasn't on the agenda is to for human resources to develop an "exit strategy" to assist those who are retiring or otherwise leaving Kenyon. Such a strategy might include how to deal with sharing knowledge with colleagues, what to do with TIAA-CREF accounts, etc.

  • PACT FACT - McCardel, who expressed interest in serving on the communications committee, stated that he would like to see several PACT FACT emails sent to staff each week. These could include tips related to Kenyon-specific work tasks (such as, how to submit a work order to maintenance) and general tips to make work easier (using Gmail, for example), to bios of PACT members, to descriptions of what College divisions do, and to highlights of Kenyon benefits.

  • PACT-info email address - McCardel said that official emails from PACT to employee-info list serv should come from the PACT-info address. Several PACT members have access to this address; McCardel suggested that he could take care of these emails and to send info to him for distribution. Galipault, Parsley-White, and Duvall also have access to the email address.

  • Internal PACT distlist - To send an email to PACT members only, address it to PACT-discuss.edu. Parsley-White cautioned that any emails sent to the group not include cc: or bcc: addresses.

  • PACT documents - PACT bylaws, archived minutes, and other documents can be found on the P drive. Path is: P:\committees\PACT. Parsley-White encouraged all to look through the files to see what's there, familiarize yourself with bylaws, and get ideas about what works and doesn't.

  • Future Meetings - Parsley-White will send out a Doodle poll to determine the best possible meeting time. The next meeting, Sept. 18, will be held at 10am instead of 9:30am.

  • Kudos - to Carmen King for the great "Lunch and Learn" on bullying.

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