Present: Kyle Eddy, Ellen Harbourt, Shanna Hart, Shanon Hashman, Jared Hoffman, Alex Johnson, Lauri Lange, Emily Lindo, Miracle Mahle, Rebecca Matney, Lori Moore, Tristan Neviska, Beth Pae, Nancy Sowders, Lisa Train, April Woodward-Ginther, Ashleigh Zarley; Guests: Todd Burson and Jennifer Cabral
Note: the faculty/staff benefits committee meets three times/year.
We’re looking at a 4 percent premium increase for next year (for reference, it was 15 percent last year). There is no increase for dental. Reserve accounts are currently in good shape.
Prescriptions changes are coming: Kenyon is catching up with protocols already followed by similar organizations regarding over-prescribing, step-up therapy for some new drugs and ensuring that the right drugs are prescribed. There will be an increased partnerships between doctors and Express Scripts. This is not an investigative tool of any kind for Kenyon — any changes can be addressed between employees and their doctors. There may be a time delay in prescribing certain types of new drugs, but employees can call Express Scripts directly from the pharmacy to ensure their prescription is filled in an emergency. The changes will go into effect July 1, and employees who are affected will be notified beforehand by Express Scripts. HR is not anticipating many major changes for individuals. HR has a communications plan in place and any questions can be directed to Michelle Foster.
Additional plan changes (as of July 1) include, no more deductibles and a $10 minimum — subject to actual cost.
Long-term, HR is looking at options to create more stability and will review the entire healthcare program over the next year. Any decisions will be announced in February and changes will go into effect July 1, 2019.
The topic of infertility coverage is under investigation.
Voting ends at noon on Friday. Officer voting is complete with the following members elected to officer roles for the 2018-19 academic year:
Co-chair: Jared Hoffman
Treasurer: Kyle Eddy
Election Coordinator: Rebecca Matney
Secretary: Emily Lindo
The elections coordinator recommends holding officer elections earlier next year so newly elected officers can shadow their predecessor — particularly relevant for the incoming elections coordinator.
A lunch for departing, current and new members will take place on May 30 at the Alcove.
KSC discussed non-division staff and the potential to create dedicated representative spots for them; a review of dedicated spots re: division size and exempt/non-exempt/union distinctions would also be useful to undertake in 2018-19.
Benefits and Policy
The draft of the leave sharing/bank policy is complete. The next step is to create an FAQs document.
Communications
Will email today about upcoming events.
Events
Breakfast-for-lunch event will take place on May 9. There will be an ice cream social in June and the committee will discuss how to allocate the remaining funds.
Employees can now use AVI punch cards for KSC lunches — it comes out to about $3/lunch. KSC will promote this more heavily for the first lunch in 2018-19.
Outreach
Punch cards could be used as prizes/for outreach.
Present: Robyn Bowers, Rachel Curtis, Kyle Eddy, Ellen Harbourt, Shanna Hart, Shanon Hashman, Jared Hoffman, Alex Johnson, Kyle Eddy, Emily Lindo, Lori Moore, Miracle Mahle, Rebecca Matney, Beth Pae, Nancy Sowders, Lisa Train, Ashleigh Zarley.
Constitution update: Pending a constitution ratification vote this fall, there will be a faculty chair and two vice-chairs: a student and a staff member. It has been left up to Staff Council to decide how to select the staff vice-chair. Senate meets every two weeks from 11-12:10, although that may change for the coming year. There will also be an opportunity to take issues back to Staff Council for further discussion before a Senate vote is taken. Staff Council members voiced a preference for keeping the details of the vice-chair flexible and that they will preferably already have served a year on Senate. Members are still concerned about the chair/vice-chair hierarchy, but are committed to working with the other members of Senate.
At the most recent meeting, Director of Health and Counseling Chris Smith raised the issue of smoking on campus and the location of related facilities. Senate also discussed the “I Am Not Your N-word” message that have been circulating and also topics related to Greek life at Kenyon.
Staff Council members discussed ideas for generating positivity during what is likely to be an increasing stressful parking situation as the library project continues. Offering incentives for walking and carpooling, promoting understanding of potentially increased travel times, more bike stands, and “smart meetings” that run for 45/50 minutes instead of the standard hour were suggested. Members agreed that parking would be a good topic to raise at Senate.
Visitor considerations were also discussed and also the need for better enforcement of parking-related rules and better/more signage.
Staff Council will follow up with HR and Campus Safety/Operations regarding incentives and signage, respectively.
Benefits
The subcommittee is working with HR to clarify that, for exempt employees, vacation days should not be used for sick days, and to create guidelines/FAQs for conversations regarding sick time. Staff members are encouraged to contact HR with any questions.
Communications
The subcommittee is working on several emails about the upcoming Staff Council lunch, and they will discuss the possibility of a KSC newsletter — suggested to go out in June/July and include annual subcommittee reports, plans and events for the coming year and introduce new members.
Events
The picnic lunch will take place in April, and there will now be a May events as well: a repeat of the breakfast menu, but at lunch time. The June event will include an ice cream cart.
Outreach
There have been several more outreach requests since the last meeting.
There is inconsistency about how divisions and offices handle weather-related closings (that aren’t level 2 or 3 mandatory closings). Some staff have to take sick/personal time while others can choose to work from home or their buildings are closed with no personal time required.
The co-chairs will bring feedback to senior staff, via Susan Morse, that better communication about weather-related closings would be helpful. It would also be helpful for senior staff to consider the inconsistencies between offices and staff positions so that there is more awareness of how closings will be handled by individual staff. There is also some confusion about which staff positions are officially “essential.”
Nominations are due by April 20, and there are six vacant positions. Rebecca will communicate to the rest of the employee community. Changing the bylaws to include “Enrollment” (rather than “Admissions”) can be done as an email vote. Voting for new members will begin April 23 and last for 1-2 weeks. Officer nominations and voting by current Staff Council members will also take place this month.
Next Meeting: May 2 at 10 a.m.
Present: Robyn Bowers, Rachel Curtis, Kyle Eddy, Shanna Hart, Shanon Hashman, Jared Hoffman, Alex Johnson, Emily Lindo, Miracle Mahle, Rebecca Matney, Tristan Neviska, Beth Pae, Lisa Train, April Woodward-Ginther, Ashleigh Zarley.
Election Coordinator Rebecca Matney will be in touch via email to confirm that members whose terms are not ending this year will be returning next year. She will then email all staff to request nominations for open positions, which will include the following from each division: academic exempt; enrollment exempt; LBIS non-exempt; operations exempt or non-exempt; student affairs exempt or non-exempt; at-large exempt or non-exempt.
It was noted that the bylaws need to be updated to replace “Admissions Division” with “Enrollment,” as the division also includes financial aid. A vote will be required to change the byelaws.
Members discussed whether the exempt/non-exempt distinction is necessary; this will be explored further next year.
The election will take place in April and officers for 2018-19 will be elected in May.
Benefits
The non-exempt time donation policy addition to the sick, parental, family (SPF) leave policy is ready to be reviewed by senior staff. The subcommittee will next look at “where you work” guidelines. The next campus benefits committee meeting will be in April. The College has requested information from UMR related to infertility and IVF as part of a request by staff to decide if that could be covered. A review of all benefits packages will likely take place in 2020/21.
Communications
An email about the KSC breakfast on March 21 will go out next week.
Events
HR will sponsor the gift certificate for the March breakfast and also encourage new employees to attend. Planning is underway for a June ice cream truck event and perhaps an April cookout and a potential May event as well.
Outreach
It has been pretty quiet this year — outreach requests are down by about 20 from last year.
There is inconsistency about how divisions and offices handle weather-related closings (that aren’t level 2 or 3 mandatory closings). Some staff have to take sick/personal time while others can choose to work from home or their buildings are closed with no personal time required.
The co-chairs will bring feedback to senior staff, via Susan Morse, that better communication about weather-related closings would be helpful. It would also be helpful for senior staff to consider the inconsistencies between offices and staff positions so that there is more awareness of how closings will be handled by individual staff. There is also some confusion about which staff positions are officially “essential.”
A more detailed update will be shared at the next KSC meeting. A proposal for adding a leadership position for a staff member is currently being drafted, and senate members will then vote on that proposal.
Next Meeting: April 4 at 10 a.m.
Present: Rachel Curtis, Kyle Eddy, Shanon Hashman, Jared Hoffman, Alex Johnson, Emily Lindo, Miracle Mahle, Rebecca Matney, Lori Moore, Tristan Neviska, Beth Pae, Nancy Sowders, Lisa Train, April Woodward-Ginther, Ashleigh Zarley.
Laura Kane is part of the group revising the Campus Senate constitution (the group also includes two students, Meredith Harper Bonham and PJ Glandon, all of whom sit on Senate). The committee began its work last semester, and is currently moving from logistics and processes to more philosophical considerations such as the scope of power of the Campus Senate. Senate will likely discuss issues that affect faculty, staff and students (or at least two of the three groups). After Feb. 22, a draft of the revised constitution will be available for review by Senate and related bodies including Staff Council.
One element under consideration is the role of staff members on Campus Senate. The 13 Senate members currently include two faculty members (one of whom is a co-chair), six students (one co-chair, the Student Council president, and four class representatives), two staff members (currently the Staff Council co-chairs), a representative from the Provost’s Office, the vice president for student affairs, and the president or his representative. Senate has asked Staff Council members for their opinion on whether Senate should have a staff co-chair in addition to the current faculty and student co-chairs.
KSC members discussed the issue. Concerns were raised about workload and the need for consistency and set term lengths; the KSC co-chairs agreed that it was something that they could continue to handle, even with the added responsibility of Senate co-chair, but that KSC could discuss the logistics of electing Senate representatives in more detail at a future meeting.
KSC members unanimously agreed that they support the idea of a staff Senate co-chair — in the interests of equity and inclusion and to avoid staff members feeling marginalized when Senate is intended to equally represent the concerns and positions of all three campus groups.
Benefits
The time donation policy draft has been circulated; please respond with any comments. The next steps involve discussing the policy with HR and then Senior Staff.
Events
The next event will be breakfast from 7-9 a.m. on March 21.
A lunch event will take place in April followed by an event in early-mid June.
Some type of food-based outreach was suggested for the busy time around Commencement and Reunion; the subcommittee will discuss at their next meeting.
Robyn Bowers provided the following update: The protest committee has met once and will meet again on Feb. 15. They have started identifying issues that may need formal policies, i.e. where protest can happen, what is the difference between free speech and hate speech, etc. Jelani Cobb, an award-winning journalist for the New Yorker will be on campus March 21.
Weather-related closings at Kenyon and the upcoming KSC elections will be discussed at the next meeting.
The next Staff Council meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 7, location to be determined.
Present: Rachel Curtis, Kyle Eddy, Ellen Harbourt, Shanna Hart, Jared Hoffman, Emily Lindo, Miracle Mahle, Rebecca Matney, Lori Moore, Susan Morse, Nancy Sowders, April Woodward-Ginther.
Construction Project Manager Seth Millam updated staff council members on village, West Quad and other current and upcoming construction projects.
Village
West Quad
Other Projects
Parking
Many staff council and other staff members are concerned about parking during the West Quad project. Signage is currently under consideration by the library planning committee, as are plans for visitor parking. KSC will discuss parking concerns further at a future meeting. Miracle will share her parking information with Seth.
Outreach
Staff council members signed a card thanking the Chasers for singing at the holiday lunch. Nine cheer baskets were sent this month; the total so far this year is about 40 (similar to last year).
Events
The committee still needs to confirm spring events. The budget includes additional money from Operations that has been earmarked to support KSC events. Pizza was suggested. Holiday lunch: Generally good feedback from the Chasers’ performance — will look into other options for next year including staff and/or instrumental talent. A bit more communication about the duration of the performance would be appreciated. An ugly sweater contest was suggested. Working with AVI to collect donations for their giving tree was suggested.
Communications
The minutes from this meeting will be sent out before winter break along with notes from the forum about interim library services. It would be nice to post spring event dates before the break.
Benefits
There are ongoing discussions about policy related to exempt sick days and where you work.
Senate is about to discuss a draft protest and demonstrations policy. More information will be available after their next meeting.
There will be no meeting in January. The next Staff Council meeting will be held Wednesday, Feb. 7, location to be determined.
President Sean Decatur hosted a forum for staff on Nov. 20, 2017. The event began with an update, which covered construction, the campaign, enrollment and the College budget.
The capital campaign is still in its quiet phase — there will be a public launch on Oct. 13, 2018, including an on-campus kick-off event. The working goal is $300 million and we are currently over halfway there. From Oct. 2018, the campaign will likely run for three years (until June 2021). The recently announced anonymous $75 million gift is great, as are several smaller gifts including a pledge to match new scholarship funds and need-based financial aid up to $2.5 million and the creation of a Presidential Fund to expand access for high-need students. The campaign includes a $100 million goal to increase the endowment for financial aid.
The first early decision application deadline was last week, and there is a strong pool. The number of applicants so far is comparable to last year.
Senior Staff is working to finalize a budget for 2018-19 to present to the Board of Trustees at their February meeting. The biggest growth is in financial aid and possibly healthcare. They will also be discussing tuition increase and faculty/staff salary increases among other considerations.
Q: Could Bexley be used for temporary student study space?
A (Ron Griggs): No — much of Bexley is inaccessible and not suitable for study space, although some LBIS staff may move there temporarily.
Q: Where will Student Accessibility and Support Services (SASS) move during the library project?
A (Griggs): Their interim location will likely be in Peirce Hall.
Q: How will drainage be handled during the construction phases?
A (Seth Millam): Applicable guidelines will be followed to avoid draining silt into the Kokosing.
A (Mark Kohlman): There will be a cistern and drainage consistent with how it is now post-construction.
Q: How will the construction impact Orientation in August?
A (Decatur): The village construction should be complete by then, and residence halls should not be impacted.
Q: What alternative spaces will be available for events if current locations become temporary study space?
A (Decatur): This is currently under consideration. There will be some space available in the new Farr Hall, which will likely be temporary study space before eventually housing retail.
Q: Who will take over the space currently occupied by Admissions and Financial Aid when they move to the new building?
A (Decatur): That is still being discussed. The President’s Office will probably move to the first floor of Ransom Hall. Edelstein might become additional academic space.
Q: How are the application numbers for early decision?
A (Decatur): The intake percentage is comparable to last year, potentially slightly higher.
Q: What are the long-term plans for the temporary parking lot behind Gund Commons?
A (Kohlman): The village has only approved the parking lot through next summer. There are no plans to make it permanent.
Q: Will the second floor of the new Farr Hall be accessible?
A (Kohlman): Yes, it will have an elevator. It will house LBIS network services and two public bathrooms.
Q: When will the retails spaces open in the lower part of the new Farr Hall?
A (Kohlman): Two spaces will likely be used as interim study space during the library project. The Deli will open this summer as scheduled and the Mexican restaurant will open in the fall.
Q: When will Ascension have elevators?
A (Decatur): Work will begin in Ascension after the new academic building is completed in 2021. Provost Joseph Klesner is currently working on a “who’s going where” plan.
Q: So the new library will open before the parking lot?
A (Kohlman): Yes. The parking lot, admissions and academic buildings will open about a year after the new library.
Q: How will shipping/receiving for the library and Gund Gallery be handled during construction?
A (Kohlman): The loading dock logistics are still under assessment.
Q: Where will accessible parking for visitors be located during construction?
A (Kohlman): In front of Peirce Hall and on Ward Street.
Present: Robyn Bowers, Kyle Eddy, Ellen Harbourt, Shanon Hashman, Alex Johnson, Lauri Lange, Emily Lindo, Miracle Mahle, Rebecca Matney, Lori Moore, Susan Morse, Beth Pae, Nancy Sowders, Lisa Train.
Members shared feedback from the open forum about the new Employee Performance Program and the Position Review Committee. There are still questions about who will be reviewed first, how that will be determined and how the implementation will be staggered. There is also concern about the process through which employees can provide feedback about their direct supervisors; at the moment, it sounds like it will be the responsibility of the supervisor’s supervisor to solicit that feedback, but there is no built-in mechanism in the EEP.
There were no major concerns about the updated policy. Members suggested that it should be more obvious that the policy now covers students, faculty and staff (as opposed to having three distinct policies). It would also be helpful to provide a summary of the changes when the updated policy is shared with the wider campus community since both the previous and the new policy are quite long. A visual depiction of the processes covered by the policy would also be appreciated.
Staff Council noted that two forums, on Nov. 7 at 4:15 p.m. in Olin Auditorium and on Nov. 30 at 7 p.m. in the Finn House Cheever Room, will address interim library services during the West Quad construction project. Rebecca will speak to Chris Hudson about livestreaming/recording one of the events in case they are overcrowded.
Alex will follow up with Seth Millam or Mark Kohlman about providing an update to Staff Council in December. Alex is also happy to filter questions about construction on campus.
Emily will find out if there are plans to cover the construction fencing with signs about the work.
Susan will speak to Mark and Seth about providing an update at President Decatur’s staff forum this month.
Senate is currently working on updating the campus government constitution. Emily volunteered if they are interested in having a Staff Council member be part of the project. The goal of the group is to be an advisory body.
Events
The November lunch menu is under review and should be available shortly. Turkey cake was requested if possible. Communications will include a note about bringing canned goods to the President’s holiday party in December rather than to the November lunch in the event email. Miracle will follow up with student groups about providing music — carols and/or instrumental — during the November lunch.
Feedback from the October lunch was good! Suggestions include spooky music for the costume black carpet and considering an incentive for dressing up (even if not a discount). Turn out was similar to last year, although fewer attendees were in costume. Members also suggested adding an award for best group costume.
Kyle and Alex will follow up with AVI about the possibility of offering annual pre-paid cards for lunches and/or accepting card payments.
Communications
Business as usual — Tristan and Emily will email staff about the November lunch as soon as the menu is confirmed. Communications is also happy to help organize any additional forums.
Outreach
Business as usual — the group held a “stuffing party” and the coupons for appreciation award winners are being well received.
Benefits and Policy
The group is revisiting SFP (sick, family, personal) leave policy and meeting with Jennifer Cabral on Nov. 9. Upcoming topics include guidelines for exempt sick time and for “where you work” — at your desk, from home, other campus locations, etc.
The next Staff Council meeting will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 10, in the Eaton Center conference room.
Presented by Todd Burson, vice president for finance.
A: Summary of the program, which is available online.
B: Example of the check-in conversation form (PDF).
C: Example of the triennial review form (PDF).
When he arrived at Kenyon, President Decatur asked Senior Staff to develop an evaluation program following staff reports of dissatisfaction with the inconsistency of the current practices.
The Employee Performance Program Committee spent a year doing research and came up with the program, which will be implemented over the course of this academic year. The group looked at a variety of systems including 360 degree evaluations.
After creating a mission statement and a set of principles, the group worked to create a system that addressed the stated issues with the current annual review system. The new system requires at minimum quarterly check-ins between employee and supervisor and a more robust review every three years. An annual survey will also be used to gauge employee satisfaction.
The triennial review will provide an opportunity for supervisors to recommend bonuses for project-based work and merit raises. These will be reviewed by the division head and Human Resources.
Supervisor training and professional development are both core aspects of the program. The required training will set a baseline of expectations for all supervisors with specific focus on the review process.
The check-ins and annual reviews will be managed through documents in Google Drive.
The program will affect all non-faculty employees; discussions are ongoing with unions. The committee is aware that there are some difficulties specific to academic departmental administrative assistants due to the reporting structure. There will be a meeting on October 24 to discuss this in more detail.
Q: Could there an aspect of the triennial review process discussed when employees first arrive?
A: Part of the supervisor training will be about introducing new employees to the process, and specific objectives (expectations) will be discussed with new employees. Expectation setting will also be discussed at the quarterly check-ins. Updating job descriptions to match the review objectives is also part of implementation. Supervisors will be trained to set clear expectations.
Q: Could there be input from all groups with which an employee interacts (students, faculty, other staff)?
A: No — it’s not feasible to implement a more 360 degree process. The responsibility lies with the supervisor to gather additional feedback and discuss it with the employee.
Q: Will there be a process for employees to provide feedback when they are facing challenges — especially if they don’t have a clear single supervisor? Employees need a clear path to critique their supervisor(s) and to feel safe about speaking up.
A: The difficulty of implementing this in the academic division is currently being discussed. The ombudsperson and Human Resources will continue to be available for issues like this.
Q: Will this do away with the current compensation system?
A: No. It’s about reviewing performance and ongoing development, not really about pay scales — ranges and rates won’t change.
Q: What criteria will be used to award bonuses?
A: Documentation from check-ins — it will be specific to individual positions.
Q: What if a supervisor is not recognizing/rewarding performance?
A: This would be an issue for Human Resources, and will be covered in supervisor training.
Q: Will this affect years of service increases?
A: No. They will stay consistent regardless of how long an employee has been here.
Q: How will this work for supervisors whose employees are also supervisors? How will they evaluate how well their employee is supervising other employees?
A: Only the immediate supervisor and employee will have access to the check-in forms, but evaluating how well someone is supervising will be part of the triennial review.
Q: How will the implementation of the three-year review process work?
A: There will be stages — the details are still being worked out. LBIS and Finance will be the earliest adopters, with other divisions following over the course of the academic year. It is likely that, while all employees will begin the check-in process this year, the triennial reviews will be staggered. The committee has not decided which groups will be eligible for the triennial review first, second and third.
Q: How will the supervisor training be implemented?
A: It will be available for all divisions at the same time. Documentation is being prepared now, and online training will be available. Some supervisors will begin the check-in process before undergoing full training.
Q: Could the triennial reviews be implemented by longevity rather than by division? Could supervisors state a preference for when to conduct their first reviews?
A: The details are still being worked out.
Beginning this fall, a committee of eight Senior Staff members and will meet monthly to review all open non-faculty positions. Each position will be reviewed to determine whether there are more pressing resource issues. A number of options will be considered: fill the position as it is, wait a number of months, combine the position with another position, not fill the position. The committee will require additional documents from the supervisor and senior staff member.
Q: Will there be a form and process for employees to submit their open positions for review? Who will decide who does the work if a position is rejected?
A: There will be a document with a set of questions. If a position is rejected, the workflow will be part of the conversation.
Q: How will “greater need” be defined in terms of deciding that a position is unnecessary?
A: Needs will be defined as part of the budget process each fall.
Q: So there could be a wait period of up to thirty days to post an open position while waiting for the committee to meet?
A: Yes.
Present: Rachel Curtis, Kyle Eddy, Ellen Harbourt, Shanon Hashman, Jared Hoffman, Alex Johnson, Emily Lindo, Miracle Mahle, Rebecca Matney, Susan Morse, Beth Pae, Nancy Sowders, Lisa Train, April Woodward-Ginther, Ashleigh Zarley
At the Thursday forum about the Employee Performance Program there will also be an update on the new Position Review Committee.
Jennifer Cabral in Human Resources provided the following information about the committee:
“The PRC was created by the Senior Staff last summer. The main objective of the committee is to ensure that limited financial resources are being spent prudently. Since 42 percent of the operating budget is spent on personnel, which is the largest expense item in the operating budget, Senior Staff felt that it was appropriate and necessary that when there is an open position, that the division heads of Senior Staff meet and review the effectiveness of the position in its support of the academic mission of the College. The monthly PRC meeting provides an opportunity for the division heads to understand the job duties of the position and determine if those financial resources could and/or should be used elsewhere on campus. The College is no longer in a position where it can continue to just add costs to the operating budget. If something is to be added to the operating budget, then something else must be taken away. The PRC provides an opportunity for all divisions around campus to have a voice at the table. Since the academic division currently has a review process for open faculty positions, the PRC only reviews non-faculty positions.”
Vice President for Finance Todd Burson will give an update about the Employee Performance Program on Thursday, Oct. 5, at 11:10 a.m. in the Community Foundation Theater. Ellen and Emily will take notes, which will be available online shortly. Todd will provide handouts at the forum. Academic admin assistants will have an additional meeting about the program on Oct. 24. The need for additional presentations will be evaluated after tomorrow’s session and following meetings with individual divisions.
Nancy and Ashleigh have been attending fortnightly Campus Senate meetings. The Senate is made up of students, faculty and staff members. So far, the meetings have focused on business, reviewing the membership, function and structure of the group, and some specific updates from areas like residential life.
Benefits and Policy
The committee has met twice and will meet again next week. Current work involves finalizing the process for donating and banking time off, and they will discuss what other topics to tackle this year. Ellen and Miracle are co-chairing the committee.
Communications
Ellen will follow up with Micah about the Staff Council member posters. Emily and Tristan will work on an email template for the lunch reminders and send out a save the date soon. A Staff Council hashtag will be promoted/tested at the October lunch.
Events
90+ people showed up for the September lunch. Alex will send the menu for the October lunch to Tristan as soon as it is available. It will likely be soup, salad and sandwiches. The lunch will include a costume contest with the addition of a runway and parade this year. There will be ballots for voting and trophies. Athletics and LBIS are lined up to sponsor the certificates for the next two lunches. A combined Thanksgiving/holiday lunch menu is being worked on. Susan will follow up with Senior Staff about reported concerns regarding not having a December lunch.
Outreach
22 cheer baskets were sent out in September! There will be another appreciation award for the October lunch. Winners can receive a coupon if they are unable to attend that month’s lunch.
Staff are concerned about how the West Quad construction will affect parking. Seth and Communications are working on a timeline. Emily has communicated the need for communication to the Communications team. Suggestion: an employee appreciation initiative that involves a reserved parking space for a week.
The next Staff Council meeting will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 1. in the Eaton Center conference room.
Present: Rachel Curtis, Kyle Eddy, Ellen Harbourt, Shanon Hashman, Jared Hoffman, Emily Lindo, Miracle Mahle, Rebecca Matney, Lori Moore, Susan Morse, Tristan Neviska, Beth Pae, Nancy Sowders, Ashleigh Zarley
Emily and Ellen volunteered to form a group to review the Staff Council bylaws this year. Other KSC members interested in the project can contact Emily.
Members discussed staff training in general at Kenyon: is it adequate and accessible? The communications subcommittee will compile a list of available training opportunities offered by various offices including Human Resources, LBIS and the Office of Communications and follow up with HR about listing them in a central place. KSC agreed that its role in facilitating training should focus on tips and tricks rather than specific technical/software training.
Members decided that Staff Council does not need to have it’s own social media accounts, but it would be fun to experiment with a hashtag promoted at the first lunch on Sept. 20. Proposed: #kenyonstaffcouncil
Members discussed whether Kenyon staff should write a freedom of information statement similar to the one published by the faculty. It was decided that staff don’t need to write a separate statement at this time: many of the concerns addressed by such a statement as they could relate to staff are covered in the staff handbook sections about employment policies and standards of conduct and/or could be raised in conversation with the College ombudsperson. The members affirmed the role of staff in supporting faculty and students in their commitment to freedom of expression.
The co-chairs reported on a request from the EPP committee to give an update on the status of the program and implementation timeline. Rebecca volunteered to follow up with the committee to confirm the presentation style (a feedback forum, discussion groups, a straightforward presentation with time for questions) and discuss logistics. Staff Council recommends organizing two sessions so that as many staff members as possible can attend. Members agreed on the need for clarity in communicating which staff members will be affected by the program.
Dates have been set for this semester’s all-employee lunches: Sept. 20, Oct. 25 and Nov. 15 with the additional College-wide holiday party taking place in December. New this year, the outreach committee with use a random generator to select a staff member to receive a KSC Appreciation Award, which will include a small gift bag and a free lunch.
The next Staff Council meeting will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 4. in the Office of Residential Life conference room.
At the first meeting for the 2017-18 academic year, Kenyon Staff Council welcomed new members and introduced returning members.
The Staff Council subcommittees were described and members signed up:
• Benefits and Policy: Robyn Bowers, Ellen Harbourt, Shanna Hart, Jared Hoffman, Miracle Mahle
• Communications: Ellen Harbourt, Lauri Lange, Emily Lindo, Tristan Neviska
• Events: Shanon Hashman, Alex Johnson, Rebecca Matney, Lori Moore, Beth Pae, Lisa Train
• Outreach: Rachel Curtis, Kyle Eddy, April Woodward-Ginther
Elected positions: co-chairs Ashleigh Zarley and Nancy Sowders, treasurer Kyle Eddy, secretary Emily Lindo, election coordinator Rebecca Matney.
The next Staff Council meeting will take place Aug. 2 in the College Relations Center conference room, and Staff Council will also participate in a leadership retreat along with senior staff and the Faculty Executive Committee on Aug. 14.