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Staff Council Meeting Minutes
Friday, May 8, 2009

  1. Meeting began at 8:37 am, quorum not reached.
  2. Approval of Staff Council Agenda for May 8, 2009 –
  3. Approval of Staff Council Minutes of April 10, 2009 –

Committee Reports

  1. Membership – Berta Hanson -- Some staff members are up for re-elections and will receive notices regarding their status. Staff Council is having trouble reaching a quorum at meetings. If members cannot attend, they can get a proxy to sit in for that meeting.
  2. Special Events – Berta Hanson – We are still waiting to hear if staff will have a picnic this summer. There will be some sort of gathering of staff with music and fun.
  3. Staff Development – Nancy Green -- Nancy and Mary Jones-Harley are working together to co-chair this committee.
  4. Ways and Means – Charles Greenwood – Next year this committee will be exploring new ways of conducting business. Charleen Rice is interested in heading Way and Means Committee. Fred Neely will help her. Fred Neely explained the Campus Legal Council's (CLC) position on raffles at CSULB. We can no longer have raffles, so we need ideas for other fundraising. All suggestions are welcome. We are considering holding rummage sales, and the Staff at this meeting expressed interest in this option. Staff would also be able to contribute craft items. Cynthia Riley suggested a drop off area for items such as the Bookstore receiving on Fridays where the committee can sort items and price. Marlys Sams mentioned that Facilities has done rummage sales, and they arranged for the Salvation Army/Goodwill to take leftover items at the end of the event.
  5. Bylaws – Sharon Olson was not present.
  6. Nominating Committee -- Kathy Allan -- was prepared to conduct Staff Council elections, but no quorum was reached. Barbara Sinclair said that several committees will need Staff Council Representatives:
    • University Resource Committee
    • Campus Climate Committee
    • International Education Committee
    • University Student Union Board of Trustees

PCSW -- Barbara Sinclair reminded that a paper ballot went out. Please vote and return

Announcements

  1. Steve Zimmerle announced that students are 2 ½ weeks from graduation. He left flyers to take to departments to help answer questions. He also left flyers for the CSULB Computer Store Apple Computer deals and CSU Consolidated Buy Program which runs through May 27, 2009.
  2. Barbara Sinclair announced that Charleen Rice has been elected by the Forty-Niner Shops Board of Directors to serve as Staff Representative and is currently attending their retreat.
  3. Barbara Sinclair talked about what is happening with the Academic Senate. Grading Debates will continue in the fall, and most major committees are finished now for the year.
  4. Anne Ambrose reported for the Enrollment Management Advisory Committee that students who have been offered enrollment have accepted, and we will know more next month about student status. Ann also mentioned that Public Affairs is doing a publication, Emeri Ties, and if you know of any retired employees, who would like to share their stories, please have them contact Teresa Hagen-Crowder (5-8241).
  5. Barbara Sinclair advised to read up on Prop 1A and 1B in order to intelligently cast your vote on May 19th.
  6. Bob Rodgers announced for all who wish to participate in the 2009 Special Olympics to register online. You can volunteer to cheer and will be assigned a specific athlete to encourage.
  7. Fred Neely reported that 2009 Graduation will be set-up like it was a number of years ago with the stage at the north end of the quad. It gets bigger every year, and more bleachers/chairs will fit with this configuration. There will be shuttles going from Pyramid parking to upper campus. The procession enters from Fine Arts . Confetti will be allowed, but be considerate of wheelchairs needing to pass and others with handicaps and disabilities such as asthma who may be affected.

Special Orders

  1. Time Certain: President Alexander – 8:57am

    President Alexander expressed thanks to everyone that Cal-State Long Beach diverted complete disaster with our precautions for Swine Flu. We were on our own quarantining students, and only one freshman contracted the flu. That student may have contracted Swine Flu at Kaleidescope. 35,000 people attended Kaleidescope, and no disaster occurred. We learned a lot and met with the Health Department. We had trouble getting samples tested. Our campus demographics do not allow us to easily close down, and the number of cases decided upon for closure was 10,000. We have 20,000 students here who can not just vacate the campus. We are not over close vigilance, and the President appreciates our patience and that faculty and staff is watching closely for symptoms. Our Campus Police did a great job, and other institutions have called us to ask about how we handled our situation.

    The budget propositions go forth on May 19, 2009, and the President is hoping all will pass. There is an 8 billion dollar hole in the California Budget which will incorporate into a May revise. There will be a 16 million dollar hole in the budget in June when Legislators return. If the propositions do not pass, we cannot expect a budget for the CSU before October or November. Bills are still getting pushed forward, so all we ask is flexibility to do what we do.

    There is a meeting next week, and it is expected that there will be a 10% increase in student fees. The UCs are up $800.00 this year, so the CSUs are still in a good position. The Cal-State Science Building construction is up and running, gaining ground that was lost when work ceased. The Recreation and Wellness Center is above ground now and there is a virtual walk-through of the facility online. Opening is planned for a year from August, 2009. The Brooks Residential Learning Facility has room for 550 students, and, to date, 200 are signed on. This will help alleviate the 1,000 plus waiting list we always have for on-campus residential space. Brooks is designed in the tradition of residential colleges to be a self-contained living and study community for students enrolled there. The facility is a 20 million dollar project paid for by revenue bonds supported by the students living there. Shuttles will ferry students back and forth to the main CSULB campus.

    President Alexander advised Staff not to get run down. Keep healthy because we are entering the final weeks of the semester culminating in Graduation and all of the activity with it. Be sensitive to students and visitors. We may have the largest Graduation Class ever, and CSULB is a model for this. The job market is not good, so undergraduate students will be staying on to enroll in graduate courses. We have had a gripping year beginning with feral cats and coyotes and ending with a Blue Heron in our Japanese Garden Koi Pond. We are ready for a breather, so hang in there!

More Announcements

  1. Anne Ambrose suggested that everyone check out the Japanese Garden website for the many upcoming events such as a concert, art show, and origami demonstrations.
  2. Barbara Sinclair let us know that the Women's Resource Center will have their usual Soup and Sustenance during finals week. Many students take advantage of this opportunity to refresh themselves. This offers another way you can direct stressed out staff and students to a place where they can relax and re-fuel.
  3. Betsy Decyk noted that at this time there is a rise in faculty, staff, and students using available campus resources such as CAPS (5-4001) and University Ombuds ( 5-5983) Where they have a place to go and talk.
  4. Zeke Bonilla announced that it is especially important to needy families, because of the weak economy, for faculty and staff to participate in the ongoing food program offered through Foundation. Please drop off food donations in the collection box of the Foundation lobby. Whole families over individuals are increasingly becoming homeless and needing help. It is a great way to contribute to provide family and community assistance.
  5. Betsy Decyk announced the Relay for Life is taking place on June 5-6, 2009. Contact Lori Evans ( 5-5489) to sign up for Relay for Life, Long Beach, a 24 hour event, taking place on the CSULB Track. A team from Brotman Hall is going, and it is a wonderful experience of teamwork fighting cancer through all of the light and dark hours of a day in our lives.
  6. May 17, 2009, Ocean Studies is holding a fun family and marine life event from 7-4 at the Cabrillo Marine Mammal Center in San Pedro. Everyone is welcome.
  7. Mary Jones-Harley asked Steve Zimmerle what best things we can do to protect our computers from viruses, and Steve replied keeping up with regular anti-virus software updates and paying for protection is the key. Everyone should backup all documents and photos.
  8. More than 10% of staff will be receiving awards on May 14, 2009 for 10 or more service years. This event is by invitation only.
  9. Please encourage other Staff Council Members to attend our June Meeting.