Staff Council changes bylaws

The Staff Council made changes to its bylaws regarding members serving multiple consecutive terms and missing consecutive meetings at its March 3 meeting.

Staff Council members who have served two consecutive terms must now take one year off before running for office again. Prior to the change, members had to take two years off before they could run again.

Council members also voted to change the bylaw regarding missed meetings. Previously, members were required to step down after three consecutive absences. The new bylaw allows a Staff Council member a review by the Staff Council Executive Committee after three consecutive absences to determine whether the member should be removed from office. Each councilor also must now contact a member of the executive committee to justify absences.

The council also:

• Heard a report regarding the proposed UNT child care program. Members were told that the child care committee met and formed subcommittees to begin developing guidelines for a new UNT child care center. At the Nov. 5, 2003, Staff Council meeting, Richard Rafes, senior vice president for administration, told council members that the Liberty Christian School property was the best option for the child care center's location. At the March 3 meeting, members learned the property would not be available for use by UNT until early 2005.
• Heard a report about the new Star Performer program. Several questions were raised indicating confusion about the program's implementation and function. Nelda Evarts, associate director of human resources compensation and employment, has been asked to attend the May 5 Staff Council meeting to field questions regarding the program.
• Heard a report regarding the Staff Council nominations and elections process. Members were reminded of the March 26 nomination deadline and were asked to encourage their constituents to nominate their peers to serve. The election will be held this month.
• Heard a report about the formation of the UNT Disaster Action Team, which is coordinating training and working with the Denton County Red Cross. Thirteen people have joined the team thus far and others are encouraged to join by calling Paul Dworak, director of compliance for UNT and the UNT System, at (940) 565-4906. The UNT DAT team will be trained to respond immediately if a disaster strikes the UNT campus community.
• Heard a report regarding UNT's current smoking policy and changes that could be made to the policy and its enforcement, including moving approved smoking areas farther from buildings, limiting smoking to public streets and more strictly enforcing the current policy.
• Heard a report from the staff development committee encouraging council members to attend the Staff Sack Lunch on May 6 and to participate in University Day activities April 2 and the Great UNT Campus Beautification and Cleanup Day on April 3.
• learned that Joneel Harris, associate vice president for enrollment management and co-director of the Enterprise Information System project, will be invited to attend the May 5 Staff Council meeting to discuss and answer questions about EIS. Council members were asked to contact their constituents and encourage them to submit questions about the system. Questions should be submitted to council members prior to April 6 so they can be shared with the executive committee during its meeting April 7.

The Staff Council meets again at 2 p.m. May 5 in Marquis Hall, Room 116. For more information about the Staff Council, visit www.unt.edu/staffcouncil.

BY MICHELLE HALE mhale@unt.edu

Other featured articles in this issue

• Maya Angelou to speak at UNT April 20
• UNT presents honorary degree to King of Thailand in March ceremony
• Own a piece of UNT
• Honors Day speaker part of a tribute to UNT's 50th anniversary of desegregation
• Annual jazz festival begins today in Addison
• Faculty Senate hears faculty mentoring report
• UNT health center receives national recognition
• Major retailer touts UNT's merchandising program as one of the best in the nation
• UNT departments on the move
• Economist: Elite female college basketball players worth $300,000 a season
• Survey shows UNT students a bit more liberal than peers

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