UNT Staff Council takes up faculty and staff scholarship issue

At the UNT Staff Council's Jan. 10 meeting, an ad hoc committee was created to draft a resolution supporting the university's faculty and staff scholarship, which is being reviewed during this year's budgeting process. The resolution is intended to reinforce the benefit program provided for faculty and staff members. (See the article below about the faculty and staff scholarship.)

The council also approved a resolution asking for an increase in budgeted funds to be used to reclassify staff positions. Concern over the issue stems from a decrease in reclassification funding from $450,000 in fiscal year 2002-03 to $225,000 in 2003-04. Though reclassification funding increased to $325,000 for 2004-05, the council is concerned that funding has not returned to its level of two years ago.

In addition, the council read proposed changes to the group's bylaws. The changes will add flexibility to the date of meetings of the group as a whole and allow council members reclassified to a position outside their work group to remain on the council to finish their term of office. The changes will also create more continuity within the council by adjusting the timing of the nomination and election of members and officers. The changes modify the time of year when officers are elected from September to May and move up the nomination and election process of members from May to April.

In other business, the council:

• Heard a report from the Human Resources Advisory Committee regarding a meeting with Scott Kangas, associate director of parking services. Bruce Hunter, committee chair, reported that the parking office is making several policy changes in an attempt to streamline the office and make it more customer-friendly. The changes include allowing permitted drivers one warning per year for parking permit-related infractions; reducing parking citation fees; using plastic cling windshield decals that can be moved from one vehicle to another for parking permits instead of hang tags; revamping the citation appeals process; and creating a process through which parking citation fees can be paid online.
  
• Heard a report by Staff Council member Reggie Bond, who sits on the Responsibility Center Management committee, about the committee's first two meetings where it heard the committee's charges and began creating RCM principles.

• Heard reports from several Staff Council committees.

The council meets again at 2 p.m. March 7 in the University Union, Room 418. For more information, visit www.unt.edu/staffcouncil.

BY MICHELLE HALE mhale@unt.edu

Other featured articles in this issue

• Share your thoughts regarding UNT branding
• UNT examines Responsibility Center Management
• UNT plans several events to celebrate Black History Month in February
• Two UNT interior design graduates take ‘reality finals' on HGTV
• Higher education institutions seeing a drop in international student enrollment
• Dining services offers faculty, staff options to eat economically
• Faculty, staff Spanish classes starting soon
• Human resources providing customer service, leadership training this spring
• Budget committee re-evaluates faculty and staff scholarship
• UNT professor gives advice for holiday overspending recovery

homepage