Staff Council to draft resolution supporting staff reclassification funds

The Staff Council will begin work on a resolution to encourage the UNT administration to make funds for reclassifications of staff members a budgeting priority.

An ad hoc committee was created during the group's Nov. 3 meeting to begin examining the issue and to draft the resolution. 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.

The council also has asked its Human Resources Advisory Committee to provide proposals to the UNT Parking and Transportation Office for policies that would allow staff and faculty members a moderate amount of leniency regarding specific parking-related issues, such as forgotten parking permit hang tags or tags that have fallen from rearview mirrors.

Richard Deter, UNT chief of police and director of parking and transportation, met with the Staff Council Executive Committee on Oct. 6 to discuss parking issues involving staff members. Deter said during that meeting that it was becoming impossible to keep up with the unwritten practices of leniency used for faculty and staff. Beginning this semester the parking office is only following the official parking rules and regulations, online at www.unt.edu/parking/regs/html.

In other business the council:

• heard a presentation made by Sodexho representative Peter Johnson, general manager of UNT retail. Sodexho is the new vendor that provides food services in the University Union, Wooten Hall, the Research Park, Willis Library and the Student Recreation Center.

• heard a report made by Michelle Hale, council vice chair, about a safety walk held on Oct. 27 during which a group of delegates from the Student Government Association and the Staff Council walked with facilities employees through the interior section of campus after dark to examine lighting, landscaping and walkways for safety-related issues.

• heard reports regarding the State Employees Charitable Campaign, UNT's proposed child care center, recent Faculty Senate meetings, the League of Professional Women and council committees.

The Staff Council meets again Jan. 10, 2005, at 2 p.m. in the University Union, Room 418.

BY MICHELLE HALE mhale@unt.edu

Other featured articles in this issue

• Provost approves changes to Fall 2004 schedule of final exams
• UNT merchandising students determine hottest gifts of the 2004 holiday season
• TAMS students semifinalists in national competition
• UNT hosts seminar to address needs of lesbian, bisexual, transgender women
• Winter weather brings possibility for closures
• UNT professor talks about films released during the holidays
• Eagle Partner Award nominations sought
• Operation Eagle to assist Florida children
• UNT Post Office hours change for holidays
• 2005 Honors Day nomination forms are due Dec. 17

homepage