1. Denean Pomeroy has resigned from Support Staff Advisory Committee (SSAC) due to her new position.
2. SSAC elections are this spring. We need 4 new committee members. Please send nominations to the SSAC.
3. New staff introduced—Zach Reichard in Registrar
4. Sustaining the Mission Task Force
   1. April VanLester-Thuma is our representative.
   2. Sustaining the Mission – Task Force #2 is charged with consideration of revenue opportunities congruent with K’s mission and values that will lead towards improving the financial sustainability of the College. The Task Force is further charged with researching potential budget cost containment opportunities (both short-term and long-term) including review of the budget process, review of health and benefits, evaluation of Study Abroad costs and long-term sustainability, as well as other opportunities it might identify. The Task Force will solicit ideas in a variety of ways (e.g. surveys, focus groups, forums) from constituent groups and the campus community, and will provide an update to the Board of Trustees in June, update to President Gonzalez in July, and a final report to the Board in October.
   3. Think big picture. Currently we are in an idea generation stage, not a crisis, more of a long term looking at the future as we transition with a new president.
   4. Referring ideas back to any preexisting committees on campus.
   5. Now Task Force would like feedback from their constituencies. Feedback can also be provided anonymously—in survey or through intercampus mail.

1. Support staff potluck will be 3/22 at 11:30 a.m. in Fine Arts. You can email the committee with what you want to bring.
2. New staff introduced—Pat Hanson—Security and Chapel
3. Green Dot training—3/17 at 10 a.m. in Hicks Banquet Room
   1. All are welcome
   2. No registration required
4. Non-Medical benefits (vacation, bereavement, sick time, hourly wage, and disability/maternity/paternity leave)—the committee’s role is to represent you and your voice. The goal is to document how individuals think and feel today. You can give your opinion by campus mail or email and it will be kept anonymous.
   1. BRG is making two recommendations.
      1. Bereavement policy will be same for all. Three paid days, up to five in special circumstances, not from sick time.
      2. ii.Vacation time accrual should be looked at with the idea of increasing the rate for hourly staff.
   2. Letter is short and open ended. It is a good start.
   3. Discussion of what we are comparing ourselves to—other GLCA schools, Kalamazoo community, people to people, leaders in social justice (historical inequity—lower income and mostly female population who need this time the most). Most on campus don’t know what others benefits are.
   4. Support staff doesn’t have a mechanism to have our voice heard by president’s staff. We don’t have a representative on President’s staff.
   5. Are there additional disability policies that individuals can purchase?
   6. Many new developments between Arcus/social justice focus and new president coming. Good timing to review policies.
   7. The committee’s request is that we have information in writing to adequately represent you in your own words.
   8. Would a review of the employee survey from a couple of years ago be helpful? Feedback was that many didn’t complete because of concerns about confidentiality.
   9. Would a signed letter from all support staff be an option—the committee doesn’t want to put people on the spot. A letter will come from support staff committee that will include your story.
   10. Involvement of students at some point in the future–perhaps.
   11. Some of our voice is being represented at BRG recommendation which is further than the information has been disseminated before.
5. Timeframe of action
   1. BRG is submitted their recommendation this month, probably.
   2. We would like to submit your comments around the same time, please submit stories by next Friday.
   3. With the incoming president we should submit soon.

We are all in this together.

Reminder

• Comment box located in back of room—your questions, comments and concerns are always welcome.

Spring Potluck Lunch

• Save the date for Tuesday, March 22, 11:30 a.m. in the FAB Lobby.
• Sign-up sheet available. Please sign up to bring an item for our potluck.

Blood drives on campus

• We had a student speaker, Courtney, who spoke about the importance of blood drives held on campus. Blood drives are held three times a year lead by the Health Center and the Red Cross. The next one will be held on March 31. Please let people know about the blood drives, get the word out and connect with the campus community.
• Courtney also spoke about the blood marrow coordinator, how to register to donate blood marrow, (cheekswab) and the information is entered into a database. There are a lot of children under three in need of blood marrow.

Bell Ringing

• John Fink shared a bell ringing DVD. The President had asked John to head up a task force for bell ringing made up of community members, students and staff. It was recommended to offer it as a physical education class for students so since last fall he has been teaching this class. The bells are heavy so it is a physical activity to ring them. Each bell has a significant K College person’s name inscribed and a spiritual verse. John invited staff to join bell ringing if they are interested.

Student Development

Kate Yancho, Assistant Director of Student Involvement and Tyler Hall, graduate assistant in Student Involvement spoke about student organizations, groups and program events throughout the year. Kate is now located in the former SAC/Student Common area. SAC was restructured and is now called CEO, Campus Engagement Organization. Only need four students are needed to form a group. There is also a Team Site with many resources or students can see Kate directly for more information. OSI also has a website listing upcoming events. Please check it out. There are also opportunities for faculty and staff to participate in Beyond the Hive bus trips to Chicago, Art Prize in Grand Rapids, South Haven, Airway, etc. at minimal costs.

The 41st Monte Carlo will be held on Saturday, February 20th. Volunteers are appreciated for setting up or at the event itself. Students love seeing the faculty and staff involved. You can bring your spouse or a friend.

Benefits Review

Joisan reported on the progress of the Benefits Review Group. The BRG continues to discuss a Bereavement Policy that would cover all staff; it appears an agreement on that policy is close to fruition. Changes to the Rate of Vacation Accrual, Short Term Disability, and Accrual of Emergency/Sick Leave time continue to be up for discussion as the BRG attempts to find some sort of consensus on their recommendation as well as how their recommendations should be presented to President’s Staff.

The next meeting will be held on Friday, March 11th, 2016.

MEETING ADJOURNED

1. Introductions of committee members and attendees.

2. Kathy Roffe will be the new support staff representative for the Benefits Review Group.

3. Jennifer Clark-Kinsey will be the new support staff representative for the Financial Oversight Committee.

4. Sholanna Lewis will be leaving and there will be a new person on the Support Staff committee.

5. Ken Wood gave Wellness update.
   1. Watch the Hornet Hive calendar or visit the wellness center website for upcoming events.
   2. There are lots of new opportunities and all classes are open to all abilities.
   3. Upcoming events include the Lucky 7 Cardio Team challenge, Workshops, and the indoor triathlon.
   4. Ken handed out a New Year’s habit worksheet. Please contact him if you wish to review your goals.

6. Lanna Lewis gave Arcus update.
   1. Visit the Arcus Center website
   2. Social Justice definition and mission reviewed. Arcus offers trainings, fellowships, conferences, and professional development both on the global and local level.
   3. A new tool is the Praxis Center online resource.

7. Benefits Review Group update by Joisan Decker DeHaan.
   1. The BRG is composed of representative from across campus.
   2. This is the first time they have been able to review non-medical benefits.
   3. Support staff recommendations presented to committee include:
      1. equal accrual of vacation days
      2. Bereavement time is currently not available to support staff
   4. Time frame includes ongoing discussions to have written reasoning to be presented to new president.

Submitted by Jennifer Combes

Number of Attendees: 31

Ministry with Community

Mission:

To empower people to make positive life changes by providing food, daytime shelter and other basic services to central Kalamazoo’s homeless, poor, mentally ill and hard-to-serve adults. Through community cooperation, these services are provided in an atmosphere of dignity, hope, and unconditional acceptance.

Ministry with Community history:

• Started 30 years ago in basement of North Presbyterian Church providing meals to needy
• Mid 80s- purchased existing property for day shelter and meals
• Serve people experiencing poverty, mental illness, homelessness, working poor, individuals and families
• Rebuilding Lives Capital Campaign – undergoing a $6 million campaign to support and enhance Ministry with a broad range of services. New location for the building at 500 N. Edwards, the public shelter area will be 3 times larger and the dining room will accommodate almost twice as many people, there will be additional classrooms, offices for outreach workers and multipurpose spaces to accommodate the current level of need and provide necessary flexibility to meet the future needs of individuals and families.

Staff:

• Rob Oakleaf- Executive Director (Kalamazoo College graduate)
• Ali Kole- Volunteer and Development Coordinator
• 3 fulltime social workers- available 7 days a week to help with any issues
• Office staff/volunteers

Services provided to meet basic human needs {first come/first served):

• Warm place to stay
• 2 meals served daily, 365 days a year, averaging 300-400 meals daily
• Food pantry
• Haircuts
• Flu shots
• HIV testing
• Mailing address
• Use of phones
• Laundry facility
• Private shower facility
• Provide personal hygiene items (baskets around campus)

Additional services provided:

• ID program Social Security cards/Birth CertificatesJob team that assists finding day jobs and long-term jobsHave van that takes individuals to job sites starting at 5am
• Staffed Computer lab //use Michigan Works, JET (Jobs, Education, Training) and AARP
• Provide equipment used at job sites, such as steel-toed boots
• Bus tokens

Opportunities to Volunteer (includes past and present):

Internships through Mary Jane Stryker CenterHumanities – Poetry Readings

• SIPs
• Research- opportunities for students
• Collecting personal hygiene items
• Gardening
• Serving Meals

Activities

• Bingo (will need to provide small prizes such as candy, clothes, personal hygiene items)
• Arts and crafts (will need to provide supplies)Ice cream socials (they provide bowls and spoons, will need to provide ice cream and toppings)
• Gardening- either vegetable or flowers (vegetables usually are picked by someone prior to being ready) – can check with various greenhouses to provide free plants, etc.
• Music- have students/staff/faculty provide
• Dance
• Picnics/Lunch- if group larger than 3 or 4, will need to arrange a day to serve in advance

Donations of the following items to Ministry with Community are always needed and appreciated. Items can be dropped off weekdays 6:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.

• Deodorant (travel size)
• Two-Bladed Razors
• Lotion (travel size)
• Feminine Products
• Lip Balm
• Shampoo (travel size)
• Conditioner (travel size)
• Soap (travel size)
• Toothbrushes
• Shaving Cream
• Band-Aids
• Bath Towels & Washcloths

Kitchen Needs

• Sugar (packets or bulk)
• Peanut butter and Jelly
• Coffee Mugs (9 or 10 oz.)
• Teaspoons Dish
• Towels & Dish Rags Minutes

Submitted by Jennifer Combes

Welcome – Joisan Decker DeHaan-President

• Sign-up sheet on back table—please sign in at each meeting (21 support staff were in attendance at today’s meeting)
• Comment box—your questions, comments and concerns are welcome along with what you would like to see happen. Please feel free to fill out comment cards.

Support Staff Website

• Go to Quick Links, Support Staff
• Committee members’ names, photos and contact information are listed. Minutes will also be posted on this site.

Discussion Board Postings

• This topic was brought up at our first meeting. Joisan contacted Carolyn Zinn, Associate Director of Web Services, and unfortunately the program we have does not allow for this. However, we can work with Carolyn to set up a blog instead or we can just use the comment cards. Please let Joisan know your preference. Another option is to create a TeamSite on the Hornet Hive and Joisan will look into this.

Holiday Party

• Save the date for Friday, December 11th, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., in the Hicks Banquet Hall for the Support Staff’s annual Holiday Party. The party will be catered and there will be music and games.

Presidential Search Update

• Victor represents the Support Staff and Facilities Management on the committee. Due to a confidentiality agreement signed by all members on this committee, no information can be shared at this time.

Committee Master List

• Joisan checked with Melanie Williams to see if a master list of all committees existed. A list does not exist therefore Joisan will start compiling one. If you are on a committee, please let Joisan know. We are finding ways to become more productive in fostering change and to have adequate representation of Support Staff on various committees. There are some committees that we can solicit names for nomination and other committees that only the President’s staff selects. If anyone is interested in being on the newly formed Retirement Committee, please let Joisan know as the President’s staff is asking for names.

Support Staff Advisory Committee Members

• SSAC members were introduced
• New employees since last year were introduced

Speakers

• Lisa Murphy, the Library’s College Archivist, gave a presentation on the Library’s digital archives. Let Lisa know how she can help your department with either finding or putting items on-line. Please email her any questions.
• Eric Wimbley, Director of Security, gave an AED demonstration. If your department would like additional training, please email Eric.

The next meeting will be held on Friday, November 13th, 2015.

MEETING ADJOURNED.

1. New Support Staff Committee Introduced

• Joisan Decker DeHaan-President
• Jeffrey M. Moran-Vice President
• Amy Leu-Secretary
• Sholanna Lewis
• Denean Pomeroy
• April VanLester-Thuma
• Jennifer Combes

2. Support Staff Website

• Meeting dates and minutes will be available
• Link to Employee Advisors (formerly known as Ombudsman will be available)

3. Presentation by Jax Gardner

• Awarded a staff fellowship with Arcus
• End goal is to have a sustainable diaper bank in Kalamazoo to launch in the spring of 2016. It would distribute one week’s worth of diapers with no eligibility requirements.
• Why? Neither food stamps nor WIC can be used to purchase diapers which cost around $1000/year per child. The health consequences of improper diapering include emotional, social, ability to access child care, etc.
• Currently collecting for a diaper drive ENDING 10/14/15. Collection points include Hicks, Arcus, Dewing, and can contact Jax. Accepted donations: diapers (open packages all sizes but greatest need for size 2 and 3), cream, wipes, financial, and volunteer time. Recipients are YWCA, St. Barnabas Diaper Ministry, and Loaves and Fishes.
• Week one update—7,000 collected with a goal of 20,000.
• For more information on the diaper drive email jax.gardner@kzoo.edu

4.“Speed Dating”

a. Questions included:

• i. What is something you were proud of at work this week?
• ii. What would you change about your position?
• iii. What would you like to get out of the support staff committee this year?

b. Quick debriefing of answers including:

Submitted by Jennifer Combes

I. Intro and Welcome – Alex Teal

II. Human Resource update – Renee Boelcke

• Employee Survey – this was taken before Renee started working here so it is challenging for her to understand the process and results. The survey did report a clear desire of employees to have Dental and Vision Coverage – and we did get Dental Coverage this year. Feedback on the coverage is overall very positive. She is still interested in getting Vision coverage and working toward that goal.
• Training Procedures – she implemented a New Hire Orientation in the fall – 1 time a week for 4 weeks, topics covered during this training included: mission, strategic plan, recruitment of students, student experience, employee expectations, how to access information, where to look for information/help, advancement efforts. They are still working on establishing a good format and finalizing the content for this training.
• Suggestions from support staff:

1. Budget tutorial and continued training for those who are responsible for budgets
2. Training for Student Employee Supervisors – how to approve timecards, etc
3. Software training for new employees
4. Can job postings have pay ranges? Renee asked that you simply call or email her directly if you have questions about pay for an open position. She is more than happy to let you know what that will be.
5. Discrepancy between salary and support staff vacation accrual – Renee said that this is in part due to different expectations and job requirements for salaried employees, but she hears the concerns that support staff has
6. Sick time buyback – some support staff are not in favor of this and would like there to be an option to opt-out of the buyback

III. Test-Optional for Admissions – Eric Staab – Dean of Admission and Financial Aid

• ACT/SAT scores are not longer required for applications who apply to K for admission
• Currently staff use the following factors in deciding who to admit:
• Recommendations
• GPA
• Essay
• Co-Curricular activities
• Curriculum/coursework
• Faculty decides the criteria that admission staff use.
• Many studies show that test scores do not directly correlate to success in college.

IV. SSAC nominations and elections are starting

April 8, 2015 – 2:00pm (Eric Wimbley, Director of Security – ‘Shots Fired on Campus’ Video)

March 12, 2015 – 9:00am (Mia Henry, Arcus Center – regarding tensions on campus)