Minutes
THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA
STAFF SENATE
(NORMAN CAMPUS)
Wednesday, November 20, 2024
Chair Crystal Ary called the meeting to order at 1:04 p.m.
Officers present - Crystal Ary, Chair; Kristi Wright, Chair-Elect; Rhonda Hill, Immediate Past Chair; Ann Seely, Recording Secretary
Staff present – None
Senators present – Kelsey Martyn-Farewell, Cynthia De La Rosa, Jessica Rossman, Jonathan Still, Ross Mehl, Meghan Warren, Sage Mauldin, Christa Seedorf, Sarah Moran, Amanda Warren Marshall, Rachel Jones-Summan, Jenny Lang, Sara Myers-Compton, Keiana Cross, Quinn Floch, Jennie Clary, Stuart Simpson, Twila Winkler, Catherine Chesbro, Allison Richardson, Cody Moore, Elaine Bradshaw, and April Meadows
Senators absent — Suzie Brewer, Sage Mauldin, Christa Seedorf, Kyle Brunsmann, and Tomika Cox
SPEAKERS
Kathy Agnew, Deputy Chief HR Officer, Human Resources
Patrick McClain, HR Business Partners Assistant Director, Human Resources Admin Office
ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES of September 18, 2024
The October 16, 2024, Staff Senate meeting minutes were approved by an email majority vote.
CHAIR’S COMMUNICATIONS
Good afternoon, thank you for joining me today for our November edition of Staff Senate. There have been a few updates to our Staff Senate Executive Committee, Melissa Lane has accepted another position on campus as a Financial Analyst with CCE. Also, Robert Kelly has resigned his position as the Staff Senate Communications Chair, I wish them both the best on their future endeavors. The next couple of months may be rocky for us as we transition some people into new roles within Staff Senate. Melissa and Robert’s positions will be filled within the next couple of weeks, if all goes well.
Since we last met, Staff Senate has been represented in multiple ways across campus.
- October 18th, I attended the OU Annual Gala where students expressed their gratitude to donors for their support and contributions in making their educational journey possible.
- October 22nd, I met with a few Staff Senate leaders from University of Central Oklahoma. They were inquiring about our successes, challenges, and our relationship with the administration of our university.
- October 23rd, I presented at the Building Resource Coordinators meeting, I talked about all things Staff Senate, all of our committees and how people can get more involved.
- November 5th, Kristi, Melissa and I met to go over all of Melissa’s responsibilities and account permissions and how they will be temporarily distributed until we can get her role filled.
- November 6th, Ann Seely and I attended a farewell reception for Sean Burrage who was the VP of Executive Affairs.
- November 11th, the exec committee and chairs of the staff senate committees met to announce the departure of Melissa and go over who has been assigned temporary responsibility of all the things.
- November 13th, Staff Senate hosted a reception for Melissa to express our appreciation for her 15 years of dedication to the university and staff senate.
- November 18th, the executive committee met to determine who we would like to nominate for the communications chair position, more to come.
Whew…
On behalf of the executive committee, I would like to ask for grace as we move forward in making progress on filling Melissa’s position. We leaned on her in many ways for many things.
REPORTS FROM SPECIAL COMMITTEES
Committee on Committees: Chair Kristi Wright reported they did not meet.
Merit Award Selection Committee: Chair Kristi Wright reported they did not meet.
Policy Review Committee: Chair Kristi Wright reported they did not meet.
Community Outreach Committee: Ross Mehl reported for Tanya Miller-Eager SSCOC met at The Noun for a social introductory meeting and discussed the game plan for the year. We’ll host a Zoom meeting within the next couple of weeks for those who couldn’t make it. On Saturday, October 26th, a small group of us volunteered at a charter school in Norman, Le Monde International School, as part of The Little Event. We were paired with an international sorority and had a great time learning more about the school’s offering while making a big impact on their community. Muy bueno/Très bien (very good in Spanish and French, two of the languages offered at the school). At the end of the month, we launched a fundraiser for Bridges of Norman, which just ended. We’ll have the details regarding our impact at the next meeting.
Looking ahead, we’re going to focus on the crowd favorite, Operation Comfort & Joy, which will keep us busy until the holiday break. Keep an eye out for our call for nominees followed by a request for donations.
Ad Hoc Committee: Currently there are none.
REPORTS OF STANDING COMMITTEES
Awards Committee: Ann Seely reported the committee did not meet.
Communications Committee: Co-Chair Sarah Moran reported the meeting went well: we discussed edits and the finalization process for the Staff Senate biographies, as well as a staff appreciation email next month. This event may include a balloon arch, and signage stating “thank you OU staff” or something along those lines…. encouraging staff to take photos by the signs/balloons and post. We would call it an appreciation/morale booster activity.
Staff Initiatives Committee: Chair Kelsey Martyn-Farewell reported they met on November 19th and brought in Karen Smith from Financial Services to discuss training and support for the areas she oversees. She showed us all the existing training materials and websites, Karen then solicited ideas and feedback for additional needs. Karen also shared with us the list of ideas her teams are currently working on, which they hope to roll out in 2025.
Staff Week Committee: Chair Jessica Rossman reported they met on November 6. We went over the details for The Winter Craft and Hobby Fair. This will be open for all staff to attend and will be in the Molly Shi Ballroom from 10 am-1 pm on December 3rd. We will also be offering a baked potato bar for $5 starting at 11 am until sold out.
REPORTS FROM UNIVERSITY COUNCILS, COMMITTEES, AND BOARDS
Employee Benefits Committee: Crystal Ary reported they met on October 17th, the committee was given a benefits update. The highlights are
- In 2023, actual costs were 14.8% above budgeted amounts
- In 2024, actual costs are 16.1% above budgeted amounts
- Total costs in August were 21.2% above the budgeted amounts, or $2.1M above expected costs
Lee also provided a reminder that open enrollment was still underway.
EBC meets again tomorrow, November 21st at 1:30 via Zoom.
OTHER REPORTS
The following reports were linked to the October agenda:
- Staff Senate Foundation account reports $1,285.30
- Minutes of the Employment Benefits Committee meeting for September 19, 2024
OLD BUSINESS
- None
NEW BUSINESS
Communications Officer:
Since our last meeting, Robert Kelly resigned from his role as Communications Officer, a position on the Executive Team. On Monday, November 18th, the Executive Team met to discuss a nominee for the position and selected Sarah Moran. According to the operating procedures, no vote is necessary, and Sarah was informed of her nomination, which she accepted.
Sarah is currently the chair of the Communications Committee but will step down from that role. Ross Mehl, the committee's co-chair, has agreed to take on the position of chair. The Executive Team extends its thanks to both Sarah and Ross for their willingness to take on these new responsibilities.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
- None
ADJOURNMENT
- As there was no further business, the meeting adjourned at 2:03 p.m.
NEXT REGULAR MEETING: December 18, 2024, at 1:00 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Melissa Lane
Administrative Manager
Ann Seely
Recording Secretary
