Th e

p Em

loyee F o

UNC EMPLOYEE FORUM NEWS

in t ou c h

Forum delegates and staff help with flood

By Dan Barmmer Vice Chair Martin Chavious, a weekend shift supervisor in Housekeeping Services, was nearing the end of his eight-hour shift on June 30 when the flooding began. He remained on campus with a crew member until after 1 a.m. to coordinate cleanup efforts after the rain stopped. Chavious saw the strong flash flooding destroy computers, books and carpeting. He even saw a door ripped from its hinges as a result of the strong flash flooding. Chavious was just one of many university employees who worked in the weeks following the flood to make sure the water didnt impact the start of fall semester. And as the rains subsided, Chavious helped to repair buildings across campus, including Baity Hill Student Family Housing, Wilson Library and Cobb Dorm. And he witnessed staff from all over the University who came together to minimize the destruction. Employee Forum Delegates Marilyn Couch and James Holman participated in the cleanup efforts. Couch reported that McIver Residence Hall, one of the hardest hit buildings, has not yet been completely restored. Holman noted that Ram Village 5 by the Dean Dome was blanketed with red mud, the

2013 legislative session closes with big impacts

By James Holman, Employee Forum Delegate The 2013 General Assembly session has closed, and legislators have enacted into law a number of measures that will impact government workers throughout our state. Most of the bills that were passed have been or will be signed by Gov. Pat McCrory. The range of issues addressed by this history-making legislature has been broad and deep, promising to impact every N.C. resident for decades to come. But some of the issues directly affect staff employees at UNC. First, the good news: The Teachers and State Employees Retirement System (TSERS) was fully funded for the third year in a row. The basic 70/30 State Health Plan will continue to be offered without premiums. The State Health Plan benefit year will be changed to a calendar year rather than beginning each July 1. The change will take place on Jan. 1, and should make it easier for retirees who also receive Medicare to coordinate their benefits between the two plans. The Christmas holiday has been set permanently to three days, rather than two or three days depending on how the holiday fell in the week. The bad news is: There will be an increase in the premium for the 80/20 State Health Plan effective January, 2014. There will be no pay increases for state employees or cost of living adjustments for retirees. In lieu of a raise, legislators voted to give workers five bonus vacation days that must be used within Fiscal Year 2014. The budget for the biennium continues to be grim for the UNC system. It: Reduces the UNC System budget by almost 2.5%, bringing the cuts to UNC- CH since FY 2008-09 to approximately $147 million. Eliminates a $15 million direct appropriation to the UNC School of Medicine. Cuts an $8 million transfer from the University Cancer Research Fund. The tax-free weekend, used each August by many University families to help make back-to-school shopping more affordable, ends in 2014. Other actions taken by the legislature include: The State Personnel Act, which governs the working conditions of SPA employees at the university, was changed via the Modern State Human Resources Management Act. Fortunately, provisions that would have compromised employees due process rights were removed from the final approved version of the bill.

ru

| R E A D U S O N L I N E : F O R U M .U N C . ED U | S EP T E M B ER 2013

COURTESY OF STEVE HARGETT The Murray Hall loading dock and Kenan Football Center were two locations that experienced severe flooding June 30.

white tile floor and walls covered with several inches of soil from the entrance through the lobby and into the elevator. Restoring the building required hours of labor, including wet vacuuming to remove the water, floor scrubbing to loosen the soil, waxing, and disposing of debris. We would like to thank all of the hardworking and dedicated Carolina employees who responded to the flooding on campus. We appreciate the staff

who cleaned up, restored electricity, repaired buildings and grounds, replaced machines, and took risks to ensure others safety. It is due to their efforts that the campus community was able to continue functioning and they all deserve our gratitude. Note: This story was intended as a companion piece to the Aug. 6 Gazette feature UNC employees share special skills to aid flood recovery. Read it here: http://go.unc.edu/Lx72Z.

In addition, the re-employment rights of workers subjected to reductions in force were clarified in the Act. RIFd employees will lose this right if it is not exercised within one year of their RIF notice. For employees notified July 1, 2011, and after, priority re-employment consideration is terminated when an eligible employee refuses an interview or offer for a permanent position for which the eligible employee applied. This includes any permanent position regardless of the salary grade/salary grade equivalent from the last position. The office of the State Treasurer, which has had the right to invest up to 30 percent of the $81 billion TSERS retirement fund, was given slightly expanded investment powers. Special thanks to Kathy Bryant, and UNC HR staff

I n To u c h

forum.unc.edu

New Chair and delegates set priorities for the coming year
Katie Turner Public Relations and Communications Chair Addressing the Forum for his first time as Chair in early July, Charles Streeter led delegates in a brainstorming activity to create a list of issues that could act as a roadmap to guide activities throughout the year. He divided the members into small groups to produce a list of priorities and then asked the groups to share their ideas and concerns. Streeter explained that the goal of identifying issues in small groups was to create a document that we can return to each meeting throughout the year to measure our progress. Arlene Medder, Division 6, said that the Forum could increase awareness about staff issues and become more visible by sponsoring brown bag lunches around the university. She said that brown bag lunches would provide networking opportunities for staff in different departments without requiring additional funds. Several delegates suggested that diversity training could be strengthened on campus. Yvonne Dunlap, Division 8, said one of her main concerns is that diversity training is not mandatory across the university. She thought the Forum should strengthen its efforts to support mandatory training. Jessica OHara, Division 8, suggested that a speaker from Energy Management attend a monthly meeting to educate staff about energy and utility costs across campus. She said that because few departments pay their energy bills, they are unaware of the costs associated with their energy use and how to conserve energy. Treasurer Tammy Cox suggested that a fun social event, like a campuswide scavenger hunt, could be a way to bring staff together who are not currently involved in the Forum. Other groups identified the extension of tuition waiver benefits to spouses and dependents, staff retention, increasing housing options for veterans, and strengthening managerial accountability as top priorities for the year. Streeter shared his own list of priorities with the group, explaining that he wants to devote his tenure as Chair on five main areas: increasing the Forums visibility, maintaining and improving the Forums reputation, making a positive impact on the campus community, implementing sustainable programming, and strengthening outreach and recruitment efforts.

Forum welcomes new delegates

The Forum is pleased to welcome new and returning delegates. In particular, we welcome those new members who have brought a renewed energy and enthusiasm to the Forums meetings: Jo-Ann Blake (Dental Research), Nancy Beach (Health Policy & Management), Jacquelyn Copeland (Scholarships & Student Aid), Lois Douglass-Alston (Scholarships & Student Aid), Cindi Emerson (Center for AIDS Research), Katie Fanfani (Philosophy), Jim Fuller (Housekeeping), Paula Goodman (Undergraduate Education), Maggie Grant (Womens Center), Melissa Haugh (Surgery), Michael Highland (Scholarships & Student Aid), Donnell Jeffries (Housekeeping), Shelby Long (Surgery), Kathy R a m s ey ( D e n t a l Re s e a rc h ) , Christina Rodriguez (Psychology), Myint Thaung (Housekeeping), and Matthew Turner (Orthodontics).

Employee Forum gets new slate of officers, a mix of old and new faces

Chair: Charles D. Streeter Streeter has worked in Student Affairs Information Technology for over two decades. A native of Fayetteville, North Carolina, Charles received a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts from UNC-Chapel Hill and later an MBA from Pfeiffer University. Charles was one of three recipients of the Kay Wijnberg Hovious Oustanding Forum Delegate Award for 2013. He has served on the Forum for more than seven years.

Vice Chair: Dan Barmmer B a r m m e r i s a p ro s pect research analyst with University Development, where he has worked since 2006. In 2010, he was honored with a Star Heel award. A UNC graduate, he has more than 10 years of service in a dozen departments. He previously worked at FGI in Chapel Hill as a team leader and supervisor. Barmmer has chaired and served on many UNC committees over eight years as a Forum representative. This is his second term.

Secretary: Paula Goodman: Goodman is the department manager of undergraduate education in the College of Arts and Sciences. She manages the departments human resources and financials and assists the senior associate dean. Goodman came to the University in 2008 after working for Pinellas County (Florida) Emergency Management. She received her B.A. in Professional Studies with a major in Human Resources from Barry University in 2007.

Treasurer: Tammy Cox: Cox is assistant dean for administration in the School of Information and Library Science. She manages business operations for the school, including strategic planning, financial management, contracts, grants, human resources and student services. She came to UNC in 2009 after 17 years at N.C. State. Cox received the 2011 Chancellors Award in Human Relations. She has a B.S. in accounting and is pursuing a masters in higher education administration.

Parliamentarian: Matt McKirahan McKirahan is a program support associate at the School of Government. He provides program and course support for program managers and administrative support for faculty. He came to UNC in 2011 and has been awarded the Schools Extra Mile Award and Collaboration Award. He holds a B.A. in Political Science and a Public Health Leadership certificate from UNC. McKirahan is coChair of the Education and Career Development committee.

Executive Assistant: Matthew Banks Banks is executive assistant for the Employee Forum. He handles administrative duties for the Forum, including web maintenance, budget oversight, minutes, meeting planning, story production, and member recruitment. He came to the Forum in 1995 after working as a waiter, baker and groundskeeper. He earned a B.A. in Politics from Wake Forest in 1990. He earned a J.D. from the N.C. Central School of Law in 2008.

I n To u c h

forum.unc.edu

Employees recognized for their contributions

Forum news in brief

UNC acquires Lynda.com license
Nancy Beach, Forum Delegate O n Ju n e 1 4 , I T S announced the availability of a new online learning resource, Lynda.com. Lynda.com is a course library designed to teach software tools and skills. It features ten categories: 3D design, audio, business, computer-aided design, design, developer tools, documentaries, photography, video, and web applications. Faculty and staff can access courses from any computer with an Internet connection, using their ONYEN username and password at this link: http://software.sites.unc. edu/lynda/. to strengthening dispute resolution by holding monthly meetings between Forum delegates and high-level administrators. She was also noted for bringing a new era of civility and professionalism to Forum operations and supporting service efforts such as the faculty-staff food drive and Habitat for Humanitys Build-A-Block campaign. When asked to recount how she felt about receiving the Forums highest honor she said I was (and still am) totally flabbergasted at being given such an honor. I know how rare it is for the Forum to bestow this status so I feel quite privileged.

PHOTOS COURTESTY OF CHARLES STREETER

By Chris Meinecke, former Recognition and Awards Committee Chair The Annual Employee Forum Peer Recognition Awards Ceremony was held in Hyde Hall on May 30. About 60 people attended the afternoon event, including 13 awardees along with their nominators and supervisors. This year the committee received 87 nomination forms electronically rather than through paper ballots. Forum Chair Jackie Overton and Patti Thorp hosted. Chris Meinecke, chair of the Employee Forum Recognition and Awards Committee was Master of Ceremonies. The following employees, who were nominated by their peers, received awards: Back Office Activity Award: Wanda Wallace (History); Big Buddy Award: Missy Underwood (School of Government); Call of Duty Award: Eric Chapman (Infectious Diseases); Congeniality Award : Jane Darter (Sheps Center), Paula Davis (Energy
Three-Legged Stool winner Bob Henshaw, a trailblazer and collaborator By Jacquelyn Copeland, Forum delegate His colleagues said he puts the right people in touch with each other. Others told stories of how he encouraged them to pursue teaching grants, participate in teaching conferences, and utilize technology in the pursuit of their pedagogical goals. Bob Henshaw, instructional technology consultant, was awarded the Employee Forum Community, or Three-Legged Stool, Award. Henshaw serves as staff liaison between the Center for Faculty Excellence and the Teaching and Learning division of Information Technology Services. He works with faculty and academic departments to advise instructors about course and instructional design.

Services), Summer Montgomery (Biology); Customer Service Award: Cheryl Long (Division of Laboratory Animal Medicine; Milestone Award: Clarice Neville (Division of Laboratory Animal Medicine), Cheryl Long (Division of Laboratory Animal Medicine); Rookie Award: Jennifer Tesh (Eschelman School of Pharmacy); Self-Improvement Award : Yolanda Lassiter (Division of Laboratory Animal Medicine), Brandy Barnes (Division of Laboratory Animal Medicine); Unsung Heel Award: Roger Sit (Environmental Health and Safety). The committee thanks Jackie Overton, Matt Banks, Employee Forum assistant; Debbie Bush; Charles Streeter; Katie Turner; Allison Barnes; The Institute for the Arts and Humanities; Breadmens Catering; The Peer Recognition and Awards Committee: Kittie Allen, Karen Cheek, Jill Crowder, Jim Gussler, Avia Mainor, Jessica OHara, Myra Quick and Chris Meinecke.

Katie Turner, Public Relations and Communications Chair and Matt Banks, Forum Assistant On June 5, 2013 former Forum Chair Jackie Overton received one of the highest honors that the Forum confers: lifetime honorary delegate status. Overton was honored at the annual forum retreat with an engraved picture frame and a resolution acknowledging her impressive work on behalf of the Forum. James Holman, Division 2, presented Overton with a plaque noting her work on behalf of University housekeepers. Charles Streeter then shared a brief slideshow of photographs documenting Overtons time as Chair. Vice Chair Dan Barmmer, read Resolution 13-03 aloud to the forum members, while Overton listened with tears welling up in her eyes. The resolution recounts Overtons accomplishments, from working effectively with Chancellor Thorp to address longstanding issues in the Housekeeping Department,

Overton is lifetime honorary delegate

Katie Turner, Public Relations and Communications Chair In May, the Forums Executive Committee constituted an ad hoc committee to restudy the Forums bylaws. Since then, the committee has met several times to discuss ways that the bylaws can guide the Forums practices more effectively. Efforts to strengthen the Forums bylaws began over two years ago when former Chair Jackie Overton worked with consultants in the School of Law to overhaul the Forums preexisting bylaws. In the years that have passed since the Forum enacted the new bylaws, the Forum has adopted new practices that call for a reexamination of previously codified procedures. One of those practices is voting electronically, both in the annual staff-wide elections, and among delegates when business arises that requires an immediate decision between physical meetings. The committee also plans to discuss the Forum Chairs terms of office. Members of the Executive Committee expressed concern about hav-

Review of bylaws underway

ing rules in place that encourage experienced Forum delegates to run for Chair, while allowing enough flexibility to attract a larger number of candidates. The committee is taking a two pronged approach to restudying the bylaws. First, the committee plans to review the bylaws in their entirety and make recommendations to the full Forum for how the bylaws can be updated to align with current practices, such as the Forums recent efforts to conserve paper and conduct business electronically when necessary. The second phase of the review will examine substantive changes to the bylaws, including the Chairs term of office, the timing of officer and delegate elections, and the responsibilities of officers and delegates. All of the proposed changes will be read before the full forum and will have to be approved by twothirds of the membership in order to amend the existing bylaws.

Join Us
Any member of the public and the UNC community is welcome to attend the full Forum meetings on the first Wednesday of each month from 9:15am-11:30am in the Pleasants Family Assembly Room at Wilson Library. The Forum will meet on the following dates: September 4, 2013; October 2, 2013; November 6, 2013; and December 4, 2013.

Write for InTouch

Any staff member is welcome to join the P u b l i c Re l a t i o n s a n d Communications Committee that is responsible for creating and editing content for this publication. If you are interested in contributing, please email katie_turner@unc. edu.

I n To u c h

forum.unc.edu

Buzzing through the Carolina Campus Community Garden

By Arlene Medder Forum Delegate In the spring of 2010, a surprising new crop was planted in the Carolina Campus Community Garden: bee hives. Anne Cabell, a hobbyist beekeeper since 2007, tends two of the four hives at the garden. I talked to Anne about honey bees. She wore her beekeeping outfit: jeans, long-sleeved shirt, closed toe shoes, and the traditional hat with netting; nothing too dark. She said if she forgot to take her watch off, one is likely to crawl under her black watch strap and get crushed. She also carried a smoker, a tool to pry the frames loose, and a bottle of sugar water. Honeybees are not aggressive unless they feel the hive is threatened. When a bee is injured, it releases a pheromone alerting the other bees and signaling the hive is in danger. Anne uses the smoker to mask the pheromones, which keeps the bees calm in case one is accidentally injured or killed. There are approximately 60,000 bees in a single hive and they have a range of two to five miles. The lone queen bee lives three to four years. By having two hives, Anne is able to juggle the worker population between the hives to keep them from overpopulating. At the same time, she must ensure they are strong enough to resist pests and predators. As long as there is room for the queen to lay eggs, the bees stay in the hive and do not swarm. Beekeepers try to prevent swarming because the old queen leaves, taking most of the hive populace with her. She leaves behind caretakers to tend the queen eggs, which means there will be no honey production until the new queen hatches and starts reproducing workers. The hives themselves are a pair of boxes with vertical frames to support the wax honeycombs. The frames make it possible for the beekeeper to extract the honeycombs and check for disease or pests. A super, or third box, is placed on top of these with an excluder between it and the lower hive boxes. The excluder keeps the queen bee out of the super box, so she cannot lay eggs near the honey that will eventually be harvested. Its vital not to harvest any honey during the first year of a hive, as the new hive is building its population and reserves to last them through the winter, Anne said. She harvests the honey in July and leaves sugar water to feed the bees from August through April. She also makes certain they have access to water. The sugar water ensures the hive has enough food to keep the hive strong through the winter. She stops feeding in April to be certain the honey collected in July is from flowers, not sugar water. To date there has not been a large enough harvest to add to the distribution. In 2011, the harvest was so small the honey was best used as samples for publicizing the garden. The hive died last winter, so new packages were installed and are rebuilding this year. Anne is hoping for enough honey next summer to add to the distribution. The beehives serve another purpose: teaching. While Anne and I were talking, a volunteer came by with her two children. They asked questions and had a chance to see bees and honeycombs up close. Theres also a workshop every year on beekeeping. Just like honey and wax, the hives are multipurpose.

COURTESY OF ARLENE MEDDER Honey bees are directly responsible for pollinating roughly one third of the worlds food.

New leaders at the top: Meet Carol Folt, Jim Dean

By Tammy Cox Forum Treasurer On July 1, 2013 Carolina opened its doors to its first female chancellor, Dr. Carol Folt. Folt was formerly the interim president of Dartmouth College and the Dartmouth Professor of Biological Sciences. An internationally recognized environmental scientist and award-winning teacher, she served in administrative and senior academic roles beginning in 2001. Chancellor Folt has a remarkable background in

Carol Folt opens doors

preserving and promoting the values of excellence, integrity, and service to others that perfectly fits the culture of our great university. Chancellor Folt is the administrative and executive head of the university and exercises executive authority over it. In this role, she provides strategic leadership to articulate and implement the Universitys academic plan and mission of teaching, research, and public service to the people of North Carolina, the nation, and the world. Chancellor Folt will collaborate

i n TO U C H
inTouch is a publication of the Employee Forum at UNCChapel Hill. Contributors include Katie Turner (Editor), Matt Banks (EF Staff), Dan Barmmer, Nancy Beach, Jacquelyn Copeland, Tammy Cox, James Holman, Charles Streeter and Arlene Medder. Special thanks to members of the Public Relations and Communications Committee. Production: The Daily Tar Heel

with the North Carolina General Assembly and other state leaders to strengthen and expand existing relationships with campus and offcampus constituencies. Her congenial personality was demonstrated on her first official day in office when she met with the Forum leadership. Her vibrant enthusiasm and passion were contagious as we conversed about the Carolina Way. She provided a platform for the leadership to speak frankly about the ways we work together and how we can improve our campus. Chancellor Folt is keenly aware of the sexual harassment and diversity conversations on campus and will emphasize the need for continued discussions and solutions to those issues. Many of us walked away with the knowledge that she desires to continue making Carolina great she is quickly becoming a true Tar Heel. Thank you for walking through our doors, Chancellor. We are honored to be your university.

Dr. James Dean, formerly the dean of Kenan-Flagler Business School, was appointed as our executive vice chancellor and provost effective July 1. He succeeded Professor Bruce Carney who has since returned to the faculty. Jim spent 16 years as a faculty member at Kenan-Flagler, serving the last 5 years as Dean Dean. (Yes, Dean Dean). Fortunately, he has a great sense of humor. Jim has an extensive background in organizational development which allows him to understand the big picture and the business acumen needed to guide us through another year of budget cuts. As provost, he is responsible for resource allocation across campus and for making difficult strategic decisions about how those resources are used. The provost serves as the chief academic officer and reports directly to the chancellor. He also oversees academic administration and chairs the Provosts Budget Committee.

Jim Dean on the scene

I was honored to represent the Forum on the search committee for the new provost. Prof. Kristen Swanson, Dean of the School of Nursing, chaired the diverse committee comprised of faculty, staff, students, administrators, and Board of Trustees members. We undertook a comprehensive approach to recruiting, evaluating, and selecting the best pool of candidates to present to our new chancellor. Jim Dean was highly endorsed for the position. Both the chancellor and provost will be meeting with schools across campus this fall to learn more about various units and their operational challenges and opportunities. Provost Dean has challenged the deans to visualize how we can improve in the next 10 to 20 years. His keen business sense and wit are truly needed as we focus on what it means for Carolina to be a 21st century premier public research institution. I am very pleased that Jim Dean is on the scene.