Staff Council Meeting Minutes – October 2016

Staff Council Updates
November 9, 2016

Staff Council met on October 19, 2016 in the Perry Presentation Room. Below are the meeting minutes (approved on November 16) . You may also click HERE to download a PDF version. Please send any corrections to Cullen Bostock (cbostock@champlain.edu) prior to the November 16 meeting.

I.  Welcome – Call meeting to order (Jared Cadrette, Facilitator, Co-Chair Staff Networking & Recreation Committee)

II.  Welcome New Employees

  • Individuals hired during September and the beginning of October were invited to stand and introduce themselves to the group. Those present included:
    • Joel Lenoir, Systems Manager (Colleague), Information Systems
    • Justin Cawley, Sr. Accountant, Finance 

III.  Approval of the September meeting minutes (see in K:drive/Staff Council Meeting Minutes),

  • A motion was made to approve, motion was seconded, and the September Meeting minutes were unanimously approved 

IV.   Approval of Amended Bylaws – Christina Erickson

  • A motion was made to approve the amended bylaws, that motion was seconded, and the amendments were unanimously approved
    • Revised Staff Communication and Engagement Committee description to include the charge of overseeing the Staff Ambassador program (previously overseen by Networking and Recreation Committee). 

V.  Women’s and Gender Center Update – Maggie Melvin

  • The Center is holding its official grand opening ceremony on November 2 from 4-6pm. The ceremony will include a brief speaking program by President Laackman and other community leaders. The primary goal of the grand opening, however, is for people to network and to generate suggestions for potential initiatives and/or areas of focus.
  • The Center is located in Skiff Annex, Room 102 and is open to students of all gender identities and sexual orientations. Based on the results of initial surveys administered across the campus and research done by Maggie’s team, it was determined the 3 primary areas of focus for education and support would be on empowerment and leadership, gender identity and sexual orientation, and sexual violence education.
  • If you have any questions or want more information, feel free to email womensandgender@champlain.edu or visit https://www.champlain.edu/student-life/student-services/womens-and-gender-center.

VI.  Commencement 2017 Update – Shaylea Scribner & Jo Corrow

  • This May, all students graduating from graduate-level programs, both online and on campus, and from CPS undergraduate programs, will participate in one commencement ceremony scheduled for 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 13.
  • The reason for this change is to help manage the capacity and thematic focus of the traditional student ceremony, held at 10:00 that morning, and to create a commencement ceremony focused on the accomplishments of our adult graduates.
  • Also new this year will be a separate hooding ceremony for Master’s students. Graduate degree recipients will be invited to participate in a special ceremony on the evening of Friday, May 12, where they will receive their academic regalia and celebrate with fellow graduate students, faculty, and College leadership.
  • The question was asked which commencement ceremony an adult student graduating from a traditional, on-campus, program would go to. The student would attend the ceremony in which their completed program falls. In this scenario, the student would attend the traditional undergraduate ceremony in the morning.
  • Shaylea also noted that these changes likely do not affect the schedule for the Staff and Faculty Engagement Day, which is typically scheduled for the week following commencement.

VII.  Sarah Ramsey ‘12 Innovation Lab – Hannah Campbell

  • Sarah Ramsey is a Champlain College alumna who graduated in 2012 with a degree in Marketing Advertising. Sarah suddenly passed away in 2013. In her memory, Sarah’s parents started a scholarship fund which provides support to junior or senior marketing students who demonstrate strong academic performance and wish to expand their international experiences.
  • The Innovation Lab (or “iLab” for short), named in Sarah’s memory, is a welcoming space with cutting edge technology that fosters creativity and innovation. The space was designed with live client work, rapid prototyping, product design, and collaboration in mind.
  • The Ramsey iLab is located in the Ireland/Stiller School of Business building and the grand opening was held on October 1.
  • Hannah highlighted some of the technology available in the Ramsey iLab: video conferencing tools, a large monitor, and Bluetooth capabilities, among others. The space is not currently bookable through EMS and is being used on an open, as-needed basis by students, staff, and faculty.

VIII.  Student Government Association (SGA) Structure & Goals – Maggie Bean, SGA Vice President

  • The SGA Cabinet is comprised of the SGA President, Vice President, and 4 Directors (Finance, Clubs, Communications, and Operations). Additionally, The SGA Senate is made up of 11 students from various academic divisions (including first years). SGA members are all active voting members on the College Council and on campus sub-committees including Calendar and By-laws, Diversity and Inclusion, Sustain Champlain, and Academic Regalia.
  • At the most recent meeting, members of SGA appointed 2 students to serve as Diversity Advisors. Reviewing SGA Bylaws for potential revisions and getting ready for club training were also items on the most recent agenda.
  • Maggie noted some recent changes made to SGA operations. For example, the format in which SGA office hours are communicated has changed to allow for members to travel to various student club/organization events/meetings. SGA is also in the process of aggregating data from the 45 different student clubs on campus, such as how often clubs are meeting, etc.
  • Maggie went into detail regarding the role of the SGA Senate. The Senate’s primary role is to assess requests for funding submitted by members of the student body via the SGA Grant Fund. Examples of requests made to date include funding for film students to acquire equipment, club events, and covering fees associated with conference registration/attendance. The Senate has already approved 9 grant requests to date.
  • Maggie finished by emphasizing that the primary focus of SGA for the current year is to engage in consistent, effective communication in order to create personal connections with the student body. Specific initiatives include revamping their social media strategy (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) and think of ways to make the physical SGA office and Fireside Lounge more inviting to foster in-person communication with students.

IX.  Committee Updates

  • Networking & Recreation – Jared Cadrette
    • Reminder that the Staff Halloween Lunch will take place on Monday, October 31. Employees are encouraged to wear a costume (individually or with a group) that fits the super hero theme.
  • Communication & Engagement – Roland Palmer
    • The newly formed committee held its first meeting to review and determine priority of ideas/suggestions shared at the September Staff Council meeting. Overseeing Staff Council website updates and taking over responsibilities associated with the Staff Ambassador Program will also be key areas of focus for this committee moving forward.
  • Manager’s Roundtable – Roland Palmer
    • The last meeting consisted primarily of a discussion regarding the most recent Modern Think results shared by the People Center. The group engaged in conversations around what the results say we are doing well and where there is room for improvement.
  • College Council – Jimena Huaco
    • The last CC meeting was focused on the new email distribution lists and procedures that were recently launched. Also, as Maggie noted previously, SGA appointed 2 new diversity advisors.

X.  Announcements

  • MakerLab Workshops – Tyler Feralio
  • Transportation Update – Nic Anderson
    • CATMA recently sent an email to all Champlain employees which contained a link to a survey. Nic noted that the message likely went to employees’ “junk” mailboxes, however, he encouraged everyone to participate. The results of the survey are crucial in tabulating emissions data.
    • Champlain College WON the “Way to go” challenge as well as the “carbon throw down” with Seventh Generation! Nic extended a thanks to those who participated.
  • Emergent Media Center 10th Anniversary – Sarah Jerger
    • Sarah encouraged people to share any stories, memories, and/or experiences they may have to be included in a celebratory, “Pinterest” style, web-page she is putting together in honor of the EMC’s anniversary.
  • Champmasters
    • Staff are encouraged to participate in Champlain College’s Toastmasters club. Meetings are held monthly at Lakeside. Be on the lookout for meeting notices sent via email.

XI.  Closing – if you have questions, feedback, ideas – please speak to me or one of our Executive Committee members

 

 

Tags in this article
Meeting Minutes