CLAS Staff Council Meeting 10.27.2021

Published: Feb. 3, 2022

Attendees: Angela Beale, Elly Lewis, Lindsey Tollefson, Jen Ambrose, Sandra Quinn, Carri Boothe, Karen Fennell, Sulastri Carr, Erick Chavez-Navarrete 

Non-Council Members: Jenn Ambrose, Erin Golden, Jon Wilson, Christine Lukvec, Karen Peirce, Cassie Bueckers 

Recorded By: Elly Lewis 

Announcements:  

  • Tomorrow is the second interview for the Assistant Dean for Faculty and Staff Affairs position.  Please attend the meeting.  
  • The final Hollaback Training is on Friday, November 5th at 12:00 PM.  
  • If any staff have any thoughts they would like to share, they can send anonymous feedback to the form on the CLAS Staff Council website: https://clas.ucdenver.edu/staff-council/content/general-feedback 
  • On November 4th at noon, the Science Fair has a session to learn more about volunteering or judging for the Fair https://clas.ucdenver.edu/denversciencefair/get-invuolved/jdges-volunteers 
  • ​Next staff council meeting we will invite Assistant Dean, Rob Stiner, to be a guest presenter on November 17.  Email any budget questions to Rob Stiner prior to the meeting. 

Strategic Plan: The Dean reached out to the Staff Council executive committee regarding the CLAS Strategic plan.  The Dean asked the Council to review the plan and provide feedback on the document to the CLAS Faculty Council and the Dean. The Staff Council asked all staff to review the document and attend the Council meeting to provide input. 

Discussion

  • Staff are not highlighted throughout the document. The language is often focused on “Faculty and Students”. 
  • Any time there is the word “recognize” or “incentive”, it exclusively refers to faculty 
  • Staff work does support the goals of faculty and students to be able to pursue these priorities. This is an opportunity to emphasize what staff do to support this overall mission. 
  • Staff often feel like an "afterthought" the way the plan language is worded. 
  • Were staff in volved in creating these priorities? Yes, staff were on the strategic planning committees that were originally formed a few years ago. 
  • Performance Plan DEI – implementation needs more detail on how staff should be supported to accomplish this goal. 
  • The DEI goal is imposed on staff without resources provided whereas faculty DEI goals are incentivized. This should be addressed in revised plan language. 
  • Staff need support, trainings, and resources in order to complete DEI goals for performance evaluations. 
  • Staff have tried to enroll in the Equity Certificate Program and all the links have been removed. There are no classes available in Skillsoft. 
  • There are no staff incentives for retention. 
  • It was suggested on the revised plan for Goal 1, Priority 2 that it could include recognizing and combatting the inequalities and existing power dynamics between faculty and staff.  
  • The strategic plan mentions hiring great faculty but there is no mention of hiring and retaining staff, including mentioning finding money for faculty, but not staff. 
  • Staff can send additional comments to Karen, via the staff council website, or the Staff Council email.  
  • Here is the link to https://clas.ucdenver.edu/staff-council/content/general-feedback 
  • Goals 2 and 3 could include opportunities for staff as well. Could professional development for staff be included in this section? 
  • The staff need to articulate how and why they can implement items into the strategic plan 
  • The description for Goal 5 in the strategic plan feels a bit weak and confused. 
  • Converting lecturers to instructors seems like red-flag language. 
  • It is Interesting that faculty should be "paid adequately" and "appreciated" but staff are "respected" and "well cared for". 
  • What does "well-cared for" mean? This phrasing comes across as if staff are viewed as children or pets. This language needs to be changed. It says "faculty are paid adequately and are appreciated..." Could it be changed to "faculty and staff are paid adequately and are appreciated...."? 
  • There is nothing written in this section about adequately paying staff. 
  • Staff are not being looked at in terms of needs for revaluating staff wages, but this is done for student workers. 
  • Some staff meet the criteria for low wages that would put us on social benefits at a governmental level. 
  • One staff member mentioned that when they started at CU Denver 5.5 years ago, the minimum wage for hired student employees at was $8.00. It will be close to double that starting January 2022. Meanwhile, the University is hiring new staff at or below what it was did back then. 
  • Staff were told by leadership how lucky they are to not lose jobs and to only be furloughed. 
  • Tenured faculty were given additional time during the pandemic disruptions to meet their performance goals, but all of staffs’ promotional tracks were interrupted.  
  • What does promoting wellness mean in terms of staff? 
  • Staff would like to continue remote work opportunities and see this listed in Goal 5. 
  • It seems like the flex scheduling is here to stay but should be included in the strategic plan. 
  • A salary equity survey should be listed as a medium or long-term goal. 
  • The college or staff could explore where inequalities lie between faculty and staff and reevaluate policies and inequalities such as voting rights etc. 
  • Voting is usually listed in the department by-laws for TTF faculty only. 
  • Do the leaders see the inequalities in power structures? If not, how do staff hold them accountable? 
  • The summary in goal 5 could be written: “Recruit and retain great staff and faculty: Aim to attract an excellent and diverse pool of employees and to keep these employees through enhanced communication, collaboration and inclusion in college decision-making processes. Make employees feel welcome, fairly compensate and well-treated to retain excellent talent.” 
  • It would be great to hold Leadership and Faculty accountable. Currently there are no repercussions for faculty aside from recommended trainings, etc. 
  • Is there a way to include something along the lines of access to equal opportunities? For example - if there is a faculty mentoring program for new faculty then should there be a staff mentoring program for new staff as well? 
  • Have there been conversations about a college workplace climate survey? 

Next Staff Council meeting November 17, at 1:00pm