Mid-year Report Update from the President (Andrew Chai)

• The draft version of the State of the Staff Senate mid-year report was shared. The completed mid-year report will be shared with the University President, Board of Trustees (BOT), and the entire SCU campus at the end of January. 
• University President, Kevin O’Brien will be the guest speaker at the May Staff Senate meeting. The June Staff Senate meeting will focus on transition activities (e.g., identifying committee chairs, liaisons) and the reporting of election results. 
• Potential future meeting topics were discussed, which included:
• Update on Leadership searches (e.g., Provost, Deans)
• Invite Fr. Dorian to be a guest speaker with Fr. Kevin O’Brien at the May meeting
• Diversity and Inclusion activity updates, with Margaret Russell or Ray Plaza as possible speakers
• Student Life, with Jeanne Rosenberger as a possible speaker 
• Update on WorkDay transition
• New STEM building and how it will affect the campus (i.e., who will be moving, construction), with Chris Shay as the possible speaker
• Overview of the Jesuit School of Theology (JST)
• Athletics and how it impacts student life

 Review & Vote on Staff Retirement Benefits Resolution (Andrew Chai)

• Senators were asked if they had any comments or questions regarding the Staff Retirement Benefits Resolution. Feedback and questions were as follows:
• Human Resources (HR) should design a checklist that retiring staff can use as an informative tool.
• Staff Senate questioned how retired faculty are afforded an access card and parking pass. 
• Staff Senate President called for a motion to hold a vote on this resolution. The motion was approved and seconded, and then was voted on by Staff Senators and approved.
• The Staff Senate President will forward the resolution to the Staff Affairs Committee and then the University Coordinating Committee for evaluation. If the resolution is approved, the informal retirement benefits will be added to SCU’s Staff Policy Manual. 

 Elections & Bylaws Committee (Brian Moon)

• Fall quarter elections to fill vacant Senator seats have been postponed until May 2020 due to the transition to WorkDay. The primary issue is that departmental groups have been reorganized and the committee has not received the accurate data from HR. The committee is working with HR to generate a list of all staff in order to run general elections in May. 
• The committee has reviewed the Staff Senate bylaws and will be proposing technical changes. All staff will receive a copy of these proposed technical changes in early February. Staff Senators will be asked to vote on these technical changes at the February 20th Staff Senate meeting.
• The current bylaws require elections, but there have been instances when a committee chair was appointed. There is a proposal to change this in the bylaws.  

 Events & Services Committee (Leah Nakasaki-Peterson)

• The Events and Services Committee Chair, Leah Nakasaki-Peterson, informed the Staff Senate that the Faculty and Staff Mixer will take place on February 20th from 3:00-5:00 pm. The location is yet to be announced, but the venue is within walking distance from the University. 

Communications Committee (Sergio Lopez) 

• The Communications Committee Chair, Sergio Lopez, reminded Staff Senators that the Staff Senate eNews (which includes meeting minutes) is emailed two weeks after each monthly Staff Senate meeting, per SCU governance rules. If a campus area is sponsoring/holding an event of general relevance to the staff community, senators should send information about the event(s) in their areas one week after the Staff Senate meeting for inclusion/advertising in the eNews. 

Updates from Working Groups

• Working Groups will be meeting this quarter and moving forward with activities. If Senators have any new issues that they would like the Benefits or Diversity and Inclusion Working Groups to research and address, please send an email to the President-elect at staffsenate@scu.edu. 

Updates from Parking & Transportation Liaison 

• Parking & Transportation liaison, Brian Moon, asked Senators to remind their department areas to be mindful of construction and construction signs alerting individuals to areas that are closed. 
• The liaison provided the following construction, parking, and transportation updates:
• The Schott Athletic Excellence Center is anticipated to open in Fall 2020. 
• The Sobrato STEM Building will open in Summer 2021. Due to construction, we can expect accessibility and parking challenges from December 2020-March 2021.
• Franklin Street modifications will provide limited B parking.
• The O’Connor lot now has handicap parking.
• The University is still waiting for feedback from the City of Santa Clara regarding electric bikes and scooters, and a moratorium has been placed until the end of 2020. 
• There have been recent incidents related to electric skateboard accidents on campus. The Parking and Transportation Committee is looking at ways to make pathways safer, and ensure that speed limits are being observed. Any ideas regarding: 1) alternate transportation options, 2) pathway accessibility, and 3) ways to enforce rules and speed limits should be shared with Brian Moon. 
• SCU employees are allowed to park on public streets near the University and should continue to be good stewards if they choose to park on public streets. If any neighborhood parking incidents or confrontations occur, please contact Campus Safety or Parking & Transportation Services. 
• The Staff Senate recommended posting signs that read “No Skateboards” near the black top between the STEM building construction and Heafey Hall.
• Functionality of signal lights on El Camino is in question. If you have an incident where the crosswalk does not function properly, email Millicent Kenney at mkenney@scu.edu, describing what occurred, the date and time the incident occurred, and at what intersection it occurred. 

 February 2020 Meeting Topic: Ciocca-Koch Foundation Gift Discussion

• Liam Swanson, undergraduate student, and Jim Lyons, VP of University Relations, will be guest speakers at the February Staff Senate meeting to share their views regarding the acceptance of the Ciocca-Koch Foundation gift. There are currently three University committees formed to address the Ciocca-Koch gift and SCU’s Gift Acceptance Guidelines.
• If unable to attend the February 20th meeting, any questions you may have pertaining to the Ciocca-Koch Foundation gift should be forwarded to staffsenate@scu.edu by February 18th.
• The Staff Senate recommended extending an invitation to one of the members from the Ciocca-Koch Gift Oversight and Accountability Committee to attend the February Staff Senate meeting.

December 2019 Staff Senate Meeting Minutes

• Due to unforeseeable circumstances, there was no January eNews; thus, the Staff Senate Meeting Minutes from the December 12, 2019 meeting were not published. They can now be viewed here.   

The January 16th meeting minutes are saved on the Staff Senate Google Drive.

Come enjoy appetizers and libations at a secret off-site venue
(within walking distance to campus).

Only guests who RSVP will receive the location and secret passcode to enter the venue.
Each RSVP includes one drink ticket (beer/wine/soft drink), delicious food, and invaluable camaraderie!

$25 Amazon Gift Card to Best on-theme outfit

This event is co-sponsored by
the Staff Senate and the Faculty Senate Council.

Don't be a dewdropper and RSVP now for what's sure to be the event of the year!
The RSVP deadline is February 10 by 5:00 p.m.
***Guests may only RSVP for themselves***

RSVP NOW »

On Feb 17, Google calendar invitations will be sent out with location and passcode to everyone who RSVPd for the event.

Thanks to all who attended the festive December potluck!

If you missed it, stay tuned for more events throughout the year.

All staff are invited to attend Staff Senate Meetings.