Employee Assembly Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, February 7, 2001
12:15 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Day Hall Board Room

Call to Order and Introductions

D. Martyniak, called the meeting to order at 12:24 pm.

Attendance:

Present: Sharon Bahringer, Deb Billups, Dawn Darby, Brian Goodell, Thomas Hoebbel, Denise Howland, Dawne Martyniak, Cindy Monroe, Cheri Woodward

Excused: Timothy Anguish, Francisco Berry, Joseph DeMarco, Marlene Reitz

Others Present: Amy Bunce, Connie Cook, Hope Mandeville, AnneMarie Morse, Rodney Orme, Greg Pratt, David Yeh

II. Approval of Minutes

C. Woodward made a motion and D. Howland seconded it. The January 17th minutes were approved.

III. Open Forum

EA Budget

D. Martyniak passed around copies of the 2001–2002 proposed EA Budget. Bob Reese told D. Martyniak that the EA gets a 2% increase this year of the regularized budget. The budget for this year will be $9,435. She would like to do a budget proposal with a letter to send to Hank Dullea for approval.

T. Hoebbel asked if the $11,070 in the middle column under projected expenses is the amount that we are requesting? The amount needs to equal $9,435 and we need to come up with a budget showing the expenses that would equal that.

D. Stein would encourage the EA to ask for the amount of money that it needs for total expenses.

H. Mandeville said that this year’s budget will be $9,435.

D. Martyniak asked if we should go with the total expenses or go with the 2% increase?

B. Goodell said that when we were planning the president’s address, that there were budgetary concerns and we should go with the 2% increase.

C. Woodward said that we should ask for the extra $2,000.

D. Darby asked what the deadline is because the EA needs to have a special meeting to discuss the budget.

D. Martyniak said that March 1st was the deadline to get the proposal to Hank Dullea.

B. Goodell made a motion to resume the agenda and said that there are a lot of issues and we should put the Budget on the agenda for the next EA meeting. T. Hoebbel stated that we don’t need to have a special meeting to discuss the budget but allow a lot of time for it at the next EA meeting and seconded it.

Supervisors Reception

D. Stein updated the group on the most recent communications committee meeting. There was a general discussion about having a reception for the supervisors of the EA members over the summer at President Rawling’s house if that would be possible. He asked the EA members what they thought about it? Also, if the Office of Assemblies is going to help with putting this reception together, then the planning needs to be done before the office closes the second week of June for the summer. Also, he mentioned that A. Bunce passed out some copies of EA Election posters to all of the EA members and asked the EA members to post them in their departments. A. Bunce is having more copies made and she will send an email to all of the EA members letting them know when she receives them so that the members can pick them up.

IV. Business of the Day

Elections

David Yeh, Assistant Vice President, University Registrar and Project Manager, explained the electronic voting process. Votehere.net is the company that he worked with in the fall for the student elections. The voter turnout increased and the results were available that night. D. Yeh asked if the EA would like to consider using the electronic voting process for future EA elections? The process is very secure.

B. Goodell stated that he has concerns because not all employees have access to the internet.

D. Yeh said that there is an ability to use their workstations to vote as long as they have a web server. The students didn’t want that and wanted polling locations set up Polling locations are set up all over campus.

G. Pratt questioned how having polling locations increases voter turn out?

D. Yeh said that the SA candidates wanted to campaign at polling places.

B. Goodell is concerned because there are computer and reading/writing illiterate people on campus. Many of them take the ballots home and ask their family members for help with reading and understanding the ballot. Is there a way to have both electronic voting and paper ballot?

D. Yeh said that yes it is possible if that is what the EA chooses.

D. Billups asked if it is possible there could be workers at the polling locations to help people out if they need it?

D. Yeh stated that yes it is possible but there is always a cost. Right at the moment, the League of Women Voters help out with the voting.

D. Howland said that it gives a lot of credibility to the Assembly to have the polling locations because people really take voting seriously.

H. Mandeville stated that with the SA voting, they had a better turn out. As more people vote the visibility of the EA would go up.

C. Cook said that in PawPrint, the candidates statements and pictures are printed.

B. Goodell stated that not everybody gets their mail or their supervisors don’t get the information to them or they just don’t have enough time.

D. Darby asked what the goal was to move to electronic voting?

D. Yeh said that with changes in technology, voting turnaround time is very fast and there is an increase in voter turnout. With the online system, you will be able to see how people are voting and why.

D. Billups agreed with B. Goodell with people not having enough time in their work day to vote. She asked how long it would take to vote?

R. Orme said that from start to finish it took about 68 seconds.

C. Cook said that people should do their homework and know whom they are voting for before they get to the polling locations.

G. Pratt said his concern is by limiting the vote to voting polls you are really eliminating the most important piece. He feels that putting out more satellite systems would help out. Having people being able to vote at home or their workstations would really be taking advantage of the technology and urges the EA to take advantage of the technology.

T. Hoebbel said that because of the way that the EA elections already are, they are already voting at their desks because they receive a paper ballot.

D. Yeh said that whatever the EA voting rules are they can be implemented. He encouraged the EA members to check out how the SA’s spring election process works and then decide from there. The EA does not have to decide on using the electronic voting for this year but should decide by end of the calendar year if they decide to use it next year. He would like to know if the EA thinks they would be interested.

V. Old Business

Emergency Grant Fund

T. Hoebbel asked for an Emergency Grant Fund update and asked how the meeting went.

D. Stein replied that there was mixed expectations because nobody really knew what the EA members were suppose to be voting on. There were also a lot of questions and concerns that came up. This is not going to be an easy procedure for the EA to give funding to individuals without getting charged taxes, etc.

T. Hoebbel stated that a special ad hoc committee was set up to approve the first $1,000 grant. He made a motion to proceed with giving the check to the individual to get them the $750. Deb Billups seconded it.

VI. Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 1:37 PM.

Respectfully submitted,
Amy Bunce