Employee Assembly Meeting
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
12:15 - 1:30 p.m.
316 Day Hall
Minutes

I. Call to Order

J. Seymour called the meeting to order at 12:16 p.m. He then called the roll.

Present-D. Brooks, P. Dongtoe, T. Grove, L. Croll Howell, L. Lawrence, G. Osborne, C. Phillips, J. Seymour, G. Stewart Absent: A. Mittman

What’s New?

Members did a quick round of what was new with them.

II. Call for Late Additions to the Agenda

There were no late additions made to the existing agenda.

III. Business of the Day

a) Meeting and open discussion with President Skorton & VP Mary Opperman

J. Seymour introduced President Skorton and Vice President Opperman and explained they were there to give an update and would answer questions at the end.

President Skorton began by discussing the problem of H1N1 on campus. He said they are trying to reach and communicate with all students so they are cared for on campus. Staff typically go to private health care providers. He explained an incident support team has been assigned to coordinate the efforts, and it seems to be working well so far. M. Opperman added that the staff absences are mostly attributed to caring for children who are ill who got the flu from returning to school. They noted that the a team has met weekly for a few years to discuss the idea of a pandemic. President Skorton gave a compliment to the building care staff for doing such an outstanding job during a difficult time. M. Opperman wanted to encourage staff to stay home if they think they have the flu in order to keep the virus from spreading even more. She said that 600 students have had it at this point, but clarified that not all 600 were sick at present, but 600 have been stricken with the flu since it began on campus over a month ago. She then gave praise to the EH & S staff for doing a great job also. G. Osborne asked if there was going to be a memorial service for the student who passed away recently, and M. Opperman said plan to, but they are waiting for direction from his family and will have a service when they are ready. In the meantime, President Skorton encouraged anyone to have a moment of silence in meetings if they felt it was appropriate.

President Skorton then shifted the discussion to the financial situation. He said the problem is improving, and expressed his appreciation to the staff for their help. He said there will be many “town hall” type discussions coming up so he will be able to answer questions from staff, students and faculty directly. D. Brooks asked if faculty were on board with the financial situation improvements, and President Skorton said yes many are stepping forward and getting involved to help. He said there would be an announcement coming up in a few weeks on some administrative reorganization. He encouraged the members to see Cornell as 1 university, not in terms of “units”, “departments”, or specific groups of people. The problem is affecting the entire university. Despite the stock market slowly improving, it will take years to make a direct impact down to all workers who have been laid off or downsized. M. Opperman said they really need the EA’s help to support efficient procurement practices. The more money that is saved, the less people will need to be laid off.

C. Phillips asked if there has been a “stress level check” of staff. M. Opperman said they have been services in place and noted the Faculty & Staff Assistance Program now has a 24/7 phone line now. She said she understands that it is the unknown that is the stressor, but does not want to give answers until things are certain. She asked that the EA tell her about people who are not getting this message. President Skorton said he agreed with her completely and applauded her efforts to support staff in this difficult situation. M. Opperman wanted to make sure that it was clear that the vast majority of staff will still have their jobs after the Reimagining Cornell project is completed. President Skorton said that people will need to adjust to new ways of doing things while saving money in the process.

b) Discussion with Dan Roth, Sustainability Coodinator

G. Stewart introduced Dan Roth and asked him to give an overview of the project. D. Roth explained 650 schools signed an agreement to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, and Cornell was one of them. He gave a powerpoint presentation and said the plan will improve finances, support research, broaden education, and enhance outreach. He then took questions from the members. G. Stewart made a motion to approve the resolution. J. Seymour waived reading the resolution. L. Croll Howell seconded. The members voted, and the resolution passed 9–0−0.

IV. Report from Employee Elected Trustee

B. McKinney was unable to attend, but J. Seymour read a statement from her. I attended 3 Trustee committee meetings last week, September 10, which included Buildings and Properties, Finance, and part of the Executive Committee. Here are some highlights:

B&P

Voted to approve a new design/expansion for the Geneva Lab. Voted to support the Climate Action Plan. Discussed revising guidelines for deciding how projects are put into the capital plan. Discussed the facilities maintenance plan - costs, etc. to maintain all existing buildings

Finance

I am assuming all the numbers that were shared were confidential, however, I had no understanding of any of it anyway. I think we should all be thankful that both this dedicated group of trustees in collaboration with the university’s finance experts are working toward improved financial stability and debt reduction.

Executive Committee

Reiterated the deficit numbers we recently heard at the forum. Search updates regarding some high level searches - no appointments yet. HINI update (this was the day before our student passed away, and we were all hoping for the best); recognized Gannett for all their work. Provost shared detailed information on the Reimagining Cornell and the Bain information; I am assuming it was what Bain planned on sharing with us and will hopefully have another opportunity to share with us.

My overall impression — The information being shared is consistent across the board. Some constituents get more details than others (such as the trustees), but because the situation is so complicated, it is difficult to share everything on every topic. The administration does not have the final details yet on any changes, and it’s still hard for Skorton to imagine what we will look like.

V. Report from Chair

J. Seymour said most of the committees are meeting, more from them at next meeting.

VI. Report from Faculty Senate Liaison

A. Mittman was unable to attend, but J. Seymour read the following report from his last meeting of the Faculty Senate. Faculty Senate meeting of 9 9 09 included a report from Dep Provost Harris updating the Senate on Bain’s role; Sr. Vice Provost John Siliciano updated the Senate on H1N1 status and planning and a resolution was passed encouraging faculty to offer make-ups following scheduled exams, delaying due dates for assignments and excusing students from classes due to illness; and, Cornell is in the process of being re-accredited by the Middle States - done every 10 years and report is due 2011.

VII. Committee Reports

a. Executive Committee

No report.

b. “Ad Hoc” Charter Review

L. Lawrence said the committee has met a few times, and said he will bring a draft of a possible outline to a future meeting.

VIII. Old Business

There were no Old business items reported on.

IX. New Business

There were no New business items reported on.

X. Open Forum

Due to time constraints, there was no Open Forum.

XI. Adjournment

T. Grove motioned to adjourn the meeting. L. Lawrence seconded. J. Seymour adjourned the meeting at 1:30 p.m.