Meeting Minutes
These minutes will be offered for approval by SAUPC Members at the November 17, 2005 meeting.
Staff Affairs UPC 9/29/05 Meeting Minutes
Members Present: Thomas Kelly, Rick Bacchi, April Browning, Emma Muzzall, Ann Hupert, Dan Vonder Heide, Carolyn O'Connell
- The Chair welcomed new and returning committee members for the 2005-06 year.
- Future Meeting/Sites were determined: November 17th @ 1:00 pm at the WTC (Tom Kelly will confirm the use of the HR Conference Room in Lewis Towers)
- The Staff Affairs UPC unanimously passed the following recommendations: *
- The University explores extending health care benefits to registered domestic partners of university employees;
- The University explores extending health care benefits to legally domiciled adults as defined by the University of San Francisco.
It is important to note that the Staff Affairs UPC thoroughly deliberated this issue for the past year and a half. There was much discussion about dimensions of justice and equal treatment as well as reconciling our University's Catholic identity with the Catholic Church's positions on homosexuality, marriage and other related topics to this issue. The Committee reviewed and consulted models at other universities (particularly USF), reviewed literature on the range and scope, cost and tax consequences of domestic partner benefits in all industries, consulted with a catholic theologian on catholic church teaching or position on this issue, consulted with and discussed implications of any endorsement or rejection of domestic partner concepts on external university constituencies such as alumni, donors, parents, prospective students, etc.
- The Committee reviewed and discussed the President's Shared Governance System Evaluation memo and decided to implement the following protocol to improve the model as we know it:
- Staff Affairs UPC will commit to meeting on a regular basis to proactively discuss and put forth ideas (deemed appropriate) to the UCC. The meeting agenda will also include any issues forwarded from the UCC for discussion. Absent any issues, the committee plans to invite University administrators to enhance educational awareness on topics relevant to the campus community.
- Carolyn O'Connell will contact Rebecca Stolz, Chair of the Staff Council, to improve communication between the two committees.
- Staff Affairs UPC will review policies that appear in the Staff Handbook. Tom Kelly will distribute a copy of the handbook to all committee members.
- The Committee will review documents and a survey conducted in 2004-05 to establish the feasibility of adopting either a Compassion Bank or a staff short term disability program.