Staff Forum April 2012

Staff Forum Minutes:
Thursday April 12, 2012
Performance Platform
The John L. & Christine Warner Library and Student Center
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Attendance: Amy Lister, Jonathan Harper, Becky Smith, David I. Williams, Bruce Weaver, Stacey Mihalko, Norman L. Holmes, Jesse Higel, Tauni Graham, Marilyn Lees, Liz Edwards, Terry Jackson, Laura Walsh, Kim Barton, Steve Veyon, Howard Imhof, Daniel Longstreth, Jeff Crabtree, Connie Zang, Charlene Santee, Sarah Howard, Cathy Engle, Sue Bidwell, Kyle Morgan, Kari Fullen, John Ralston, Catherine Mitchell, Sherry Abbott, Patsy Henderson, Kimberly Baker, David Wirt, Ray Hill

Monthly Hosts: COTC/OSU Math and Writing Labs, Education Resources Center, COTC Nursing Lab, Science Lab, Chemistry Lab

Agenda Items:

Kyle Morgan spoke on the OSU Campus Campaign. The motto is “we give at the office because we believe in Ohio State.” The Next Generation Challenge is going through June 30th, so we are encouraged to donate there to directly impact our campus. There are, however, quite a few funds from which to donate, so support the university cause for which you are most passionate!

Tauni Graham spoke about Staff Forum officer elections for 2012-2013. She will chair the committee and needs at least three other people to help. If you are interested in helping and/or nominating staff to run for office, email or call as soon as possible.

Dr. Marilee Martens spoke about recent concerns voiced by students in her health psychology class. Last quarter 8 students from her class wrote a letter to Dr. MacDonald and Dr. Coe petitioning for healthier options in campus vending machines. Dr. MacDonald and Dr. Coe forwarded the letter to Staff Forum as well as Student Government and the OSU faculty group. Dr. Martens mentioned that OSU Columbus as well as Nationwide Children’s Hospital have already made some progress in changing their vending machine offerings with positive results. Student government is discussing how to approach the vendors. The question was raised if we had undergone a similar initiative a few years prior when OSU’s “Your Plan for Health” was unveiled. It was agreed that the question had been raised but more action could be taken. A staff member reported he has personally heard several students ask about healthier options, so there is reason to believe the motion would be welcomed by the student body. According to the findings of Dr. Martens’ class, only about one sixth of the current vending machine options would be considered “healthy.” A motion was raised to seek a 50/50 mix with one half of the vending machine options remaining similar to what is currently provided and the other half reflecting some of the healthier choices suggested by the students (nuts, dried fruit, diet beverages, low sodium pretzels, etc). All agreed that balance is good (sometimes we like our junk food too ). Another staff member pointed out that the definition of “healthy” can vary hence the need for balance --- a student with hypoglycemia, for example, may NEED the sugary snack as opposed to the low-sugar option. A formal motion was presented to pursue a 50/50 mix. The motion was unanimously received in the affirmative.


Area updates:

Kim Baker introduced herself as the new health education coordinator (replacing Leslie Holler).

Amy Lister (OSU Admissions) announced that on Saturday April 21st OSU Admissions will host “Spring Training” for students accepted to Ohio State Newark for autumn semester 2012. There has been a lot of confusion about what exactly this event entails. This event is not an open house for prospective students. It is also not orientation. No one will schedule classes and this event is not required. What Spring Training will include is a variety of stations where students can receive assistance with any steps they may need to complete to be ready for fall. Some of the stations include but are not limited to activating OSU email accounts, paying the $100 acceptance fee, talking with financial aid, meeting with faculty and academic advisors, completing the on-campus housing contract, and more. As of today there are over 1,000 guests registered and that number is expected to climb, so don’t be surprised when the parking lots are full!

Sherry Abbott (Human Resources) said that the campus community should expect an invitation soon for a series of financial workshops in May. These events will be held on Thursdays. On April 25th there will be massage appointments available for faculty and staff. Health screenings will take place on May 18th. The screening is required as part of the Personal Health Assessment. (Another screening date will be offered in October.)

Marilyn Lees (Staff Development/Student Life): Next week there will be two discussion groups for faculty/staff on this year’s common book, “Outcasts United.” The group will meet Tuesday at 10:30 AM and Wednesday at 2:00 PM. Both meetings will take place in the first floor fireplace lounge in the Warner Center. The mobile mammography unit will be on campus May 1st; Tauni will send registration information soon. Nominations for the spring quarter Employee of the Quarter award will be coming soon. With the semester conversion this award will be replaced with the STAR (Special Thanks and Recognition) award which will be given three times annually (September, January, and May). The Staff Development Committee is always looking for new members; contact one of the current committee members if you are interested. Student Life is currently seeking nominations for the annual Student Leadership awards; contact Marilyn for more details.

David Wirt (Campus Counselor, Student Life): Staff are encouraged to visit the OMCA (Office of Multi-Cultural Affairs) website for more information about the BART (Bias Assessment and Response Team) program.

Howard Imhof (ITS) was happy to report the portal is here for faculty and staff! Initial responses are mostly positive but there are some concerns. The question was raised why there is lag time between Webmail (as it appears on the portal) and our desktop access to Outlook. Howard explained that the synchronization is not possible for security reasons. When we are at our desktops we should access email through Outlook and reserve Webmail for remote connections only. It is also for security reasons that we are unable to provide a “single sign on” for OSU Columbus web based services (i.e. log into Carmen through the portal). To maximize your time without being automatically timed out, indicate that you are accessing the portal via a private computer (as opposed to a public computer). OSU employees default to “myNewark” and COTC employees/cost-shared employees default to “my COTC” (though that doesn’t mean you can’t access both)! A mobile application for accessing the portal is coming soon. COTC students should expect portal access by summer 2012. OSU students are expected to have it by August 13th in time for fall semester.

COTC is transitioning away from Angel in favor of a new learning management system that has better interaction with Datatel.

Document imaging is coming soon! First priority is the financial aid office and student records offices. All other campus departments will gradually be added over a six to eight month period.

Kim Barton (Development): She and Laura Walsh are the development office! Development recently traded office space with Kathy Cope and Doug Warthen. They have raised $13.3 million to date for the Next Generation Challenge. Only $7 million left to go over the next 11 weeks. Pledge forms will be coming soon.

Patsy Henderson (Human Resources): Third and final “Tapestry of Diversity” workshop coming Friday April 13th. Contact her ASAP if you would like to attend. If you attend all three this year you will receive a certificate and an invitation to the annual reception.

CAMPUS TRIVIA!

1) “When is the Newark Campus Earthworks having its next Open House?” Howard Imhof won an OSU sandwich box for answering correctly (Sunday and Monday of next week from 12-4 PM)
2) “What new program did ITS roll out this week?” Marilyn Lees won an OSU fleece ball for answering correctly (the portal)
3) “What is the Next Generation Challenge?” David I. Williams won an OSU magnet and gift certificate to the Table of Contents for answering correctly (the challenge is raising money for the endowed scholarship funds for OSU and COTC students; the Reese family is generously matching our scholarship donations up to $20 million!)