April 14, 2021 Minutes

The April meeting took place from 3:00pm – 4:30pm on Wednesday, April 14, 2021, via Zoom. 

Zoom Webinar Recording
(you must be logged into your WFU email to view)

Dedee DeLongpré Johnston, Vice President, Human Resources & Sustainability

HUMAN RESOURCES UPDATE

  • Last spring/summer there was a need to de-densify campus – some positions did not allow the privilege of remote work and have been on campus this entire time. 
  • Human Resources and the Office of Wellbeing co-hosted several pop-up appreciation events to thank staff, and members of our senior administration attended.
  • In guidance with the CDC and OSHA, we are learning more about safety measures: those that need to be prioritized and those that may be relaxed.
  • The Return to Campus Toolkit – a resource in the transition back to campus – is being updated and will be shared by Human Resources soon.
  • Expect to hear more in the coming months from your department leadership. 
  • Some departments have already returned to campus for on-site work on a rotational basis so that the needs of colleagues could be served and so students would feel that campus was re-animated. 

John Champlin, Director, Alumni Engagement

PRO HUMANITATE DAYS

  • Pro Humanitate Days runs April 19-30 and invites all staff, faculty, students, alumni, parents, and friends to participate in this volunteer week of service. 
  • The focus this year is food insecurity.  
  • Share your volunteer experience on social media with the hashtag #GoodWearsBlack.
  • Learn more at https://alumni.wfu.edu/events/pro-humanitate-days/

Eric Aft, CEO, Second Harvest Food Bank of NWNC

SAC FOOD DRIVE WITH SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK

The SAC Pro Humanitate Committee is partnering with Second Harvest Food Bank for a food drive April 24 – May 1.  See more info here.

  • Second Harvest Food Bank has plans to move to Whitaker Park in approximately one year.  
  • Second Harvest supports 90+ partner agencies in Northwestern North Carolina.
  • Some statistics shared about food insecurity:
    • 28% of children are food insecure: 1 in 4 children, 1 in 5 adults are affected
    • 35% of residents are considered low income: households making less than $35K per year
    • since March, 40% of assistance requests have come from first-time users
    • these households have to choose how to spend their income each month:  household expenses paid first, then use what is left for food and many times it is not enough
    • the long term impact is that children are not getting proper nutrition which affects their health and behavior  
  • In the early stages of the pandemic, Second Harvest was able to immediately help by assembling emergency boxes of food and procuring 60 truck loads of food to assist this need.
  • They currently help 350-450 families per week. 
  • Questions asked: 
    • Food donations or cash – which is best?  Whatever you feel called to do. Dollars are more helpful as it gives them tremendous buying power. Last year, they spent $4 million to purchase food. A typical year costs $400K.  
    • Do you accept home grown produce?  Yes, most food pantries partner with them, so the quickest way to get the fresh produce distributed would be to your local food pantry, but Second Harvest will take it and ensure it is distributed promptly.  Staff can assist in connecting you with a partner agency if you wish.

SAC COMMITTEE UPDATES:

PRO HUMANITATE COMMITTEE – UPDATES

  • The Pro Humanitate Committee will kick off the Second Harvest Food and Virtual Fund Drive on April 26. Collection boxes will be placed in the Wellness Center, ZSR Library, and Benson University Center for in-person grocery drop offs. Watch for a link on the SAC website and upcoming newsletter.  The food drive ends May 21st.

MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE – UPDATES

  • The annual SAC Nomination process has been extended until April 23.  Please nominate someone or self nominate.  Ballots will be sent out in May.  Contact Sandy Lail with questions or submit your nomination here. 

COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE – UPDATES

  • No new updates this month.
  • Reminders:
    • The recording of this meeting will be included in the meeting minutes and posted to the SAC website next week. 
    • Be sure to follow us on social media for more frequent updates from campus partners: @wfusac (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter)
    • Make sure your announcements are included in the next newsletter – join the SAC Call for Items listserv.

FRINGE BENEFITS COMMITTEE – UPDATES

  • No new updates this month. 

EVENTS COMMITTEE – UPDATES

  • The Events Committee will host a ‘game event’ on April 21st at 4 pm. Reach out via email if you’d like to participate. Plans are being made for a staff appreciation day social media event.  Watch for details.

OUTSIDE COMMITTEE CHAIR UPDATES: (SAC representatives on other committees)

The Council on Inclusion and Diversity – recognized and shared a moment of silence for the recent societal events going on in our country.  If there is anything you’d like to share, reach out to José Villalba.  Let’s support one another.

  • CARES ACT funding and crisis fund donations – these tax free grant funds allowed undergrad, graduate, undocumented, DACA and international students the aid needed for those affected by the pandemic.
  • Freedom School – this free, six-week summer program is accepting applications for student teachers.  Please refer students to the office of Civic and Community Engagement website to apply.
  • LGBTQ+ Center – sponsoring a C2C in person discussion on April 21 at 5 pm to discuss ‘How You Approach Uncertainty, Transition and Change’
  • DEAC Allies will offer 3 training workshops in May
  • Lavender Graduation will be held May 6
  • AJ Mazaris and David Eaton have created a working group to discuss a new data standard around the use of names and gender markers.  Listening sessions will be held.  Additional information will be shared at the May SAC meeting.
  • Cultural Diversity Requirement vote in the faculty of the college – vote was approved by 95% to replace the cultural diversity requirement for students to focus courses on structural inequalities
  • Understanding the Needs of Our Asian American Students – iLab Lunch and Learn April 19 at 12 pm
  • Combating Anti-Asian Hate Bystander Intervention Training – April 19 at 5:30 pm
  • Asian American Heritage Month – find the schedule at the Intercultural Center website

Faculty Senate – new leadership elected

  • Matthew Phillips, President
  • Tracey Banks, Vice President
  • Secretary, Saylor Breckenridge
  • Member at Large, Arjun Chatterjee

Parking & Transportation Committee

  • 13 citation appeals reviewed; 5 approved, 8 denied
  • appeal reports page – currently reads ‘paid’.  Working to change the appearance for documentation purposes
  • Barnacle (the service provider for boots on vehicles) has added a $200 fee per device in addition to the release fee paid by the violator.  Recommends this goes into effect July 1.  Parking will analyze previous boot activity use and consider increasing the release fee an additional $100 per violator.

No updates from the following committees:

  • Capital Planning Advisory
  • Tree Advisory
  • Finance Advisory
  • Campus Rec Advisory Board
  • Professional Development Advisory Board

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