Feminist Issues Committee

Meeting Minutes from March 28, 2003

 

The meeting began at 3:10p.m.

 

Present: Pat Arseneault, IFO Equity Advocate, Tamara Berg, Suzanne Black, Georgia Holmes, FIC Board Liaison, Tracy Ore and Shannon Skarphol Kaml

 

Absent: Mary Jo Hrenchir, Tracy Ann Scholl and Gina Wenger

 

New Business:

Website Development - The group met with Cindy Webber, the IFO’s current webspinner to begin the process of website development for the FIC.  Content requested included the FIC mission, history, past minutes, past awards, current governmental issues, links to FIC members, sections of the IFO contract pertaining to the FIC and their constituents and other relevant organizations, an events calendar and a bulletin board for discussions.

 

She also will research the operating guidelines others hosting bulletin boards have for posting and removing messages.

 

The first view of the completed website is expected May 30.  FIC members will receive the URL in order to review and test the site.  Additional feedback should be provided to Cindy.  A late summer/fall date is anticipated for the public launch of the site.

 

The FIC suggested that the website be publicized through the fall issue of the IFO newsletter and via links on the IFO site.  Campus reps should also email their campuses to announce the site.

 

Old Business:

Minutes of the 2/28/03 meeting were reviewed and approved with changes.

 

Continuing Business:

Class Action Suits – Pat, Georgia and Tamara attended the final hearing on the Winona and Mankato law suits earlier in the day.  Pat reported that the same formula had been used to adjust salaries in the Winona case as in the other campus settlements.

 

The Metropolitan State University suit is continuing with named plaintiffs only and the Southwest State University suit has not begun.

 

Salary Equity Review – Consultants will be visiting all campuses in the next week.  Pat reported that adjusting all the salaries of those 1, 1.5 and 2 standard deviations below the average pay would require approximately $500,000.

 

Campus reports – A colleague at Winona inquired of Tamara Berg regarding where GLBT issues might be addressed within their IFO structure.  Tracy Ore suggested that this is also an issue of interest at St. Cloud.

 

Board report - Georgia Holmes reported that due to financial difficulty within the IFO the Board approved a 10% reduction in the FIC budget for FY04.  This is roughly $570.  Other committees also sustained a 10% budget cut.

 

The committee agreed it would request that the Board move $2000 in surplus funds from this year’s budget to next year’s budget and that the additional monies would be used for the grant.

 

The committee also agreed to request that the Board approve the transfer of $570 of the current budget to the FY04 budget to compensate for the budget cut.

 

Finally, it was agreed to request that the Board move the remaining sum of the budget forward to FY04 to provide FIC programming at the year’s Delegate Assembly.  Committee members agreed to develop lists of local speakers who would be able to address issues relevant the FIC’s current agenda.

 

Options for fully utilizing the FIC budget were discussed.  Pat clarified that the monies were appropriated only for the expenses and travel directly related to FIC meetings.  The FIC could invite a consultant or speaker providing that it was directly related to an FIC meeting.  Interest was shown in having safe space training at one of the FIC next meetings.

 

FI Grant - Funding of the FIC grant was discussed.  Suzanne Black agreed to ask the current grant recipient whether she would be continuing with her grant-funded project.

 

GRC Update - Pat informed the group that Phyllis Kahn had agreed to present a bill regarding paid family leave.  The proposed bill may be more inclusive than originally intended as it is being modeled on the California law that covers both public and private employees in the state.

 

After the 8th Circuits’ ruling, the IFO has introduced additional language into their previously adopted law allowing state employees to sue the state under the federal disability and age discrimination laws.

 

The meeting adjoined at 5:55 p.m.

 

Respectfully submitted,

Shannon Skarphol Kaml, acting FIC secretary and Co-Chair.