Provost Vice Chancellor Meeting October 11, 2007

              Forum Chair Ernie Patterson opened the meeting at 10 a.m.  He noted concerns about the distribution of electronic pay stubs.  He had heard that it would cost only $830/year to keep the paper check system for the 300 people grandfathered from 1999.  Mann did not know the history of grandfathering.   He said that these employees may have to settle for checks being mailed home to them.  David Brannigan said that the University should not renege on its commitment.  Carolyn Elfland noted that the University mandated that employees from 1999 onwards had to participate in direct deposit.  She said that now there are very few remaining people who receive paper checks.  Retaining this system requires an infrastructure.  She had heard that Facilities Services was interested in printing check stubs for those without a computer.  Alan Moran noted that computer access to financial records represents a cultural shift for many people.  Brenda Denzler said that some employees are never able to make the shift.  Moran passed out a handout on computer based training.  Mann said that the University would be open to help train employees through the workplace to help identify solutions. 

              Brannigan asked what the University would do for departments affected by the cost shifting of printing electronic pay stubs for their employees.  Mann said that cost-shifting often happens with new technology.  He said that the PACE initiative had driven the University towards this method.  Denzler said that the University must work to ensure confidentiality of these paper stubs.  Mann asked the Forum to help identify those with concerns.  Brannigan raised concerns that these events were a prelude to monthly pay periods.  Mann said that SPA will not go to monthly pay periods as long as he was here, as the University would follow national trends to biweekly pay.  Elfland noted the disaster recovery benefits of direct deposit. 

              Patterson noted the upcoming meetings on literacy involving the Orange County Literacy Council and the Campus Y.  Patterson noted concerns about University software and the Chronos program.  Patterson said that the Chronos system must address access and training issues.  Brannigan asked if the Chronos system was decentralized by department or not.  Elfland said that some departments do not have the money to pay overtime and so departmental policy is to pay comp time.  Departments can do what they have to do but there is always a way to override the default setting.

              Discussion turned to the wide variety of logons necessary to use campus technology systems.  Patterson said that the University could use a campus-derived system to flip one switch and have one interface.  Elfland said that these questions are usually addressed at the CIO level.

              Patterson raised the water crisis and OWASA’s response.  Elfland said that she trusted OWASA’s judgment.  Patterson pressed for some plan.  Mann outlined the charge of the UNC System Human Resources task force.  He asked if employees would be amenable to a cafeteria plan for health care.  He said that traditionally benefits compose no more than 30-35% of compensation.  Mann asked if employees would be willing to take 1% less in salary to have the University System address the health insurance question.  This money would go mainly toward family coverage.  Patterson suggested a differential rate for health insurance based on salary.  Steve Allred added that the program could be based on a percentage of income rather than a flat rate. 

                                                                          Respectfully submitted,

                                                                          Matt Banks, Recording Secretary