THE ADVISORY COUNCIL ON ADMINISTRATIVE POLICY

MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING

NOVEMBER 11, 2004

MEMBERS PRESENT: Bobbi Raub (F), Don Caccamise (alternate for Bernhard Leinauer) (F), Tina Byford (P), Tammy Anthony (alternate for Maureen Camunez) (P), William Glenn (P), Norma Ledesma (P), Tim Nesbitt (P), Bea Pacheco (alternate for Viola McCormick) (C), Annette Esqueda (alternate for Carla Casas) (C), Christie Padilla (C), Nellie Rosales (C), Paula Ross (C), Cathy Thomas (C), Linda S. Beavers (OLC), Ida Chavez (OLC) and Phillip Wright (OLC).

ALTERNATES PRESENT: Don Caccamise, Tammy Anthony, Bea Pacheco, Annette Esqueda and Candy Guzie.

VISITORS: Larry Creider (Library), Lucy Vacenca-Glenn, Brenda Shannon and Diana Quintana.

Norma Ledesma called the regular monthly meeting of the Advisory Council on Administrative Policy (ACAP) to order at 3:00 p.m. in the conference room of Breland Hall. Norma said that she was going to change the order on the agenda and ask Bill Glenn to talk to us first because he needed to leave the meeting early.

Conflict of Interest Policy. Bill introduced Larry Creider, from the Library and a co-sponsor of the proposed revision of the Conflict of Interest Policy for the Policy Manual. Bill had e-mailed the Council a copy of the proposed revision. The Faculty Senate has already passed a bill that approves the new policy. Bill explained that he is a member of the Committee that drafted the proposal and he feels that it is stronger than the old policy we have had in the past. Bill asked that Council members read it, discuss it with their peers and bring it up for a vote at our next meeting. A motion was made and seconded that the proposed Conflict of Interest Policy that would be added as a revision to the Policy Manual be reviewed by the Council members and discussed and voted on at our December meeting. Motion passed.

Normacalled for additions or corrections to the minutes of the September and October meetings. A motion was made and seconded that the minutes from both September and October be accepted as written. Motion carried.

FRINGE BENEFITS COMMITTEE: Cathy Thomas reported that the Fringe Benefits Committee had not met.

INSURANCE COMMITTEE: Tina Byford reported that there will be a Wellness Clinic on Wednesday, December 1, at Corbett Center. Blue Cross/Blue Shield will be the major sponsor of the event. Flyers will be coming in the mail soon.

Our health insurance plan will be going out for bid again soon. We hope to have information back by March 1.

COMPENSATION COMMITTEE: Paula Ross reported that the Compensation Committee had not met.

FACULTY SENATE: No report.

ATHLETIC COUNCIL: Phil Wright submitted the following report from the Athletic Council meeting of November 11, 2004.

Athletic Council held an election of officers and selected Phil Wright as their Chair, Barry Smith as Vice Chair and Diana Keener as Secretary.

Discussion was held on the use of proxy statements to establish a quorum at council meetings. It was suggested that no more than two proxies could be used to establish a quorum and that a written form should be generated to be used for this purpose. The council expressed their approval of this process and asked that a form be drafted to be voted on for the next meeting.

Pam Bremer and Kristin Thomas have been hired as equestrian coaches.

John Kenna has been hired as a swimming coach.

Richard Homes has been hired as an assistant track coach.

President Martin and Brian Faison are to attend a strategic planning session for the WAC on October 26. Discussion will be held on budgets and the future of the WAC.

Facilities update: Pan Am renovations have several options at this point. Time constraints will be a major issue. Bids are out on the new tennis complex and construction is anticipated next year. The new clubhouse at the golf course is finished.

Student Athlete update: 128 student athletes received Academic All Conference designation!!!

Phil also hand out a copy of the membership list for Athletic Council.

CAMPUS PLANNING: No report.

ALCOHOL USE COMMITTEE: No report.

NAMING COMMITTEE: Bobbi Raub had no report.

PARKING CITATION HEARING PANEL. Nellie Rosales submitted the following report:

On October 29, Parking had a hearing at the Educational Services Building in room 7. The main Judge was Mike Alex from ASNMSU. The other Judge was Jerry Hernandez from Student Services and Nellie Rosales. There were 23 hearings of which 9 were present. Of these 23, one was found not guilty and the rest guilty.

CAMPUS CLIMATE SURVEY TASK FORCE. The Campus Climate Survey will be mailed out by November 15. The surveys are to be returned by the first week in December.

ADMINISTRATIVE COUNCIL AND REPORT FROM THE CHAIR. September Report. Board of Regents – September 9.

The DABCC East Mesa Phase Two project (Digital Graphics and Design Program) was approved by the Board.

Dean Carruthers – update on the Arrowhead Research Center. The Board of Regents approved his nominations of Trevor Loy, Tony Trujillo and Sherman McCorkel to the Board of Directors.

Interim Vice Provost for Research, Don Birx, reported that NMSU had $106M in research expenditures last year and research income was $140M.

Vice President DeNecochea reported that preliminary enrollment date indicated a 3.1% increase in head count and 5.8% increase in FTE. Much of this growth is attributed to DABCC.

Dr. Margie Huerta, DABCC reported on facility plans for DABCC. She also

reported on the increase DABCC has seen over the last ten years (3800 to over 6000). They do have a problem with space.

President Martin reported on areas of university growth, branch campuses, nursing and distance education. He expressed his concern with problems students have when moving from a branch campus to main campus.

Administrative Council and Provost Council – September 14.

Human Resources Director, Diana Quintana, reported on proposed change for reduced tuition for dependents attending summer sessions.

October Report. Administrative Council Meeting – October 12.

Michael Hites reported that Purchasing began in May a volume personal computer purchasing program for NMSU departments.

Michael Hites reported on the purchase of consolidated Virus and Spam Software.

There was discussion pertaining to the home internet service and if employees should be reimbursed. If the employee can justify the need to work at home and the need for this service, employees should be reimbursed.

Christina Chavez-Kelly reported that editing of the policy manual is forthcoming. ACAP will be looking for volunteers to serve on the committee. She also reported on the inauguration for President Martin. ACAP will be looking for volunteers to help on this also.

Board of Regents meeting in Alamogordo – October 25.

Construction on the following projects:

Two new dorms. One on the east side of Garcia Hall (Freshman) and another on the NE corner of Stewart and Locust. These should be ready for occupancy in the Fall of 2006.

Community Center south of the intramural soccer field. This area is currently used as free parking.

The new administrative organization chart for the university was presented and accepted by the Regents with a change to the Audit Services.

OLD BUSINESS: Diana Quintana gave out the following handout regarding Employee Recognition Program.

EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION PROGRAM

(Applicable to all Faculty and Staff Employees)

Policy Statement: New Mexico State University recognizes the most important and valuable asset any organization has is its employees. In appreciation for the dedication and accomplishments of staff members, the Employee Recognition Program (ERP) is established to reward and recognize those who demonstrate the professionalism and behaviors consistent with the mission of NMSU and to celebrate achievements that have an exceptional impact on the organization. Departments, colleges, and divisions are encouraged to develop their own programs to complement established university-level* programs. This program is exclusive of merit/performance adjustments provided during the annual salary process.

To ensure fairness and equity, all ERPs must include an application and/or nomination process, defined selection criteria, and a process which includes the review and recommendation of a group or a committee. If a donor serves on the committee for which his/her donation is under consideration, the donor must be in the minority of the representation on the committee in order to avoid tax consequences. All employees must have an equal opportunity to compete for bonuses and awards based on the eligibility criteria of an approved program. The Office of Human Resources will review and approve all ERPs, with the exception of awards provided from donated funds. Because of the university’s status as a public employer, tax issues and state regulations, rewards are defined as either a bonus or an award. Exceptions to the following guidelines must be approved by the Office of the Provost.

Bonus: A bonus is defined as recognition for exceptional performance of duties and responsibilities above and beyond the normal scope of an employee’s assigned duties and responsibilities. A bonus is a one-time payment that is paid from instruction and general (I & G) funds, state appropriations, and/or any appropriate restricted or unrestricted funding source. The following guidelines apply:

1) A minimum of $100.00 (net) up to a maximum of $500.00 (net) may be provided for any individual payment.

2) More than one recipient per department and/or division may receive a bonus depending upon the availability of funding and eligibility.

3) Bonuses paid from restricted/unrestricted funds must comply with the granting agency guidelines.

4) Applicable taxes will be deducted from the gross amount.

5) Bonuses will be processed through the Employment Authorization Form (EAF) system.

Award: An award is recognition of an exceptional achievement, work ethic, and/or service which significantly contributes to an organizational unit. Awards may be paid from any appropriate restricted or unrestricted funding source and/or donated funds. The following guidelines apply:

1) There are no dollar restrictions for awards provided from donated funds.

2) A minimum of $100.00 (net) up to a maximum of $500.00 (net) may be provided for any individual recipient of an award paid from restricted/unrestricted funds.

3) More than one recipient per department and/or division may receive an award depending upon the availability of funding and eligibility.

4) Awards paid from restricted/unrestricted funds must comply with the granting agency guidelines.

5) To avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest, services or merchandise (or certificates for such) from vendors or other non-university businesses shall not be solicited or accepted as donations by departments for use as awards. As state employees are not entitled to receive gifts, certificates for such awards shall be called “award certificates.”

6) If donated funds are the source of an award, the Office of University Advancement must be consulted prior to the presentation of the award.

7) Awards paid from restricted/unrestricted funds and donated funds are taxable and are processed through a Payroll Check Request.

NMSU encourages nomination of faculty and staff for external (non-NMSU) awards. These awards are subject to the granting agency’s criteria and guidelines and will not require a central office review.

*Established University-level Employer Recognition Programs:

Patricia Christmore Faculty Teaching Award

Fort Bliss Federal Credit Union Award

Ralph B. Crouch Award

Donald Rouse Award

Westhafer Award

Bromilow Staff and Teaching Awards

University Research Council Award

Stephen W. and Robert E. Roberts Memorial Staff Award

Darnall Award

El Paso Energy Award

Diana reviewed the handout and said that Administrative Council has approved the policy.

NEW BUSINESS: Open Forums. President Martin wants to take the lead and start to hold Open Forums. He would like for this to be as important to ACAP as it is to him. Norma asked that members of Council bring any suggestions to the ACAP Executive Board. Executive Board will get on President Martin’s calendar to talk to him in further detail about the Open Forums and what he would like ACAP’s role to be in the forums.

Elections: Tim reported that ballots for new ACAP members should be out by Monday. He also presented Council with a list of the names of people who have been nominated for each category. The Insurance Committee has openings for two members and the Fringe Benefits Committee has openings for three members. Tim will get the notice out as soon as possible.

New Web Page for ACAP. The Executive Board has met with ICT and they are going to help us to design a new webpage for ACAP. We want to have ACAP Executive Board and/or an ACAP member to be able to enter data into our webpage.

Meeting Format. Executive Board would like to suggest to Council that we change the format of our meetings so that we don’t spend so much of our time going over the minutes of the various committees that ACAP members serve on. With the number of committees that ACAP has representation on increasing each year, we spend so much of our meeting time going over the activities of these committees that we sometimes feel rushed when it comes to new and old business that needs discussing. The Executive Board suggests that committee reports be e-mailed to the Secretary so that she can send them by e-mail to the Council members before the meeting for members to review. If Council members have any questions or concerns, they can then be brought up at the meeting. The Executive Board will do everything possible to get the minutes out by the Thursday before the next ACAP meeting whenever this is possible.

A motion was made and seconded to change our meeting format. Motion passed.

Tim asked what we have to do to get on Hotline. He recently tried to put an article on Hotline regarding our upcoming election for new members and, although he submitted it twice, it never appeared. In the near future we would like to have someone from University Communications come to our meeting and talk to us about how to get our information on Hotline.

With no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned.

___________________________ ________________________

Paula Ross, Secretary Norma Ledesma, Chairperson

The Council has approved these minutes.

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NOTICE OF NEXT MEETING

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2004

ROOM 297 of GERALD THOMAS HALL

3:00 P.M.

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