University Committee on Women

University Committee on Women

May 8, 2000

1:00 — 2:30 p.m. 248 Memorial Union

Present: Silvia Secchi, Nancy Knight, Deb Muenchrath, Theresa McCormick, Jill Bystydzienski, Judy Dolphin, Erin Rosacker, Blue Maas, Elena Polouchkina, Dianne Bystrom, Penny Rosenthal

Review and Approval of Minutes

The April 17 and March 27 minutes were approved with minor changes.

New Business

Membership Drive

A record of prior membership procedures was not provided to Theresa McCormick. In the past a subcommittee was formed to manage recruitment of new members each spring. Theresa will forward an email to Dianne Bystrom, Jill Bystydzienski, Judy Dolphin and to current UCW members to distribute on electronic newsletters or to forward to interested women on campus. Discussion included contacting Deans, Directors, and Department Heads to find support for UCW membership. It was also suggested that the Vice President of Student Affairs and Provost receive a call for nominations letter. A subcommittee was formed (Theresa McCormick, Nancy Knight and Penny Rosenthal) to work over the summer on fall membership recruitment.

Budget

Theresa shared the proposed budget for 2000 — 2001. Discussion included the budget line for the Women in Touch series. It was agreed that this line should be absorbed into the Program Support line to reduce confusion of upcoming Chairs and coordinators of the WIT series. WIT has had its own budget separate from the UCW budget in the past. The UCW budget only covers the lunch expense of the speakers.

Working Teams Final Reports

Data/Assessment

A draft copy of the full report was shared and discussed. Deb Muenchrath and Silvia Secchi was acknowledged for their outstanding work and dedication to this project. A motion by Nancy Knight to approve the report was seconded by Blue Maas. The report was approved by UCW and a final draft will be distributed soon. A memo from the UCW Chair that highlights findings and suggestions will be included to the Provost. A follow-up meeting with the Provost will be scheduled for June as schedules allow.

Networking/Outreach

The final written report was forwarded to Theresa as written:

The Networking and Outreach Team’s objective for the year was to gather resources and information from campus and community sources that serve women. This information would be distributed to contact points that women commonly utilize.

To achieve this objective the team created a questionnaire for distribution to offices, departments, agencies and individuals both on and off campus that serve women. Upon completion of the questionnaire it was discovered that the American Red Cross compiles a resource manual that would serve this purpose for UCW. The new edition of the Story County Resource Manual will be available sometime this summer. Initially it was recommended that UCW purchase a copy for the Women’s Center. After further discussion, it was determined that several offices on campus should have a copy of the manual (Women’s Center, Student Answer Center, Off Campus & Adult Student Services, Student Counseling Services, Dean of Students Office, Student Health Services, etc.). Several of UCW members indicated their office would be purchasing a copy of the manual to have available in their office. A complete list of offices with the resource manual will be compiled and distributed.

The Networking and Outreach Team recommends that the 2000-2001 UCW Committee remain committed to increasing the contact women have with each other through intentionally planning gatherings where women can network and share their stories. The current team suggests that a fall social be coordinated for all women on campus to attend and begin sharing information and showing support.

Provost Advisory Committee

PAC is reviewing agendas from the 1999-2000 year. Dianne Bystrom will compile topics discussed for Theresa’s final report to the Provost. The next meeting with the Provost is Tuesday, May 09, 2000 at 1:30 pm.

Family/Medical Leave Policy Report

Dianne Bystrom reported that the first focus group included several faculty members (9) and P&S staff (3). Carla Espinoza’s office is transcribing the focus group tapes. There were women dealing with the birth of a child, adoption of a child and those caring for elderly parents. Dianne indicated that some of the issues that were mentioned included: lack of communication on the policy and the need for a center location (widely known), and conflicting Human Resources information given. The facilitator, Ann Maycunich, was outstanding and recommended for the UCW fall retreat.

Administrative Searches

Today’s News announced that the College of Agriculture would be interviewing eight candidates at off-campus sites. One candidate will be invited to campus sometime this summer. Discussion addressed the concerns of proceeding with a hire during the summer months when faculty are not available. PAC will discuss this with the Provost at the May 9, 2000 meeting.

The Agronomy DEO search has 10 applicants and the process on ongoing and hopefully finalized in the fall.

Way Up XVII Annual Conference

Scheduled for November 2-3, 2000 at University Park Holiday Inn, West Des Moines. Contact Beth Collins at 319-352-8423, collsbr@wartburg.edu or Susan McIlheran at 515-271-3994, susan.mcilheran@drake.edu for more information. Theresa has included conference registration funding in the UCW budget for two members to attend (generally Chair and Vice Chair, but alternatives are considered).

Summer Planning

The members present discussed the fall retreat for 2000. It was agreed to schedule another retreat given the positive outcome of the 1999 retreat. A planning subcommittee including Erin Rosacker, Silvia Secchi, and Dianne Bystrom will meet on July 6, 2000 at 307 Catt Hall to coordinate the retreat.

Theresa McCormick thanked all for their dedication to UCW and all their hard work this year! The members present also thanked Theresa for her leadership this year.

Meeting adjourned!