Anonymous Comments & Responses

5/9/2024

Comment: Can someone please address the custodial staff? We are separating trash from recyclables and putting them in the clearly marked recycling facilities made available to us on our floors, only to see the custodians dump both of them into one trash bag. Are we doing it just for show? We are supposed to be sustainable here. Please forward this to the appropriate person as I do not know who that is. I don't know who the appropriate department is to bring this issue up to but this is very irresponsible especially if the facilities are provided to us to ensure that we are doing our part to separate them.

Response: Good afternoon SAC leadership team - We appreciate you forwarding this message as we in Physical Plant take our responsibilities for waste and recycling management very seriously.  Any questionable instant regarding building services should be immediately reported to the Work Management Center, wmc@fgcu.edu or 239-590-1370.  Specific location and time also helps us to investigate and make corrections to any of our services as needed. 

 The custodians on campus are trained to collect recycling separately from waste per the rules of Lee County Solid Waste https://www.leegov.com/solidwaste/recycling/yes.  Each collection site on campus has containers for both, interior and exterior.  However, we have addressed this type of comment before as each municipality has very specific rules of what is collected for recycling.  Contamination is a huge problem in the recycled product supply chain, so custodians that find contaminated recycling are trained to treat that collection as waste since it cannot be placed in the commingled dumpsters or the larger units become contaminated.  When containers of recycled items are found contaminated, stickers are placed on the bags so it is quite clear what has happened as the bag is placed in with the waste.  Sample attached.

 The industry uses the term “wish cycling’ to address a common occurrence of people placing items they wish would be recycled but only contaminate the load, such as: greasy pizza boxes, wax lined paper cups, plastic bags, shredded paper, food waste, containers that still contain food waste, bottles and cans that still contain liquid, plastic plates and utensils, and Styrofoam.  Even the plastic bags the recyclables are gathered in must be opened and dumped into the larger collection bin with the bags thrown away – loose recyclables only. Please see this PDF for items that adhere to Lee County Recycling Center Guidelines.

 Physical Plant has a team of waste and recycling inspectors that work to ensure FGCU is both sustainable and cost effective in the complicated process of collecting and processing recycled items from across campus.  We welcome the opportunity to educate those curious about our operations.  Reach out to the Physical Plant Work Management Center to learn more.

5/29/2024

Comment: Can SAC suggest having the BOT meetings streamed? Some of our positions and workloads don't allow us to attend these meetings, and having the possibly to have the stream playing while we work would be a great benefit for those of us who can't attend. Thank you.

Response: The comment has been received and is under consideration. The FGCU Board of Trustees meetings are held in person and open to the public. When the meeting format is virtual then it is livestreamed.

Best,

Tiffany Reynolds | Director of Board Relations, Associate Corporate Secretary, and Deputy Chief of Staff

Office of Board Relations

 3/29/2023
Comment: I am deeply offended by the email that just went out regarding the Pride Committee holding their Lavender graduation ceremony to celebrate the achievements of the LGBTIA+ graduates. It is exclusionary actions like this that continue to disenfranchise other members of society. If this were to be initiated for those who are cisgendered, it would be considered homophobic in nature. Things like this as stated before are divisive and in my opinion, counteracts the idea of inclusivity. There is nothing inclusive about this type of behavior, rather it is exclusive in nature.

Response:  Comments received have been shared with the Pride Committee, for more information regarding Lavender Graduation celebrations, please feel free to learn more regarding it’s origins.

Best,

4/4/2023

Comment: Why is there not a daycare/summer camp in place for employees to bring their children during the summer? I'm speaking in terms of all-day camp vs the half-day that has been offered in the past. It would be nice to have as an 'employee perk'.

**More information is needed to know the correct department to send this comment. Summer programs are offered through the Whitaker Center and FGCU has Little Eagles Learning Center for daycare. Can you provide more information as to what was offered in the past through an additional comment or email to sac@fgcu.edu?

9/27/2023

Comment: In the gym, each person who uses the equipment is encouraged to use alcohol wipes to wipe down the equipment after usage. While I totally think this is a great sanitary practice, it pains me to see all of the wipes going to waste. I think it would be a lot more eco-friendly if we were to have spray bottles with disinfectant that can be refilled, rather than single use wipes. This would, number one, probably a lot cheaper than buying the wipes, and number two, be better for the environment.

Response: Thank you for bringing this feedback to my attention. For context, we have done both methods before. When we were over in Alico, we used spray bottles for each piece of equipment. The amount of spray bottles and cleaning solution for this facility will be just as expensive as the wipes – if not more expensive than what we currently pay. In addition to that, we have a very tight budget as our operating budget was cut significantly to start the fiscal year. I have informed my supervisor about the issue, and we will consider changing it, but I can’t guarantee we will. Regarding sustainability, the wipes we use are eco-friendly and biodegradable. That was a significant portion of the initial decision to move to wipes several years ago. If we were to move over to rags and spray bottles for each piece of equipment, I would worry about how much laundry we would have to do and everything that goes along with that task. We would be using more chemicals such as detergent and bleach pods. Furthermore, we must think about the chemicals going through the washer and dryer that wouldn’t be great for those pieces of equipment and the preventative maintenance – which would, in turn, be another expense down the road. As long as patrons use the wipes correctly and don’t waste extra wipes using them outside of their intentional use, the methods we currently have in place match our budgetary needs and continually keep the equipment in the facility sanitized. Let me know if you have additional questions or concerns. Thanks!

2/9/22

Comment: Every year the university waits until the faculty bargaining session is complete to announce any kind of compensation change for the staff. With the faculty bargaining taking so long this year, are there considerations for a raise or bonus for the staff that is not dependent on the faculty decision? 

Response: Thank you for your question. The University plans our fiscal budget at the same time every year, inclusive of salary considerations. Staff compensation is not dependent on Faculty bargaining, however there is a casual relationship between the timing of Faculty bargaining and planning for Staff compensation.

David Vasquez | Vice President for Administrative Services and Finance

3/9/22

Comment: What can Human Resources, Office of Institutional Ethics and Compliance, and Counseling and Psychological Services do "collectively" to stop the practices of economic exploitation, psychological humiliation and theological excommunication that obstruct basic human dignity and human progress at FGCU? 

Response: The University administration is committed to an equitable, fair and ethical environment for all faculty, staff, students. As such, the University has a Code of Conduct and multiple regulations and policies prohibiting exploitation and discriminatory behavior.  If a member of the university community believes that they have been subjected to  behavior that undermines their human dignity and human progress at FGCU, they are encouraged to report the behavior using the link below. Information can also be reported anonymously. Reporting the behavior puts the administration on notice to utilize the appropriate key stakeholders to collectively develop a course of action where necessary.

https://secure.ethicspoint.com/domain/media/en/gui/48024/index.html

 https://www.fgcu.edu/generalcounsel/regulations/approved/regulation1.003.pdf

 https://www.fgcu.edu/generalcounsel/policies/approved/policy1.006.pdf

 https://www.fgcu.edu/institutional-ethics-and-compliance/files/codeofconduct-ada.pdf

Precious Green Gunter | Chief Ethics, and Compliance Officer and Title IX Coordinator | Office of Institutional Ethics and Compliance

4/6/22

Comment: I work at the Rec Center. My issue is that when I come to work there is no place to park. The lot and the overflow lot are filled yet there are less than 30 students working out. I pay for an annual parking pass yet cannot find a place to park. UPD does not enforce the posted rules about parking. Why should I be required to pay for parking when parking is not enforced? I the afternoons and early evenings, students are parking illegally (behind cars, in front of marked emergency water hydrants) and actually block people in. Something HAS to change. We need your help. Our student employees are often late for shifts because there is no place to park. 

Response: Parking is regularly enforced. I suggest that UPD be contacted at the time violations are observed.

James D. Slapp |  Interim Chief of Police | FGCU Police Department

5/9/22

Comment: Why did SAC publish the May 13, 2022 agenda without the April 27, 2022 minutes? 

Response: Thank you for pointing out the April 27th SAC Meeting Minutes failed to publish to the site on Friday, May 6, 2022 when the next agenda was published. The broken link has been fixed.  

6/15/22

Comment: With President Martin's email that just came out regarding Juneteenth, I am inquiring as to whether or not these type of celebrations mentioned going on that day on the Library Lawn are being held in honor of President's Day in February as well. Years ago President's Day was a holiday that was celebrated and time off was given. That has changed over the years, but Martin Luther's Birthday continues to be celebrated and time off given. That clearly shows that our campus focuses on the contributions of one man recognized as the Father of Civil Rights, and rightly so. However, I do not feel, or see that our campus recognizes the sacrifices and contributions of not only one president, but any president.
Additionally, I would like to see the D,E and I certification sessions include information on Anti-Semitism, Anti-Asian and Anti-Christian. If we are indeed an inclusive campus, then we need to recognize that these groups are discriminated against as well as hate crimes being perpetrated against them. Sessions could also focus on another aspect of Diversity, which includes diversity of thought and that just because someone disagrees with the current mainstream views, does not mean that that person is hateful or phobic. 

Response: There are a number of offices and departments on campus as well as student groups that host a myriad of events for various holidays on campus. Not to say that President’s day has never been celebrated, but this is a great opportunity to make the recommendation to some of those groups. In the past the DEI Certificate has held programs on Anti-Semitism and Anti-Asian hate crimes etc. We are always open to ideas and suggestions for presentation topics. We also encourage students, faculty, and staff to prepare presentations and serve as presenters for the programs as well.

Precious Green Gunter | Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer and Title IX Coordinator |Office of Institutional Ethics and Compliance

7/5/22

Comment: I've noticed a lot of roaches in the Cohen Student Union and Sovi Dining facility. What is being done about this? Is this not a health violation??? What's even worse is that they are out in the day time which means there is a looming infestation. I can send pictures as proof! 

Response: Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Certainly this is concerning and due immediate attention. Our current foodservice partner responds aggressively to all pest activity, including - at a minimum - monthly pest control treatments at all dining facilities. Extra attention to both spaces has been requested and additional treatment will be completed immediately. In addition, we have requested immediate attention and treatment for specific common areas surrounding dining locations as well.

Antoinette Biffar  | Director | Business Services  |  Administrative Services & Finance

7/2/22

Comment: FGCU needs a football team. It would help with the growth of the school and the reason the athletic director gives to as why there cannot be a program are all lies. No football program is why many people choose to attend other schools in Florida. All the sports here kinda suck and even schools with bad football programs rally around them. Basketball which is suppose to be our most popular sports only fills about 3% of its arena and it mostly player’s family members. 

Response:https://www.news-press.com/story/news/2016/04/29/fgcu-would-need-100-million-start-football/83714938/

The short reply is, as we continue to work ourselves out of the significant financial hit we have taken during the pandemic and now inflationary times ($2M cut from our then $13M budget), plus given our youth of just over twenty years as an Intercollegiate Athletics program, we have no plans to do anything beyond work to reinforce resources to our fifteen programs.  Hence, no recent discussions have taken place to add football (which would require adding another two or three women’s teams to satisfy Title IX regulations at over a collective $100M) nor any other sport.  Please find attached an article on our previous Feasibility Study on the matter, as well as below the minutes from the April, 2011 Board of Trustees Meeting that reviewed the matter.  No doubt the estimated expenditures will have risen dramatically higher in the past decade plus.  In turn, amidst overall University priorities, it has never been considered worth revisiting by the Board of Trustees, especially in light of the men’s basketball program’s historic and nationally energizing “Dunk City” Sweet 16 run that still resonates with many across the country, as well as women’s basketball’s continued tremendous successes (includes three top 25 final rankings in past eight years, being the only team besides defending national champion South Carolina with five thirty-win seasons in last eight seasons, and currently possessing the highest winning percentage in Division I history), and numerous other points of pride athletically (92 total conference championships and 45 NCAA appearances since our joining Division I in 2007-08), academically (3.41 cumulative GPA compared to FGCU undergrads 3.15 within 26 consecutive semesters of having a higher comparative term GPA), and as community ambassadors (6000+ community service hours performed this year).

Although the decision was made prior to my arrival in June of 2009, the expanded basic response is that FGCU needed to add three additional programs in 2007-08 to get to the minimum 14 required for Division I – we officially became fully certified as a D1 program in 2011-12.   The composition of the fourteen sports can be either 7 men/7 women or 8 women/6 men (primarily due to fact that men’s programs traditionally generate more walk-on non-scholarship student-athletes and baseball needs more pitchers than softball).

Unfortunately, at still a relative infancy stage as a University (25^th year) and Department of Athletics (22^nd year), beyond commencing beach volleyball in 2012, we are simply not yet capable to add to our sports menu at this juncture for a variety of financial and Title IX reasons (expectation for our student-athlete population to mirror in proportion to the FGCU undergraduate general student body).  These range from a need to first “fully fund” all of our current teams in the areas of staffing at the NCAA coaching limit/enhanced salaries, athletic scholarships, recruiting and overall operating budgets (only the six men’s sports, WBB, softball and volleyball are at NCAA maximums and not totally since they commenced “cost of allowance a few years ago and only both hoops are provided such, but only at $2,000 of FGCU’s $3,600 allowable).  Further, additional teams generates the needs for more support staff personnel in the areas of academics, sports medicine, strength & conditioning, secretarial, etc., as well as costly capital improvement projects for more square footage to house and expand training opportunities for our current student-athletes and growing staff – something we are finally making headway with our relatively recently completed Alico Arena expansion project.  Adding football (and the anticipated three additional women’s programs needed to maintain Title IX compliance) would double our current student-athlete population and overwhelm our available resources.  In turn, at a juncture where the University as a whole has much higher priorities for the $100 million plus (much higher now than the 2011 forecasts) that it would take to commence an FBS program (FCS wouldn’t be an acceptable option and FGCU full enrollment doesn’t make non-scholarship football feasible for many reasons), it has not been viewed as prudent to do such.  Further, through the recent successes of our other sports, in particular our aforementioned men’s and women’s basketball programs, we have been able to generate a much higher ROI for the funds invested primarily by our FGCU students and donors. 

Finally, please keep in mind that only the top 50 or so programs in FBS generate a net profit on football (granted, those are doing so at record rates via the Power 5s lucrative television contracts).

Ken Kavanagh | Director of Athletics | Florida Gulf Coast University

See also: https://www.etsu.edu/125-chapter-1/documents/fgcu-footballfeasibilitystudy-m011511.pdf 

8/22/22

Comment: The Presidential Search Committee reporter 50 applicants for the next president of FGCU. Previously, applicants were posted on the website for the search. Do we know why they are not posting them this time around? 

Response: In previous Presidential searches, applicant identity was a public record and disclosed if requested. During the last legislative session, Senate Bill 520 was passed. SB 520 provides that applicants', exclusive of finalist, identifying information is exempt from disclosure and will not be disclosed. When finalists are selected, their information will be made public. I trust this answer was responsive to your inquiry. 

Vee Leonard | Vice President and General Counsel 

10/14/2022

Comment: Please improve the shuttle situation to West Lake Village. The shuttles are so unreliable, and I always find myself waiting forever on campus because the shuttle is sitting in a parking lot somewhere. I get employees need breaks, but you should have them take turns to ensure the shuttles are always running. I have responsibilities and a schedule that I cannot follow because the shuttles are unreliable.
Response:“Thank you for your comment and we appreciate you letting us know about your extended wait time.  We apologize for this inconvenience and will follow up with our contracted shuttle company, Dolphin Transportation.  The schedule of the shuttle servicing West Lake Village is supposed to be a 30 minute wait time, at the top and bottom of the hour.  We encourage you to email us directly if you experience any extended wait times in the future, eagleexpress@fgcu.edu.”
Casey Garcia | Assistant Director, Business Services

10/12/2022

Comment: Why is West Lake not given more than one shuttle? If you want to encourage students to use the transit, you have to make it convenient. I have been waiting an hour for the west lake bus on main campus and it hasn’t came yet. I often check Passio Go to see it is sitting in a parking lot instead of moving. It makes it impossible to plan my day. Please do better.
Response:“Thank you for your comment and we appreciate you letting us know about your extended wait time.  We apologize for this inconvenience and will follow up with our contracted shuttle company, Dolphin Transportation.  The schedule of the shuttle servicing West Lake Village is supposed to be a 30 minute wait time, at the top and bottom of the hour.  We encourage you to email us directly if you experience any extended wait times in the future, eagleexpress@fgcu.edu.”
Casey Garcia | Assistant Director, Business Services

10/11/2022

Comment: I just learned that FGCU Presidential Candidates will ONLY be meeting with the Board of Trustees and that there will be NO OPEN CAMPUS FORUMS. How can we appeal this?
Response:Thank you for sharing. That is completely false. Please follow the presidential search website for accurate and timely information. As the timeline indicates, each candidate will have one day on campus for meetings and public forums prior to their interviews with the FGCU Board of Trustees. Originally, the dates for public forums would have taken place this week with the BOT interviews occurring on October 17. Unfortunately, Hurricane Ian has also affected this and we have had to reschedule. The new dates and timeline have been published to the presidential search website. The public forums will now take place on October 28, 31 and November 1, with the final BOT interviews occurring on November 2. There will be multiple opportunities for public forums in which stakeholders will have a chance to meet with each candidate. The public forums as well as the BOT meeting will also be livestreamed on the website. We are working hard to reschedule these events and will disseminate the itineraries as soon as possible.
Tiffany Reynolds | Director of Board Relations and Associate Corporate Secretary

11/22/2022

Comment: Last week, my children (ages 13 and 10) came with my husband, to eat lunch with me at SoVi Dining.
I understand and appreciate there is a discount for staff (it was $6 and change for me). But, what I don't understand is why children, are charged the same rate as adults ($9 and change).
I think it would be a fantastic idea for SoVi Dining to charge a children's rate (13 and under), to encourage staff and faculty to bring our children, to experience and eat at FGCU. My ten year-old daughter, while eating, said, "I am definitely coming here for college."
I would ask that we reconsider charging a price, for children (13 and under) that is more in line with the price of a kids' meal at neighboring restaurants (i.e., $6 and change - like the discounted staff rate).
Just my "two cents."
Response: Thank you for sending this – I def think it is worth some discussion on my end.  More to come!

11/17/2022

Comment: This is a formal complaint about the West Lake Village bus driver. She was driving recklessly, cursing at students, and cursing in Spanish. I felt very unsafe and concerned. This makes me feel uncomfortable taking the transit offered to me.
Response: “Thank you for your comment and we appreciate you letting us know about your experience with a driver for the West Lake Village shuttle route.  We apologize for this poor experience and will follow up with our contracted shuttle company, Dolphin Transportation.  We encourage you to email us directly if you experience any inconvenience in the future; eagleexpress@fgcu.edu.”
Casey Garcia  |  Assistant Director

11/14/2022

Comment: Why do some job postings have pay grades, some have salary ranges and some have nothing at all? It would be nice to have some consistency. It makes it a lot easier to know if a position is within range for current employees looking for new opportunities.
Response: Thank you for your question. Every role in every department varies in scope and responsibility. If you have questions about a role you see, please contact Human Resources.

Thank you,

2/9/2021

Question: Just curious but it seems the Anonymous Comments haven't been updated for 3 months, Nov., Dec., and Jan. Is this still active?

Response: Yes, this page is still active. We only post when we receive anonymous comments.

3/25/2021

Question: Is there a page on the FGCU website that lists all mandatory trainings that faculty/staff are required to attend? It’s difficult not to miss these, when emails come from different places and different times of the year. The webpage might also have a link to suggest some training.

A web list would be helpful, especially if it listed, Title, Purpose (reading that "Kognito training" is mandatory doesn't tell me much), Contact person or office, Location (is it virtual or F2F), Frequency (one and done, or every year), Current Year Deadline (Is it a rolling deadline or a list of dates it's available or is there a real date/deadline?), Who is required to take this training?, Is there any other information I might find helpful...?
We get notification via a variety of emails and they can be easily missed. If all this information were available on one webpage and linked to the webpage for all the offices that either require the training or provide the training, you'd be making it easier for everyone to comply.

Response: We received two documents that outline training. These are the lists that are in the Compliance Report. Hopefully in some Workday changes over the summer, this will be more easily accessible. 
FGCU Master Training List and FGCU Master Training List EHS

4/12/2021

Question: I would like to file a report against an employee at FGCU who is chasing his employees away as he is insensitive and micromanages. How can I go about this?

Response: You can file the complaint with with Office of Institutional Ethics and Compliance or use the EthicsPoint hotline if they want to report anonymously. 

https://secure.ethicspoint.com/domain/media/en/gui/48024/index.html Also, per Sara Stensrud, we encourage employees to contact Human Resources directly for employee concerns.  Toni Busy, our leader of Employee Relations, is always available for our employees. Her extension is X1416.

Question: I would love to see a description of what SAC is and does on the SAC home page. Is that possible?

Response:  The first statement on our site is an overview of SAC's purpose and states "A Voice for Staff, The Staff Advisory Council (SAC) facilitates effective communication between the Staff, the President and the Administration." For specific descriptions of how SAC does this, there is more detail at the bottom of the page in the links for SAC Charter & SAC Bylaws.

5/20/2021

Comment: Noticed that the COVID cases haven't been updated for two weeks. Does this mean that there have been no cases with students and employees during this time?
If there are no cases of students or employees I think there should be a 0 student cases ; 0 employee cases for the dates that there have been no reported cases.

Response: From Ruth Rodrigues, Director, Emergency Management on 5/21/21:

There was an issue with the updates last week, but was corrected yesterday.  If there are no cases for the day there is no entry. We can certainly change this to make this more obvious. 

6/18/2021

Comment: Now that Juneteenth is a federal holiday can we expect to have it added to the list holidays we get time off for each year?

Response: As we now know, on June 17,2021, Juneteenth became the 11th holiday recognized by the federal government. President Biden signed the bill into law the day after that, immediately giving federal employees the day off this year. Although Juneteenth is now observed by two million federal employees, not all state and local government or private-sector employers will necessarily follow suite. As a State of Florida employer, the decision is yet to be determined for FGCU. As we learn more about the State of Florida’s next year’s holiday roster, we will share with our Faculty and Staff.

6/8/2021

Comment: Can SAC recommend that BOT meetings continue to be livestreamed? Today's meeting isn't being streamed and that really stinks for people who can't make it over there.

Response: From Tiffany Reynolds, Director of Board Relations and Associate Corporate Secretary: At this time, FGCU BOT meetings have returned to an in-person meeting format as we get back to pre-pandemic campus operations.

9/30/21

Comment: Monday, leaf blowers
Tuesday, Chainsaws
Wednesday, Pressure washer
Thursday, edge trimmers
Friday, weed eaters
All powered by small gasoline engines, which are not only polluting but also making work a lot harder to impossible, due to their noise level. Are we able to specify to use 21 century electric garden tools in the next landscaping contract? It's probably a few cents more expensive initially but we are going to gain a lot of productivity in many departments around campus. And by the way are going to be outlawed in the neighboring city of Naples soon:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/leaf-blower-noise-regulations-approved-in-naples-go-into-effect-in-2021/ar-BB1agdCv

Response: Thank you for your feedback. We are always looking to improve the campus. 

Michele Kroffke  |  Director of Operations

9/28/21

Comment: Can SAC review the raw data of staff from the last Campus Climate Study, https://www.fgcu.edu/facultysenate/archivedmeetings/files/11-4-2011_ATTACH_CAMPUS_CLIMATE_STUDY_SOLUTIONS_RECOMMENDATIONS.pdf, to recommend changes to how staff concerns have and continue to be suppressed by the supervisory system and the Administration?

Response: Included in the 2021-22 SAC goals, a working group is assigned to explore employee retention and morale.  This study has been forwarded to that working group for review.

9/20/21

Comment: Can SAC submit a letter requesting answers as to why these workers are being laid off when the positions created are identical to the positions they now hold? Also, can SAC ask for the President and Human Resources to come to a SAC meeting to address the concerns that have recently come to light? I still don't see an answer on why FGCU is not following the policy set forth by administration regarding lay offs. Can SAC start a petition to help these individuals and others that we may not be aware of? 

Response: SAC has sent emails to administration with the request for answers to the questions in the all comments, including why positions are being eliminated and new positions are being added.  Sara Strensrud from HR has been invited to a future SAC meeting.

9/13/2021

Comment: Can Human Resources or Administration please explain to me why they aren't following the Layoff Policy (Policy 3.054) in letting two business managers go? Can someone also please explain to me how it is legal to let go of someone and create the same job duties under another title?

Response: In Process

9/10/2021

Comment: Today in the SAC meeting we heard that there were emails sent to SAC about people losing their jobs. Why aren’t those emails posted? Also I heard that 8 people our diverse population have left/been let go and with two more positions being eliminated that will make 10? Who can help us? Staff needs a voice! 

Response: There were not emails sent to SAC, rather there were Anonymous Comments submitted on the web site.  SAC typically waits for a response to comments from qualified campus partners before posting the comments.  At this time, all comments are now posted below. SAC has forwarded all submissions to administration and encouraged a response.

9/9/2021 After the comment on 9/7/21, SAC received several more submissions on 9/9/21 realting to the same topic. These too have been forwarded to administration for review. We will update this section with  emailed responses as we receive them. 

Five comments:

1)  I'm writing in reference to the staff positions being eliminated (thereby eliminating the employees holding the positions) and new positions in a new department being created. To my knowledge the employees impacted by this change were told they can apply for the new position(s). Does this not imply they are qualified to perform the duties and tasks for these positions?
This does not speak to the "value" we have been told is felt for the staff at this university. How can we/you not have a care about employees who have been loyal to FGCU, performed their duties very well and show their care for this institution and their departments? The one I have had the privilege to get to know is also an alum of FGCU - so much for "Go Eagles!"
I must say I am very disappointed in the handling of the changes and the consideration, or lack thereof, for current dedicated staff members who after all of this are still maintaining their integrity in providing excellent service to the University, College and Vendors.
My hope is they ARE given the opportunity by moving them into these newly created positions and we do not lose valuable, hard-to-come-by resources / waste of time and energy to conduct unnecessary searches.

2)  I've just read the response to a truly troubling situation and am both horrified and alarmed by the cavalier tone. Notably, "Consolidating the services for multiple colleges creates new roles that are posted for internal and external applicants to ensure a fair process for job openings."
I'm sorry, but friends and coworkers are losing their jobs, and since when has the university been overly concerned with posting critical jobs for internal and external applicants? How many deans and/or interim deans and other positions of administrative significance been appointed by our current administration? Meanwhile, I've watched internally as jobs have been provided at key times, people being placed in them to protect them from exactly this sort of realignment of resources.
All while upper management bangs the diversity drum yet winnows down respected members of staff from minority populations.
I don't know which is worse - the hypocrisy or the delusion.
I used to respect this university and the values it espoused, because I saw the effort being put in to strive for equity and progressive ideology. I'm sorry to say, I've lost that in recent years.
If we want to try to be better, we need to try to be better, not just say we do. And this is at least a valuable starting point to do so.

3)  As a member of the College of Education, I am appalled with the recent decision to terminate our Busines Manager's position. Iris is a dedicated and loyal colleague. By forcing her to reapply and compete for a job she has already performed with success (and with 3 different deans in 4 years) is not fair. We have allowed multiple people to change roles (from the President's office all the way down) without jumping through hoops to prove their worth and ability. Our morale is already at an all-time low. Why would this be allowed to happen? Also, Iris is a Latinx woman who is an FGCU grad. Is this how we treat our loyal employees who are not only graduates but of a protected class? Do better people. This decision is short-sighted, unfair and disgusting. 

4)  I just read the read the comment sent to SAC and the response about staff members losing their current positions due to reorganization. I feel that I must also speak out. I have been with the university for well over 10 years and have seen staff moral decline greatly. We hear our administration speak out about hiring from within and saving jobs, yet people are being let go to create another unit? This seems absurd to me. Why would we let people who already have knowledge of the university go and opt for possibly hiring someone without that base knowledge. I agree with the comment made, that this isn't sending a good message to staff members of FGCU. I also agree that many people have their positions changed due to reorganization BUT they kept their job. Why is FGCU Administration allowing this to happen? We speak of nd are to believe that we are a community. Is this how community members should be treated. Thank you for your years of dedication...you can apply for another job but we can't move you to one? Very very disheartening. As I'm not sure where this happening or has happened on campus, I'm sure there are things we are all not aware of. I hope FGCU rethinks these decisions and remembers that while we may just be staff members...we are also people too. 

5)  After reading the comment and response about employees losing their jobs, I have to come to find out the jobs that were referred to by Sara are both held by women of a minority population. How can FGCU and Human Resources support this decision? We struggle with diversity now and yet we terminating two from FGCU? This seems to go against everything FGCU stands for. I hope SAC gets behind this and supports the staff members. 

9/8/2021

Comment: Can SAC look into starting a union for staff members? I believe we would all benefit from having a combined voice and having some protections that a union might be able to offer. Unfortunately at FGCU staff have been the individuals who have seen the downside to reorganization and the pandemic. I believe this might be a good time to consider coming together and looking at this option.

Response: Over the years, SAC has discussed the possibility of reorganizing a union for staff.  We have identified a SAC representative to again start the discussion and the intention is to invite someone from a union that represents other SUS staff to speak at a SAC meeting in the near future. 

9/7/2021

Comment: Is SAC aware that staff positions are being eliminated within colleges? HR is letting people go ... opening new positions and only ALLOWING those eliminated to apply for those positions. Why is this happening when President Martin has said that we should hire within and has himself moved people into positions. Are they only concerned with the Administration and not the Staff? HR said that they can't just move people into positions because the position is a different title. I have personally seen a person move from a staff position into an Instructor position without having to apply!!! This is very upsetting!!! We are losing valuable members of our team; our co-workers and friends. People are losing their jobs at a time when we should all be coming together. This is shocking to me. Something needs to be done. Can this please be looked into. This is not sending a good message about how FGCU treats staff members.

Response: Thank you for the submission comment.

As the University transforms, organizational needs change. New positions may be needed with wider scope or narrower responsibilities. With that said, a recent reorganization within Academic Affairs has prompted change for some staff members in colleges.

This week we announced the university looks to create efficiencies and provide quality service, a new department is being created with those principles in mind.  Reporting to the University Budget Office will be the new Business Operations Support Services for Academic Affairs.  This new unit will handle the business functions for the College of Engineering, the College of Education and the Water School to follow at a later date.  This new service hub will be able to leverage best practices and expertise to provide the best functional result and customer service possible.  The Director of University Budgets, Megan Clipse, is in the process of assembling a team to move this new department forward.

Consolidating the services for multiple colleges creates new roles that are posted for internal and external applicants to ensure a fair process for job openings. We are committed to helping impacted employees find a role within the FGCU organization that matches their skills, abilities, and commitment to FGCU. We encourage employees that are impacted by the change to apply for the new roles and other multiple roles.

If you would like to enlist our help to assist impacted employees finding new roles within the FGCU organization, please contact me directly. I am here to help.

Thank you again for your comment submission. It is critical during times of change that we stay connected and help one another succeed. Open communication helps us ensure success for staff, faculty and students

9/2/2021

Comment: What FGCU regulation details and outlines the historical, non-publicized, inter-departmentally charged subsystem of public funds at FGCU? How is this subsystem regulated?

Response: Thank you for sharing your comments. Recently in June 2021, the budget was discussed at the Board of Trustees. You may find the meeting materials and agenda on the BOT website at https://www.fgcu.edu/about/leadership/fgcuboardoftrustees/#AgendaItems Public funds should be used for public purposes to the knowledge of the public.

9/1/2021

Comment: FGCU's Loyalty Oath, https://www.fgcu.edu/generalcounsel/policies/approved/policy3.023.pdf, places a 'citizen of the state' before a 'citizen of the United States'. The language and the intent of the language insures the loyalty of the employee, first to the state, then to the United States. The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was passed by the U.S. Senate on June 8, 1866 and ratified by the states on July 9, 1868. Why has FGCU not corrected the order of this language in its almost 25th year history? Continues to support the state-sponsored crafty language without 'public' question? And causes 'disservice' to U.S. veterans and U.S. citizens?

Response: Thank you for sharing your concern with us. The language of the Loyalty Oath is required by statute and is derived from Section 876.05, Florida Statutes, originally enacted in 1949 as a loyalty and anti-communist oath.  The requirement was not meant to prohibit the employment of noncitizens, nor is there evidence the intent was to elevate the status of state citizenship above national citizenship.  In fact, the second part of the oath provides the affiant “will support the Constitution of the United States and of the State of Florida” placing Florida after the U.S. FGCU is not in a position to alter the language required by statute.  We encourage you to speak to your state representative if you seek a change to the language of the statute.

10/5/21

Comment: I just got an email from Information Technology Services that provides a link to a survey they say is about my readiness to adapt to the new Workday System, but the survey is about how Administration communicates with staff. To me they are talking about the President and the Board of Trustees and the VPs when they ask about how FGCU communicates about changes... I'm really not sure if it's anonymous or not and who will see the results...

Response: Thank you for your question. In an effort to help the Workday Student project team better deliver the right communication(s) to the right audience at the right time, we are asking for your input in these areas. The survey is about campus attitude regarding change and how it is managed at FGCU. This survey mimics the one sent out prior to the Workday implementation for Finance and HR in 2020 and the results will be used for the same purpose:  more effective communication regarding coming changes. And as stated on the introduction page, responses are anonymous. I hope this provides a little more context for you.

11/2/21

Comment: After the Welcome Back lunch we were sent a link to place an order for a commemorative shirt on 8/17/2021. Many of us redeemed the voucher for the new shirt but have not received the shirt as of the first week of November. Is there an estimated date when the shirts will be delivered? 

Response: Shirts were distributed the week of November 8, 2021.

11/2/21

Comment: Are comments still be forwarded to administration? I see that most of the comments posted back in September regarding the layoff of two individuals were never addressed? Also, when is SAC bringing a union representative to talk to staff? 

Response: President Martin is a guest at the December SAC monthly meeting and will adress comments and questions. A union representative for staff is not guranteed to visit our campus; a SAC representative has identified someone from a Florida union office to email questions and get an overview to present at the meeting on January 21, 2022.

12/15/21

Comment: Can we go back to posting the salary ranges on ALL staff and A&P job postings? 

Response: Thank you for your question. Over the last year we worked with our FGCU people managers to update our employment posting practices. As we worked through the posting practices, some managers expressed a desire to post positions without pay ranges. With that in mind, FGCU now allows managers to post open positions either with the pay-range or without the pay-range.

If there is a job-posting with no pay-range, FGCU employees can call Human Resources to inquire about the position and the pay-range. Human Resources is happy to help our employees navigate new career opportunities at FGCU.

Thank you again and please feel free to give me a call directly or anyone on the Human Resource a team for questions.

Sara Stensrud | Senior Associate Vice President

12/14/21

Comment: Not sure whom to send this to, so hoping SAC can advocate for better signage on modular buildings. The modular buildings on campus are not well marked and people are frequently confused where to go. Many pedestrians are walking from campus to the mods, but the map is facing the opposite way for people heading to the center of campus not the other way round. Modulars, if marked, are marked from the roadside for cars, not pedestrians. I have even had a student looking for Mod Two say that they saw Mod One and Mod Eleven not realizing that they are marked with Roman Numerals. It also does not help the confusion when there is also a Mod 2 across the way in SoVi. 

Response: Each modular building has the name of each unit on the main entrance glass doors and also in large letters on the upper portion of each unit strategically placed for maximum viewing. Sovi is a completely different set of modular units and is listed by the name Sovi first then the subsequent number after, pretty simple to follow. I’m not sure what to say about the student not figuring out Modular I and II (which are right next to each other) in Roman Numerals thinking it was Modular Eleven. 

-Jim Hehl | Assistant Vice President, Physical Plant 

3/5/2020

Question: With COVID19 concerns - what is the University doing to make certain that areas that are shared among the population of the University such as water fountains, vending machines, etc. Are these items being sanitized daily? 

Response: The University has increased the frequency of cleaning in all common areas of the University including common touch surfaces for the protection of our campus population. 

3/15/2020

Question: Can SAC please ask administration to consider allowing staff to work from home or to shut down the university because we have kids that are no longer in school. We have elderly parents that we need to take care of. Self quarantining and social distancing will be important as we move forward. We can not adequately take care of our elderly when we are exposed to everyone at work.  It would be appreciated if a response was posted before the next SAC meeting as I am not sure what that may be.  Thank you.

Response: Employees Working Remotely:  As noted yesterday, some employees whose FGCU work can be performed remotely are temporarily doing so from off campus.  We are considering what today's announcement about extending remote instruction through the end of the Spring semester means for employees working remotely, and will provide further information when available.  In the meantime, Information Technology Services (ITS) has developed a helpful resource for faculty and staff that provides information on such things as FGCU computing resources, network shares, Banner, and your office computer while off campus.  The resource webpage can be accessed at  https://www.fgcu.edu/its/, and you can contact the University Help Desk at 239-590-1188 if you have any questions.  

3/30/2020

Question: After the video President Martin created 3/29/20 why do non-essential staff that are able to work remotely having to come to campus?  If the buildings are being locked and deep cleaned- won’t this contaminate the cleaned area?  Thought the safest method is to stay home and if you don’t live with them - don’t visit. 

Response:

1. FGCU employees whose work requirements can be performed remotely and who have remotely available IT resources can work from home with advance approval by the supervisor. There are some offices and positions with responsibilities that must be performed on campus in support of the academic semester currently under way for the University's students. Employees with questions about whether they can work remotely should consult with their supervisors or Human Resources.
2. Available buildings and rooms on campus are receiving a deep cleaning, and then locked so they are not entered.

4/12/2020

Question: I’m concern about whenever school opens that we will not have the protection that will keep us from getting Covid-19. We can be creating hazardous conditions by not having the proper cleaning items available; such as gloves, hand sanitizers, disinfect wipes, and masks.  This is imperative for our safety and for the students. Do you know if that will be available and preparations being taken?

Response: FGCU is preparing for the phased return of employees over the summer as well the return of students in the fall in a variety of ways including the procurement of PPE and sanitation supplies and services. 

5/8/2020

Question: Could we start a discussion about a more Permanent Work from Home Policy? Even when this Crisis is over, a standing policy could help mitigate future events (aka second wave or hurricane shutdowns) and further hot desks would also take pressure of the physical spaces on campus. (less commuting cost and more parking spaces for everybody) Many employees could do their work fine with less presence on campus. As they proofed during the last months.

Response: We will give this action to the Policy Committee for review.

6/2/2020

Question: With the need to save money, is there the possibility to move to a other then 40hr work week with benefits?  There are probably volunteers for 32 hr or 35 hr weeks in exchange for some sort for job security in the future. After the crisis is over, the experience could be a case study for a permanent flexible workweek arrangement. 

Assistant Vice President Human Resources Sara Stensrud Response: Thank you for the suggestion! In order to maintain benefits at the same rate, employees must be scheduled to work and complete at least 30 hours/week. If employees wish to volunteer to work a Reduced-Time Appointment during this period (and who have supervisor approval to do so), please contact Human Resources for additional information.

6/12/2020

Question: I want to say I'm a long term employee and was very pleased to see that FGCU is instating a policy that will allow employees to share their leave hours with others who will be needing it. It brings me back to another time when an employee in our FGCU family had a child with cancer and both parents worked here (still do). He was in the hospital in NY and one parent had to be with him at all times. We surrounded them with love and everyone pitched in donating hours so they didn't face financial ruin. The policy has since been changed to limit this but it was a great thing. Also when people leave they would often times like to donate their sick time but had to know someone who was in need and could not just give to the pool. I'm not sure if that has changed but I hope it does. I don't know how many will donate and how many are in need but I have no doubt that this will be well received and appreciated by all participants. Thank you!

Response: This is a terrific idea! Unfortunately, today, based on the leave donation plans that are currently governed by university policy in combination with IRS Guidelines, there are specific rules and regulations surrounding their administration that don’t allow for the above.  When leave donation pools are created, specific reasons and timeframes are outlined within the Plan.  At this time, the University policy does not permit employees in the separation process to donate unused sick leave to a “Pool”.  Because the above is such a good idea, we will work to try to figure out if, or how, a future change in the plan may allow for the above. This will take some time but we will investigate if it can be done.

7/2/2020

Question: How many employees have lost or will lose their job due totally or in part to our change to workday? I know of at least one employee that was told she was being laid off in late June because workday replaced her paper-heavy job.

Assistant Vice President Human Resources Sara Stensrud Response: Thank you for the question about Workday.

Workday is changing ‘how’ we do our work. Some of our work-processes have gone from pushing paper through multiple people channels to pushing electronic forms though multiple people channels. This change in process has negatively impacted one position resulting in a separation from our University. At this point in time, we don’t foresee further employee separations based on the changing work-processes of Workday.

FGCU has a history of giving employees a chance to explore different job opportunities when jobs change. Sometimes employees explore new job opportunities  when they are actively employed and sometimes when they are no longer an employee.  We will always do our best to be flexible when change occurs during job alteration.  The one thing we know about change, is that is constant.

Please feel free to reach out to me directly to ask questions, give perspective or just have a chat. I am always available in MOD 1 in SoVi and can be available via Teams on quick notice.

Thank you again for the question!

7/9/2020

Question: I would like the Staff/ University to look into our current setup for Security on Campus. Currently when a department has any questions about installing security cameras within an area they are told to work with the recommended vendor to have them set it up for them. Why do we not have a universal setup for all campus that UPD monitors all over campus? Not just in the stairwells or Parking Garages and some main areas. I think this should be handled by UPD as it is a matter of Public Safety for the campus which should have guidelines and should be upgraded/maintained on a regular basis to keep up with technology. I am sure there is a monetary issue involved with the setup/maintenance but if we don't have the funds we can put a plan in place to work on one. An example for this is that the new University Recreation & Wellness Building i am being told does not have Cameras set up in the area and they are going to have to get their own system setup that they will monitor. I feel like this is something that should be looked at to help the overall security of campus as we grow as a university.Thank you

Director of Public Safety Chief Steven Moore Response: This will be a little complex, but I’ll try to explain. We do have a universal setup for all academic buildings. We set that standard, installed cameras in all the existing buildings and have continued with new building. We have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to install cameras and as importantly, the software and the servers to save the data. Non-academic buildings are different. The setup and requests are usually user/owner specific. Examples would be Housing or the UWRC (Fitness Center).

Some of the issues:

Owner desires: While UPD setups buildings for a specific purpose, the owner might have specific operations within the building they want covered. Be it a high value or a high-risk area.

Owner desires for their viewing but not UPD: Some building owners want to be able to view their cameras but don’t want UPD to have access.

Budget: Budget often enters into the decisions. Since the UWRC was mentioned, it was designed with cameras. But like many projects cost cutting is part of the construction project. One of the first items to go is usually safety items, such as cameras (note: it is also a specific funding source and general funds can’t be used). It wasn’t until the UWRC was almost complete that I found out the cameras were eliminated. Some departments don’t want to pay the costs to be part of the University camera system, so they install their own inexpensive versions and operate it themselves. Some have done this without ever contracting UPD or even letting UPD know they have cameras.

If there are more questions, I  could be happy to come and speak at one of your meetings.

8/17/2020

Question:  Could FGCU Mask distribution times start at 8 a.m. for convenience and to promote social distancing?

Response:  As you know many staff on campus are doing their very best to create an environment that promotes social distancing. Currently, the pick-up schedule for this week is Monday, August 17 through Friday, August 21:  11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This allows for 5 hours of pickup time each day which is being covered by emergency management staff, volunteers, and temporary agency staff. To start early pickup at 8 am we would need volunteers to cover the shifts .If you are interested in volunteering please contact SAC. Your suggestion has been sent to the Emergency Management team so they may consider it when planning the future pick up schedule.

8/10/2020

Question:  FGCU claims diversity, but out of the 16 advisors within Exploratory Advising.. all of them are white. I would like OIEC and HR to look into this

Response: Thank you for your submission and commentary using the SAC Comment Form. We appreciate your feedback. We acknowledge the need to further cultivate a workplace environment that represents our Diversity initiatives.  Our mission of embracing diversity, as we continue to focus on acquiring talent, developing talent and retention of talent, is a growing emphasis for FGCU. As we continue to strive to better our University, we are committed to developing centralized recruiting processes that supports target areas identified in the University’s Affirmative Action Plan. In 2020 and 2021 we are working to build relationships with diverse associations and identify potential barriers that may impact diverse candidate talent pools; including new oversight and training for Search Panels and Committees. We welcome your thoughts and hope you will consider reaching out to us, Precious Gunter(pgunter@fgcu.edu) and Sara Stensrud(sstensrud@fgcu.edu).

9/21/2020

Question: I find it ludicrous that this institution talks the talk, but fails at walking the walk. As the holidays approach, I will be forced to see a menorah displayed, large and bold, in the student plaza for all the Jewish people, but Christians were shut down! We cannot put up a Christmas tree and all of our decorations must be in our personal areas only. Why does the administration allow for the Jewish committee to have prayer tents and that menorah but around the holidays Christians can't have a tree? This institution speaks of equity, that's foolishness. It's inclusive of all but the Christian faith. Can we get a tree this year??

Response: A Jewish student RSO puts up a Sukkah and a Menorah. The Sukkah (prayer tent) was put up around SoVi this year instead of main campus. They book the space through campus reservations, and the University does not pay for it. A Christian group could do the same thing- and there a few different Christian RSOs. Similarly, an organization not related to students could potentially book these spaces. For your convenience, I have attached the Campus Reservations Guidelines:  https://www.fgcu.edu/campusreservations/regsandpol#HelpfulEventPlanningTipsForms

I understand that several years ago there was some debate about this. However, there is no policy limiting religious decorations. I have personally seen Christmas trees in office lobbies, and know departments who have Christmas parties. If the person believes there is a discrimination issue here, they can certainly file a complaint through our hotline or make an appointment with the office:

oiec@fgcu.edu

https://secure.ethicspoint.com/domain/media/en/gui/48024/index.html

Best,

Jessica Homer| Assistant Director and Senior Deputy Title IX Coordinator

9/8/2020

Question:  I found it a shock to find out the Faculty/Staff discount has stopped on snack and beverages in the bookstore with the new vendor. And there was no communication about this change to us.

Response:  We reached out to the new bookstore manager and learned that they offer faculty and staff discount of 25% on all items in the store, excluding health & beauty items, food, electronics and textbooks.  

9/4/2020

Question:  Since the posting of University employment opportunities have transitioned to the new job portal in Workday, salary ranges for positions are no longer included in the posting. This will make it difficult for current employees (especially support staff) to determine if making a lateral (or non-lateral) move to another department would be financially beneficial BEFORE they apply. For example, salaries for Administrative Specialists and Administrative Assistants vary greatly across campus depending on the department. An employee may end up applying for a position well beneath their current salary and start an unnecessary process. It may also dissuade very competent internal candidates from applying. It would be helpful to still be able to see advertised salary ranges for these positions in order for employees to make the best informed decision for themselves BEFORE applying. Would HR reconsider this practice? And if not, please explain the reasoning behind the decision to omit them now when that wasn't their practice in the past? Thanks so much for your assistance.

Response:  We reviewed the job posting salary range process when we were implementing Workday and, based on HR best practices, we determined that we would not require a salary be listed on our postings. If a hiring manager requests that a salary be included in the posting, then we will include that information in the posting.  Current employees that are interested in a posted vacancy are able to view the hiring manager information on the internal applicant portal and reach out to the manager for additional information regarding the posting.

10/1/2020

Question: Is it possible to have HR attend a SAC meeting to share how the telecommuting policy can be used by staff?

Response: HR is coming to talk to SAC during new business on December 11, 2020 from 12:30-2 PM, click here for the link. 

6/24/2019

Question: I would like to know if the new Student and Community Counseling Center will have its own parking lot for staff and faculty. I have heard "yes" and I have heard "no". If no, this will greatly impact the already tight parking in Lot 1. 

Chief Steven Moore Response: It will be a faculty/staff lot with reserved spaces for faculty/staff and Counseling patients. I expect there will be some non-reserved spaces available to faculty/staff. These spaces would follow typical faculty lots of no students until after 6pm.

6/24/2019

Question: On October 1, 2013 the state of Florida provided salary increases to all state employees on a "dollar" amount basis, not a percentage basis. Why is FGCU continuing to provide salary increases on a percentage basis to employees above $40,000 and dollar amounts to employees below $40,000? 

Vice President for Administration & Finance Steve Magiera Response: We are not State employees so any state raises do not apply to us. Also, note that there are no raises approved for state employees this year. We also do not receive any state funding earmarked for raises. The 2% and especially the $1,500 are what the President has decided and the $1,500 is a mark the President set last year and is more generous than previous years. Perhaps the following will be helpful.
If you make $40,000, you will receive $1,500, which is equivalent to a 4% raise.
If you make $60,000, you will receive $1,500, which is equivalent to a 3% raise.
If you make $75,000, you will receive $1,500, which is equivalent to a 2% raise.
If you make $100,000, you will receive $2,000, which is equivalent to a 2% raise.
Therefore, you can see that folks making less than $75,000 receive a higher percentage raise.

9/12/2019

Question:

From April 2019 Comments:
Response provided by the VP for Administration and Finance: The University is planning to do a compensation study for all AP and SP positions. A job classification study must be completed before a compensation study can begin. The Department of Human Resources is currently working on the classification study which is expected to be completed by the end of this calendar year.  Has SAC been following up on this issue - where is this at now - It has been a year since the job classifications were changed.

Vice President for Administration & Finance Steve Magiera Response: We have recently completed the job classification study and have undertaken the implementation of our new ERP system (Workday).  The salary study will be scheduled after the completion of the implementation of the ERP system and the new Assistant VP for Human Resources is hired.  We are currently searching for the Assistant VP and are at the skype phase of that process. 

9/18/2019

Question: There are over 20 new FGCU professional staff members to across numerous departments (MLD, Orientation, University Recreation & Wellness, Advising, etc.). yet, we don't have a way of to connect with each other. I would like to propose maybe an improved version of the New Professionals Institute that FGCU had years back. It would provide us with a way to network, learn about the institution, and foster friendships.

Vice President for Administration & Finance Steve Magiera Response: Since this was originally a program in Student Services, Dr. Cordova and his staff are looking into reinstating that program and something similar.  They are encouraged to contact Dr. Cordova directly.

9/18/2019

Question: Many pages under SAC are outdated and thus, it makes it hard to find information or pinpoint who talk to regarding certain things like special events.

Response: The SAC website went live on 9/23/2019 and we apologize for the delay.

10/16/2019

Question: For those that have been on campus and plan to continue with FGCU is there the possibility of reviewing the earning of annual leave for staff that have been employed longer than 15 years.? Those that are here longer than 15 years should be able to earn the same annual as the A&P staff. 

Vice President for Administration & Finance Steve Magiera Response: The Cabinet has declined this request for the following reasons:
1) AP are not eligible for overtime like SP
2) SP already receives a personal day which AP does not receive
3) Our research from the other Universities shows none of them have increased the vacation accrual over the original state approved amount.

10/16/2019

Question: Twice since the start of this semester I have walked out of a building along the academic corridor and nearly collided with a student on a bicycle and another on a skateboard. I regularly politely remind students this is not allowed. This last time the student looked at me then turned around and kept going - which was basically telling me to F off. I understand that the UPD is 'too busy' to foot patrol the campus through the main academic corridor, however we have lovely signs that remind everyone we are a smoke free campus - why could we not have signs at strategic locations along the covered walkways that remind students of the policy against use of bikes. skateboards etc under these areas? Someone is going to get hurt if this university policy is not better advertised and enforced. 

Chief Steven Moore Response: UPD  isn’t “too busy” to enforce it and does on a continuing basis. UPD posted the number of approved signs when authorized and notifies the students on a regular basis thru e-mail and social media of the regulation. We appreciate faculty/staff and students reminding people of the regulation when they see violations, but also realize that isn’t often positively received.

10/17/2019

Question: There is a new video (posted just a few days ago) going around of a green maggot or bug found in the lettuce at Sovi Dining and I have also found hair in my salad when I visited recently. What's being done about the conditions in Sovi Dining? It appears that certain food items or food procedures are not being maintained. 

Response from the Chartwells team: We are aware of an incident the occurred at SoVi Dining on October 15, 2019.  When the incident was discovered, the manager at SoVi pulled all the possibly contaminated items.  In an operation that goes through over 50 lbs of washed lettuce each day, we take this very seriously.  Starting that night, we have added in additional safety precautions to ensure the incident doesn’t reoccur (in addition to the strict food handling procedures and quality assurance standards already in place). 

11/18/2019

Question: Inquiring if SAC has any involvement in the proposed gym membership that will possibly be charged to employees when the new facility is open? As an employee w/ no current membership is an incentive to take advantage of the fitness classes & equipment. Most staff salaries are below the pay scale & unable to afford yet another benefit to be deducted from their paycheck. Adding another fee similar to parking will cause staff to participate less & will find other cheaper memberships in other gyms. If at all possible, can SAC speak on the staff's behalf in "not" incurring yet another benefit to be paid into.

Response: University Recreation & Wellness introduced this new membership fee to SAC at our October meeting.  This topic will be brought up to President Martin at our December 13th meeting.

11/27/2019

Question: I have been an employee for over 10 years. I have used the Fitness center facility for about the same amount of time. It's always been a perk and benefit for employees. After hearing grumbling that once the new facility opens we will now be charged what use to be a free benefit, a membership fee. Is this something we can take before a review committee? How can they offer something for free and then take away the benefit? Has anyone else voiced their concern or are other employee's unaware? Thank you for your time and consideration.

Response: University Recreation & Wellness introduced this new membership fee to SAC at our October meeting.  This topic will be brought up to President Martin at our December 13th meeting.

12/10/2019

Question: The leaf blowers and other small engine garden equipment which are around campus every other week are quite noisy, loosing multiple productive hours.  All this equipment is available as battery powered.  Further it's better for the health of the landscaping worker and the environment. Please require with the next contract to switch to electric garden tools.  Let's set a positive example!  Thanks!

Response: At this time, the technology of battery operated equipment has not evolved enough for commercial use and it is not cost effective in a commercial environment.

12/11/2019

Question: When will the plan for office space be released to the Colleges?  There have been moves to the Counseling Center, the Controller’s Office has been moved to a new Mod, and other renovations are in progress.  Facilities Planning and the Space Committee are not releasing any information nor are they responding to the requests for office space needed for a new faculty member starting in January.  There seems to be a disconnect between the Academic needs and the reality that we need faculty to teach classes and graduate students.

Response: The Administration is aware of the shortage of space and working to identify solutions for the needs of incoming faculty and staff. All requests should be made through the respective Dean and Vice President’s office not Facilities Planning or the Campus Space Committee. At this time all known needs for employees who began in January have been resolved.

12/13/2019

Question: I went to Sovi Dining and again found hair in my food. What is being done about this? It's hard to promote Sovi Dining to our students when we don't trust it ourselves.

Response from Chartwells Team: We apologize for any inconvenience and upset this may have caused.  It is our policy for all associates to wear hats and hairnets and this policy is enforced daily.  At SoVi most of our stations are self-service.  Although we have sneeze guards, there may be a situation where hair from the guest falls into the food. We try to stay on top of this, but sometimes it can go without being detected.  We are truly sorry, and hope that we are more successful in limiting this from happening in the future. Thank you for letting us know about your situation, and please feel free to reach out to Dave Lopez, the manager of SoVi, if you have any concerns or issues in the future.  His number is 239-590-1573. 

2/8/2018

Comment: Why are students and friends/family of students allowed to drive and drop of people on the service roads that are clearly marked as "service and deliveries only" and "violators will be ticketed"? Why are these areas and regulations not enforced? Dangerous drivers and situations are witnessed on a daily basis.

Response: If you are witnessing any dangerous driving or situations, you should be notifying the UPD at the time of incident.  I will pass your question on to them to make them aware, but more detail would be needed, like where the dangerous driving is being witnessed.  Unfortuantely, there really is no good answer to your question other than people don't follow rules, and there are only so many UPD officers to enforce them. This goes back to the importance of notifying the UPD at the time you witness the infraction.

3/5/18

Question: I feel it is not appropriate to perform fiber optic enhancements and repairs while staff are working during spring break if it causes "trouble" alarms to keep going off. This hinders concentration and creates an unnerving environment in which to work. In addition, I believe that Banner maintenance should not be performed during spring break while staff are working, causing Banner to be inaccessible for an entire day. Since staff are expected to work during spring break, we should be permitted to have access to systems needed to perform our jobs, and in a good working environment. Having alarms continuously going on and off and not being able to access computer systems needed to do our jobs sends a message that good working conditions for staff are not a priority to the university

Response: We understand how you feel with regard to the 'trouble alarms' sounding. It has happened in other buildings before and Work Management was alerted to the alarm sounding and the disruptive nature of the continual sound and they were able to have it slienced.  Often times, if they are not made aware that there is an issue, they do not know it is occuring.  We recommend you reach out to WM and report the alarm sounding.   With regard to  the Banner upgrade, there really is no good time to get it done because of the time it takes. Upgrading when minimal people are on campus is clearly the best option.   Staff were provided ample time to prepare for the outage.  Your supervisor should be made aware if this interruption has left you with no other work able to be done because of it. Maybe you can assist with other projects that do not require the use of banner- or maybe take a (much needed) day off?  The bottom line is, sometimes there are interruptions in our daily routines, and we need to find creative and productive ways to work around them!

3/5/18

Question: In Parking Lot 2 there are two orange cones with a No Parking sign attached. The one cone is in a parking space every morning (not a reserved space). Is this for someone holding a space for their car and not paying for a reserved parking space?

Response: I reached out to Parking services and was informed that the Lutgert College of Business has purchased 4 spots in Lot 2 for use by LCOB visitors on campus. The cones belong to them as well.  They assured me that if someone were to try and use a cone to reserve a space in that manner, they would have stepped in and dealt with it.

4/13/2018

Question: Please can you update the minutes archive? No one has uploaded anything from this year. 

Response: Minutes for the current year can be found on the SAC page here https://www2.fgcu.edu/SAC/SACMeetings.html . If you look to the right hand columns you will see the agenda and then the minutes are both clickable links. At the end of the year, the minutes from the current year are archived.  I hope this is helpful.

4/24/2018

Question: Your Outstanding staff awards recipients are very out of date. You really should keep this up, it is prestigious. Please show you care.

Response: The OSA for 2017 actually was up to date at the time of your comment.  The most current awardees are listed  separately from the archived table below. Once the new awardees are announced (just 4 days prior to your comment) we typically update the list. This year, were were just a bit behind. We do our best to keep everything and everyone up  to date.  We do care!

4/30/2018

Question: The minority representation on SAC is awful. There is only one Black male as a new potential rep. How can we talk about diversity in our mission and be so poor in representation. SAC should be more intentional about recruiting more people of color, especially now, onto their committee. You cannot take my concerns into consideration if no one on the committee looks like me or comes from my background and demographic.

Response: Thank you for your observation and we agree… diversity is very important to SAC and the University. However, SAC does not recruit, choose, or solicit its members. Potential SAC candidates are either self nominated or nominated to run by other staff members.  They are then contacted to see if they will accept the nomination to run on the annual ballot. This year we had 125 nominated staff members - this was an amazing number and a record in recent SAC history!  Of that though, just 25 accepted the nomination to run. Currently, diversity of SAC is about 20.8% or 5 out of 24 members represent diverse populations on campus, and we expect that number to increase with new membership. But again, the SAC body does not control who runs or who chooses to get involved.

5/3/2018

Question: Why isn't there any way for staff, ie. executive secretaries to get promoted. Some of us have been here for many years and barely make more than we started out while others are getting hired for more money.

Response: We are happy to report that Human Resources is currently working on Classification and Compensation for staff beginning with the administrative staff lines.  They are looking at job families and what a step structure might look like for administrative staff to grow within their positions. This has been a long time coming, but it will not be completed overnight!  If you are interested in getting involved, the SAC Policy and Procedure committee will be looking for volunteer members soon. This is a great way to help effect change for staff on campus!

5/10/2018

Question: If a child can be on our employee insurance until they are 30, why are they only allowed to use our Tuition Waiver until they are 25?

Response: It is not FGCU that decides at what age a "child" can be insured through.  The Federal Government allows for insurance coverage of children up to the age of 26.  The State of Florida has gone one step further and allows us to offer dependent coverage until the age of 30, but for a very high premium. It is actually more feasable for a "child" to purchase insurance through the marketplace, or through their own employer, than to pay the extra premium to stay with the parent. The additional premium to remain on a parent's insurance after the age of 26 is a State of Florida policy, not an FGCU policy or benefit. The university does not set the premium rate.   On the other hand, the tuition waiver offered at FGCU is a university benefit.  Many other universities in the state system do not offer tuition waivers for family members - just employees. Some offer no tuition waiver benefit at all.  We are lucky that FGCU recognizes the importance of education and the helps to defray the cost to employees and their families.

5/14/2018

Question: Can our tuition waiver benefits each semester be donated to someone else in our office if we are not using them?

Response: No. Tuition waiver's may by shared with spouses or dependent children only.  Please refer to the Cashier's office website and read page two of the FGCU Employee & Dependent Tuition Waiver form entitled "GUIDELINES AND PROCEDURES FOR THE USE OF FGCU EMPLOYEE TUITION VOUCHER PROGRAM"

5/31/2018

Question: In early February of last year SAC responded to the distinctions made by advanced presidential candidates Dr. Heimmermann, PHD (mutual respect) and Dr. Harman, DBA (shared governance) to include the statement, "The SAC Personnel Policies Committee is currently working with University Officials to implement trainings focused on the topics of workplace bullying and mutual respect". I am aware of the mandatory training last year in June that included workplace bullying. When will the University offer training on the topic of "mutual respect"? 

Director of Equity, Ethics & Compliance Response:

In addition the mandatory Workplace Bullying and Harassment training. There were also two online training modules made available to all employees on the OIEC website under Diversity. The modules are part of a two part series. The titles are as follows:

 1. Respect and Inclusion Series: The Power of Respectful Language

 2. Respect and Inclusion Series: Uncovering Implicit Bias

If you would like to a request a link to the trainings, please feel free to contact the OIEC with any additional questions.

6/18/2018

Question: To Whom It May Concern: 
I think it is important to, first off, state that staff at FGCU are extremely appreciative of the Staff Advisory Council and all that it does to represent us at the highest university level. Without you, our voices would not be heard. And in light of recent news, the timing is critical to discuss the needs of our staff. Specifically, the Lab Managers in the College of Arts and Sciences have significant concerns that they would like to be heard in regards to salary and professional development. The main reasons lie in the necessity to make a living wage, above the poverty line, in lee county. The recent announcement of our universities performance based award from the BOG makes this request more than reasonable, and certainly appropriate, considering the following summary of concerns: 
1. In the College of Arts and Sciences alone, the turnover rate for Lab Managers has been horrendous (approximately 20 hired in the past 7 years, with only about half currently employed). Much of this is due to the lack of a competitive salary. Most of the CAS Lab Managers hold second jobs and/or are dependent on parents, grandparents, spouses, etc. to live in lee county. This turnover, which will continue to be a trend without change, costs the university significantly. In our position, we play a pivotal role for the success of research and teaching professors, students, and other staff. It takes a great deal of time to appropriately train a lab manager, and the transient nature of the position quite obviously has a negative impact on university resources and student success. We need lab managers that can justify staying at FGCU for more than a couple years.

2. Lab Managers, across the whole university, are unjustly of differing distinction in regards to employment status. This is something that SAC needs to address. The goal is to minimize the inequity between CAS Lab Managers and other Lab Managers in the university colleges (staff versus professional positions). Lab Managers across all of the FGCU colleges should be of A/P status, with great support consistently being offered by the faculty of our departments. It can be appreciated that differing backgrounds/skills warrant different wages. However, the wage gap between lab managers across the university is staggering considering the level of education and training that we all must undergo to be considered qualified for the position.

3. Generally speaking, wages for department personnel such as Lab Managers AND secretaries hasn’t changed markedly in approximately a decade. The bar set by FGCU is low, and we are hopeful that our new administration will set it higher. As a whole organization, we do not strive to be the worst in any way. But relative to other institutions, we are competing to be the worst in regards to compensation for our essential personnel. A salary bump is long overdue for all staff, but especially those in CAS. 
In light of the recent, approximately 9 million dollar, award from the BOG, we ask that our voices be heard by President Martin in regards to the long overdue salary bumps for our staff. Specifically, to be more competitive, we ask for a minimum $3000-$5000 increase in base salary depending on position title and performance quality. For Lab Managers, we expect a discussion on the transformation of our position to a professional, A/P status (to be more in line with other university lab managers). We are hopeful that SAC, with so many new representatives, will be able to persuade the administration to institute long overdue and necessary changes. Many thanks goes out to all of the SAC for continuing to represent the backbone of FGCU. May we achieve great things together! 

Response: This item will be discussed at the July 20, 2018 SAC meeting.

6/18/2018

Question: I would like to know why it isn't automatically approved if a staff member wants an ergonomic desk(stand up desk)? Sitting all day is not good and I think if we request something that helps with everyday posture that we should get it. 

Adaptive Services Response: I'm not sure why standing desks are not considered a general alternative to the regular desk set up.  What I can say is that since they are not, if someone is requesting a standup desk, it would be considered an accommodation and the employee would need to go through the accommodation request process to have it considered.  With that being said, I do know that Environmental Health and Safety has done multiple ergonomic checks of departments and employee work stations and in some cases, the supervisor has chosen to purchase standing desks based on that assessment.  But, to my knowledge, there is no requirement that a supervisor needs to purchase standing desks, unless it is determined to be a reasonable accommodation based on a disability.

6/19/2018

Question: Good morning, I would like to inquire on how one becomes a member of SAC. I am an OPS staff and work in CAPS. 

Response: We appreciate your interest in SAC.  At this time only full time staff are able to become members of the Staff Advisory Council but we encourage you to become involved in our committees.

7/18/2018

Question: I wish that the university was closed on Dec. 24th. Makes it hard for those who have small offices because someone has to work. If going out of town for Christmas 
this day is needed for travel.

President Martin's Response: As you may know the Governor is responsible for declaring closures of public agencies and institutions.  We will await any word regarding December 24 once a new governor is elected.

7/26/2018

Question: About 90% of university employees wear jeans whether it be on Fridays or other days, but some of us don't get to because someone in the office doesn't think its a good idea. It's not fair that most get to dress more casually and others don't. Is there a way to make a policy or something that is across the board that everyone has the right to wear jeans regardless if a supervisor thinks otherwise? 

Associate General Counsel Lisa R. Jones Response: The anonymous comment submitted to SAC dated 07/26/18 regarding a dress code policy was referred to me.  Pam Bowman is correct that we do not have a university-wide dress code policy at FGCU.  Pam is also correct that due to the nature of the various types of work and work environments in a university setting, a blanket dress code policy is not advised for multiple reasons. 

However, the anonymous comment seems to focus on the wearing of jeans, specifically.  While it may be possible to have a policy permitting the wearing of jeans on certain days, these types of decisions are generally left to the discretion of the supervisor of the department based upon the needs of the department.  For instance, a department that meets and greets the public regularly, may require professional attire.  Whereas, in another department, close-toed shoes might be a legitimate requirement for safety reasons. 

From the anonymous comment, it appears the concern is a departmental rule excluding the wearing of jeans where it would appear to the staff that there is no job related reason for excluding the wearing of jeans.  If such is the case, a discussion with the department head may be helpful.

8/2/2018

Question: Would you be so kind to share what SAC has done/is doing to specifically 'recognize' United States veterans at FGCU? I would like to see a more unified effort by FGCU entities to sponsor single events on campus for U.S. veterans throughout each year. 

Response: This request was forwarded to the Special Events Committee for review to see if we can make a more unified effort to recognize our veterans.

8/8/2018

Question: The FGCU Library will be open to the public 24 hours a day starting August 20, 2018. Why is the University not publicly advertising the new opening hours and where do public citizens get parking passes after 5p.m.? 

Response: In response to a request from Student Government, the University has provided funds to trial a pilot project for the library to extend their hours this semester for currently enrolled students, faculty or staff.  During the fall semester, the library will open on Monday morning at 7 a.m. and stay open until Friday at 8 p.m.  On Saturday and Sunday library the hours remain unchanged. View Library hours

During 24/4 hours of operation, all patrons who enter, or those remaining in the library from 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., Monday through Thursday, must be currently enrolled students, faculty or staff and they must have a valid FGCU ID in their possession. Patrons not having a valid FGCU ID in their possession will not be able to enter or remain in the library during these hours.

Parking passes are not needed after 5 p.m.  Garage #1 is open all night during 24/4 hours to provide a close and safe parking location.  Any surface lots (non-restricted/reserved spaces) are also open overnight.

8/20/2018

Question: When was the last time we had a staff climate survey? I am not talking about a "job satisfaction survey", I mean "campus climate". How has the new administration and all the sweeping changes effected FGCU's climate and culture? Does staff feel more or less secure in their jobs? Do they feel hopeful or discouraged? Is the environment one where everyone feels safe, welcome, valued, and respected? 

Response: We had a campus climate survey in the early years of Dr. Bradshaw’s presidency.  There are no current plans to do another survey.

I don’t know how we would be able to answer the question posed, as individuals all have unique experiences depending on the job they do, the team they work with, their relationship with their supervisor, etc. Today we have more mechanisms for staff and faculty to report inappropriate actions by supervisors and others compared to 10 years ago.  I would hope that those staff members who are unhappy or believe they are not safe, would speak to the Ombuds or the Office of Equity and Compliance and report their working conditions so that it can be addressed.

I don’t believe we would do a campus climate survey at this time, as the changes have just occurred and it would make sense to let the new structure work out any “kinks” that are inevitable when these sorts of changes take place.

8/27/2018

Question: I would like SAC to petition the University to increase the number of hours SP employees accrue towards annual leave. The current benefit structure is listed below.
A&P Benefit- Annual Leave
Coverage- Bi-weekly accrual of 6.77 hours (annual accrual of 22 days). Maximum accrual of 352 hours (44 days). Leave is available to use as soon as it is accrued.
Effective Date- Accrual begins immediately upon hire
Who Pays/Premiums- FGCU pays for time off

SP Benefit- Annual Leave (available for 10 month or longer contracts)
Coverage- Bi-weekly accrual of 4 hours (annual accrual of 13 days). Maximum accrual of 240 hours (30 days). Leave is available to use as soon as it is accrued.
Effective Date- Accrual begins immediately upon hire
Who Pays/Premiums- FGCU pays for time off

It seems highly unfair that A&P employees accrue nine more days of annual leave than SP employees. A&P pay rates are traditionally higher to compensate them so why should they receive more paid time off than SP employees? We need a fair benefit structure and this is not it. 

SAC Liaison Dr. Mike Rollo Response: Bottom line is that most schools do it like we do, which is left over from the old BOR days when the legislature controlled all positions. I think it is safe to say that the University is not likely to change the current accrual method at this time due to the consistency with the majority of the SUS institutions. 

9/4/2018

Question: Where does the money collected from parking go - what is it used for?

Parking Services Response: We follow Florida Statute in regards to fees collected. 

Florida Statutes 1006.66 Regulations of traffic at universities.-

7) Moneys collected from parking assessments and infraction fines shall be deposited in appropriate funds and shall be used to defray the administrative and operating costs of the traffic and parking program at the institution, to provide for additional parking facilities on campus, or for student loan purposes.

9/7/2018

Question: I went to Sovi today for lunch with two members of my staff. It was the worse lunch I have had at Sovi in four years and the two people who went with me agreed. The salad bar has been cut in half. The turkey and sweet potato pieces were dried out as were the Brussel sprouts. Fish tacos were offered without salsa or any of the typical trimmings to go with them. Going to Sovi used to be a treat but it certainly was not today! I feel sorry for the students in the dorms surrounding Sovi because they are not being offered quality food! I think we have a representative on the food committee and would like to have our input forwarded. Thank you. 

Response: The next Food Advisory Committee is coming up and this will be forwarded to the group as requested. 

We appreciate any and all feedback as it will only give Campus Dining the opportunity to improve upon their services.  It is encouraged to provide feedback directly to the staff of SOVI when you see something that is missing the mark, the staff should be willing and able to correct it immediately on-site to better all of the patron's experiences.  It is much more challenging to take feedback received after the fact and correct issues that may no longer exist.  If patrons are uncomfortable providing face-to-face feedback, there is a text-to-solve number that can be texted at any time when issues are seen at SOVI: 954-866-8963.

9/10/2018

Question: The Staff Advisory Council, after extensive research specifically on "mutual respect", requested and received a response in October 2013, from the SAC liaison on behalf of the FGCU Executive Cabinet that Human Resources would be directed to provide mutual respect training for all employees. Why has this "specific" training not been provided? 

Associate VP Human Resources Pam Bowman Response: Unfortunately, I am unaware of the specific training of which the commenter is referring.  The University offered “Blurred Lines”, a training that discussed issues concerning workplace conduct.  In addition, the Office of Institutional Ethics and Compliance offers several workshops that encompass issues concerning diversity, and respect of persons we come in contact.

9/19/2018

Question: Recently heard something about classification and compensation for staff being worked on in HR. Is it possible to provide staff with more information and where this stands? There are a lot of staff that may not be aware of this and the SAC minutes do not explain. 

Associate VP Human Resources Pam Bowman Response: On March 16, 2018, Human Resources met with SAC to discuss our approach to creating a structured classification system.  Since the Administrative Support Professional classifications affect employees across divisions (approx. 160 employees), our office began with this group.  Department meetings with affected employees began this fall.   Attached is a PowerPoint that employees might find helpful in explaining the process.  In addition, attached are the Administrative Support Professional classifications.  At this time, the classification structure process does not include compensation. (Find documents at S:\HR Reclass Docs)

9/24/2018

Question: Has SAC considered the possibility of a Union for staff? Given the current environment and the protections and benefits that a Union has provided for faculty and UPD, it may be a good idea to at least get information on how a Union would work for staff and the pros and cons associated with it. 

Response: This item will be discussed with current SAC members.

10/23/2018

Question: This is a minor request, but I'd love to see December 24th added to the list of observed holidays. It would be nice not to have to use a vacation day and it would be nice to have it off for traveling to see family. 

Response: President Martin has responded to this as an anonymous comment in July stating "As you may know the Governor is responsible for declaring closures of public agencies and institutions.  We will await any word regarding December 24 once a new governor is elected.".

10/25/2018

Question: On September 21st, we received an email from Dr. Martin in regards to a pay raise adjustment. In that email, it states that we would be receiving an additional $300 for our annual increase, and that increase would be retroactive back to July 1. At this time, there has not been a change in pay rate, and per the calculations, this should equate to an additional $0.19 per hour. Has there been any word on when this additional increase will occur? While $0.19 per hour does not seem like much, as of last pay period, that would equate to $120 that would be quite useful to some. Thanks in advance for your assistance. 

Associate VP Human Resources Pam Bowman Response: Our office is working to complete the adjustments for the November 9 paycheck. 

10/25/2018

Question: Now that the reclassification process is underway and staff are being reclassified can we get a breakdown of the differences in the classifications for Administrative Specialist I and Administrative Specialist II and Administrative Specialist III (if applicable)as well as Administrative Assistant I, II, and III and Executive Assistant I, II, & III? Does compensation play a role in the classification? When is the reclassification for all staff expected to be completed and when will the compensation piece begin? 

Response: This question was sent to Associate VP Human Resources Pam Bowman for a response.  This section will be updated once a response is received.

11/1/2018

Question: Does FGCU proportionately provide academic credit to U.S. veterans for formal courses and examinations taken in the military? 

Senior Director Undergraduate Admissions Marc Laviolette Response: View our catalog or have the person contact me.

Comment: Do all comments placed in the anonymous comment box get addressed?????

Response: Per SAC Secretary……all comments provided to SAC are sent to the appropriate areas for clarification and responses, and both the comment and response are posted in the Minutes, as well as on the SAC website, under the Previous Comments section.

Comment: I would like to make a suggestion for this year's Celebration of Excellence awards for the SP and AP.... rather than call up all of the nominees, can you just announce the names of the nominees and only call up the winner?  It is so awkward and uncomfortable to watch them all lined up like some weird pageant contestants waiting to see who wins... I can only imagine how it is to be actually standing up there just waiting!! the faculty and student nominees don't all go up there to get a certificate... they just bring up the award winners. It would probably speed up the process as well as there wont be so many photos to take after.

Response: This comment was sent to SAC’s Employee Recognition Committee for advisement.

Comment: I wanted to take an opportunity to express how I feel about the FGCU presidential process and the lack of involvement from SAC. I found very concerning that SAC (president) had little to no participation in the process.  Yes, I am very aware that our SAC president was on the committee charged with the process, but the involvement during the final interviews was nonexistent.  How can us as staff, put faith into this elected group, when the elected official is so disengaged that it was embarrassing to have the SAC president at the table. Being a sitting member of the table has been something staff have wanted to see for a long time, now that we have, it was an absolute mistake!

Response: Per Nicole Catalfamo, SAC President….. Thank you for your comment and feedback regarding my role in the FGCU presidential search process. I am positive that FGCU Trustees were well informed and aware of staff opinion of candidates from feedback received from committee interviews (which I provided during committee deliberations) and campus forums. It is important to note that SAC has a seat at the table during Board of Trustee (BOT) meetings but it is a non-voting seat. The SAC president is not a trustee, and therefore did not have a vote during candidate deliberations during the final interview. The SAC seat at BOT meetings operates and reports to the BOT in the same manner as the Financing Corporation and Foundation Board. It has, and will always be, a priority of SAC to continue efforts in shared governance at FGCU with regards to Florida statues and legal limitations (Florida Statue, Article IX, section 7).

Comment:  The Faculty Parking lot outside Garage 4 between Lutgert Hall and Marieb Hall has become dangerous with cars/trucks racing in and out dropping people off and also with students not utilizing the sidewalks and walking out between the cars.

Response: This comment was forwarded to Chief Moore at UPD for review.

Comment: This statement hits home a good point: 'merit raises and promoting from within is unheard of. Some of us have been working at the college/tv station for 20yrs.  I believe that SAC should work with HR about possibly having a policy when a higher staff position is posted that it should only be an internal search.Staff have little to no opportunity for advancement, and when outside applicants are hired over the qualified internal applicants, this lowers morale. By providing opportunities for staff advancement, employees remain with the University. Staff retention should be something that the University strives for - they are the backbone of the Colleges, Departments, and programs.

Response: Comment was sent to HR for review and consideration.

Comment: It would be a great perk to give FGCU employees a discount at food service locations (Einstein’s, Jamba Juice, etc) like they do at the bookstore.

Response: Per Emily Chaikin, Business Operations…..Good news! Campus Dining offers a discount to all Faculty and Staff on the door rate at SoVi Dining! Faculty and Staff can eat at SoVi Dining at any time of the day or night for only $5.50, which is a 35% discount on the lunch door rate (42% discount on dinner!) and this deal includes an all you can eat buffet. (Don’t forget your Faculty/Staff ID at time of entrance) Campus Dining also offers specialty Faculty and Staff Meal Memberships each year that guarantee a significant savings, as well as free meal coupons, to all the dining locations on campus.  Stop by the Meal Membership office today to find out what specials are available to Faculty and Staff. 

Comment: The look of the minutes needs to be improved.  The minutes are kept on file for posterity and need to look professional.  There are typos, inconsistent paragraph spacing, and tabs need to be set properly which in turn the make the minutes appear shorter than they currently are.  Take a look at how other universities handle minutes and you will understand. These minutes can be one of the many faces of FGCU and if they do not look professional what does that say about FGCU?

Response: From the SAC Officers……Thank you for your feedback.  We will take it under advisement.

Comment: The annual assembly was well done.  

Comment:  I just wanted to thank your team for hosting the SAC meeting yesterday.  I enjoyed hearing from the candidates and had such a fun time during the giveaways!  Thank you all for your hard work!

Comment: It appears that the proportional representation language of Article 1, Section 2 of the SAC bylaws is in direct conflict with REGULATION: FGCU-PR1.001 Statement of Agency Organization and Operation, Section E - Collegial Governance, Paragraph 2. I would submit that the FGCU Regulation outweighs SAC Bylaws.

Response: Nicole Catalfamo, SAC President, is looking into this situation.  The current Charter and By-Laws have been reviewed by legal and Administration, so we are seeking clarification on the issue.

Comment: I noticed that they have added additional reserved parking spaces on the South side of Lutgert.  One of the things that has been under discussion regarding our parking problems is that there are too many reserved spaces (they sit empty much of the time) so why would they go ahead and do this now?  Of course the answer is for the university to make more money but it is not right at the expense of the employees who cannot afford reserved parking.  Please make this agenda item as it is important to most of the staff. Thank you.

Response: Per Nancy Rispoli, Parking Services Manager……..During the summer there are two construction projects (Lutgert & Holmes) that require a construction zone. The Lutgert Hall renovation project required a portion of Lot 2 to stage the construction dumpster and other equipment. Parking Services temporarily relocated six reserved spaces that were impacted by the project construction zone to Lot 1. The Holmes Hall construction project is scheduled to start in June.  The construction company will be installing a construction fence that will impact 23 reserved spaces.  These reserved spaces will be temporarily relocated to the south side of Lutgert Hall. Physical plant has installed temporary wood posts at the west end of Lot 1 to accommodate some of the reserved space relocations.

Though these moves are only temporary relocations, if demand for reserved parking spaces increase in the Fall, it is possible more permanent reserved spaces will be created. Reserved spaces are not created for the University to make money, but for Debt Service Organization to increase operating revenue.  Fees for parking have not been raised in the last five years. 

Comment:  In response to this anonymous comment... “What, if anything is being done to combat the 3% mandatory contribution to FRS that Gov. Scott imposed on public workers?   Since then a 2% annual increase actually equates to a 1% decrease in annual salary each year. If you look at the fact that we contribute 3% and state no longer contributes 3% it is actually a 6% differential.  Unless you are in a category that receives an extra bonus each year or receives more than the 2% increase, wages for the average employee here are continually decreasing year after year." 

The problem is we are not getting raises.  Cost of living continues to rise and the state and university aren't keeping salaries commensurate with the cost of living in the area.  The university needs to do another market survey.  I work in the lowest paid department at WGCU and my supervisor is oblivious to what this does to morale, stress levels, and in turn work quality.  I cannot even afford to live on my own in this area and will be forced leave the position I've been here for 20yrs and may move soon if the university doesn't do something about pay.  Let's not even talk about asking already underpaid employees to give to the staff giving campaign, donate to the station, pay to park, or give to the campus food bank

6/22/17 

Comment:  Once again, I ask you to have someone consider the problem of people with reserved parking passes using general parking in addition the their reserved. Buying a reserved parking pass does not include general parking, which is limited and difficult to find remotely close to our building.  Buying a general pass does not give us a right to park in someone's reserved spot, and buying a reserved does not give one the right to TWO spots; the reserved spot or a general when it is more convenient. Please send out an all staff letting the reserved parking owners know that it is not a pass to park everywhere. It is unfair. Perhaps Chief Moore would care more if he had to deal with parking like the rest of us.

Response:  Parking Services provided the following answer: "There is nothing in the current parking regulations that states a person with a reserved parking pass is not allowed to park in other locations on campus should they choose or need to.  Purchasing a faculty/staff parking pass provides the same rights to open faculty/staff parking regardless of the cost of the pass.  Those who pay additional cost for the reserved pass  are  assigned a pass number that coincides with a marked space, which is available to them 24/7.   If you would like the Parking Citation Appeals Committee to consider  revising the policy to reflect this type of parking restriction for reserved pass holder, we encourage you contact the Parking Services office."  While we as SAC members appreciate your concern, it is not appropriate for SAC to address all staff and issue a statement to reserved pass holders on where they can or cannot park on campus. We encourage you to work with the Parking Citation Committee for a resolution to your concern.

6/26/17

Comment: Feel like a second class citizen at FGCU since they are selling all of the spaces to those who have the money to buy a "reserved" space.

6/29/17

Comment: Would it be appropriate for SAC to raise the topic of doing another Campus Climate & Culture Study. The last time FGCU did one was 2010.

Response: This question has been forwarded to the SAC Officers for further discussion on who best to respond. Updated response will be posted.

7/7/2017 

Comment:  I would like to revisit the issue of faculty and staff having to pay for parking. Students do not pay for parking and I do not think faculty or staff should have to either. It is a direct cut from our pay, even if it is pre-tax. Consider that most employers on Sanibel Island for example, pay for their employee tolls so that the employees are not "paying" to come to work. I feel charging us for parking is a similar situation where it is costing us money to come to work everyday. This seems unfair and I think we need to take a look at how to raise revenue from other sources to replace what we pay for parking.

Response: From the Parking Services Office:  Students do pay for parking through their  tuition to the university. View the breakdown under Tuition and Fee Details . The transportation fee per credit hour is $5.95 and the Parking fee is $2.75 per credit hour. Based on a 12 cr/hr load per semester, and not including the mandatory summer semesters, this equates to a per student charge of $208.80 per academic year. This is almost twice as much as a faculty/staff parking pass for the year and this is regardless of whether the student will have a car on campus.    Other research shows that comparable universities charge staff/faculty between $200 and $400/year for standard parking, so we are really on the low end of the range.  You are encouraged to attend a Parking/Citations Committee meeting with your suggestions on cost savings for parking fees. Staff input at committee meetings is always welcome.  For information on joining a SAC committee please contact Diane Bova - dbova@fgcu.edu.

7/10/17

Comment: Could SAC float the idea of changing the SP and A&P appraisal timelines to not coincide with the fiscal year? Perhaps October - September would be better. 

Response: This question has been forwarded to HR for response.  Response will be updated as soon as we hear back!

7/13/17

Comment: Why was the FGCU community not better informed regarding the university forums for prospective Director of Human Resources candidates.  A total of two emails were sent indicating the time and place of the forums for the 4 candidates.  There was no further information provided which would have enabled staff members to be prepared to ask educated questions. The situation was handled in a disappointing manner. Staff at FGCU deserve better. So much for shared governance!

Response:  From the Office of the General Council: The decision was made not to provide candidate materials before or during the open forums so as not to jeopardize candidates' current employment situations. Some of the candidates voiced concerns with their names being made public prior to the interview and this office chose to respect that request.  Staff and Faculty were noticed on 6/14 and 6/21 of the dates/times/locations of the open forums for the candidates, all of which were poorly attended. Should you be interested in receiving materials for the candidate selected for the position, please contact the Office of the General Council directly.

8/22/17

Comment: A free annual parking permit for staff who make under $100,000 

Response: Since there have been multiple comments on the cost of parking for staff we have asked the Chair of the Parking Citation committee to put this up for discussion on their agenda at their next meeting. Please feel free to attend this open meeting to hear discussion and possibly provide input if allowed. We  will post a follow up after their meeting.  Please contact  Parking Services at parkingservices@fgcu.edu for committee meeting times and location.

8/29/17

Comment: The mission of the Staff Advisory Council (SAC) is to facilitate effective communication between the Staff, the President and the Administration. As a proactive partner in the University's Shared Governance processes, SAC will provide a forum that will directly address the issues and concerns of the Staff at Florida Gulf Coast University, and strive to ensure a campus climate that reflects a strong, enthusiastic and positive quality work life.

SAC needs reminded of the MISSION, SAC will address issues and concerns of staff. When I review the minutes and see that there is no true follow-up on questions (Referred to another department) then there is no more related to the question. Then when reading the comments and the person asking the comment is "encouraged to bring up the concern to the other department" this is where staff feels that SAC is only in the position to look good on performance reviews. Is SAC no longer the voice for staff?

Response: Thank you for your comment. We appreciate the time that staff take to ask questions and voice concerns and we do our best to reach out to those who can best answer these questions. Sometimes there is an easy answer and sometimes the answer is not what we want to hear. Sometimes, the “question” is someone simply venting a complaint to which we can do nothing but allow them to vent. Sometimes the comment is for something that is not even in the scope of the SAC mission or responsibility. (for example, a comment came in once telling us that the stairwell in Garage 4 was dirty and needed cleaning.  That staff person could have easily sent a work order to work management asking that the stairwell be cleaned… that is not the responsibility of SAC or the reason that we are here.)

In the past, we agree, comments were pushed off to other departments for response and follow up was not completed. There was also a period of time were comments were not even addressed.  However, this year we are doing our best to provide actual firm answers to the questions that we can provide answers to. We think you will see that is the case over the course of the last 5 months. We do encourage all staff to reach out to various departments on campus when they have a question or concern about something after we have provided a response.  We cannot change the past, but we are doing what we can to be better now. We are well aware of the mission of SAC – we are simple staff members just like you. We want what is best for all of us!  Again, thank you for reaching out.

11/13/2017

Comment: Would you be so kind to discuss having a "Code of Ethics" rather than a code of conduct. A code of ethics governs decision-making, while a code of conduct governs actions. For 20 years FGCU has had codes of conduct to specify and limit the goodwill actions of employees. A code of ethics provides a broader and higher conscience of goodwill decision-making which develops the whole person, for faculty, staff and students.

Response: I will pass your question on to Dr. Stacey Chados, Chief Compliance & Ethics Officer and update her response here.

11/14/2017

Comment: A faculty member stated they are getting promotions and raises. Is the new president going to give the same raises to the staff as well?

Response: That is a great question, thank you. The fact is that no university staff or faculty are receivng raises at this time. The raises that some faculty are receiving are directly related to the faculty portfolio promotion process that is negotiated by the faculty collective bargaining unit.

11/17/2017

Comment: Has SAC addressed staff raises and promotions? The faculty are getting promoted and raises. This seems misleading given the current climate of Budget cuts, Layoffs and poor performance on the state metrics.

Response:  SAC has been in discussion with HR regarding Staff classification and compensation, so yes we are working on addressing this long standing issue.   At this time no staff or faculty are receiving raises due to our current budget situation.   Some faculty have received raises and promotion through the faculty portfolio promotion process that is negotiated by the faculty collective bargaining unit. 

12/14/2017

Comment: An announcement was sent out that faculty are getting a raise this year and I believe that it is retroactive, yet nothing has been said for the staff members. I thought the President Martin would give staff members a raise if the faculty gets raises.

Response: The announcement that went out was addressing those faculty who had submitted portfolios for promotion as negotiated by the collective bargaining unit.  These promotions and raises were held in flux as the union was negotiating with the administration.   Since they have reached an agreement, raises and promotions are retroactive to the start of the term. That is their negotiation.

Comment: There is not enough parking on campus. We need to make the first floor of Garage 2 for F/S only as so many groups have moved out here.

Response:  Per Chief Moore, UPD……There is plenty of parking. We can open up the top floors of garage #2 whenever they are needed. We currently have floors 4 & 5 closed off due to lack of use of Garage #2. The only time of the year we come close to capacity is the first couple weeks of the Fall semester, even then the top 2 floors of garage #2 were open but empty.

Comment: Has there been any headway on the research conducted by Mr. Green regarding the move for free parking for employees on campus?  I cannot seem to find anything that shows follow through.  Thanks!

Response: This issue was brought to SAC last year and on February 3, 2014, Chief Moore responded that there is an annual cost of $2,700,000 to operate parking services, and parking fees by students, staff and faculty are used for this cost.  State tax funds cannot be utilized.  Also, out of the SUS (State University System), FGCU is charging the least amount for fees, which is $118 versus the average of $163.  There is no other information at this time that will provide for free parking for students, staff and faculty.  

Comment: On the HR website there is a section for Employee Discounts. This is a very nice perk to all employees. I found recently that this section of the benefits is very low on the priority of HR. I had someone tell me that they contacted one of the companies on the discount list and found that they no longer were offering the listed discount. When HR was contacted they stated that they did not always receive notification of companies no longer offering discounts and didn't have the time to follow up on all of them. Contacted another one of the companies on the list to find out that FGCU was inactive and all that needed to be done was someone from HR to contact their corporate representative to complete a 2 1/2 minute survey to reactive the discount. Information from company was provided to HR representative - now the company has been removed from discount page and no reply to phone message or email that was sent to HR. So this perk for employees is not really a perk.

Response: Per Christine Lloyd, AVP and Director, Human Resources….Thank you for bringing this feedback to our attention. When vendors request participation in this program they are asked to complete an application for enrollment. In order to be accepted into the program, the vendor must agree to abide by FGCU’s participation guidelines. The guidelines state that the “Provider will immediately notify FGCU Human Resources regarding any discount items that have been discontinued or withdrawn.” It is equally frustrating to HR, as it is for the campus community, when a vendor lets our employees down, by not upholding their end of the agreement.

Message from SAC Officers:  Multiple anonymous comments were received through the SAC website that contained personal attacks. SAC generally does not respond to personal attacks, but there were some that included legitimate questions, which are addressed below:

1)  How are SAC subcommittees appointed? Every year SAC holds a retreat where all 24 SAC members choose which SAC and University subcommittees they would like to participate on. The chairs of each subcommittee are nominated and elected by the full SAC body as well. The results of this process are then utilized to determine the official appointment per section 5.1 of the SAC charter. As individual preferences and committee workloads shift, occasionally a SAC member will request being removed from a committee or shifting onto another committee. These changes are then made in accordance with section 5.1 of the SAC charter. The SAC President does not appoint members to subcommittees without approval from the individual SAC member.

2) Can SAC members win awards? SAC members are University employees in which becoming a SAC member does not exclude them from any benefits of employment. SAC members are eligible for Finest of the Flock, Professional Development, and Outstanding Staff Awards. However, any SAC member who is on a selection committee for an award is ineligible to receive that award due to real or perceived conflict of interest. Should a committee ever be deadlocked in determining an award recipient, the issue is sent for discussion to the SAC Officers. Should a SAC Officer be a nominee/applicant for an award they are excluded from the discussion so as to prevent any real or perceived interference in the process. Nominations/applications brought to the SAC Officers have the nominee/awardee name removed  to increase the anonymity and fairness of the process (the removal is conducted by the chair of the committee making the award determination prior to presenting to the officers).

The anonymous comment section of our website is a resource for FGCU staff members to submit ideas, express concerns, and share feedback to SAC. The anonymous comments section of our website is not a place for personal attacks on individual SAC members. To continue offering this resource for staff members, we ask for everyone to follow the guidelines of the anonymous comments section of our website.

Comment: The "Special Meeting" to be held on Monday, February 22nd was posted today Monday, February 15th.  This is less than 10 day notice.  This is in violation of Sunshine rules.  And does not give enough time for staff to Propose agenda items of public comment (SAC Charter).  Given that it looks like you are trying to re-write the purpose of SAC I truly believe you should give adequate notice.

Response:  Per SAC Officers……..Thank you for your comment. The agenda for the “Special Meeting” to be held on Monday, February 22nd was posted to the SAC website on Friday, February 12th which was within 10 calendar days of the February 22, 2016 meeting. The SAC website is our location of record for both meeting agendas and minutes; reminder emails are sent out as a courtesy. This may have caused the notated confusion as the reminder email was sent Monday, February 15, 2016. The 10 day notice, referenced in the comment is in section 2.1.3.1 and 2.1.3.2 of the SAC Charter, discusses the request to speak at SAC and requests for agenda items but have no relation to the posting date of the agenda itself. SAC makes every effort post the agenda as early as possible. Florida Statues 286.011(1) only states that bodies “…must provide reasonable notice of all such meetings.” The 2012 Government in the Sunshine Manual provides some guidance as to what reasonable is considered by the Attorney General’s Officer on page 38: “Except in the case of emergency or special meetings, notice should be provided at least 7 days prior to the meeting. Emergency sessions should be afforded the most appropriate and effective notice under the circumstances. Special meetings should have at least 24 hours reasonable notice to the public.”

We encourage all staff members to attend SAC meetings and make public comments – we are here to serve you and welcome non-SAC members to join discussions.

Comment: 

Dear members of SAC,

I write you today due to information received, as well as my own observations. Both of which I hope are misinformed, and/or inaccurate. 

Reviewing the charter, the purpose of SAC states:

"The purpose of the Staff Advisory Council is to review issues presented to the Council by Staff, Students, Faculty, and Administration, and to make recommendations as appropriate."

The charter also states:

"1.3. A University Vice-President appointed by the University President will serve as the SAC Liaison to the University Administration."

Liaison -

: a person who helps organizations or groups to work together and provide information to each other

: a relationship that allows different organizations or groups to work together and provide information to each other

The Charter also states:

4.3. DUTIES.

"4.3.1. The President shall lead SAC, conduct meetings, represent SAC to the University Administration, appoint representatives to other University Committees as requested and perform such duties as are usual for the office."

With this information, I ask you why the SAC president is making decisions on behalf of SAC that should go to a vote. And why are the recommendations of sub-committees are being either dismissed, or changed without vote from the council at large?  I am a staff member of this campus, and I do not want my best interest being represented by one person alone, and certainly note by one who I have not voted for.  The entire council was voted in by campus, and I expect each item that is brought to the council to be voted upon by the entire council.

Response: Per Nicholas Gall, SAC President: I will do my best to respond to this as it is very general in nature.

1)  I believe Dr. Rollo does an excellent job as our liaison and have no reason to believe he has done anything inappropriate.

2) While I am President I am often only a figurehead for the body or the officers. Many times issues are brought to the officers instead of SAC to handle, we do our best – but we can’t always make everyone happy. We always keep in mind what is best for SAC, staff, and the University. Sometimes it’s as simple as our budget won’t allow us to do something. We always discuss and bring items to the body when it is appropriate. If you ever feel that the officers have made a mistake please bring it to us and if you do not feel satisfied bring it to the full body; everyone is entitled to speaking their mind at the SAC meetings.

We all work hard, especially the officers. I frankly could not be more proud to work with three wonderful people like Nicole, Cori, & Teri. I am sorry we cannot always make a request come true – but we sincerely make the best effort in all circumstances.

Additional Responses:  I think your response was really good.  I, as a SAC member, have never observed the President (neither you or Nicole) acting on your own.  You always inform us as to what is happening or ask for input.  Without a specific instance, it is difficult to know to what they are referring. My personal measuring tool is that if one is bold enough to make a strong statement, but not bold enough to sign it, it’s usually unmerited. (Sharon McLaughlin, SAC Representative)

Being near the end of my tenure on SAC, I believe you have worked very hard to move SAC in the right direction.  I can honestly say the "feel" of SAC has changed 100%. You unfortunately are in a thankless position.  Keep working hard. (Betsy Dillingham, SAC Representative)

I have been thinking about this email since I received it last night, and I just wanted to reach out and tell you that I personally could not feel more opposite than the anonymously written comments. I am not sure where that person got their information from, but you and the rest of the officers do an absolutely wonderful job representing the elected SAC representatives, and the University Staff as a whole. We elected you to serve as our President, and therefore clearly highly value the work that you do and the job that you have done representing all of our opinions. You are constantly asking for our opinion, feedback, and even just thoughts on pretty much every matter that comes to you. Don’t let others get you down- keep up the great work! (Lauren Schuetz, SAC Representative)b

Comment: Are there any regulations concerning people with reserved parking spots using general parking? There are many people who have reserved parking spots who opt to park in the garages because it is more convenient. I understand that they pay a lot more for their reserved parking but that does not mean that they get multiple parking spots. We have a hard enough time trying to get a decent spot, do we really have to compete with the people who already have reserved spots? If they want to have multiple spots, they should have to pay for it.

Response: Per Chief Moore, UPD………..First time I recall that ever being asked. The answer is no, there is not anything within the regulation that prohibits that. I will bring the issue up at the next Parking Committee meeting to see if we want to place that on our list of items to change within the regulation the next time we take it to the BOT.

Comment: The Fitness for Duty policy sent for campus comment on 2/23/16 provides some cause for concern for staff.  I hope that SAC has an opportunity to present recommendations to this policy.  In Section IV., A it seems that in-unit faculty are not included in the definition of employee.  Despite their coverage by the Union, all University employees, including faculty, should be treated equitably.  If this is not an oversight, an explanation as to why in-unit faculty are held to a different standard and process is in order. The University provides a number of benefits for employees to maintain their physical and mental health and adheres to accommodation standards. While I am sure that this policy has the best of intentions, there are a few areas in which the employee could be placed in a compromising situation.

a) HR identifies who will conduct the fitness for duty evaluation.  This may not take into account information from other professionals working with the staff member which could inform accommodations or fitness for duty.

b) There does not appear to be any steps outlined for consultation with the employee by the supervisor, HR or Adaptive Services prior to referral or at any point in the process.  

Response:  Per the SAC Officers…….When SAC is given policies to review, SAC Representatives are asked to give comments/concerns to the SAC Officers so a SAC response can be generated.  SAC also continuously requests comments/concerns/questions by all staff in regards to University policies.  Staff can contact one of the SAC Representatives with their comments, or they can anonymously send in comments via the SAC Comments Box on the SAC website.  SAC did review the Fitness for Duty Policy and forwarded feedback to General Counsel for review.

Comment: When posting "previous comments" I think it would be helpful to the reader if SAC could post the date (or month & year) that the comment was posted. In addition, when a response is posted, this information would be important as well. While reading the previous comments, some appear to be outdated while some are dated and the way it is presented is not consistent! Thanks for your work to provide a voice to Staff!

Response:  Per SAC Officers…….based on previous comments, we made a Previous Comments section on the website so that others can see a history of the comments presented.  Because tracking of the comments did not start until recently, it was difficult to find the dates of when previous comments were sent in and responded to.  We have started posting the dates of when the comments and responses are posted in the SAC meeting agendas, which is what you are currently seeing.  We will continue to look at other formats and ways that we can present previous comments in a more consistent way.  In the meantime, just a reminder that all comments and responses are posted in the SAC meeting minutes, which are posted on the SAC website under Meetings and Announcements.

Comment: I've been exploring ways to advocate more bicycle use, and the League of American Bicyclists offers designation to be a "Bicycle Friendly University." Has the University reached out to this organization to try and be added?

Response: Per Katie Leone, Environmental Health and Safety……….Thank you for reaching out about this. Yes, this has been on our radar. It would increase safety and sustainability on campus and earn us positive recognition on our Sustainability, Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) report. I'd be happy to do what I can to support the university in pursuing this. 

Comment: Many workplaces offer stipends health equipment (running shoes, etc.) and the employee pays for it via deductions from paychecks, kind of like an interest free loan. Has that ever been considered to promote healthier activities? Some people can be intimidated by a gym atmosphere, and prefer to be outside. A healthy staff leads to better productivity and everyone has different methods of fitness that work for them!

Response: Per Debby LaRocco, Assistant Director of Benefits and Wellness in HR……Thank you for your comments regarding the employee wellness program.    There are several initiatives being proposed through the FGCU Comprehensive Wellness Collaborative.   The group is focusing on resources available on campus for students, staff and faculty.  They are in the process of prioritizing and will determine appropriate funding or grants.  Thank you for your input. We will forward your suggestion.

Comment: I have a safety comment. I would like to see if office doors could be locked while in the open position. If this was possible, then if something bad happened in the building, all we would have to do is close our office door to lock it and keep the bad people out. Currently our doors do not lock unless closed.

Response: Per Physical Plant……Office doors could be left in the locked position.   If we know the building and room number, we could better assess the situation. Granted there are all sorts of hardware throughout campus. Hopefully, it’s just a training issue, but if not, more information will help.

Comment:  We should have a name for interoffice mail, other than just “interoffice mail”.

Response: Comment was referred to J. Greco and the Marketing Department for review.

Comment: How can we get more garbage & recycle bins put into all parking lots and garages?

Response: Per Chief Moore, UPD……The trash cans are placed strategically where there is a high volume of foot traffic. In garages, they are placed near the elevator/stairs, as that is the highest traffic area. In most garages the second set of stairs doesn’t have trash cans because of low use. If we see high use, such as the east stairs in Garage #3, trash cans are placed there.  If you have specific locations that you think should be reviewed, please let us know and either Parking Services and/or Physical Plant can review any request.

Comment:  Addressing employees have as full-time students: Parking services will not allow us to get a parking pass, but it is paid in the tuition portion that comes "out-of-pocket." Regulations go by classification, as the department has explained. I find there are quite a few things I am paying in tuition, but cannot take advantage of. Will I be getting a refund of those portions? In a sense the university is double dipping for workers of this sort.

Response: Per Chief Moore, UPD…..This is a very specific question and not related to Parking Services.  I suggest the employee talk to their supervisor.

Comment:  Why does everyone on this campus feels the need to blame the police for not enforcing the skateboarding and smoking policies. The job of a police officer on campus is to protect the safety and well being of faculty, students, staff, and visitors. We do come on campus and occasionally enforce the skateboarding policy. However, it is the responsibility of all faculty and staff to gain compliance with university policies. Police officers protect and provide safety on the roads and during events on campus. We need to be readily available to respond to a number of different situations quickly. If we are sitting on campus always enforcing skateboarding, this will delay response to real emergencies. We are also NOT the smoking police. There are plenty of resources on how to refer faculty/staff and students for not complying with university policies. Figure it out, it is not rocket science. You work on a university campus.....

Comment: What, if anything is being done to combat the 3% mandatory contribution to FRS that Gov. Scott imposed on public workers?   Since then a 2% annual increase actually equates to a 1% decrease in annual salary each year. If you look at the fact that we contribute 3% and state no longer contributes 3% it is actually a 6% differential.  Unless you are in a category that receives an extra bonus each year or receives more than the 2% increase, wages for the average employee here are continually decreasing year after year.

Response:  Per Dr. Rollo, VP Student Affairs…….. When the Legislature passed the statute that changed the contribution to the FRS for state employees, the State Employees through their unions (arguing that it did not have the authority to change the contribution), sued the State to overturn this action.  After a trial and review, the State of Florida Courts ruled in favor of the State and ruled that the State does have this authority and was within its right to change the contributions at any time through Statute.   While the Governor may have been supportive of this actions, it was the Florida Legislature that actually changed this and has the ultimately authority to set the contribution amount.  Any change in this requirement at this point would require the Legislature to pass legislation to reverse this action which is difficult.

Each year, 3% of salary is added to the contribution of the employees FRS account. That will rise as the salary rises and the impact will be reflected in the take home amount of each paycheck. So it is accurate that you are contributing to the FRS each year, however your real salary is increasing by whatever raise amount you receive.  This changes over time, and during the past five years at FGCU the raise each year has been as high as 3.5% and as low as 0.0%. So in the case of an employee who receives $35,000 as an annual salary in 2011 will see his or her salary increase to $39,500 in 2016.  However, they will contribute $1050 to FRS in 2011 and it will increase to $1197 in 2016.  The net effect on your take home is that it decline each year by a small additional amount as compared to what it would have been if we were not required to contribute.  There is no effect on the retirement system outcome when an employee retires.

There is an impact on the take home pay of an individual each year they receive a raise, as 3% of the salary increase also goes to the FRS contribution. However, it is only added additionally to the original 3% that was identified in the employee’s salary when they started this requirement.  If you do not receive a raise in any given year, the contributions stays the same as the previous year.  Any year the employee receives more than a 3% raise, the take home pay will increase.

Comment:  I know that SAC has received a place at the table for BOT meetings, but without a voice (vote) it doesn't mean much.  It actually just looks like staff is being appeased.

Response: Per Florida Statue, Article IX, section 7, the local board of trustee (FGCU) consists of 13 members. Six members are appointed by the governor and five are appointed by the board of governors. The remaining two members are the chair of the faculty senate and the student body president. After many years of advocating for a seat at table of the board of trustees, SAC was granted a non-voting seat during the February 23, 2016 board of trustees meeting by a unanimous vote. The SAC President now reports to the board of trustees in the same manner as the Financing Corporation and Foundation Board. It is also important to note that while SAC is part of shared governance at FGCU, other Florida Universities do not operate with a staff council and therefore do not share the same consistencies as faculty senate and student government throughout the state of Florida. It has, and will always be, a priority of SAC to continue efforts in shared governance at FGCU with regards to Florida statues and legal limitations.

Comment: I was wondering if SAC had a response to the recent protest for the racial slur on campus and if they conveyed a message to upper administration or the students on behalf of the staff.  

Response: To date, no Staff member has approached SAC with any concerns regarding the protest, or related situations, and so SAC has not made any response. However, we encourage anyone who has concerns about this event to contact us via public comment at our meetings, or the SAC comment box.

Comment: Under Florida Statute 316.2065 bicyclists have "all of the rights and all of the duties applicable to the driver of any other vehicle".  Why are there not bicycle lanes coming onto campus and leaving campus at the main entrance?

Response: Per Tom Mayo, Director Facilities Planning…..Dedicated bicycle lanes were not provided with the original road construction of FGCU Blvd (Main entrance) and FGCU Lake Pkwy West (North entrance).  These roadways have not been modified as originally constructed.  We have since determined there is not enough developable property available along these two roadways to widen them for additional bicycle lanes.   FGCU Blvd is constrained on both sides by recorded wetland conservation easements.  FGCU Lake Pkwy West is constrained by the easement width we have from our neighbor, Miromar Development, through which the roadway runs.  However, I offer the following considerations that may also help to clarify the existing conditions and our future plans.

The Lee County MPO recently completed construction of a new 10’ wide concrete multimodal pathway along the north side of FGCU Blvd with federal Tiger Grant funding.  It is intended to provide a shared bicycle and pedestrian pathway.  It is located outside the roadway, separated from vehicular traffic and arguably safer for bicyclists entering and exiting our campus.  This new multimodal pathway will help bicyclists approaching from Alico Road with a dedicated north/central entrance route to our campus.

The FGCU Campus Master Plan proposes the addition of a new southern access road that will connect Ben Hill Griffin Pkwy with the South Village area of our campus.  This will include dedicated bicycle lanes within the proposed roadway.  The project is currently moving forward.  Construction funding is secured and permitting is in progress.  This proposed roadway will help bicyclists approaching from Estero Pkwy with a dedicated south entrance route to our campus. 

Comment: Through a friends FB page, I found this link. http://www.wnyc.org/story/what-should-you-do-if-you-witness-bias-attack/

Could SAC and UPD work together to provide some kind of bystander training? Personal safety is a consideration, but I would really like to know some best practices to use to de-escalate a harassing situation. Thank you.

Response: Per Chief Moore, University Police……CAPS has the Step UP program, which is bystander intervention. https://www.fgcu.edu/Wellness/Files/Free_Downloads-Step_UP.pdf

I suggest checking with CAPS to see if they can provide something during the spring break week, or some other time, for Staff. UPD would be happy to assist.

Comment:   A mediation room and Chapel would help for students and staff going through misfortune, grief, distress or who may want quiet time, comfort, and pray. 

Response: Dr. Rollo, SAC Administrative Liaison, will forward this comment to the President’s Cabinet for review.

Comment: Why is there no easily accessible employee handbook at FGCU?  Or is there one someplace? With all the FSLA changes, having something to refer to could be of some comfort.

Response: Per Dr. Rollo, VP Student Affairs……. There is no plan to publish an employee handbook as all of the information impacting employees at FGCU is currently in existing University Policies and Regulations that can be accessed on the web site of the General Counsel.  However, Human Resources is planning on providing an “Ask HR” option to their web site so that staff can send questions directly to them from the web site.  These questions can be anonymous if the staff member prefers.  I have copied the notice on their page below.  Not sure when this will be rolled out:

Coming Soon: Ask HR.  If you have a question, we want to know! HR is launching a dedicated webpage to answer your HR questions. Coming soon, faculty and staff can submit any questions to HR directly via the HR website. Employees can choose to remain anonymous or if they prefer, identify themselves for the fastest response. Answers to your questions will be shared with the campus community through a variety of channels. Want to know more? Ask HR!