SR 21-02 - Senate Resolution in Support of all University Staff

WHEREAS the primary mission of a University is to foster intellectual and professional growth in students, and while much of that responsibility falls on the shoulders of members of faculty, none of that work would be possible without the support of campus professional staff in all of the University divisions. Staff support the work of the faculty and the mission of the University in critical, visible, and invisible ways that are too many to list.

WHEREAS two surveys of the campus climate (the first in 2018 and the second in 2020) established that staff employees suffer from an exceedingly low morale as a result of low compensation and work-related stress. “Less than half of respondents are satisfied with their salaries. Working conditions, or the degree to which respondents felt that workload was manageable and job duties clearly defined, were on the lower end of agreement.” The survey also documents that 63% of staff respondents reported institutional and organizational sources of stress. Nearly 75% of staff reported increasing work responsibilities as such a source. The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified these effects for staff.

WHEREAS the scope of work for each University staff employee is clearly established by a position classification and a job description which designate the employee as one who may or may not be eligible for overtime pay if their work assignment exceed limits of their job description (these are ‘non-exempt’ and ‘exempt’ positions, respectively). In many areas of campus, current and past practices in staff management have led to staff workloads that exceed their established workload limits. Individual fulltime employees are currently doing work that would have been carried out by two or three separate fulltime employees in the past. According to statements by the AVP of Human Resources to the Strategic Resources and Planning Committee, no special or extra pay is offered to staff for such increases in workload (or they aren’t made aware of the opportunity to ask for stipends). Such excesses are a major contributor to low staff morale, for staff turnover, and for our inability to hire new talented individuals into open positions.

WHEREAS staff have attempted to address these excesses and sources of stress using mechanisms available to them, including consultation with the Ombuds and submitting applications for reclassification and in-range progressions (a.k.a., raises), but responses to those efforts have compounded work dissatisfaction. Applications are onerous and permission to apply can be denied by a manager; even when allowed, an application can take a year for Human Resources to review, even if the
review leads to a denial.

WHEREAS the University faces an administrative staff shortage campus-wide that is negatively impacting not only staff workload and morale, but also the effective and efficient running of the university. A recent assessment by the National Association of College and Business Officers (NACUBO) identified lack of staffing as a central priority that needs to be addressed at CI.

WHEREAS the unbearable staff workload difficulties and slow replacement hiring have been brought to the President’s attention on multiple occasions in Fall 2021 and Spring 2022 Strategic Resource Planning Committee (SRPC) meetings by both staff and faculty representatives, no subsequent action has been taken by the President.

WHEREAS the President and Provost have added two new MPP positions to campus, and the Provost has announced an effort to hire four (some new, some filling interim positions) MPP positions in the Division of Academic Affairs. While these positions may meet existing administrative needs at the University, they exacerbate deep and serious staffing problems at the University by increasing the workload for existing staff.

WHEREAS while faculty have always enjoyed a great degree of autonomy and flexibility over work hours, most staff work a weekly 8am to 5pm weekday schedule, and they have documented a loss agency over their work day and non-work evenings. For example, staff with telework agreements make their personal mobile numbers available to colleagues because the University does not provide for offsite telephone solutions. Such staff have found themselves receiving calls on their personal phone
numbers long into the night. In this way, our efforts to establish a ‘culture of compassion’ during the COVID pandemic has resulted in a culture of faculty entitlement that makes it impossible for staff to control work-life balance.

WHEREAS the above affects all staff regardless of employment status (state-side or auxiliary, exempt or nonexempt), though some in different ways and degrees from others.

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that we call upon the University Provost and President take thefollowing actions:

1. Human Resources shall maintain and publish1 organizational structure information (e.g., an ‘org chart’) for all units in all divisions that includes staff job classification codes (as applicable), links to job descriptions, and reporting structures. This publication should be updated at regular intervals that are mutually agreed upon by the CI Staff Council, the Executive Committee of Academic Senate, and the President’s Cabinet.
2. All faculty and administrators shall review the employment information published by HR (see (1) above) for those staff who work in their area so they are aware of the nature and limitations of their employment, as dictated in their position description.
3. Staff shall be understood to have specific working hours. Staff shall not be responsible for responding to requests or providing assistance outside of those hours, except in the case of a true emergency or previously agreed upon exception (e.g., evening event)
4. Human Resources shall accelerate the evaluation of all applications for reclassification and all applications for in-range progressions. Furthermore, Human Resources shall provide applicants with timely written justification for the approval or denial of any application or appeal of an application’s denial.
5. Human Resources shall use the Governor’s anticipated (end of April 2022) CSUEU Salary Study as a basis for adjusting salary ranges for campus staff classifications.
6. Campus policy shall be changed to allow the posting of vacant positions immediately upon the acceptance of an incumbent employee’s separation letter.
7. Cabinet shall champion the creation and implementation of robust cross-divisional process of onboarding new employees (staff and faculty) that will improve staff retention (ie: the Dolphin Navigator Program).
8. Each VP shall justify why requested staff positions in their division were not advanced for campus-wide budget considerations.
9. Any cost of hiring additional new MPP positions must include the cost of providing them additional new staff support. Such costs must be part of annual divisional budget requests and their evaluation by the Strategic Resource Planning Committee.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the University Administration act swiftly on the staff related recommendations from the NACUBO report.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that as part of GI 2025 efforts and efforts that result from the campus’s recent Charting Our Course exercises, both administration and faculty commit to include adequate staffing plans for new programs, initiatives, and reorganizations. The Senate Budget Committee should have a role in reviewing such plans. In so much as this resolution is consistent with the collective bargain agreements.

1 The publication of this information can be located behind the MyCI campus firewall and need not be accessible to the
public.