A Win for APs; University: Merit Board Votes Not to Take Away University Exemption Authority

STATE UNIVERSITIES in Illinois, including UIC, are keeping their ability to exempt some jobs from Civil Service classifications.

THE STATE Universities Civil Service Merit Board, composed of trustees representing Illinois’s nine public universities voted 8-2 in Urbana on Jan. 30 to withdraw a proposed rules change that would have moved the exemption authority to the State Universities Civil Service System.

CHANCELLOR PAULA Allen-Meares expressed gratitude to the Board and her support for its decision.

ALSO AT the Senate meeting, Dr. Albert J. Schorsch, Associate Dean, College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs, Co-Chair of the Support Services Committee, addressed the issue, noting that the Support Services Committee sent a member to testify against SUCCS’ attempt to take the exemption authority away from the University. “Bureaucrats assume our patience is unlimited,” he said. “It isn’t.”

THE CHAIR of the Council of Academic Professionals at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign told Illinois Public Media News that the University is happy with the Merit Board’s decision. Kostas Yfantis said the exemption authority should stay at the University level. He said moving it to the Civil Service System would put it in the hands of officials who are not familiar with University needs and operations.

“YOU WOULD have an agency outside of the day-to-day operations, outside of the operational fabric of the University, determining who is an Academic Professional and who is a Civil Service employee,” said Yfantis.

SEE ALSO the article “Universities to keep job classification authority,” Inside Illinois, Feb. 7 issue, http://news.illinois.edu/ii/13/0207/sucss.html.