March 31, 2015
Legislation Threatens to Cut Child-of-Employee Tuition Waivers
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Students who are children of employees may eventually become
ineligible for tuition waivers if a bill in the Illinois House passes.
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UNIVERSITY EMPLOYEES are nervous about a proposal before the
Illinois General Assembly that, if passed, would cost them thousands more
dollars to send their offspring through college by ending tuition waivers for
their children.
CURRENT LAW allows a 50 percent tuition waiver for
children of State public University employees who have held their jobs for at
least seven years. The University of Illinois wants to keep it that way, but a
State lawmaker wants to stop it.
STATE REPRESENTATIVE Jack D. Franks, a Democrat who lives in Marengo, IL,
introduced legislation, HB 403, which would rescind the tuition break. It is
the second proposal of this kind before the Legislature in recent years. The
tuition waiver came before Franks’ own House State Government Administration
Committee, which began hearing testimony March 4. The bill recently picked up a
co-sponsor, Rep. Luis Arroyo, a
Chicago Northwest Side Democrat.
AN AMENDED version of the bill passed the committee by a 9-4 margin. The original bill, if passed
by both houses of the Illinois General Assembly and signed by the Governor,
would have cut out the tuition waivers as soon as possible. The amended version
would continue the tuition waivers for five years and then end the program.
“IF THIS bill were to become law, the approximately
2,000 students who currently rely on this waiver to attend college will be put
in jeopardy of not being able to complete their education,” the University said
in a statement. The number of employees at the University of Illinois at
Chicago who would be affected is uncertain. One potential user of the waivers
is aghast.
KIMBERLY
HUANG, Assistant
Director of Grants and Contracts in the Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy
Department, has been at UIC for more than 13 years. Huang will have three children
in college within the next decade. She
said, “If the tuition waiver is repealed, I would rather send my kids to other
universities that offer more generous financial assistance instead of
considering Illinois state schools. But if the tuition waiver remains,
having this option will definitely make me think twice as it can save me tens
of thousands of dollars for each child. That's a significant benefit for
me."
“IT
IS not fair for
legislators to take the tuition waiver away because they can afford to send
their kids to private, expensive universities,” Huang added. “I think the State
could potentially lose a lot of excellent students too.”
“WHILE ILLINOIS provides a 50 percent waiver,” the
University statement said, “it is not uncommon in other states to see a 100
percent waiver provided to the children of university and college staff.”
JULIE KONG’S two daughters benefitted from the
waivers. “The waivers were definitely a tremendous financial help in our family
as both were in College almost at the same time,” said Kong, who is the
Director of Research Services in the School of Public Health Administration
said. In addition, the waivers may be particularly helpful to parents who are
working at UIC with first-generation college students.
FRANKS DID not respond to APAC News
requests for an interview. However, the News-Gazette
newspaper in Champaign, IL, quoted Franks saying the bill was in line with Gov. Bruce Rauner’s effort to cut State
spending. "This year is a year we're going to have to make a lot of hard
choices," Franks said.
ALTHOUGH HIS original bill called for repealing the waivers this year,
Franks told the publication he is willing to give students who started last
fall a chance to complete their undergraduate degrees. "It's not fair to
those who were counting on that," he said.
FRANKS TOLD the publication that 2,156 of the waivers were awarded in
Illinois last year to the children of employees, costing nearly $10 million.
NOT TRUE, said Linda L. Brookhart, executive director of the State Universities
Annuitants Association. “The 50 percent tuition waiver is budget neutral to the
State. Eliminating the waiver would in no way represent any savings to the
State or its taxpayers.”
HB 403 would be a further reduction in pay for State employees
who in the past had to take furlough days without pay and who earn less than
they might in the private sector or even in other government jobs, Brookhart
said.
“CIVIL SERVICE employees within the State Universities
Civil Service System earn far less than Civil Service employees hired by the
State of Illinois Central Management Services,” Brookhart said. “Some entry
level classifications are paid 50-60 percent less than our colleagues at the
State of Illinois. The tuition benefit was added to offset the salary disparity
between University and State employees. The tuition benefit is part of the
overall compensation package.”
SHE URGED University employees to contact
legislators to express their opposition to the waiver repeal.
A FACEBOOK page provides the latest information on
the issue: https://www.facebook.com/#!/saveourwaivers
COLLEEN PIERSEN, Assistant Head for Administration in
the Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy and Chair of APAC, has
been keeping Academic Professionals updated on legislative updates related to
HB403. "Based on the feedback that I've received, the topic clearly
resonates with all employees, not just APs. It's even captured national
attention as a headline story in The Chronicle
of Higher Education.”
THE CHRONICLE story may be accessed at.
http://m.chronicle.com/article/Illinois-Bill-Threatens/228437/#sthash.DuLcphQZ
THE CHRONICLE story may be accessed at.
http://m.chronicle.com/article/Illinois-Bill-Threatens/228437/#sthash.DuLcphQZ
FRANKS’ BILL does not address other types of
waivers, such as those offered to University faculty, staff, and other
employees themselves, students with financial hardships, or students with
academic talent or special status such as athletes and students from other
countries.
MORE DETAIL on the current waivers is available on
the website of the Academic Professional Task Force Implementation Team: http://ap.illinois.edu/about/site.html.
UIC EMPLOYEES may contact State legislators to comment
on HB 403—
but not on
University time or on a University phone. See http://il--nea.capwiz.com/nea/il/directory/statedir.tt?state=IL&lvl=state
to find your legislators.
TO TRACK the progress of the bill, see http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocTypeID=HB&DocNum=403&GAID=13&SessionID=88&LegID=84760.
IT IS not known when or if the bill will come up for a vote in
the full Illinois House.
Proposed Bill May Complicate University Hiring Procedures
ILLINOIS STATE Senator Chapin Rose (R-51st
Decatur) recently introduced Senate Bill 1724, which has prompted concern among
Academic Professionals and human resources managers at UIC. If approved, the
bill would change the composition of the Civil Service Merit Board. The
proposed legislation gives the Governor authority to appoint new members to the
Board, and to terminate the terms of current members.
THE NEWLY appointed members would include four
individuals exempt from Civil Service, four Civil Service employees of State
universities, and three members who are representative citizens and who are not
current or former employees, or current or former members of the board of
trustees of a state university. The bill would impact all State universities. Currently,
members of the Merit Board are appointed by their respective university
governing boards.
OTHER PROVISIONS of the bill include a change to
exemption authority. In the proposed legislation, exemption authority is
returned to the executive director of the State Universities Civil Service
System (SUCSS), Urbana, and cannot be delegated otherwise. The bill also allows
the SUCSS executive director to determine the Designated Employer
Representative (DER) for each campus. At the present time, the DER is
determined by the University president.
REMOVING EXEMPTION authority from the campus and giving
exemption authority to SUCSS could impact the efficiency now experienced by
conducting the analysis on a local level. Sending each new position to the
SUCSS office for a determination could impact the ability of UIC human
resources to respond in a timely manner. The SUCSS office is comprised of fewer
than 15 individuals.
MANY ACADEMIC Professionals at UIC, some of them HR
managers, are very concerned that the hiring process will become more onerous
and lengthy, according to Colleen
Piersen, APAC
interim chair, assistant head for administration, Department of Medicinal
Chemistry and Pharmacognosy. The reason: SUCSS
staff cannot be expected to understand the intricacies of all the principal
administrative positions at all state universities.
“APAC BELIEVES that Academic Professionals fulfill vital and unique roles in coordinating and synthesizing various functions within and across units at UIC,” Piersen said. “The retention of exemption authority by the campus is critical to its ability to hire Academic Professionals who address an ever-changing balance of teaching, research and service priorities. In effect, SB 1724 legislation threatens the ability of UIC to react nimbly to external forces or take advantage of time-sensitive opportunities.”
REMOVING EXEMPTION authority would have an enormous impact
on UIC and the entire Illinois university system, agrees Maureen M. Parks, associate vice president,
University Human Resources, University of Illinois. “There are 20,000 Civil Service employees
in the State of Illinois. There is no way the Civil Service system could review
every position open at UIC, every time an opening comes up, and make a decision
on whether it should be a Civil Service position or exempted. All state
universities would be negatively impacted.”
SENATOR ROSE introduced the bill because he wanted
to “start the conversation” about changes that need to take place in higher
education, according to Parks who met with the Senator earlier this year. Rose
did not respond to this reporter’s request for an interview.
“WE DO need Civil Service reform,” Parks explained. “The Civil
Service system, developed in the 1950s, is very complex and many of the procedures
are not modern best practices in HR recruitment. However, SB 1724 would make
things worse. The goal of Civil Service is to serve State universities; this
bill would do a major disservice. It would actually increase costs for State
universities.
“I EXPLAINED that to Senator Rose and I believe we
had an eye-opening conversation,” Parks added. “He was surprised to learn that
there currently are not any SUCSS Audit guidelines or a structured audit time
frame. Instead, the Civil Service office decides how long the process takes.”
THE UNIVERSITY’S human resources directors have been
talking to Tom Morelock,
executive director of SUCSS, for eight years about changes that need to be made
to modernize the system, Parks added. “In the fall of 2014, UIC’s HR directors
sent him a formal document specifying five changes that need to be made. That
document is now being reviewed.”
Job Analysis Project Should be Completed by Mid Year
THE JOB Analysis project under UIC Human Resources continues on campus.
A MAJOR goal of
the project is to ensure that positions are properly classified as either Civil
Service or Academic Professional. The need to engage in this project was
precipitated by an audit finding declaring the University to be non-compliant
with Civil Service guidelines. To date, a small team of analysts have evaluated
approximately 2,200 positions in 19 units representing colleges and
administrative business units across Campus. Project completion should be
realized by June 30, 2015.
THE JOB analysis
project involves three primary components. These components include
appropriately categorizing positions as Civil Service or Academic Professional;
calculating seniority for individuals converting from Academic Professional to Civil
Service; and facilitating an appeals process to ensure employees exercise due
process when they disagree with the analysis.
THERE IS an
appeals process available to employees who have completed job analysis and have
concerns regarding the new title and classification. The appeals process may be
an appropriate avenue if the employee believes that the new classification is
an inaccurate reflection of their duties. If an employee is unsure, UIC Human
Resources is available to help employees determine if an appeal is the appropriate
course of action.
WHEN AN
employee disagrees with the outcome of the analysis, the employee may request
reconsideration by the UIC Human Resources Compensation Unit. If the employee
desires further review beyond the campus level, the employee may ask the
executive director of the State Universities Civil Service System (the System
Office) to review and issue a decision. This is referred to as a position audit
appeal. Additional detail regarding the classification appeals process is
outlined in the State Universities Civil Service System Procedures Manual, Section2.4. Some employees have already exercised their right to appeal.
AN
APPEAL process also exists for those employees who have completed job
analysis but have concerns regarding the seniority that is calculated during
the conversion process. The State Universities Civil Service System Exemption Procedures Manual Section8.2(b) (4) provides the formula for determining seniority. On occasion, UIC
Human Resources is asked to clarify the method for calculating seniority in the
new Civil Service position. In those cases, UIC Human Resources Personnel are
available to help employees understand how seniority is calculated and
determine if an appeal is appropriate.
TO
ENSURE compliance, a method for calculating seniority was developed in
keeping with Section8.2(b) (4) of the Exemption
Procedures Manual. The method used considers the historical record keeping
practices at UIC. Simply stated, this practice is defined by the University’s
ability to document the exact job duties and responsibilities of a position. In
some situations records do not exist to sufficiently document duties and/or
responsibilities.
THE
APPEAL described above is referred to as a Director’s Review process. Review
procedures are outlined in Section250.130 of the Illinois Administrative Code (80 Ill. Adm. Code §250.130).
UIC
HUMAN Resources is in the final months of the job analysis project, with an
anticipated completion date of June 30, 2015. Some employees may be waiting for
the final determination regarding their position. To help better communicate
progress, the UIC Human Resources website has been enhanced to include a tracking
mechanism that allows the campus to monitor the Job Analysis project by unit.
YOU CAN access the online tracking report here.
The report will detail various stages of the Job Analysis Project by campus
unit. As more current information is available, the report will be updated.
YOU CAN also view the tracking tool by visiting
the UIC Human Resources website at www.hr.uic.edu
and clicking on the Classification and Compensation link. Once on the
Compensation page, you will click Job Analysis Project to be directed to the
report.
IF YOU have
any further questions or concerns regarding this process, contact Robert Crouch, Assistant Vice President
for Human Resources, at crouchr@uillinois.edu
or Ron Puskarits, Director of
Compensation, at puskarit@uillinois.edu.
Job Analysis Survey Coming
THE
OFFICE of Interim Vice Chancellor
for Academic Affairs and Provost Eric
Gislason provided financial support for the survey, which is being
designed, launched, and analyzed by UIC’s Survey Research Lab.
EMPLOYEES
ARE urged to watch for their email invitation to the survey in the near
future and to complete it.
Moss Leaving APAC Leadership, Will Continue Committee Volunteerism
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| Michael Moss, as APAC Chair, meeting with then-Chancellor Paula Allen-Meares. |
AFTER FIVE years of leading the
Academic Professional Advisory Committee (APAC), Michael Moss has stepped down as chair of the organization. He
will, however, continue to support the group as a committee member. In fact,
until the APAC elections in April, Moss will serve as treasurer—while former
treasurer Colleen Piersen steps up
as interim chair.
THE POSITION swap is the result of Moss
realizing he needed to reorganize his volunteer time to better handle changing
job duties and his enrollment in graduate school at UIC. Moss is pursuing a
master’s degree in public administration while continuing to work in the Office
of Budget Operations and Financial Analysis.
APPRECIATION FOR the
University’s mission of research, instruction, and public service led to Moss’s
arrival at UIC in 2003. He worked in Student Services in the Office of Student
Financial Aid, then moved to a series of positions in the business office
before taking on the associate directorship of his current unit. He calls his
current UIC office “a good place to be.”
THAT POSITIVE feeling
continues to extend to APAC, which Moss identifies as a good fit for his
volunteer interests. It took attending only one meeting eight years ago to
cement his commitment.
“I WAS really drawn to represent
the interests and concerns of AP staff to campus and University leadership,” he
said. “I have a long background in volunteer work. It is satisfying to
contribute.”
CHAIRING THE group did sometimes
involve stress, as Moss noted that the best interests of individual employees
may not always be in sync with the best interests of the campus overall. “Over
time, it became easier; as I learned more about employees and got to know APs,
it was easier to make sure they were well represented,” Moss said.
CALLING HIMSELF a
“numbers and data person,” Moss cites development of a staff survey among his
APAC leadership highlights. “It was the first survey of staff to learn their
interests and concerns,” he said. “Data made it easier to move those concerns
forward.”
THREE AREAS rose to the top as
significantly important to employees:
job analysis and conversion; pension benefits; and equity issues
involving comparison of peers.
“WE FIRST took action on pensions and
conversions,” said Moss, “which represented the most significant concerns of
the time and got a lot of support from the campus and our AP constituents. Who
else fights for what is important to Academic Professionals?” he asked. “We
represent a voice that doesn’t have unions or other organized efforts dedicated
exclusively to voicing the interests and concerns of our APs.”
SUPPORT INCLUDED
coordination of hundreds of signatures and comments that helped halt a
legislative process that would have ended local hiring decisions for Academic
Professional positions, moving the authority to make such decisions back to the
State Universities Civil Service System. “I truly believe we stopped the
legislative process on that issue,” Moss said, calling it a highlight of his
APAC leadership. “We were probably the only employee group to take such large
scale, coordinated action.”
APAC WAS among other groups,
including the State Universities Annuitants Association (SUAA), opposing Senate
Bill 512 and its proposed changes to diminish current benefits. “People were
concerned, and we were able to communicate that very clearly,” Moss said.
TOWN HALL meetings organized under
Moss’s leadership also proved effective. “We held a dozen or more Town Hall
meetings on job conversion and the status of the University budget,” he said,
noting the participation of University of Illinois President Robert A. Easter in recent meetings.
“THE
CHAIR sometimes gets the most attention,” Moss commented in closing. “But,
there are 17 other people on the committee working hard—who deserve 17 times as
much recognition and appreciation.”
Important Events Scheduled
Job Analysis
A JOB
ANALYSIS Appeals and Project Update Town Hall by
APAC with UIC Human Resources will be held on the West Campus Tuesday, April 21, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at SPH Auditorium, First Floor, 1601 W. Taylor St., and on the East Campus Thursday, April 30, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at the Daley Library, Room 1-470, 1st Floor, 801 S. Morgan St.
APAC with UIC Human Resources will be held on the West Campus Tuesday, April 21, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at SPH Auditorium, First Floor, 1601 W. Taylor St., and on the East Campus Thursday, April 30, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at the Daley Library, Room 1-470, 1st Floor, 801 S. Morgan St.
THE
EVENT is open to all staff and faculty who have an interest in hearing an
update on the Job Analysis Project. The focus of the event will be to clarify
the appeals processes. Registrants will have an opportunity to submit questions
to Human Resources in advance. A question-and-answer session will conclude the
event.
REGISTER
BY Friday, April 10 at https://uofi.uic.edu/fb/sec/1578145 (West
Campus) or https://uofi.uic.edu/fb/sec/9296152 (East
Campus). For more information and background on the Job Analysis Project, visit
https://www.hr.uic.edu/cms/One.aspx?portalId-2800&pageId=176242,
or https://www.hr.uic.edu/classification_and_compensation/jobanalysis/.
UIC United
THE UIC Chapter
of the State Universities Annuitants Association (SUAA), UIC United, will host
its Spring Membership Meeting, featuring a presentation by Edward McMillan, Chair of the University Board of Trustees, on
Thursday, April 23, in Student Center West, Thompson Rooms, 828 S. Wolcott.
Interim Vice Chancellor for Academic
Affairs and Provost Eric Gislason will
be the moderator.
THERE
WILL be coffee and rolls at 9:30 a.m., a business meeting and officers’
election at 10 a.m., McMillan will speak at 11 a.m., and a buffet luncheon at
noon. Lunch is $15. To register or for more information, contact Karen Scherman, karen.scherman@gmail.com, (630)
257-1491, or Debbie Matthews, debmatt18@gmail.com, (815) 254-3731.
Budget Outlook
A TOWN Hall by APAC
with Michael Amiridis, Chancellor,
and Janet Parker, Associate
Chancellor and Vice Provost for Budget and Resource Planning, will be held
Tuesday, May 5, from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at the Moss Auditorium, First Floor, COMRB
, 909 S. Wolcott Ave.
THE
EVENT will provide and update on budget planning for Fiscal Year 2016 and
will include such topics as current status of payments from the State, campus
and University budget planning, changes in IT rate and funding model, and
strategic planning efforts.
REGISTRANTS
WILL have an opportunity to submit questions in advance via the
registration link below. A question-and-answer session will conclude the event.
THE EVENTS will be webcast at: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/uic-apac.
APAC Meetings Scheduled
ALL
APs are invited to the
monthly APAC meeting at 12:30 p.m. on the second Wednesday of the month.
Meetings are held either in Room 4175 of the College of Medicine Research
Building, 909 S. Wolcott, or Room 2750 of University Hall on the East Campus.
Next meeting is April 8 in Room 4175 of the College of Medicine Research Building,
and will be attended by Chancellor
Michael Amaridis. For information, call (312) 996-0306.
AP RESOURCE SPOTLIGHT
THE ENVIROMENTAL Health and Safety Office
(EHSO) performs a variety of functions important to Academic Professionals.
EHSO MONITORS campus facilities for
compliance with safety standards and laws related to radiation, chemicals,
laser use, hazardous materials, fire codes and safety, air quality, the
hospital, sanitation, blood borne pathogens, biological safety, occupational
safety, laboratory safety, laser safety, general safety, and chemical disposal.
IT PROVIDES training, consultation,
inspections, and education. The office offers safety training and an annual
refresher course for those working with radioactive materials, and provides
guides for new laboratory researchers, laboratory moves, office safety, and
many other topics.
EHSO ALSO runs an ambulance service
and provides standby medical service at campus events, employing students who
are State-licensed emergency medical technicians. “We train over 160 medical
technicians a year,” said Richard D.
Anderson, Director of EHSO.
FOR MORE information, call (312)
996-7429; in an emergency, call (312) 996-7233; for the ambulance, call UIC
Police at 5-5555; log on to www.uic.edu/depts/envh;
or email health-safety@uic.edu.
BENEFIT BEAT
UIC
HUMAN Resources is expanding professional development offerings on campus,
with more convenient locations, new courses and resources, and workshops.
CLASSROOM
LEARNING has been extended to locations on both the East Campus and West Campus
to make attendance more convenient.
NEW AND
improved courses in subjects such as email communication, customer service, and
workplace cooperation will prepare you to take charge of your performance. For
managers and supervisors, group exercise workshops will help you understand,
prepare for, and overcome daily workplace challenges for you and your team.
FOR MORE
information, course descriptions, and dates, visit the HR Training Calendar
page at https://www.hr.uic.edu/calendar_training on the UIC Human Resources
website www.hr.uic.edu Professional Development and Training Opportunities
page.
Websites to Know
 |
Photo courtesy Peoria
Public Radio.
|
THE CONTINUING CRISIS
PRIVATIZE STATE universities? WILLRadioTVOnline,
March 23, 2015: http://will.illinois.edu/news/story/sen.-brady-has-plan-to-privatize-state-universities.
UNIVERSITY HIRING officers
call for Civil Service changes, UIC News, March 17, 2015: http://news.uic.edu/a-call-for-civil-service-changes.
STATES BALANCING budgets with cuts to public higher
education, OpEd News, March 12, 2015:
http://www.opednews.com/Quicklink/Republican-Led-States-Bala-by-James-Quandy-Budget-Deficit_Budgets-Funding_Democratic_Education-150312-529.html
UNIVERSITY PRESIDENTS decry budget cuts, Northwest Indiana Times, March 12, 2015: http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/university-presidents-decry-rauner-cuts/article_b78b47aa-42e1-5d97-8bf8-731f2b83275f.html
‘TAX FAIRNESS’ key to solving Illinois budget crisis, Progress Illinois, March 11, 2015: http://www.progressillinois.com/posts/content/2015/03/11/report-tax-fairness-key-solving-illinois-budget-crisis?utm_source=PI+Extra+3.11.15&utm_campaign=PI+email+3.11.15+&utm_medium=email
URBANA SETS job classification hearings, News-Gazette, March 11, 2015: http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2015-03-11/ui-job-classification-hearings-set-urbana.html
GOVERNOR RAUNER aims to break all public-sector unions,
not just Illinois,’ Crain’s Chicago
Business, Feb. 25, 2015: http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20150225/OPINION/150229887/rauner-aims-to-break-all-public-sector-unions-not-just-illinois
GOVERNOR RAUNER calls for $209 million U of I budget
cut, UIC News, Feb. 25, 2015: http://news.uic.edu/rauner-calls-for-209m-cut-to-u-of-i-budget
MOODY’S SAYS Rauner budget will be “hard to implement,”
Progress Illinois, Feb. 25, 2015: http://www.progressillinois.com/news/content/2015/02/25/moodys-rauner-budget-will-be-hard-implement?utm_source=PI+Extra+2.25.15+late+election+night&utm_campaign=PI+email+2.20.15&utm_medium=email
RAUNER appears to change position
on pensions in favor of employees and retirees, 5 NBC Chicago, Nov. 25, 2014:
Vol. 8, No. 1, April 2015
ISSN 1946-1860
Editor: William S. Bike
Staff: Neal Lorenzi, Gail Mansfield, Susan S. Stevens, Mary Voelker, Monica M. Walk
Interim Chair: Colleen Piersen
Vice Chair: Ahlam Al-Kodmany
Secretary: Mary Berta
Treasurer: Michael Moss
Web Chair: Jeff Alcantar
Web Chair: Jeff Alcantar
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