2009 Minutes & Agendas

Minutes of a meeting held on November 16, 2009

Agenda:

• Associate Provost Discussion; staying on the diversity agenda.  The commission discussed the diversity meeting that took place with Provost Farvardin and UMD administration and faculty on Friday November 13.  In that meeting Provost Farvardin shared that either Dr. Black’s position or much of the funding for the programs/offices under Dr. Black had to be reduced.  Questions concerning how the recent controversy may affect LGBT initiatives encompassed around the fact that the Office of LGBT Equity may have two new job searches in the spring and the need for increased collaboration between diversity initiatives on campus.

• Assistance on crafting language for a proposed policy including the use of sick leave and FMLA care for domestic partners which will be delivered to Dr. Mote; and assistance on crafting language for a system wide policy concerning tuition remission for domestic partners.  The commission discussed how Gretchen was informed that the commission’s policy change requests must be formally written/submitted with research/facts and figures as well.  Nancy put forth that the policies are already written and researched, they only thing that needs to be changed is the definition of the term “immediate family member”.  Nancy volunteered to take the language of the existing policies the commission is looking at, and make the term “immediate family member” more definitive/inclusive.  Gretchen volunteered to talk to Roberta and Luke volunteered to contact Greg to look at how the MOU’s language is crafted and what AFSCME’s position on this issue may be.

Trans inclusive health insurance.  Discussion took place over who would be the current person to contact at the health center about the insurance policy options available.  Penny volunteered to check in with Sacared to see what might be involved in getting transgender inclusive health insurance at UMD.