Campus Welfare Committee Year-End Report 2000-20001

The Campus Welfare Committee (CWC) was constituted in Fall 2000 as one of five planning committees that reports to PAC. The CWC was charged with advising the provost on operational and strategic policies and plans that impact the welfare of students, faculty, and staff. Members were intended to provide a campuswide perspective on welfare issues before the committee, rather than to represent their individual units. During its first year, the CWC met 10 times, beginning December 5, 2000. Upon the departure of Assistant Chancellor Armstrong-Zwart, chairship was assumed by Assistant Chancellor Sunell.

During the first meeting committee members identified as the most critical welfare issues facing the campus community: faculty and staff housing; civility; and issues related to staff recruitment, retention, morale, and professional development. Throughout the year, and through the change in leadership, the CWC agenda reflected these priorities.

1. Faculty and Staff Housing

After considering the reports on faculty recruitment and retention which included the results of the faculty housing survey, and interim housing strategies, as well as a presentation by campus architect Zwart of the LRDP, the CWC made a recommendation to the provost calling for a master housing plan that addressed issues of prioritization. The committee further recommended that the campus begin to track the demand for housing.

2. Principles of Community (POC)

Led by Ombudsman Gottehrher, a project team developed a Principles of Community Statement intended as an articulation of the values that should guide interactions between all members of the campus community. The statement was revised to more clearly reflect its intent in consultation with: the Senate Advisory Committee, the Student Union Association (SUA), the Graduate Student Association (GSA), Faculty Welfare Committee, the Committee on Privilege and Tenure, Labor Relations, University Counsel, the College Administrative Officers, the Gay, Lesbian, Bi-Sexual, Transgender Campus Concerns Committee, the Council of Provosts, the Senate Committee on Academic Freedom, the Vice Chancellors, PAC, the Provost and the Chancellor. During the next academic year the POC will be presented as a resolution for approval by the Academic Senate, the SUA, and the GSA, and will be endorsed publicly by the Chancellor, the Provost, and other supporters in a signing ceremony. CWC will take on the responsibility of monitoring and reporting on the POC.

3. Staff and Faculty Work Life Study.

Having subsumed the role of the Chancellor’s Task Force on Work Life, a task force of the CWC initiated a project to help identify key issues affecting work-life quality, satisfaction and morale at UCSC, as well as possible campus responses. Focus groups of maintenance and grounds employees, administrative assistants and analysts, mid-level managers, ladder faculty, and non-senate academics are being conducted over the summer and in the early part of the fall quarter. The CWC will issue a report on the findings by the end of the fall, and will include a recommendation as to whether a campuswide survey should be conducted.

4. Children in the Workplace.

The committee considered the current policy barring children from the workplace. For children’s safety and out of courtesy to fellow employees the CWC agreed that the current policy should remain in place, but decided to defer reissuing the policy until the committee could come to an informed consensus about possible solutions to the unmet need for childcare services. The CWC agreed to take up childcare issues more fully in the fall.

During the next year the CWC will continue to oversee the implementation of the Principles of Community statement, the staff and faculty work-life study, and the children in the workplace policy. The committee is also ready to more fully consider the housing prioritization issue and will make an informed recommendation if called on to do so. Additionally we intend to consider issues of childcare and to examine issues associated with planning for potentially significant increases in staffing.