Inside Iowa State: Iowa State University

INSIDE IOWA STATE
May 24, 2002

Council seeks to clarify grievance procedure

by Anne Krapfl
During its May 2 meeting, the Professional and Scientific Council elected officers for the 2002-03 year. Council members also approved a motion clarifying the P&S grievance procedure as written in the P&S Handbook.

Incumbent president Rex Heer, Instructional Technology Center, was elected to a second term as president. Kevin Kane, Academic Information Technologies, will serve as vice president and Catherine Good, Ag Experiment Station Administration, was elected secretary-treasurer. The two at-large seats on the council's executive committee went to Lynne Mumm, ISU Research Foundation; and Kurt Roberts, Education Talent Search.

The council proposes changing the grievance procedure to allow P&S grievants to select any individual to accompany them to grievance proceedings and clarifying the role of that person. The online version of the handbook currently limits that service to other ISU P&S employees only. Members of the council's policies and procedures committee, which presented the motion, argued that it may be difficult to find a P&S colleague to serve in that role. (Some may fear retaliation, for example.) They also argued that grievants should select persons they're comfortable with, whether they be co-workers, family members or friends. The motion goes to the provost for review and implementation.

The public forum preceding the meeting featured summary presentations by representatives of four groups that received student recruitment and retention grants this year. A committee of the council awards and oversees the grants. Funding ($30,000 this year) is provided by the president's office. A streaming media file of the forum is available from the council's Web site at http://www.iastate.edu/~ps_info/streamingforums.html.

The council's last meeting of this year begins at 2 p.m. Thursday, June 6, in 244 Memorial Union. There will be no noon forum.