Family Services Committee

Family Services Committee
(Formerly Work Family Advisory Council)
Meeting Notes from May 5, 2008

Present: Gwendolyn Dean, Bill Liddick, Linda Starr, Tine Reimers, Beth McKinney, Helen Steh, Michelle Artibee (guest), Cassandre Joseph (guest), Eileen Whang (guest), Rose Braman (scribe)

Michelle introduced Cassandre and Eileen to group members and each gave a brief description of their role in the Work Life Family area of WDELQ.

Updates: (Michelle Artibee)

• Caregiver support group will start in the fall and hold monthly meetings
• Work Life Center Suite will be set up as a welcoming area and members were invited to visit
• Cornell received the Dave Thomas Adoption award for the third year. We have gone down in place from 30th in 2006, 53rd in 2007, and 76th in 2008. The adoption assistance program will be looked at compared to other universities and how we can enhance it to move up the on the list
• Child Care center is on target to open in August 2008
• Interest forms from parents will be used in the lottery process that will be held on May 13th. Michelle gave a brief description on how Bright Horizons plans on conducting the process
• Erin Doyle has been hired as director of the Child Care Center and will start on Monday May 12th. She will be temporarily housed in the Work Life Center area until the center is complete
• Rates of the Child Care center were handed out and explained that they are competitive with local day care centers
• A supplementary child care grant will be offered for assistance to family whose income falls under $85,000, but depending on the amount currently being utilized, the money may be on a post-tax basis. Also, the applicant and spouse/partner must be employed full time or a full time student.
• Still working on the Student Child Care Grant program for 2008–2009. Staff, faculty grant is done
• Life Quality newsletter will go out end of this week as an insert to the Cornell Chronicle. The fall newsletter will feature the 20th anniversary of work/life efforts at Cornell.

Bill Liddick explained the role of the Family Services Committee and that the Child Care is a subcommittee to the FSC. Bill had provided a document by email previously outlining the role of the FSC.

I. Work Life Priorities Discussion on the work life priorities was held and it was decided we would use the document created by Tine Reimers. This document indicated each priority under appropriate headings and with the right hand column, showing HR efforts.

Flexibility issues were discussed because of the obstacle that non-exempt employees face when unitizing this program. Supervisors talk about flexibility in the New Supervisory Training program and some of the problems with flexibility for non-exempt staff is: coverage, core hours of units, and leadership styles. 2nd piece to this problem may in the labor law.

Linda Starr indicated that a group of individuals are looking at keeping people in the work place longer by using phased retirement for staff as well as faculty, as a flexibility option.

Group discussed whether or not to make flexibility a priority for the group. Need to look at:

• Laws
• Suggestions
• What, if any, other groups who are working on this.

Beth offered to put together a chart showing flexibility issues that need to be addressed and look at other efforts that are being initiated, overlap, gaps, and etc.

Next meeting June 2nd @ 9:00 AM in Day Hall B12.