Librarians' Association Newsletter

January 2000    Number 167 

I want to use this month's column to report on the open meeting for EPA non-faculty employees that took place on November 10. I think that this meeting is worth reporting on because it revealed a number of things to me about the position of EPA librarians on this campus.

The meeting was held under the auspices of the Employee Forum. The scheduled speakers were Laurie Charest, Associate Vice Chancellor for Human Resources; Jane Stine, Chair of the Employee Forum; Timothy Sanford, Chair of the EPA Non-Faculty Grievance Committee; and Susan Ehringhaus, Vice Chancellor and Senior University Counsel. Ms. Ehringhaus was unable to attend. The first part of the meeting consisted of presentations by the three remaining speakers; each tried to convey how his or her organization serves EPA non-faculty employees. The presentations were followed by questions from the audience.

Jane Stine spoke first, explaining the function of the Employee Forum ( http://www.unc.edu/staff/forum/ ) and urging those present to get involved. Laurie Charest gave an overview of the employment situation on campus, and she enumerated the ways Human Resources can assist employees. Much of what she said related to all staff employees, rather than just EPA non-faculty. The Office of Human Resources does not have an EPA specialist; EPA non-faculty issues are handled through individual sub-units of Human Resources such as Benefits, Employee Services, etc. She reminded the audience of the existence of the EPA Faculty Handbook but admitted that it needs revision. (As best I can tell, the latest edition is from 1993.) Ms. Charest also distributed a list of contact people; this directory, along with other information, can be found at the Human Resources Web site ( http://www.ais.unc.edu/hr ) . There was a lot of interest in Tim Sanford's presentation about the EPA Non-Faculty Grievance Committee. Unfortunately, this was not relevant to us since librarians' grievances are handled through the Faculty Grievance Committee. (More about that below.)

Much of this information was not news to me, but this may have been because I've served on both the Employee Forum and Faculty Council. I was, however, reminded of the unique position EPA librarians occupy on this campus. There are approximately 800 EPA non-faculty positions on campus (as compared to 6,000 SPA positions and 2,700 faculty lines); librarians make up about fifteen percent of the EPA non-faculty workforce. Although there are a good number of EPAs in the Office of Development and in some of the research centers, no other unit has the concentrations of EPAs that the libraries have. One of the things that was painfully obvious in the question period was how isolated many of the EPAs on campus are and how because of that isolation many are unsure what rules govern the conditions of their employment. Our concentration has been a source of strength. Because of it we have been able to develop our own professional association (LAUNC-CH), we have colleagues close by whom we can learn from and with whom we can commiserate, and our supervisors are familiar with the regulations that apply to us.

Another factor that sets us apart from the other EPAs on campus is where we fit in the governance structure. All EPA non-faculty employees and SPA staff are represented by delegates that they elect to the Employee Forum. Unlike other EPA non-faculty, librarians also have representation in Faculty Council. We can also serve on faculty committees, and any formal grievance that one of us might file will be directed to the Faculty Grievance Committee rather than the EPA Non-Faculty Grievance Committee.

I think that it's important that we participate in governance structures that are open to us. Librarians have skills and habits that can make a committee operate more successfully, and getting known on campus for these attributes can only help us in our quest for better salaries. In a month or two, our current representatives to Faculty Council (Gillian Debreczeny, Linda Drake, and Betty Meehan-Black) will be looking for people willing to be nominees for Faculty Council. If you think that you can make the commitment to a three-year term, call Gillian, Linda, or Betty. If three years on Faculty Council is more than you are willing to do now, consider working on a University committee. Librarians have served on faculty committees such as the Administrative Board of the Library, the Faculty Grievance Committee, and the University Buildings and Grounds Committee. Familiarize yourself with the committees that exist ( http://www.unc.edu/faculty/faccoun/ ) and then next fall when a notice goes around asking for volunteers, send your name in for a committee. Let's take advantage of the opportunities that we have.
Eileen McGrath
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