VIDEO: Faculty & Staff Town Hall
Questions about salaries, Strategic Planning and, of course, parking were among those asked and answered during event
Editor’s note: On Wednesday, April 27, UND held a Town Hall meeting via Zoom for faculty and staff. A video of the Town Hall is above, while below is a list of the questions that are asked and answered in the video, with time stamps for readers’ reference accompanying each question.
The following questions are asked and answered in the Faculty & Staff Town Hall:
14:05: Can you explain how salary raises will be decided this year – across-the-board raises for all, percentage-based, merit, market raises, etc.?
16:49: Will the Strategic Plan Open House be recorded? I teach at that time.
17:39: Back in 2018, there were proposals to renovate Babcock Hall. Was funding to support that secured? Is the building currently in use?
19:20: Can you explain why the amount of our salary raises are dictated by the state Legislature, when only a portion of our overall budget comes from state appropriations?
20:56: How is the university preparing for the next legislative session? And do we have priorities in mind? Also, if academic units have items of interest for the session, how do we advance them?
26:40: Given the high rate of inflation, is there any consideration for the NDUS to request the Interim Budget Committee at the Legislature for salary supplements?
27:45: Is there talk of moving the Central Finance team out of Twamley? And if so, what would the timeline look like?
29:20: How are things going with the Higher Learning Commission reaffirmation process?
31:59: We have a parking committee. Have we actually gotten all the members that we need for the parking committee? Are we still waiting on anyone like to join?
32:38: Will parking permits for FY 23 stay the same, or are there discussions for rate increases? Will there be changes in parking and parking permit rates next year?
34:42: Will the 2022 Staff Recognition Ceremony be streamed online for those who are not comfortable with being in-person for health reasons?
35:07: Since COVID has decreased, are things getting back to normal here on campus? Why are there still people working remotely?
39:04: Is the parking lot going away by Wilkerson when the buildings are done, or are we getting more parking there?
39:40: Does the university follow the career classification PayScale salary ranges that the state follows? And if not, why not?
42:41: Are our nine-month employees, faculty and staff being compensated for their time engaging in the Strategic Planning workgroup over the summer? And if they are, then how are they being compensated?
43:45: Can the President given an update on the Salary Task Force he discussed previously?
45:23: When looking at salary increase of faculty/staff, why does UND not take into consideration the rise of inflation and of the cost of living? How does the university justify $1.5 million in specialty windows for the library alone?
48:45: If a person is still remote when their position is intended to be in person, when will they no longer be able to use the pandemic as an excuse not to be here?
49:35: Regarding remote-work and Americans with Disabilities Act accommodation, when does that go away? Or could it go away based on COVID?
50:40: What is the expected impact of Johnson Controls taking over housing and parking in terms of UND personnel and communication?
53:10: I have heard rumors of possible program closures in education and the humanities. Is there any truth to these rumors?
53:48: Will UIT ever returned to assisting with tech support tasks in person?
54:52: Is UND looking at right-sizing programs?
57:25: Is there an update on the Vice President for Research search?
