LSA Exec - Minutes - March 26, 2026

LSA Exec Minutes
3/26/2026

 

Present: Rebecca Schroeder, Melissa Mayhew, Andy Poland, Grace Brazell, MC Mack, Sydney McFadden, Wendy Conover, Warren Lambert, Patience Ocloo, Molly Bauer, Rich Lloyd, Angela Andres, Jennifer Johnson, Nishon Hawkins, Loren Bracciano, Mazzy Martinez, David Whittaker, John

Absent: N/A

Agenda:

  1. Approve February minutes
  2. Rebecca & Syd meeting with the Dean
  3. Climate survey
  4. Upcoming open forum with the Dean
  5. Recruitment for 2026-27 Governance positions
  6. Student assistant hourly rates
  7. TD updates
  8. New Business

 

Notes:

  1. Approved February minutes
  2. Rebecca & Syd LSA Exec meeting with the Dean – Mike has also been present
    1. LSA Exec seeking improved shared dialogue with leadership team 
    2. Staff Service
      1. How it can be acknowledged and compensated for
      2. What we lose when people don’t participate and how to get people more involved
        1. LSA Exec advised to bring it to the University level
          1. Currently stalled until a wider audit of how other university departments handle it is done
            1. We are unique in that we are a large department with more formalized service (I.E. a governance webpage), so we may be a special case
    3. Open dialogue session with Carol
      1. Planning and organization on LSA Exec level is limited, including compiling questions in advance
        1. Basically, LSA Exec offered their monthly meeting slot and that’s the extent they have been allowed to be involved
    4. LSA Exec wants an audit of department culture
      1. Opportunity to collect data on organization-wide sentiment and find areas of improvement since not all supervisors operate their departments the same way
      2. Also stalled. Carol wants concrete examples of things like people being blocked from Talent Development opportunities by their supervisors
        1. LSA Exec is advocating for a more general temperature check, has mentioned concrete examples may not be forthcoming if the issue is indirect I.E. discouraged by departmental culture/inertia
        2. LSA Exec will follow LFA’s lead and do a survey
    5. Talent Development Funds and barriers to people using them, see above
    6. Staff appreciation efforts
  3. Climate survey
    1. LFA sent one out before spring break
    2. LSA will use theirs as a template for staff – it’s quick Qualtrics survey
      1. Aiming to send out next week
  4. Upcoming open forum with the Dean
    1. LSA Exec offered to have it be a hybrid format but denied
      1. Will continue to advocate for those for accessibility/attendance reasons
    2. Carol wants more of an open discussion than a Q&A
      1. LSA Exec will ask for conversation points ahead of time to facilitate starting the discussion
        1. Syd advised that if you attend, prepare some topics as well
        2. LSA Execs will likely have more success with getting hybrid sessions and prepared questions allowed if a larger group advocates for them as well
  5. Recruitment for 2026-27 Governance positions
    1. April is stepping down as committee chair of the Talent Development Committee
    2. LSA will need a chair-elect and members-at-large
      1. LSA did receive a shared-governance budget for next fiscal year for events and such
    3. Budget Committee Approved to be added LSA, in process of being added
  6. Student assistant hourly rates
    1. There has been confusion over pay-rate levels, when raises can be requested, who gets which informational emails, etc. 
      1. Mike will do audit university-wide to see what students make in other departments
  7. TD updates
    1. Share-outs – April 29th in Watson 455. Hybrid format
      1. Likely last one for this academic year
    2. Syd and Rebecca working on bus tour – UMKC, then Union Station - Berlin Wall exhibit 
      1. Transportation will be passenger vans (~24 people) instead of school bus. People are welcome to use their own vehicles as well
      2. Attendance for tour capped at 30
      3. Booked for June 2nd
    3. Staff professional Development conference - April 8th after the Wellness Fair
    4. Campus Response Training – Tomorrow at ECM at 6 p.m.
  8. New Business
    1. Chancellor’s recent message – question on how living wage threshold was calculated, especially in light of how inflation rates have outpaced raise percentages
      1. Senate reps may have information

Syd closed by saying she and Rebecca are open to hearing additional initiatives or concerns that people want LSA to move forward with.