To: Roman Ruegg PSRC Chair
Date: 18th. February, 2004
From: John Drozdoff PSRC Secretary
Present were: R. Ruegg, A. Hurst, A. Trudel, L. DeCaire, C. Ballard, J. Drozdoff, J. Orzechowski, R. Moore.
Absent: S. Austen.
The meeting followed the agenda previously distributed by R. Ruegg.
Privacy issues were discussed, specifically the posting of PSRC members' photos on the internal PSRC web pages. The pages in question were supposed to be 'secure' but it was quite clear that they were not. Although the photos may not be required they were certainly good in terms of PSRC public relations and there was a general consensus that all members would probably agree to have their photos posted if the pages were indeed secure.
Andy Hurst made the following motion:
That PSRC members' photos be temporarily removed from the PSRC web pages until the related security issues were resolved.
R. Moore seconded the motion and agreed to investigate these issues through the appropriate channels and to report back to the PSRC.
There was considerable discussion about how the composition of the PSRC might be revised and what effect a revision might have on the PSRC election process and the current Constitution. It was agreed that a better flow of people through various PSRC positions would be beneficial, however it was also generally acknowledged that the position of PSRC Chair was particularly unique with certain responsibilities requiring confidentiality.
The main point of discussion was whether it was best to vote for four specific positions (ie. Chair, Vice-chair, Secretary, Members-at-Large) or to elect a Chair only on one part of a ballot and all the remaining positions all together on another part of a ballot, the idea being that the job-specific positions could be assigned to those individuals who had been elected at a later date.
The problem with the current election process was that five good candidates would run for one position but naturally only one could win. The result would be that four good people --- all eager to contribute their time and energy --- would be unable serve on the PSRC until the next election was held.
The role and term of the Ex-officio was also discussed. The ex-officio currently has voting privileges, but the PSRC composition could be changed so that the Chair has tie-breaking privileges and the ex-offico's sole role would be to provide continuity for a fixed term of two years.
The idea of limiting the length of time the Chair might serve to two consecutive two-year terms was also given consideration.
A. Hurst, C. Ballard, A. Trudel, and R. Ruegg agreed to develop a presentation that could be delivered to the PSRC membership, listing proposed changes and the reasons they were being considered. This would allow the membership to make an informed vote on the required Constitutional changes at some later meeting.
R. Moore asked if other committee members would support the idea of some kind of site wide poll to determine the staff's level of job satisfaction. Such a poll would have to be anonymous. Several members felt that one must be very careful both in drafting questions and in interpreting responses. Any such poll should only be drafted and delivered by professionals. It was decided that R. Ruegg could present the idea to the Human Resources department for consideration.
R. Moore also asked that the PSRC investigate what TRIUMF benefits were given those who retired. He cited web access and library cards as examples. R. Moore and J. Orzechowski agreed to investigate the matter and to provide a report.