The Board of Trustees will vote on a temporary emergency paid sick leave policy during its meeting Friday at 1 p.m.

The policy follows the federal Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act that provided two weeks of paid sick leave for qualified employees with COVID-19 symptoms that are required to isolate or are advised by a health care provider to quarantine because of close contact with an infected individual.

Eastern created the Temporary COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave Policy in support of the act. Eastern’s plans provides some of the same benefits provided in the act, focusing mostly symptomatic individuals who are advised to quarantine or those who were informed by a health care provider that they should quarantine due to close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.

Employees who qualify for the policy are employees who have completed 30 days of employment and have not exhausted any of the two week paid benefit that they may have received under the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act.

Employees of the Student Health Clinic are excluded from eligibility under this policy.

According to the agenda, current work schedule and status define the benefit payable under the policy.

The time must be taken in whole day and cannot be taken intermittently.

The policy will be ineffective on June 30 and if the board approves it they will do so retroactively to Jan. 1.

It has been recommended that the board approve the policy.

The board will also vote on a proposed modification to the Faculty Senate Constitution.

Currently the senate’s constitution states faculty members but be in their fourth semester at the university to be eligible to run for elected university committee positions.

The senate is proposing to remove that eligibility criteria from its constitution.

The rationale for the change is:

· There are fewer total faculty numbers

· The organization of colleges creating three smaller and one larger college

· It would allow for new employees who may have similar experiences at other institutions to run sooner

· It creates more equitable access to university service that can be valuable to non-tenured faculty member’s evaluation profile

· Allowing newer faculty members to serve may give the senate a greater opportunity to review existing policies and processes that may need improvement from a new perspective

It is recommended the board approve the change.

The board will read a proposed revision to Board Regulation IV.J.2.b for a second time and vote on the proposed revision.

The current section currently says:

“State appropriations may be used to support the intercollegiate athletics program, but no more than one and a half percent (1.5%) of the University’s annual state appropriation may be expended for intercollegiate athletics unless approved by the Board.”

The change would remove “but no more than one and a half percent (1.5%) of the University’s annual state appropriation may be expended for intercollegiate athletics unless approved by the Board.”

It is recommended the board approve the revision.

The board will also vote on a contract renewal and successor agreement for Operating Engineers, Local 399.

An agreement was made through mediation with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service Nov. 4, ratified on Nov. 10 and is effective Aug 1., 2020 to July 31, 2021.

The contract will see no changes except for wages and compensatory time.

There are currently seven employees in the bargaining unit and the unit will receive a one percent raise across the board and one-time sign on bonus of $250 will be given to each member.

The estimated cost of the increases is $6,992.

The board will also vote on the purchase of remote Communication Access Real-time Translation and Video Remote Interpreting services.

CART is a computer aided transportation service and VRI is a video communication service that uses devices to provide sign language or spoken language interpreting services.

The recommended vendor for the services is Alternative Communication Services, LLC. The company’s bid is $98/hr. for CART services and $85/hr. for VRI services.

If approved the university will enter into a contract with the company from July 1 to June 30, 2023 with the opportunity to renew the contract for two additional three year periods.

The other vendors included Natural Languages, LLC ($294.74/hr., $104.40) and Visual Language Professionals, LCC who did not have a technical score high enough to open pricing.

Vancro, Inc. and Purple Communications, Inc. did not meet administrative compliance.

The fund source for the picture is appropriated funds and the rationale for the purchase is the university’s requirement to provide accommodations to hearing impaired students on campus.

University President David Glassman’s report will include a theatre arts presentation. Following his report, reports will be given on the Faculty Senate and Student Senate.

Corryn Brock can be reached at 581-2812 or at [email protected].