Ask Staff Council

Voice your concerns, suggestions, issues you want Staff Council to investigate, problems in your office, ideas for programs or events, desires for training, etc. We encourage you to also bring this information to your supervisor.

Please type your feedback in the space below and then click "Send" to send it to the Staff Council. We will address it in our next meeting. All submissions are confidential, and only seen by members of Staff Council. All identifying information is removed when answers are posted below. We request your information so that we may contact you directly to ask follow up questions, or answer your question directly. If you choose to submit a question anonymously, we will do our best to provide a response based on the information provided in your question. All written responses to questions will be posted here, whether or not the question was submitted anonymously. See answers to recent questions. For questions answered at In the Loop, you may see the recordings here


Answers from Cabinet to Recent Questions

Answers from Cabinet members to recent questions will be posted here as they become available.

3/12/24

Q: Why did a Project 2024 email come out about the college's compensation philosophy when there is a Staff Compensation Committee currently seeking feedback on compensation? Should feedback from this survey not have been done first to inform the college's philosophy on compensation? Are these unrelated groups/work?

A: The work on the compensation philosophy was done in partnership with Project 24, Staff Compensation Committee and Human Resources. Thecla Shubert and Chad Schonewill of the Staff Compensation committee were members of the action team and brought the perspective of that team to the work. The philosophy reflects feedback from listening sessions with Project 24, the staff compensation committee, and open forums with Human Resources.

3/11/24

Q: Given that families are constructed in different ways, and some staff and faculty parent nieces and nephews, why do only some cc employees have access to tuition remission - a benefit worth $100,000+? At the same time why is there not a comparable benefit for those who do not have children? Are there equitable benefits?

A: Our tuition remission benefit contributes to our value of supporting education and development and helps to retain our long-tenured staff. Diverse family structures are recognized by providing Tuition Remission for “dependents” (not just children) of CC employees. In the example listed in the question, if you are the legal guardian of your niece or nephew, and claim them on your tax returns as dependents, then they would be eligible for tuition remission.

As for comparable benefits for others at CC, you are correct that the tuition remission is one of the more generous benefits we offer. There are other benefits for that may be taken by people in different life situations. You can use Tuition Assistance for your own education, for example. Our leave benefits also protect people that have long term care issues for themselves or family members. We try to have meaningful benefits that will help people with various needs.

2/21/24

Q: Why has there been no campus acknowledgement or support for UCCS? It is disheartening that there has been no messaging of support from anyone in leadership following this tragedy. UCCS is more than another higher education institution in Springs. UCCS is our neighbor, they are our colleagues, they are our friends.

A: Immediately upon the news break the morning of the incidents at UCCS, President Richardson reached out to Chancellor Sobanet to offer condolences and support. Throughout that day and the next, CC worked closely with UCCS staff to organize hosting UCCS classes and events here at Colorado College during their campus lockdown. Other members of college leadership similarly reached out to their counterparts at UCCS, offering support while respecting the boundaries of an open investigation.

2/19/24

Q: Are there any plans to improve the informal diagonal path from the central Cascade crosswalk toward Palmer Hall? It's now so well trodden that it's often muddy, and it's unlikely that we will get our community to stop using it.

A: That is a scheduled summer project – the path will look the same as the other path that cuts from Palmer to Armstrong, and the work is scheduled to take place right after commencement.

2/7/24

Q: We are all concerned that Song leaving means we are no longer going to move forward with corrections being made to wages. There are also rumors that people are leaving because they are not being paid competitive/fair wages. Some of us are holding off on applying for jobs to see what happens at the end of this fiscal year with pay. I feel it saves money to keep the good employees you have than to hire new ones.

A: While we have been fortunate to have Song as a supporter of our efforts to enhance compensation, many stakeholders have been involved in these efforts and will carry the work forward. Representatives of Project 24 and the Compensation Committee have been meeting with the Vice President of People and Workplace Culture, Ryan Simmons, to update our compensation philosophy and highlight both our commitment to competitive pay and the living wage. These discussions have also occurred with the budget committee of the Board, as well as the whole board so that we can get sustained institutional support for these efforts. The work to redesign our compensation approach will continue because it is critical for us to fulfill our mission and because it’s the right thing to do.

1/31/24

Q: The "Tavachi" placard in front of Shove Chapel looks absolutely awful. It's terribly sun-damaged and although it's meant to honor the Ute people, in a way, its current condition actually seems disrespectful. Could it please be replaced (and/or any others that are similarly weathered)? Thank you.

A: Thank you for bringing this to our attention, we are formalizing a plan to address this placard and any others on campus in need of renewal.

Report an issue - Last updated: 04/11/2024