Suggestion: 1008

Subject: Alumni Relations and Development Specialist

Forwarded to: University Advancement

The old alumni site was replaced and uhvconnect.org was labeled as being its replacement. However, it seems that it is opened to current students/non-alumni, and now there seems to be another effort to create an alumni association. I think it would have made more sense to limit the uhvconnect site to alumni and you would have had the perfect set up for starting an alumni association.

On another note, I think what is happening with the mascot and athletic program is incredible. It is a wonderful idea, and I hope the programs grow and prosper. I say this having graduated UHV and attended another school 10 times bigger. The changes and advances UHV is making in creating an image and making current and former (and future) students proud of their school are worlds beyond what some of the bigger schools (especially mine) are doing. Keep it up!

Response: UHVconnect is open to current students and alumni only because of the need raised in focus groups regarding an online community at the university. A partnership between Student Services, Career Services and Alumni Relations has been a perfect fit because it has allowed students to become active in the online community before they graduate and become alumni.

With the success of UHVconnect among alumni, the idea to create an alumni association has come up. We are still researching this idea. UHVconnect has given us the perfect opportunity to reach out to current students and alumni to find out what they really want out of an alumni association.

Thank you for the positive comments on the athletic program. It has created quite a buzz and everyone is looking forward to the season!

Suggestion: 1009

Subject: PeopleSoft Student

Forwarded to: Bursar

People soft asks for redundant information, like my PS # and password, address EACH time i make a payment, the address section has THREE lines that MUST be filled with info. please make the process less redundant and more concise.

Response: Students must reenter their pin number, not an address, when accepting the installment plan, or institutional loan. The purpose of this action signifies an electronic signature. When making a credit card payment students are prompted to reenter their pin #. Students are required to re-enter their pin # to verify an intention to make a credit card payment. This feature was added several semesters ago and is not unique to PeopleSoft. Students would enter credit card information, hit the submit payment button, and then call us saying they did not realize a credit card transaction would be processed after hitting the submit button. Students perform address changes using campus community functionality not student financials. However, yes, there are various address options for students. The Bursar Office uses the mailing address all student correspondence.

Suggestion: 1010

Subject: Day Classes

Forwarded to: Provost

It would be great if UHV had a selection of day classes.

Response: Thank you for this suggestion. I will ask the Deans to re-examine course offerings. In recent semesters enrollment in night and online classes significantly exceeded enrollment in day classes.

Suggestion: 1011

Subject: Travel Request Form

Forwarded to: Travel Coordinator

Travel Request Form - please spend a little time editing this form by protecting fields that should be "fixed" so that a person can tab directly to fields that have to be filled in. Currently, the form is a wild card in that field titles that should be fixed can be changed and tabbing will take you off the entire page instead of to the next required field. As it is now, it's a rather unprofessional and shoddy document.

Suggestion: 1012

Subject: Equity Among Staff Positions

Forwarded to: Human Resources Director

Please pay closer attention to new positions and how they impact our pay plan, especially with regard to title and grade level. Lately many new staff positions have created internal equity problems not to mention morale problems with current staff who have been with the university for a long period of time and have been very productive. HR needs to do a better job "protecting the pay plan" and supporting current employees.

Response: New positions are reviewed for internal equity during the classification review process. The relation of a new position’s duties and responsibilities are compared to those of other positions at the university, and this relationship is considered when classifying a new position. A review of salary survey data is also conducted to determine the relationship of the new position to the external market. Additionally, the position is reviewed for exemption to the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

The process for review of new positions is the same as the reclassification review process for existing positions. A Job Analysis Questionnaire (JAQ) is reviewed by the university’s Compensation Consultant who recommends a classification, which consists of a title and pay grade. The new position and classification are reviewed and approved by the Budget Committee.

The goal of the university’s staff compensation plan is to provide a tool to attract, employ, and retain a qualified workforce. The review process is designed to be thorough and objective to maintain internal equity, taking into consideration external competitiveness. However, classifications are judgment decisions approved by management that may not always appear to be equitable. If there is a particular position that you consider to have caused significant internal inequity, you may wish to notify us so that we may clarify the basis for the position’s classification.