Minutes - Approved May 13, 2002
ACADEMIC STAFF ASSEMBLY
Monday, April 8, 2002
272 Bascom Hall (3:30-5:15)
A. ASEC Chair Linda Newman CALLED THE MEETING TO ORDER AT 3:35 P.M.
B. AUTOMATIC CONSENT BUSINESS
The minutes of the 3/11/2002 Academic Staff Assembly meeting were approved
as presented.
C. ANNOUNCEMENTS
Thanks to Gail Snowden and Dan Ross for bringing the treats to benefit
the Endowment Fund. Last month, we raised $100. Next month is the "white
elephant" sale, so please bring your items to the secretary's office
(270 Bascom) before the May Assembly meeting.
C. COMMITTEES AND REPORTS
1. Academic Staff Executive Committee (ASEC) ANNOUNCEMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
- Linda Newman, Chair)
ASEC met on March 21 with liaisons from the Committees on Academic Staff
Issues (CASI). It was a very productive meeting, with 11 CASIs represented,
including the newest ones (Grad School and Administration). Some of the
key issues for the academic staff in schools and colleges are college-level
awards, criteria for professorial titles, and professional leave.
The notes from the instructional and research staff focus groups are being compiled. Once the participants have had a chance to review them, the material will be made public.
ASEC worked on wording changes for Chapters 13 and 14 that related to percentage of appointment requirements for elected committees. They also discussed a possible resolution on diversity support to bring to a future Assembly meeting.
ASEC invited Patricia Brady, UW System legal counsel, to a March meeting to learn about the legal basis for academic staff and about how the statutes might be interpreted in various instances.
Jane Bannerman: The academic staff Town Meetings will be held twice this spring, with Medical School ombuds, Rosa Garner, facilitating. They will be at the Red Gym on April 30 from 4-5 pm and at Union South on May 1, at noon. Staff should bring their workplace issues to discuss, particularly those relating to civility and respect.
Greg Iaccarino: The Academic Staff Institute, to which all Assembly reps and alternates were invited, will take place on Wednesday, April 17 at the Memorial Union. The deadline for registration is April 10. The fee is $10.
Virginia Waddick: The Labor Licensing Policies Committee was established to respond to issues related to the UW's commitment to avoid purchasing licensed apparel made in sweatshop conditions. A forum was planned last fall and again in March to hear from both the Fair Labor Association and the Workers Rights Consortium, but the FLA representative was not able to attend either one. They will attempt another meeting in April.
2. Compensation and Economic Benefits Committee (CEBC) - Ron Carda, Chair
http://cebc.engr.wisc.edu/
3. Districting and Representation Committee (DRC) - Mary Ray, Chair
http://drc.academic-staff.wisc.edu
Statistics from Mark Werner:
Sample of how many academic staff come and go in one semester (fall 2001
= 501; fall 2000 = 543)
Teaching titles and faculty assistants most prevalent in this category.
Teaching titles: 490 (2000); 442 (2001)
Scientists: 9 (2000); 10 (2001)
Researchers: 2 (2000); 4 (2001)
Research Specialists: 42 (2000); 45 (2001)
4. Nominating Committee (NC) - Karen Carlson, Chair
http://wiscinfo.doit.wisc.edu/acstaff/comopp/nc.html
5. Personnel Policies and Procedures Committee (PPPC) - Ann Wallace,
Chair
http://wiscinfo.doit.wisc.edu/acstaff/comopp/pppc/
6. Professional Development and Recognition Committee (PDRC) - Belinda
Velazquez, Co-chair
http://wiscinfo.doit.wisc.edu/acstaff/pdrc/index.html
Barry Robinson and Ann Wallace presented a brown bag called "Who's
Who in Administration" that was well received.
The competition for Executive Education Grants has a deadline of May 11. The announcement was sent by email and is also printed in Wisconsin Week.
Excellence Awards will be presented by the chancellor on April 16 at Olin House. Award winners will be honored at the May Assembly meeting.
7. Legislative Update - Esther Olson
Esther provided the web site for information on the budget repair bill.
A conference committee of legislative leaders will be appointed to discuss
the various budget proposals and reach some compromise. ASPRO will decide
on a strategy once the committee members have been appointed.
http://www.legis.state.wi.us/lfb/2001-03BudgetAdjustment/Assembly&Senate.pdf
GUESTS:
Janice Czyscon, College of Engineering Committee on Academic Staff Issues
Janice provided a handout that detailed the CASI membership and their activities since November 2000. The CASI hosted two Town Meetings for COE academic staff. They formed subcommittees to work on New Employee Orientation, Research and Instructional Professorial Titles, and Professional Development. Statistical information in the handout shows that there are 392 academic staff in the College - approx. double the number of faculty.
The CASI web site is www.engr.wisc.edu/staff/casi
Dan Wallace, Campus Natural Areas Committee academic staff appointee
Dan provided the mission statement for the committee and outlined the
various "constituencies," including the UW employees, Eagle
Heights community, Shorewood Hills, bikers, joggers, and birdwatchers,
all who have an interest in how the natural areas are managed and maintained.
Critical issues ahead for the committee are proliferation of exotic species,
erosion of the shorelines and slopes, multiple land use requests, and
lack of funding. The committee is in the process of producing a new area
brochure, a relevant web site, and a Master Plan process. They also need
to do fundraising and catalog archeological and historical entities.
The website addresses are: www.ies.wisc.edu/cna
Friends of the Campus Natural Areas: www.uwalumni.com/fcna
Dennis Dorn, Chair, Campus Transportation Committee
Dennis spoke to the new campus parking and transportation plan that the
chancellor is about to approve. Our campus has the lowest number of parking
spaces per employee in the Big Ten, and next year will lose 1,000 spaces
to construction projects on campus.
Because of the high demand, the new proposal will eliminate free permit parking for emeritus staff, increase rates for permits, make more lots available for open parking starting at 4:30, and provide free Metro bus passes.
OTHER BUSINESS
A. OLD BUSINESS
Academic Staff Policies and Procedures, Chapters 13 and 14
ASEC and the Personnel Policies and Procedure Committee developed language
to include in ASPP chapters 13 and 14 that would require elected standing
committee members to have at least 33% appointments and ASEC members to
have at least 50% appointments in order to serve on those committees.
(Of the over 6,000 academic staff at UW-Madison, currently only 600 have
less than a 50% appointment and 342 have less than 33%.)
Karen Schwarz explained the proposed language changes. Lively discussion ensued, with arguments for and against. No vote could be taken for lack of a quorum, so further debate will carry over to the next meeting.
B. NEW BUSINESS
Peer-to-peer networking
Nellie Laughlin announced that a networking group of scientists and researchers
would meet on April 23 in Memorial Union. An email with the specifics
will go out to all academic staff in that group.
Meeting adjourned at 5:15 p.m.
Submitted by Colleen McCabe
Secretary of the Academic Staff