Academic Staff Assembly (ASA)
Minutes
Minutes - Approved 11-11-02
ACADEMIC STAFF ASSEMBLY
Monday, October 14, 2002
272 Bascom Hall (3:30-5:00)
A. PROVOST PETER SPEAR CALLED THE MEETING TO ORDER AT 3:30 P.M.
B. AUTOMATIC CONSENT BUSINESS
The minutes of the 9/9/2002 Academic Staff Assembly meeting were approved
as amended.
C. Guest speaker: Janet Swandby, ASPRO lobbyist
Janet and her associate represent academic staff throughout the System
in relations with the state legislature. She has been a salaried lobbyist
paid by ASPRO dues since 1995. The Academic Staff Professional Representation
Organization (ASPRO) was established by ASEC and the Assembly in 1995
in response to an attempt to separate the faculty and academic staff pay
plans. Successful lobbying then and twice since have kept the pay plan
from being decoupled. This issue could be raised again with the current
budget crisis.
One of the roles of the lobbyist, as Janet explained it, is to inform legislators about the unique and varied roles academic staff play here and at other campuses. Legislators understand faculty and classified positions, but have less knowledge about "professional" staff. Janet and her associate meet with new legislators in their home districts to describe how valuable academic staff are to the mission of the System and the state.
Janet speaks routinely on behalf of academic staff to legislators on the Education Committee, Retirement Committee, and Joint Finance Committee. She is always looking for academic staff members to accompany her on these visits to help make the case for the importance of academic staff contributions.
As the state faces its largest ever deficit, campuses will be faced with making cuts in programs. It is more important than ever to be part of the process, so all of us should join ASPRO and be involved. When asked about the gubernatorial race, Janet said that it will be a close race, so please VOTE!
D. Committee Reports
Linda Newman, ASEC Chair
Janet Swandby will talk more about the academic staff lobbyist role at
a brown bag talk at Union South on Tuesday, October 29 at noon. All academic
staff are invited to attend.
There will be a new Excellence Award this year called the Ann Wallace Career Achievement Award thanks to the generosity of Ann. Details will be spelled out with the call for nominations later this year.
Town Meetings will be held tomorrow (Oct. 15) at noon in Union South and Wed. (Oct. 16) at 4:00 in the Red Gym. The format will be the same at both meetings. Please come to one of them and bring a colleague. The topic is campus climate.
The Academic Staff Endowment Fund group has met. There will be a bake sale benefit and full report in December.
System representatives met in September with various System administrators. In particular, David Olien mentioned that academic staff are the most effective political action group for System. Their efforts could be important in the coming budget negotiations.
Linda announced that this past month ASEC had met with members of the
University Committee, Wisconsin State Journal reporter, Karen Rivedal,
and ASM Chair, Bryan Gadow. She also read a list of academic staff appointments
to various committees. Among them, Bill Steffenhagen is the ASEC appointee
to the search and screen committee for the Director of Institute for Environmental
Studies and Greg Iaccarino to the search for a new dean of the School
of Pharmacy.
Professional Development and Recognition Committee (PDRC) - Read Gilgen,
co-chair
Professional Development Grants are due to the department chairs or directors
this week on October 18. Information is on the web at http://www.ohr.wisc.edu/grants/asprofgrtinfo.html.
Spread the word to your district members.
E. BUSINESS
New Business
1. ASPRO Slate (Assembly Document #297)
A motion to confirm the ASPRO slate as presented was seconded and passed.
2. Changes to Academic Staff Policies and Procedures (Assembly Document
#294)
http://wiscinfo.doit.wisc.edu/acstaff/doc/294.htm
Ann Wallace explained that the most significant of the proposed changes by the Personnel Policies and Procedures Committee (Chapter 2.05) is to require that academic staff members be reviewed after five years (rather than seven) to determine whether a multiple-year appointment or rolling horizon is warranted.
The committee's motion to accept the changes was approved.
3. Changes to ASPP - Layoff notice periods (Assembly Document #298)
http://wiscinfo.doit.wisc.edu/acstaff/doc.html
Bill Steffenhagen presented the motion of the Compensation and Economic Benefits Committee to increase the length of fixed term renewable appointment funding loss layoff notice periods to equal the notice periods for layoffs due to budget or program decisions. (This motion was presented with the understanding that a vote would be taken at a later meeting following discussion.) Related documents distributed at the Assembly meeting included key points by ASEC member Karen Schwarz and a letter to the Assembly by three representatives who are also members of the United Faculty and Academic Staff organization.
The lengthy discussion centered around the issues of potential budget impact on research units versus increased protection for individual academic staff whose livelihoods are threatened by a layoff due to factors beyond their control. Statistics gathered by Ann Lamboley of the Academic Personnel Office helped to show the cost to units of layoffs in 2001-2002. (While the number of layoffs has increased already for 2002-2003, the provost stressed that layoffs are not planned to offset the coming budget crisis.) Karen Schwarz used those same figures to show what the real cost might be if the layoff notice periods were extended. However, the amount would not exceed $200,000, a number many argued could and should be absorbed by the campus.
Another concern was that additional layoff notices or just in time notices might be required. This is more work for administrators and can be upsetting to staff who receive them, even though continued funding is likely. On the other hand, are not all academic staff whether on soft money or not entitled to the same notification period?
Two suggestions emerged from the discussion.
1. units might consider planning ahead for sudden changes in budget directions
and have "emergency funds" to carry over valuable staff.
2. department administrators could provide annual notices to those on
soft money identifying the project, the length of the grant, the likelihood
of continuing beyond that period, the name of the PI or PIs, and other
terms of their employment where risk is involved.
The provost was asked about timing of grant funding and possible interest that may accrue. He will make inquiries and report at the next meeting.
Discussion to be continued.
Meeting adjourned at 5:00 p.m.
Submitted by Colleen McCabe
Secretary of the Academic Staff