Academic Staff Assembly (ASA) Minutes

Minutes

ACADEMIC STAFF ASSEMBLY
Monday, December 13, 1999
272 Bascom Hall (3:30 - 4:30 p.m.)

1. ASEC Chair, Barry Robinson, called the meeting to order at 3:35. A quorum was present (55 members).
   
   

2. MEMORIAL RESOLUTIONS
   
   

   1. Brenda Pfaehler, School of Business, abstract read by Judith Cary
      
      

   2. Judith Cochran, History Department, abstract read by Linda Newman
      
      ( full text available from the Secretary's office)
      

   
   

3. AUTOMATIC CONSENT BUSINESS
   
   

   1. Barry noted a correction to the draft of the November 8, 1999 minutes. Under ASEC Activities, number 7, " . . . Athletic Relations" should be changed to " . . . Athletic Board Relationships." The minutes of the November 8, 1999 Academic Staff Assembly meeting were approved as corrected.
      
      

   2. Esther Olson moved an amendment to the October 11, 1999 minutes. Under Legislative Update, it should read "Bill 500 would PROHIBIT benefits to domestic partners . . .." The motion was seconded and carried.
      

   
   

4. ASEC ACTIVITIES - Barry Robinson
   
   Activities/Actions since 11/8/99
   
   

   1. ASEC agreed to co-sponsor a town meeting (held twice) next year in cooperation with the Madison Academic Staff Association (MASA). These meetings will allow all academic staff to discuss the recommendation of the Ad Hoc Committee on Workplace Issues that we need more and better ways to communicate.
      
      

   2. The Committees on Academic Staff Issues (CASIs) are starting up in many of the schools, colleges, and divisions. If you don't know of one in your unit, let ASEC or the Secretary know.
      
      

   3. ASEC met with Maury Cotter and John Elliott from the Quality Improvement Office. They went over the rollout of the new Accelerated Improvement process.
      
      

   4. Representatives will be getting updated email lists of their districts this week.
      

   
   

5. COMMITTEES AND REPORTS
   
   

   1. Compensation and Economic Benefits Committee - Walt Hopkins, Chair (No report)
      
      

   2. Personnel Policies and Procedures Committee - Ann Wallace, Chair (No report)
      
      

   3. Nominating Committee - Karen Carlson, Chair
      
      Char Tortorice presented the initial ASEC slate of six candidates. Additional nominations will be accepted through December 23. Candidates will be asked to submit a short statement for distribution prior to the election in February.
      
      Candidates are: Jean Buehlman, David Drummond, Greg Iaccarino, Nellie Laughlin, Jim Steele, Dan Sykes
      
      

   4. Professional Development and Recognition Committee - Greg Iaccarino, Chair
      
      

      1. The Committee received 73 applications for professional development grants - a new record high.
         
         

      2. MASA has agreed to provide funds for the award winners' statues for the next three years - a donation of $3,000. This will relieve the Academic Staff Endowment Fund of this funding responsibility.
         
         

      3. The deadline for the UW System service awards and academic staff excellence awards is January 28. Deadline for packets for the System Underkofler teaching award is March 1. Look for other details at the PDRC web site: www.bact.wisc.edu/pdrc.html.
         
         

      4. A mentoring brown bag will be held this Thursday noon, December 16, at Union South. Come and learn about the program.
         

      
      

   5. Districting and Representation Committee - Mary Ray, Chair
      
      Mary distributed a summary sheet of the district changes made by the committee. They propose to add five districts (mostly in the 400 series) and eliminate one. More information will be forthcoming along with a formal proposal.
      
      

   6. Legislative Update - Esther Olson
      
      

      1. ASPRO is watching the two domestic partner benefits bills, AB608 and 609. The bills are still in committee. The CEBC is putting together a position paper, so contact the committee if you have any comments or suggestions.
         
         

      2. The pension bill will be signed soon, but implementation will be delayed by various legal and administrative details.
         
         

      3. The bill to allow seniors (Wisconsin residents over 60) to audit courses for free may meet with some resistance from the campus and others since there are administrative costs associated with participation.
         
         

      4. ASPRO will send out a survey to all academic staff in the spring semester. Please respond when you receive it.
         
         

      5. In regard to the pay plan, it is still with the Department of Employment Relations (DER), so the earliest we will see the retroactive pay is April.
         

OTHER BUSINESS

1. NEW BUSINESS
   
   Bill Steffenhagen moved the following: "Be it resolved, the Academic Staff Assembly authorizes ASEC to develop two new academic staff titles:
   
   Assistant, Associate, no prefix, and Distinguished Professor (IAS) and
   Assistant, Associate, no prefix, and Distinguished Professor (RAS)."
   IAS = Instructional Academic Staff
   RAS = Research Academic Staff
   
   Seconded. Before the discussion, Barry clarified that ASEC is making no recommendation. The decision to go forward will be up to a vote of the Assembly.
   
   Bill spoke in favor of the resolution and referred to the handout, which outlined some of the relevant issues to be considered. He then gave some background how this new title series came to the forefront. The primary push came from the System-wide forum held in Madison in 1999 to discuss instructional academic staff issues. One of the recommendations coming out of the forum was to create a new title series that was more in keeping with our peer institutions. The thinking was that using a professor title would add credibility to student recommendations and grant proposals, and elevate the status of academic staff holding those titles in the departments. While the research side is not a System-wide issue, researchers here felt that many of the same arguments would apply for a professor title series on their side.
   
   Linda Newman then spoke against the resolution by saying that it important to make a clear distinction between the unique and key roles academic staff play at this institution and the roles of the faculty. By adopting titles that have been traditionally associated with faculty, we muddy the waters. Will the public, the legislature, and others understand these instructors and academic staff with professor titles to be faculty?
   
   Open discussion:
   
   Various representatives and other interested academic staff spoke to the pros and cons of the issue with current instructors and researchers feeling strongly that these professor titles are necessary. Various other staff spoke against the resolution voicing concerns about the divisiveness of having yet another difference in category A and B staff.
   
   After a lengthy and animated discussion, with a plea from Dan Sykes for greater staff participation in governance, a motion was made to postpone a vote on the resolution until February. This would give representatives a chance to get more information and pass it on to their district members for reaction. Seconded.
   
   Judy Manning made a friendly amendment to the motion to require a verbatim transcript of the Assembly meeting. She withdrew the motion when Bill Steffenhagen offered that a fact sheet would be prepared and distributed based addressing the questions brought up at today's discussion.
   

Motion passed.


Adjournment at 4:30 p.m.
Submitted by Colleen McCabe
Secretary of the Academic Staff

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