CASI Guidance and Best Practices
Committees on Academic Staff Issues (CASI) guidance and best practices for CASI leaders and members.
What is a CASI?
CASIs were formed as part of legislation passed by the Academic Staff Assembly in 1998 to advise the Dean or Director in a unit on issues pertaining to, or affecting, academic staff members. A CASI should have bylaws and complete a review every five years. Learn more here.
How often should we meet?
Most CASIs meet once per month. Some meet year-round, others meet only during the semester.
Do we need an agenda?
CASIs should finalize agendas for their meetings at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting to be consistent with Wisconsin Open Meetings Law. Notice of the meeting should be posted here. Agendas should include topics of interest, the time those topics will be discussed, and any guests that the group will be meeting with to discuss agenda items. Typical items that are on a CASI agenda include: call to order, approval of the minutes of the previous meeting, Dean/Director update and feedback, HR update and feedback, discussion/updates on events and initiatives, future agenda items, and adjournment.
Do we need to take notes?
CASIs should assign someone to take the minutes of the meeting. Minutes are not a verbatim record of the meeting. Minutes include a list of who attended the meeting, the times the meeting was called to order and adjourned, and any actions that were taken at the meeting. If you want to capture discussion held at the meeting, you can provide a summary of main points instead of a verbatim account. Minutes are approved at the next meeting of the CASI. You do not need a motion to approve minutes. You can approve them by automatic consent, i.e., by asking if anyone has any additions or corrections. If not, the minutes are approved as distributed.
Do we need to hold elections?
Holding elections is a best practice and a good way to recruit new members. Elections should be held on an annual basis, with members having staggered terms. If you would like help running elections for your CASI, please contact the Secretary of the Academic Staff at soas@soas.wisc.edu.
What issues do CASIs raise?
The key role of a CASI is to engage with the Dean or Director and Academic Staff in your unit. How you do this will depend on your unit. It is important that CASI members do not use the meeting to raise personal grievances. This will diminish your relationship and usefulness with leadership. Instead, find a way to poll academic staff by publicizing the CASI, providing a channel for Academic Staff to raise issues, sharing agendas and approved minutes, and holding yearly elections. Examples include but are not limited to:
- Surfacing issues faced by employees from marginalized communities.
- Improving onboarding processes.
- Developing ideas for events.
- Surfacing issues with broader campus change projects.
- Engaging with staff on challenges faced by the institution.
- Generating ideas to improve job satisfaction and morale.
- Identifying professional development opportunities.
Do university staff have CASIs?
University staff governance currently lacks a similar structure. Some CASIs have invited university staff to join them as members. This is up to individual CASIs. Please note that university staff participation on CASIs is not considered official representation of university staff governance at the campus level.