Provost Sarah Mangelsdorf called the meeting to order at 3:36 p.m.  

Automatic Consent: The Academic Staff Assembly minutes of Monday, November 12, 2018, were approved. 

Patrick Sheehan shared information regarding changes to the Recruitment, Assessment and Selection policy and Personnel files policy due to a directive from the Board of Regents this past summer.

In regards to the personnel file, findings of sexual harassment and sexual violence must be included in the file and cannot be removed. If an employee leaves during an ongoing investigation, the investigation will be concluded.  In the meantime, a notice regarding the investigation will be put in the employee’s personnel file. The personnel file will be shared upon hire with UW System institutions and the State. 

There are also revisions to the Recruitment, Assessment and Selection (RAS) Policy. When asked for a reference the employee must disclose whether they have been involved in sexual harassment or sexual violence allegations or if they have left the position when allegations against them were under investigation. It also outlines that the University must conduct reference checks and during these reference checks must ask about sexual harassment and sexual violence allegations against the employee.

Policies will be implemented on January 1. 

Kevin Niemi provided the ASEC report.  A written report was distributed at the door. He reminded the Assembly that the Benefits Survey must be completed by the end on the week. He also noted that the Excellence Award Nominations are due January 11 and the Board of Regents Excellence Award Nominations are due February 8. ASEC discussed the salary adjustments data that were presented at the last Assembly with Laurent Heller. The process to receive DCF and bonus funds is not always transparent to academic staff. ASEC continues to press the administration to improve communication about the process. ASEC also met with Michael Bernard-Donals to discuss a group that could think what a Target of Opportunity program would look like to increase staff diversity. 

Jenny Dahlberg provided the report for ASPRO. ASPRO works across the UW System. Mallory Musolf, Kevin Niemi and Jenny all serve on the board. They are working to increase ASPRO membership. Membership fees go toward hiring a lobbyist to represent the academic staff at the state capitol. Not all members of the Joint Finance Committee, which is the budget-writing committee, have been appointed. Two new members of the Board of Regents were approved by the State Senate. Scott Beightol will fill the seat of Brian Steil, who resigned to serve in the US House of Representatives, and Torrey Tiedeman, who is at UW-Madison and will fill the non-traditional student seat. The Board of Regents at their meeting approved a 3% and 3% pay plan request for the next biennium.  The request still needs to go through several legislative committees, and any employee pay plan will not be acted upon until near the end of the budget process. 

Ian Benton of the Districting and Representation Committee delivered the committee’s annual report. The DRC has been monitoring the new rules for districting to make sure that they are all functioning correctly. They also have been taking inventory on what the committee’s next steps should be. They have been working on the Title and Total Compensation project and discussing how that will affect their work. Lastly, they have been preparing for the retirement of Gene Masters. 

Pam Garcia-Rivera and Dorothea Salo gave the Personnel Policies and Procedures Committee (PPPC) annual report. They have been working on creating a new chapter in ASPP, Chapter 16, that incorporates Title IX requirements into current academic staff policies. They decided to create a new chapter because the new procedure is very different from the current policies. Academic Staff is the first governance group to address how to handle Title IX and current policies. In addition, a member of PPPC served on a committee that looked at differences between UW-Madison and UW-Extension policies, and the committee has also been completing a rolling review of ASPP as a whole. They have also been thinking about any changes that would need to be made as a result of the Title and Total Compensation Project.

Jim Lacy from the Professional Development and Recognition Committee gave the annual report. Last year 59 of the 112 applications for Professional Development Grants were awarded. The average award was $962 for the fall and $1170 for the spring. Funds are primarily for conference travel, but are available for almost any professional development opportunity. Last year, 44 course grants for DCS and 5 for Executive Education were awarded. There are 9 campus-wide awards. This year’s application deadline for this year’s awards is January 11. 

Lindsey Stoddard Cameron (ASEC) moved that the Academic Staff Assembly approve the resolution. Seconded. Motion approved.

The Assembly voted to appoint Tim Dalby to the Academic Staff Executive Committee. He will serve through June 30, 2019. The seat will be up for election in the spring.

The Assembly voted to cancel the January Assembly Meeting.