Topics Map > Academic Staff Assembly > 2016-2017 > 2. October
Academic Staff Assembly Minutes 10-10-16
Approved 11-14-16
Provost Sarah Mangelsdorf called the meeting to order at 3:32 p.m.
Automatic Consent: The Academic Staff Assembly minutes of Monday, September 12, 2016, were approved.
Memorial Roll Call: Provost Sarah Mangelsdorf read the Memorial Roll Call.
Guest: Brian McNurlen, Assistant Director in DoIT Academic Technology, and Elizabeth Harris, Director of Collaborative for Engineering Education and Teaching Effectiveness (CEETE)
Canvas is the new Learning Management System on campus. It will replace Moodle and D2L by summer of 2018. Over 650 credit-based courses are on Canvas this fall. They are currently working with schools and colleges to create a transition support and service model. Schools and colleges will be offered targeted support and training during an assigned semester. General project information is available at https://canvasinfo.wisc.edu.
Guest: Mark Walters, OHR Interim Director
Changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) will go into effect on December 1. The biggest change is the new salary threshold of $47,476. There are approximately 4,000 positions that do not meet this threshold and are currently salaried. There is an academic administrator salary threshold that is lower. For UW-Madison, the threshold is $36,054. All positions under the threshold have been reviewed. Approximately 2,200 positions (more than 1,000 are academic staff) will switch from salaried to hourly on December 1, although they will not switch employee groups. Schools/Colleges/Divisions will be notifying employees who will switch to hourly status soon. There will be forums for these employees at the end of the month. There will also be a forum for supervisors.
Guest: Rebecca Blank, Chancellor
The Chancellor welcomed the 31 new representatives and alternates to the Academic Staff Assembly. She expressed appreciation for all the work that academic staff do. The biennial budget cycle is beginning. Discussion of this issue will begin in earnest following the election with the Governor presenting his budget in January and the Legislature likely acting on it in June. If you were unable to attend the budget forum, a video is available at http://budget.wisc.edu.
There is a three-part campaign that has been launched with outreach to media, the public and state policymakers across the state. The theme is “It’s time to reinvest in the University of Wisconsin.” This campaign will reach all 72 Wisconsin counties, and she will be traveling around the state this fall.
Compensation at the university has fallen behind. UW System is unable to give across the board compensation increases. The conversation about next year’s pay plan will start in December with a proposal from the Board of Regents. UW-Madison has allocated $3.5 million to deans/directors for raises to academic or university staff for merit, retention, market or equity who are supported on 101 funds. There is also a new bonus program this year with $2 million of one-time funds. These will be given to faculty or staff on any type of funding who have performed above and beyond their job description.
Campus climate is the other issue that is being addressed. There were a variety of incidents this past spring. The Academic Staff Assembly called for training/conversations about campus climate last spring. The Provost Office has put together a list of resources to hold campus discussions on climate. The chancellor is asking all units to hold these conversations. It is important that we train students on how to live in a diverse and inclusive society.
Standing Committee and Other Reports
Academic Staff Executive Committee (ASEC) – Kevin Niemi made the following announcements: All university staff, faculty and academic staff are invited to attend the Employee Shared Governance Reception tomorrow from 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm in Varsity Hall, Union South. Chancellor Blank will give brief remarks around 3:15 pm. The Academic Staff Professional Development Grant program is currently accepting proposals. Grant proposals are due on October 21. For more information, go to the acstaff.wisc.edu or contact the Secretary of the Academic Staff office. He also recognized outgoing chairs of standing or ad hoc committees including Heather Mc Fadden, ASEC; Diane Doering, Communications Committee; Jenny Dahlberg, Compensation and Economic Benefits Committee; Brian Deith, Districting and Representation Committee; Kristin Klarkowski, Mentoring Committee; Laura Van Toll, Nominating Committee; Mark Connolly, Ad Hoc Committee on Instructional Titles; Jim Rogers, Ad Hoc Committee on Selection Criteria for Committee Appointments/Nominations by ASEC; Russell Dimond and Carol Van Hulle, Ad Hoc Committee on Titling and Compensation; Tim Markle and Brady Minter, Ad Hoc Committee on Academic Staff Assembly Engagement.
Business
Discussion on Size of Assembly Districts
Ian Benton, co-chair of the Districting and Representation Committee presented information regarding the size of Assembly districts. The 35- to 75- person size in Academic Staff Policies and Procedures (ASPP) was established in 1994 when there were 5,286 academic staff. There are now more than 8,800 academic staff. The DRC recommends changing the number of members that can be in a district rather than simply increasing the number of districts. The original proposal was to simply alter the upper number to 100. ASEC suggested changing the upper number to a percentage of the number of academic staff, in this case 1.2%. A member of the Assembly suggested changing the bottom number to a percentage as well. A straw poll was conducted, and the vast majority favored a percentage to establish both the lower and upper numbers. The DRC will move forward with this proposal. The proposal requires 100 academic staff signatures on a petition followed by a vote of the academic staff as a whole.
Resolution on UW-Madison Institutional Statement on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Jim Rogers (District #499) moved the Academic Staff Assembly endorse the UW-Madison Institutional Statement on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Seconded. Approved.
Provost Report
The Board of Regents passed a resolution proposing to freeze tuition for Fall 2017 and increase tuition by the same percent as the Consumer Price Index for Fall 2018. The Amazon Pick-Up Point will not be in the Red Gym. UW-Madison is currently pursuing other locations for the pick-up point.
Adjourned at 5:01 pm.
Minutes submitted by Heather Daniels, Secretary of the Academic Staff
ACADEMIC STAFF ASSEMBLY MEETING MINUTES
272 Bascom Hall
Monday, October 10, 2016
3:30 to 5:00 p.m.
272 Bascom Hall
Monday, October 10, 2016
3:30 to 5:00 p.m.
Provost Sarah Mangelsdorf called the meeting to order at 3:32 p.m.
Automatic Consent: The Academic Staff Assembly minutes of Monday, September 12, 2016, were approved.
Memorial Roll Call: Provost Sarah Mangelsdorf read the Memorial Roll Call.
Guest: Brian McNurlen, Assistant Director in DoIT Academic Technology, and Elizabeth Harris, Director of Collaborative for Engineering Education and Teaching Effectiveness (CEETE)
Canvas is the new Learning Management System on campus. It will replace Moodle and D2L by summer of 2018. Over 650 credit-based courses are on Canvas this fall. They are currently working with schools and colleges to create a transition support and service model. Schools and colleges will be offered targeted support and training during an assigned semester. General project information is available at https://canvasinfo.wisc.edu.
Guest: Mark Walters, OHR Interim Director
Changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) will go into effect on December 1. The biggest change is the new salary threshold of $47,476. There are approximately 4,000 positions that do not meet this threshold and are currently salaried. There is an academic administrator salary threshold that is lower. For UW-Madison, the threshold is $36,054. All positions under the threshold have been reviewed. Approximately 2,200 positions (more than 1,000 are academic staff) will switch from salaried to hourly on December 1, although they will not switch employee groups. Schools/Colleges/Divisions will be notifying employees who will switch to hourly status soon. There will be forums for these employees at the end of the month. There will also be a forum for supervisors.
Guest: Rebecca Blank, Chancellor
The Chancellor welcomed the 31 new representatives and alternates to the Academic Staff Assembly. She expressed appreciation for all the work that academic staff do. The biennial budget cycle is beginning. Discussion of this issue will begin in earnest following the election with the Governor presenting his budget in January and the Legislature likely acting on it in June. If you were unable to attend the budget forum, a video is available at http://budget.wisc.edu.
There is a three-part campaign that has been launched with outreach to media, the public and state policymakers across the state. The theme is “It’s time to reinvest in the University of Wisconsin.” This campaign will reach all 72 Wisconsin counties, and she will be traveling around the state this fall.
Compensation at the university has fallen behind. UW System is unable to give across the board compensation increases. The conversation about next year’s pay plan will start in December with a proposal from the Board of Regents. UW-Madison has allocated $3.5 million to deans/directors for raises to academic or university staff for merit, retention, market or equity who are supported on 101 funds. There is also a new bonus program this year with $2 million of one-time funds. These will be given to faculty or staff on any type of funding who have performed above and beyond their job description.
Campus climate is the other issue that is being addressed. There were a variety of incidents this past spring. The Academic Staff Assembly called for training/conversations about campus climate last spring. The Provost Office has put together a list of resources to hold campus discussions on climate. The chancellor is asking all units to hold these conversations. It is important that we train students on how to live in a diverse and inclusive society.
Standing Committee and Other Reports
Academic Staff Executive Committee (ASEC) – Kevin Niemi made the following announcements: All university staff, faculty and academic staff are invited to attend the Employee Shared Governance Reception tomorrow from 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm in Varsity Hall, Union South. Chancellor Blank will give brief remarks around 3:15 pm. The Academic Staff Professional Development Grant program is currently accepting proposals. Grant proposals are due on October 21. For more information, go to the acstaff.wisc.edu or contact the Secretary of the Academic Staff office. He also recognized outgoing chairs of standing or ad hoc committees including Heather Mc Fadden, ASEC; Diane Doering, Communications Committee; Jenny Dahlberg, Compensation and Economic Benefits Committee; Brian Deith, Districting and Representation Committee; Kristin Klarkowski, Mentoring Committee; Laura Van Toll, Nominating Committee; Mark Connolly, Ad Hoc Committee on Instructional Titles; Jim Rogers, Ad Hoc Committee on Selection Criteria for Committee Appointments/Nominations by ASEC; Russell Dimond and Carol Van Hulle, Ad Hoc Committee on Titling and Compensation; Tim Markle and Brady Minter, Ad Hoc Committee on Academic Staff Assembly Engagement.
Business
Discussion on Size of Assembly Districts
Ian Benton, co-chair of the Districting and Representation Committee presented information regarding the size of Assembly districts. The 35- to 75- person size in Academic Staff Policies and Procedures (ASPP) was established in 1994 when there were 5,286 academic staff. There are now more than 8,800 academic staff. The DRC recommends changing the number of members that can be in a district rather than simply increasing the number of districts. The original proposal was to simply alter the upper number to 100. ASEC suggested changing the upper number to a percentage of the number of academic staff, in this case 1.2%. A member of the Assembly suggested changing the bottom number to a percentage as well. A straw poll was conducted, and the vast majority favored a percentage to establish both the lower and upper numbers. The DRC will move forward with this proposal. The proposal requires 100 academic staff signatures on a petition followed by a vote of the academic staff as a whole.
Resolution on UW-Madison Institutional Statement on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Jim Rogers (District #499) moved the Academic Staff Assembly endorse the UW-Madison Institutional Statement on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Seconded. Approved.
Provost Report
The Board of Regents passed a resolution proposing to freeze tuition for Fall 2017 and increase tuition by the same percent as the Consumer Price Index for Fall 2018. The Amazon Pick-Up Point will not be in the Red Gym. UW-Madison is currently pursuing other locations for the pick-up point.
Adjourned at 5:01 pm.
Minutes submitted by Heather Daniels, Secretary of the Academic Staff