Minutes: October 28, 2003

Present: Naber, Wirkus, Torstveit, Herling, Sweetman, Karpinsky, Weiland, Walls
Absent: Goudie, Reinert, Johnson-Sage 

  1. Call to order.
  2. Roll call.
  3. Approval of minutes.  M/S/P
  4. Vice Chair Wirkus gave an update on the budget.
    1. In general, the budget will continue to be tight and UWL may have to contribute more money this year and next year.  $250 million is the GPR cut for UW System.  However, the state is actually cutting more dollars from reserve and 128 funds at campuses.  The Planning and Budget Committee will receive more information regarding a lapse payment at their meeting next week.  Also, there will be no raises for academic staff this year, and a one percent raise next year, though it is uncertain where the one percent will come from.
    2. Academic staff and faculty will also be contributing to their health insurance plans.  The monthly employee share is $25 for single coverage and $62.50 for family coverage, pre-tax.
  5. Lynn Weiland gave an update from the UW System Academic Staff Committee.  At their last meeting they discussed the concealed weapons law, as well as the budget issue.  The committee would like people to tell their state legislators how they feel about the budget shortfall citing real-life stories about how staff morale is affected.
  6. Chair Naber gave a general update.
    1. The Professional Development Grant deadline was October 24.  Nine proposals were received, which the Professional Development Committee will review.  The ASC will know which proposals will be funded by December.
    2. The International Development Grant funding received eight applications.  The Dean’s Council will decide the week of November 11 for approvals.
    3. The ASC has recommended Carla Burkhardt, Barbara Stewart, and Karolyn Bald to serve on the Search and Screen Committee for the Dean of Liberal Studies.
    4. Minutes can be accessed within 48 hours of full council meetings on the academic staff website.
  7. Mary Torstveit gave an update on the Title Review Committee.  Recommendations for title changes were forwarded to the Provost and Chancellor for notification in early December.
  8. Ongoing Business
    1. Pat Karpinsky gave a report from the Salary and Personnel Committee regarding the elimination of rolling-horizon contracts and the discrepancy of multi-year contracts across campus.
    2. Petra Roter stated that the university must file for financial exigency in order to terminate contracts and lay off staff.  Deans and division officers must otherwise see contracts through to their end, providing them with less flexibility.  The flexibility is coming from non-renewals, not lay-offs.  Dean Roter also wants the consistency provided by one-year contracts.  Other campuses aren’t taking similar measures because they don’t have the financial difficulties of UWL (per student revenue). All campuses are not the same financially or structurally.
       
    3. Vice Chair Wirkus would like the Salary and Personnel Committee to research the wording in Chapter 12 regarding the necessity of fiscal exigency to allow administration to layoff personnel.
    4. Lynn Weiland will investigate Platteville’s reasons for re-instating rolling-horizon contracts.
    5. Chair Naber would like to convene the AS Layoff Committee to discuss the possibility of clarifying policies so administrators feel they have the flexibility they need, while still protecting benefits and reappointment rights of staff.
  9. New Business
    1. John Tillman, Chief Information Officer, has created a new Advisory Committee, which is focused on the computer user to assist him with long-term planning.  April Handtke has been appointed the Academic Staff Rep. On the committee.
    2. Report from Positioning Task Force

                                                               i.      Guy Herling moved that the ASC ask the Provost to include academic staff representation in future decision-making bodies, and also for the ASC to be given adequate time to carefully examine the issue at hand.  M/S/P

                                                             ii.      Terry Wirkus moved to ratify and support the Task Force report.  M/S/P

    1. The Student Senate is forming an Oversight Committee with representatives from various majors and two administrators will serve on the committee.  October 31 is the deadline for students to submit their names to serve.  Once the committee is formed, it will decide what to do with the differential tuition money.
  2. Scheduled meetings through 2003
    1. Executive Committee: Nov. 4 and Dec. 2 from 7:45-8:45 in 217 GMH.
    2. Full Council: Nov. 11 and Dec. 9 from 3-4PM in 104 Wing.
  3. Adjournment 4:21 M/S/P

 

Respectfully Submitted,

Sarah Westbrook, PA