Council Members

The name of the organization is the University Staff Council, also known as USC.

1. Will actively participate in the immediate governance of and policy development for UW-Whitewater
2. Will fully participate in the formulation and review, and representation in the development, of all policies and procedures concerning university staff members, including personnel matters, except where State law preempts UW System and UW-Whitewater policy
3. Will structure themselves in a manner the university staff members determine, and will select representatives to participate in institutional governance
4. Serve to facilitate communication across the campus, particularly regarding university staff employees
5. Provide feedback from university staff employees to UW-Whitewater administration, including questions and concerns on all campus matters affecting university staff employees, such as policy or training issues
6. Advise UW-Whitewater administration regarding matters concerning university staff employees
7. Identify representatives from UW-Whitewater university staff employees for campus committees and other campus groups
8. Bring questions and concerns to campus administration

The USC will consist of twelve members. The breakdown based on an approximate percentage of university staff employees per division is as follows: Administrative Affairs-2, Student Affairs-2, Academic Affairs-2, Rock County-1* and At-large-3. At-large members may come from any division or department on campus. There will also be one liaison to the Chancellor's Office, appointed by the Chancellor and one liaison to Human Resources & Diversity appointed by the Director of Human Resources.  Representatives must be permanent employees due to the term commitment required.  However, this council will represent all university staff (full-time, part-time, temporary, and project appointment).  

University staff in departments which report directly to the Chancellor but are not part of a division will be grouped in Administrative Affairs except for staff reporting to Intercollegiate Athletics which will grouped with Student Affairs for divisional seat purposes. Staff whose primary work location is located in Rock County would be grouped together for the Rock County seat and not a separate divisional seat.*    

Divisional seats will be populated by the highest vote getter in each election a respective seat is open. At-large seats will be filled by the next highest receiver of votes, regardless of division/non-division affiliation.

Leave of absence can be up to six (6) months.  Board members will be encouraged to resign if a longer leave is requested.  If leave is requested by a Council member, volunteers will be solicited from the general university staff within the division of the leaving Council member.  The full Council will then appoint the position by a majority vote from the pool of available candidates.  If there is no interest, the position will be left vacant until the next election.   Members who transfer out of the division they represent into a university staff position in a different division will be allowed to complete their term of office.

*Pending approval by the Higher Learning Commision of the restructure of UW-Whitewater and UW-Rock County scheduled to take place in June 2018. If not approved, the seat designated for Rock County employees will be revert to, and be considered At-large and appointed accordingly.

Ten representatives will be elected based on nominations. Interested individuals may be nominated by another campus employee or self-nominate. A call for nominations will be held yearly in the beginning of April.  If fewer than twelve individuals are nominated, Deans, Directors and the Chancellor may be asked for additional nominations. 

Representatives will be elected for each available seat in the beginning of May.  A maximum of two representatives from any department will be allowed; however, if there are no accepted nominations from other departments then the maximum may be exceeded.  Election results will be announced at the next general membership meeting following the election.  Newly elected Council members will attend the June USC meeting and begin their term of office July 1.  Elections for executive board officers will take place at the June meeting for immediate commencement of duties on July 1.    

 All elected members will serve a two-year term with no term limits.   Appointed members will serve until the next election cycle.  Terms of service for USC members will be staggered so a minimum of five seats will be open each year.

The Executive Board of the Council will consist of a Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Treasurer, and Secretary - to be elected by the ten voting council members.  The liaisons to the Chancellor's office and Human Resources office will also be members of the Executive Board, but will serve as non-voting members.  Verbal nominations will be made by council members and elections will be determined by secret ballot.  Officers will serve a one-year term.  When the chairperson's term expires that individual will serve one year in an ex-officio capacity.  There are no term limits.

Responsibilities of the Executive Board:

1. Set meeting times and approve agenda items
2. Discuss pertinent matters and establish direction for committee activities
3. Review committee reports
4. Take necessary action between general meetings
5. Review member nominations and attendance
6. Fill membership vacancies as appropriate
7. Perform such other business as appropriate

In the event of a board vacancy, the remaining council members will select a new representative from within.

Chair:  Calls meetings of USC; presides over meetings; coordinates activities; attends meetings with the Chancellor; makes all appointments to campus committees as determined by the USC and requested by campus administration; assists with other appointments.   In consideration for serving as Chair, the individual will be compensated in one of two ways:

         A. If the employee is FLSA exempt, be given a flat stipend. The amount of the stipend shall be determined by the Office of the Chancellor;

or

         B. If the employee is FLSA non-exempt, be paid overtime in accordance with all rules and regulations for the earning and compensation of, for all hours over forty while in pay status during each one week period. The amount shall be reimbursed to the individual's employing department by the Office of the Chancellor.

Vice-Chair:  Serves as Acting Chair (and performs all Chair duties) when the Chair is absent or unable to perform said duties; attends regular meetings with Chancellor.

Treasurer:  Manages, reconciles and reports on the budget to USC at all monthly meetings; oversees all payments for USC bills or obligations; will be a member of the Grant/Fundraising Committee.

Secretary:  Schedules and reserves space of the full Council and general member meetings. Prepares and distributes agenda for all USC meetings; takes minutes of USC meetings and sends approved minutes to USC members and university staff; saves electronic copy of all minutes.

Limited staff support will be provided by the Human Resources liaison, with duties to include research, duplication of documents, etc.

USC meetings will be held monthly, or at the discretion of the Executive Board, day and time to be determined.  A quorum for any meeting of the USC shall be six (6) members, and attendance at 75% of the meetings (9 of 12) is required to retain a council seat.  An excused absence counts as attended.  An absence is excused through an email notification to an Executive Board Member in advance of the meeting.  Attendance will be recorded during the meetings through minutes reporting.   

All meetings related to the USC may be held during paid work hours.  Any employee serving as an elected member of the Council and working second or third shift will use flex work hours to attend meetings, and the Human Resources Liaison shall actively help to resolve any issues or problems that may arise relating to these scheduling and workload considerations.    

General membership meetings will be scheduled no less than three times a year for the entire university staff population, day and time to be determined.  University staff employees must notify their immediate supervisor of their plan to attend.  University staff employees may refer to the USC Shared Governance Participation policy for more details regarding meeting attendance and governance participation. 

Committees of the USC include Bylaws Committee, Elections Committee, Employee Recognition Committee, Grant/Fundraising Committee, Personnel Review Committee, and Programming/Outreach Committee.

Committee meetings will be scheduled by the Committee Chair as needed.  

Committee memberships are open to all university staff employees. Each committee will select their own chair, and at least one Council member must be on each committee. The Chair or their designated representative will attend monthly USC meetings to report on the activities of each committee.  All committees shall be governed by the Executive Board of the Council.  Proposals to form new committees must be taken to the USC and approved by a majority vote of the Council.  Committees will be reviewed annually to determine future status by the Executive Board.  

Bylaws Committee This committee will maintain and annually review the mission statement, bylaws, resolutions and USC related policies, amending as needed. It will also create resolutions to the bylaws as need arises. Committee membership is open to all permanent and project university staff employees on campus.  

Elections Committee This committee will oversee the yearly USC election process. The committee will be comprised of the two appointed USC members and any university staff employee(s) not up for election.  

Employee Programming/Outreach The purpose of this committee is to provide and promote programming and orientation for all University Staff employees.  Our activities include an orientation tour and resource guide to help new employees transition smoothly into campus employment; enhancing professional development, learning opportunities and dissemination of information; and supporting the general activity of the University Staff Council through promotion of meetings, events, and other activities provided by the other USC committees.    

Employee Recognition Committee The purpose of this committee is to create and develop opportunities to provide recognition of university staff employees, retirees, and new employees on the UW-Whitewater campus.  This committee maintains the online University Staff Spotlight, and facilitates the University Staff Excellence Award.  

Grant/Fundraising Committee The mission of the grant/fundraising committee is to raise funds.  The committee provides professional development funding, applies for grants, and raises funds for various Council functions and other events for university staff.  Funds are maintained in campus accounts.  Various fundraising functions are promoted throughout the fiscal year.    

Personnel Review Committee The purpose of this committee is to fulfill functions necessary to the duties of the Impartial Hearing Officer and/or Complaint Review Committee as set forth in the University Staff Personnel Rules Employee Grievance Policy and Complaint Policy. The Personnel Review Committee will consist of no more than ten university staff employees appointed jointly by the USC and campus administration. Term length is one year, with no term limits. Members of the committee who participate in the discussion of the merits and decision-making shall be familiar with all testimony, all deliberations, and all evidence presented and keep all matters confidential. The Chair of the council shall not serve as a member of this committee, but may provide procedural assistance if needed.

The general university staff  population may propose to the USC changes to the bylaws.  Changes in the bylaws may be made by the members of the USC.  All changes in the bylaws require the approval of 60% (6/10) of the voting members of the USC, with final approval by the Chancellor.

USC has authority to propose resolutions to the Chancellor for campus-wide policy implementation for concerns relating directly to university staff  as a whole.  New resolutions will be reviewed by the USC and require the approval of 60% (6/10) of the voting members.

In instances not covered by these by-laws, the Committee may refer to the most recent edition of Robert's Rules of Order.

This committee will maintain and annually review the mission statement, bylaws, resolutions and USC related policies, amending as needed. It will also create resolutions to the bylaws as need arises. Committee membership is open to all permanent and project university staff employees on campus. 

If you are interested in sitting on the committee, please contact usc@uww.edu

There are many committees on campus from Search & Screen's to Inclusive Excellence to Custodial Appreciation.  As the University Staff Council fields requests for staff participation, we would like to know who amongst the university staff would like to serve the campus community as a representative of the USC.  For more information or if you are interested in committee service, please send an EMAIL.  Thank you.

The Employee Recognition Committee is a sub-committee of the University Staff Council.  The purpose of this committee is to create and develop opportunities to provide recognition of university staff employees on the UW-Whitewater campus.  This committee maintains the online University Staff Spotlight which highlights university staff employees throughout the year.  This committee also created the University Staff Excellence Award - an award presented to two selected university staff employees each year.  Any campus employee may nominate a university staff employee for this award.  Recipients are selected from the pool of nominated candidates.  Other goals of this committee include recognition of university staff retirees and new employees.  MEMBERS: Chair; Julia Rowehl, Julie Marino, Jody Marquardt, Kim Rusk, and Jean Sickels.

If you are interested in joining the committee, contact any member usc@uww.edu

This committee will oversee the yearly USC election process. The committee will be comprised of the two appointed USC members and any university staff employee(s) not up for election.  

If you are interested in sitting on the committee, please contact usc@uww.edu.

The purpose of this committee is to provide and promote programming and orientation for all University Staff employees. Our activities include an orientation tour and resource guide to help new employees transition smoothly into campus employment; enhancing professional development, learning opportunities and dissemination of information; and supporting the general activity of the University Staff Council through promotion of meetings, events and other activities provided by other USC committees.

MEMBERS:    Karen Brueggeman; Wes Enterline; Tami Magsamen; Tamela Rocke and Michael Wessely.

If you are interested in sitting on the committee, please contact USC@uww.edu

The mission of the staff fund raising committee is to raise funds.  The committee provides professional development funding, applies grants, raises funding for various Council functions and other events for university staff.  Funds are maintained in a campus accounts.  Various fundraising functions are promoted throughout the fiscal year.  

If you are interested in sitting on the committee, please contact usc@uww.edu.

ARCHIVES

COUNCIL  MEMBER AGENDAS/MINUTES

Minutes for years prior to 2017 are available at the UW-W Library Archives

 GENERAL MEMBER MEETING AGENDAS:  February 27, 2018, September 26, 2018, Febrary 22, 2019, Octover 14, 2019

GENERAL MEMBER MEETING MINUTES:  February 27, 2018, September 27, 2018, February 21, 2019, October 14, 2019