Based on events of last spring, corresponding changes affecting academic staff, and feedback we have received, the MASA Board has decided to create an Awareness and Advisory Subcommittee. Please read the charge below, and if you are interested, please email MASA President Joan Irwin at jeirwin@em.wisc.edu

Charge for MASA Awareness & Advisory Subcommittee
In the last year, the UW-Madison and the State have experienced many changes that will affect Academic staff in ways that will take years to fully comprehend.  To help MASA complement governance entities in addressing this, the MASA Awareness and Advisory Subcommittee will monitor issues of concern to UW-Madison academic staff.  This committee will help the MASA Board ensure that members and campus academic staff are adequately informed and have a voice and a venue to address these concerns.

The MASA Awareness & Advisory Subcommittee is a group of 6 to 9 appointed MASA members who will focus on monitoring issues related to Academic Staff with the purpose of keeping MASA members informed and helping them communicate their positions on these issues. Activities of this subcommittee to inform MASA members may include any of the following:

• Organize and present information that affects Academic Staff on the MASA web site, in publications, or in informational meetings;
• Hold meetings for interested Academic Staff to help identify and understand common concerns;
• Organize and hold activities to express these concerns;
• Arrange to have speakers come talk to the membership  about issues; and
• If needed, establish ad hoc groups to work on specific projects and issues.

The subcommittee will undertake these activities only as approved by the elected MASA Board.  Furthermore, they will advise the MASA Board on issues, but will not speak officially on behalf of MASA without specific prior approval of the Board.

The university is no longer authorized by state statutes to collect dues from MASA members. The board will be updating our brochure, but in the meantime we are using this form.

We value your membership in MASA and hope you will renew!  Dues are still a bargain at $10 per year. Please complete the form and return with your check to:

MASA
Box 511, Memorial Union
800 Langdon Street
Madison, WI  53706

Please don’t send cash!

However, we will be accepting cash at Fall Kick-Off Breakfast tomorrow as well as the Employee Benefits Fair on Tuesday, October 11.

Please welcome the winners of our spring election:

• President Elect:  Linda Scholl, Student Services Coordinator in the Graduate School
• Secretary:  Heather McFadden, Office of Research Policy in the Graduate School

The central payroll office is in the process of fixing an error that occurred in processing last month’s payroll.

In April, central payroll accidentally deducted MASA annual dues, even though they had already been deducted for the year last fall (shown on 11/1/10 earnings statements).  When MASA learned about this deduction, our Membership Coordinator, Greg Jakubczak, contacted the HRS Service Center, and they started working on the problem.  You should get an email from someone in your college or department HR/Payroll office that explains how the $10 will be reimbursed to you.  If you don’t see this problem resolved in the next week, though, please contact Mary Ray at mbray@wisc.edu.