For the Record

Policies and Procedures

Employee Information Changes
To change individual detailed office, e-mail and home address information, employees are reminded to submit an Employee Information form to Employee Compensation and Benefits, 49 Peterson. These forms can be obtained from unit payroll and benefits coordinators or at http://www.bussvc.wisc.edu/ecbs/uw1035.html. Changes received by Friday, Sept. 1, will be reflected in the 2000-01 Staff Directory. If you have questions, contact Donna Ford, 100 Bascom Hall, 263-2467, Donna.Ford@mail.admin.wisc.edu

Photo ID Moves to Union South
The Photo ID Office has moved to Union South. Summer office hours are 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Beginning Tuesday, Sept. 5, Photo ID will be open 8 a.m.-4:20 p.m. Information: 262-3258.

Religious Observances
Faculty policy requires that mandatory academic requirements should not be scheduled on days when a religious observance may cause substantial numbers of students to be absent from university functions. For the fall semester, the policy specifically identifies Rosh Hashanah (begins Friday evening, Sept. 29, and continues Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 30 and Oct. 1) and Yom Kippur (begins Sunday evening, Oct. 8, and continues Monday, Oct. 9). Jewish holidays and observances begin at sunset on the evening preceding the given date and some holidays are celebrated over more than one day. Please mark your calendar now and do not schedule mandatory exercises on these dates.

Due to our university’s increasingly multicultural community, there are bound to be conflicts between mandatory academic requirements and religious observances other than those noted above. A listing, though not exhaustive, of religious holidays is published by the National Conference for Community and Justice and is available on its Web site at http://www.nccj.org; you may also obtain a copy of the listing from the Office of the Secretary of the Faculty, 130 Bascom.

A student’s claim of a religious conflict should be accepted at face value. State law mandates that any student with a conflict between an academic requirement and any religious observance shall be given an alternative means of meeting the academic requirement.

Please adhere to the following three guidelines that have been developed to provide clarity for students and instructors: (1) Announce early in the semester that students must notify the instructor within the first two weeks of class of the specific days or dates on which he or she will request relief; (2) makeups need not be scheduled before the regularly scheduled requirements; and, (3) it is understood that instructors may set reasonable limits on the total number of days claimed by any one student.

Finally, in a different but somewhat parallel scenario, the university urges fairness, compassion and sensitivity when faculty or TAs are approached by a student with a request for class time off due to a family emergency. Demonstration of understanding in such a circumstance may be important to the student in getting through the crisis.

Please advise teaching assistants of this policy. More information: Secretary of the Faculty, 133 Bascom, 262-3956.

Calendar for fall semester

Faculty contract year began: Monday, Aug. 28
Undergraduate student orientation begins: Thursday, Aug. 31
Last day to cancel registration without transcript and fee and tuition obligation: Monday, Sept. 4
Labor Day: Monday, Sept. 4
Instruction begins: Tuesday, Sept. 5
Last day to drop courses or withdraw without notation on transcript: Wednesday, Sept. 13
Last day to add courses or enroll without department/dean permission: Friday, Sept. 15
Rosh Hashanah: Saturday, Sept. 30
Yom Kippur: Monday, Oct. 9
Last day to drop courses (undergraduates, specials and professionals): Friday, Nov. 3
Last day to withdraw without academic penalty (undergraduates and specials), Friday, Nov. 24
Last day to drop courses (graduate students): Friday, Nov. 24
Thanksgiving recess, Thursday-Sunday, Nov. 23-26
Last class day: Friday, Dec. 15
Study day: Saturday, Dec. 16
Summary period: Dec. 16-23
Commencement: Sunday, Dec. 17
Winter recess begins: Sunday, Dec. 24

Grants and fellowships

Selected Grants Guidelines
The specific guidelines for various 2001-2002 UW–Madison grants and programs are available for UW–Madison faculty. Detailed information can be obtained from the Office of Human Resources, 166 Bascom Hall, 263-2511, or visit: http://www.ohrd.wisc.edu/GR/grants.htm. A sample packet with applications and instructions will be sent to deans, directors and department chairs.

Faculty Development Grants: Faculty development grants give faculty members released time to add to their competencies, through acquiring new competencies within their principal fields or through work in a related field. Department deadline: Monday, Oct. 2.

Research Service Grants: The Faculty Research Grant Program supplements the research opportunities available to untenured faculty who have given unusually large amounts of time and effort to university service outside their departments. The program will provide summer salary support (2/9th of the academic year salary or equivalent) for the grantees to pursue worthy projects. Department deadline: Friday, Sept. 15.

Sabbatical Leaves: Sabbatical leave provides faculty members with six or more years of full-time UW System instructional service time to engage in intensive study to enhance teaching, course and curriculum development, or conduct research or any other scholarly activities related to instructional programs within their field of expertise. Department deadline: Friday, Sept. 15.

Undergraduate Teaching Improvement Grants: Under the grant structure for the UW System, the Undergraduate Teaching Improvement Grant Program encourages projects from faculty members, teaching academic staff, departments, colleges and institutions that develop programs aimed at improving undergraduate teaching and learning. Details: http://www.uwsa.edu/utic/overview.htm. Department deadline: Friday, Sept. 22.

Fulbright Awards for Graduate Research and Study Abroad
The application deadline for the 2001-2002 Fulbright-IIE Scholarships is Wednesday, Sept. 20. Fulbright awards are for graduate study and research abroad in academic fields and for professional training in the creative and performing arts. Eligibility limited to U.S. citizens. Graduating seniors and graduate students are encouraged to apply. Information: Elizabeth Hurd, Fellowships Office, 328 Ingraham, 262-9632; fellow@intl-institute.wisc.edu.

Attention Fulbright Applicants
A Fulbright draft review workshop will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 7-9 p.m., 6191 H.C. White. To register: 263-1992; wcclass@facstaff.wisc.edu, or: http://www.wisc.edu/writing.

Social Science Research Council, Luce and Bosch Fellowships
Informational meeting Tuesday, Sept. 12, noon, 336 Ingraham, to discuss graduate fellowship programs sponsored by SSRC, Luce and Bosch. Information: Elizabeth Hurd, Fellowships Office, 328 Ingraham, 262-9632; fellow@intl-institute.wisc.edu.

Academic Staff Professional Development Grant Program
The Academic Staff Professional Development Grant program, authorized by the Board of Regents, sponsored and administered by UW–Madison, will offer a grant competition for 2001-2002. All UW–Madison staff who hold at least a 50-percent appointment are eligible to compete for academic staff professional development grant funds for projects that begin on or after Jan. 1 and end before July 1. UW System funds will match department funds for projects that occur within that time period.

The primary focus of proposals should be on training and/or retraining to improve the effectiveness of academic staff members in their current roles. Application instructions: http://www.ohr.wisc.edu/ grants/asprofdevgrtinfo. html. Information: Marlene Vlachina, Office of Human Resource Development, 263-2511. Submission deadlines: Department chair, Friday, Oct. 13; Dean/Director, Oct. 20; OHR, 166 Bascom, Friday, Nov. 3.