Mission Statement

The Committee on All Staff Issues (CASI) shall advise the Dean and represent both the Law School Academic Staff and University Staff in the formulation and review of all policies and procedures concerning the School’s staff.

Responsibilities

In accordance with the guidelines established in Academic Staff Document #210 (PDF) (Approved 1/12/98), responsibilities of CASI include but are not limited to:

1. Formulating and reviewing Law School policies and procedures concerning academic and university staff members, as appropriate.
2. Representing academic and university staff members in the development of all Law School policies and procedures concerning academic and university staff members.
3. Providing advice to the Dean on Law School program decisions likely to affect promotional opportunities or lead to nonrenewal or layoff of academic and university staff members.
4. Developing opportunities for academic and university staff members to participate in department, Law School, and University governance.
5. Developing opportunities for recognition of academic and university staff member contributions to the excellence of the Law School.
6. Building connections among Law School employees and supporting the development of an inclusive working environment. 

Membership & Representation

1.   Membership:

CASI consists of the 11 elected representatives specified in this document.  All staff are represented by CASI, but are not members of CASI.  Membership of the committee shall be announced at the conclusion of the election and included on the list of all Law School committees distributed yearly.

2.   Representation:

1. 1. CASI will have an odd number of representatives to ensure successful votes.
   2. The process of selection shall foster representation of all staff within the Law School, to the extent possible.
      1. CASI shall consist of11 voting elected members:
         1. 9 academic staff from two election districts, clinicians (3 members) and all other academic staff areas (6 members) (representing a variety of  units within the Law School to the best extent possible: Administration; Lecturer; Legal Writing; Library; Specialist; etc.)
         2. 2 university staff from two election districts, library (1 member) and all other university staff areas (1 member) 
      2. The Dean or designee shall be a non-voting member ex officio.
      3. The Associate Dean for Administration shall be a non-voting ex officio member.

3.   Terms:

CASI year is September 1 through August 31.

• • • Terms will be staggered to have one third of the board turning over yearly.
    • As much as possible, each academic staff and university staff CASI member serves a three-year term.
    • CASI will rebalance the length of an individual's term as needed to ensure consistent rotation.
    • Maximum consecutive time on CASI is 9 years.  If a CASI member starts a term with fewer than 9 consecutive years, they may complete their term. 

4.   Elections and Vacancies:

Elections for terms beginning September 1 will occur in the spring.

1. 1. Under the direction of CASI, the Dean's Office will facilitate elections using ballot procedures similar to the election to the Academic Planning Committee.
   2. All Law School staff will vote in their respective election districts. Individuals may self-nominate or be nominated by others.
   3. Vacancies shall be filled by appointment of the Dean based on recommendation by the Committee, in such a way as to assure functional area balance on the Committee, to the extent possible. The appointed member shall remain on the Committee until the next election for that seat.

Subcommittees & Collaboration

1.  CASI may appoint subcommittees to address specific issues. Both CASI and non-CASI members may serve on the subcommittees.
2. Recommend collaboration with relevant Law School committees which may include Awards or Wellness Committee.

By-Laws

Bylaws revisions may be made by a majority of the voting members of CASI. In accordance with Document #210, the bylaws shall be filed with the Secretary of the Academic Staff, by the Chair.

Procedures

1.   Chair:

CASI shall select a chair for the next academic year at the meeting following the spring election.  Procedures will be completed by the chair person unless otherwise specified for the year.

• • • The Agenda will be distributed to Law School staff at least 48 hours prior to the meeting. Staff members may submit items to the Chair for inclusion.
    • The Annual Report shall be submitted to CASI, the Law School staff, and the Dean, and posted on the Law School CASI website.
    • The Chair shall call meetings, prepare the agenda, and compile an Annual Report based upon the group and subcommittee activities each year by the end of August.

2.   Meeting Frequency:

Meetings shall be held approximately every other month. Additional meetings may be called upon request of at least 2 Committee members. A quorum consists of a majority of the voting elected members.

3.   Minutes:

To allow facilitation of the meeting, a minute-taker other than the chairperson will be designated for each meeting. Following the meeting, the minute-taker sends the draft minutes to the chair, who circulates the minutes to CASI. CASI will approve the minutes at its next CASI meeting. Upon approval, the minutes will be distributed to all law school staff members and posted on the CASI website.

4.   Quorum, Voting:

A quorum is 6 voting members. A vote may not be taken without a quorum present at a meeting or electronically.

Revised & approved by CASI March 17, 2003; April 2012; September 18, 2015; September 20, 2019,  December 19th, 2023