FACULTY HANDBOOK

Benefit Program for Faculty Members
Eligibility – Full-time faculty members are eligible for a range of benefits offered, including Health Insurance, 401K Retirement Plan, Vacation, and Holidays. Eligibility is based on working continuously for 90 days.

A. Vacation Policy – Full time faculty accrue 20 days of Paid Time off (PTO) per year to cover vacation/personal time off (17 days) and sick leave (3 days). Faculty accrues PTO at the rate of 13.33 hours per month.

B. Christmas Break Vacation – AUHS provides for vacation periods annually during the Christmas holidays when the school is closed. The days beginning just before Christmas and extending through January 1st when the campus is closed will be used for, at least 4 and up to 8 of the PTO days (depending upon which day of the week Christmas falls). PTO days will be announced, annually. Faculty will typically schedule their remaining PTO time during quarter breaks. Note: The week after final exams (week 12) in the summer and fall semester is reserved for faculty retreats and meetings and should not be used for vacation time.

C. Paid Time Off (PTO) – If a faculty member wishes to schedule PTO during the time when a Quarter is in session, a request for an exception to the PTO policy must be submitted to the Dean or supervisor using the “PTO Exception Request” form at least 30 days prior to the first day off requested. Approval of the Provost is required. Only on a rare occasion will such time be granted.

• Christmas Break
PTO must be taken during extended breaks such as Christmas break because of the automatic closing of the school. There are at least three (Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day) paid Holidays during Christmas time. It essential to understand that Christmas Break or closing does not begin until around December 20th or thereabouts and although the Fall Quarter may end around December 7th, administrative is just three days, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and other time off is from PTO. For example, if this time accounts for 14 real time days, approximately eight out of 11 days must be taken as PTO.

• Breaks during Other Quarters
Breaks between Quarters other than Christmas are taken from PTO time alone if it extends beyond the administrative/academic allowances. If you chose to come to work during these breaks and not take the specified administrative/academic days, you must have a viable outcome related assignment approved by your Dean and the Provost and the related assignment(s) must be completed by the end of the break. Work related assignments can include:

A. Peer Reviewed journal articles
B. Grant application(s) for extramural funding.
C. A prospectus for a book
D. Pick up needed hours to renew advanced practice licensure (Note: This work does not need to be done at AUHS campus if prearranged with the Dean/Provost)
E. School related projects.

However, if a faculty desires to reserve this time, it must be approved by the Dean, Provost, and Vice President of Operations and Development. Time may only be accrued up to 66.65 hours (which is 13.33 hours or 8.3 days).

AUHS recognized the academic nature of teaching and thus has allocated administrative/academic time off during academic breaks in the following manner:

• Winter Quarter Break (Immediately after winter Quarter)
Three (3) Administrative/Academic Days are allowed which are Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Time beyond these days must be taken from available PTO. To reiterate, although, there are 5 days in this break, time beyond the time described above must be taken from available PTO or activities must be accomplished from the listed activities upon approval of the appropriate Dean and the Provost.

• Spring Quarter Break (Immediately after Spring Quarter)
There three (3) Administrative/Academic Days which are allowed and include Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday for Spring Break. Time beyond this prescribed time must be taken from available PTO or a request must be made for allowance for the activities listed above. To reiterate, although, there are 10 days in this break, time beyond the time described above must be taken from available PTO or activities must be accomplished from the listed activities upon approval of the appropriate Dean and the Provost.

• Fall Quarter Break (Immediately after Fall Quarter)
Three (3) Administrative/Academic Days are allowed which are Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Time beyond these days must be taken from available PTO. To reiterate, although, there are 15 days in this break, time beyond the time described above must be taken from available PTO or activities must be accomplished from the listed
activities upon approval of the appropriate Dean and the Provost.

Note: December 19, 20, & 23-Sick Days may be applied if available, otherwise the 3 days are unpaid time off

D. Sick Time – When a faculty member takes a sick day, the “PTO Request Form” should be submitted to the program administrative assistant no later than 2 business days following the return to work. Sick time is counted as PTO time. Three (3) sick days per year is allotted from PTO time.
E. Termination Pay Due– If employment terminates with AUHS for any reason, personal time earned, but not used, will be paid out except for sick time. All Company property must be returned before the final paycheck will be issued. Any and all academic requirements related to student evaluation (grades, projects, papers, etc.) and University projects assigned and due prior to the separation date are to be completed and submitted before final payment is issued.
F. Holidays
Regular full-time faculty members are eligible for paid holidays after 30 days of employment. AUHS provides a total of eleven holidays that include:
• New Year’s Day
• Martin Luther King Holiday
• Presidents Day
• Good Friday
• Memorial Day
• Independence Day
• Labor Day
• Veterans Day
• Thanksgiving Day
• Day after Thanksgiving
• Christmas Eve
• Christmas Day

Leaves of Absence

• Family and Medical Leave
AUHS grants family and medical leave in accordance with the requirements of applicable state and federal law in effect at the time the leave is granted. No greater or lesser leave benefits will be granted than those set forth in the relevant state or federal laws. In certain situations, the federal law requires that provisions of state law apply. In any case, faculty members will be eligible for the most generous benefits available under either law. Please contact your Supervisor as soon as you become aware of the need for a family and medical leave. The following is a summary of the relevant provisions currently applicable, which may be changed without notice as laws change.

State and federal family and medical leave laws provide up to 12 work weeks of unpaid family/medical leave within a 12-month period, under the following conditions:

1. The faculty member has more than 12 months of service
2. The faculty member has worked at least 1,250 hours during the previous 12-month period before the need for leave; and
3. The faculty member is employed at a work site where there are 50 or more employees within a 75mile radius.

Eligible faculty members may receive up to twelve workweeks of unpaid leave during a twelve-month period. A twelve-month period begins on the date of the faculty member’s first use of federal family and medical leave. Successive twelve-month periods commence on the date of a faculty member’s first use of family and medical leave after the preceding twelve-month period has ended.

Leave may be taken for one or more of the following reasons:

    1. The birth of the faculty member’s child, or placement of a child with the faculty member for adoption or foster care (known as “baby bonding leave”);
    2.  To care for the faculty member’s spouse, registered domestic partner, child, or parent who has a serious health condition;
    3. For a serious health condition that makes the faculty member unable to perform his or her job;
    4. For any “qualifying emergency” (to be defined by federal regulation) because the faculty member is the spouse, son, daughter, or parent of an individual on active military duty (or has been notified of an impending call or order to active duty) in the Armed Forces in support of a contingency operation; or
    5. A faculty member who is the spouse, son, daughter, parent, or next of kin of a covered service member shall be entitled to a total of 26 workweeks of leave during a 12-month period to care for the service member.

Certain restrictions on these benefits may apply. If you need family and medical leave, you may be required to
provide:

  1.  Thirty-day advance notice when the need for the leave is foreseeable;
  2. At least two-business-day advance notice that a spouse will be on leave from deployment, with certifying documentation;
  3. Medical certification from a health care provider (both prior to the leave and prior to reinstatement) within fifteen (15) days of request;
  4. Periodic re-certification; 5. Periodic reports during the leave.

When leave is needed to care for an immediate family member or your own serious health condition, and is for planned medical treatment, you must try to schedule treatment so as not to unduly disrupt AUHS operations.

Please note: Family and medical leave is for the most part unpaid unless you have PTO time available. AUHS may require you to use paid time off to cover some or all of the family and medical leave time. The use of PTO will not extend the length allotted of a family and medical leave.

  • California Paid Family Leave
    Faculty members are eligible to receive Paid Family Leave benefits through the State when they need to miss work to take care of family members who are seriously ill or unable to take care of themselves. Family member is defined as a parent, child, or spouse. Contact Human Resources to obtain more information about this benefit.

Please note: It is unlawful for the University to interfere with, restrain, or deny the exercise of any right provided by state or federal family and medical leave law. It is also unlawful for AUHS to refuse to hire or to discharge or discriminate against any individual for being involved in any proceedings related to family and medical leave.

  • California Pregnancy Disability Leave
    In addition to baby bonding leave afforded under California and federal Family and Medical Leave laws, AUHS adheres to the California Pregnancy Disability Leave (PDL) regulations. PDL provides up to four months (122 days or 1/3 of a year) disability leave for a faculty member who is disabled due to pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition as determined by her health care provider. This may include but is not limited to conditions such as severe morning sickness, prenatal or postnatal care, the need for bed rest, gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, loss or end of pregnancy, and post-partum depression.

Pregnancy Disability Leave will be granted for pregnancy-related disabilities upon the submission of a medical certification from the faculty member’s health care provider. The medical certification must verify that the faculty member is disabled by her pregnancy, a childbirth or a related medical condition and requires pregnancy disability leave because she is unable to perform the functions/duties of her position. The health care provider’s written certification must also state when the disability will begin and when the faculty member is expected to be able to return to work. Employees are asked to provide at least a 30-day advanced notice before the leave is expected to begin, if practicable or as soon as is practicable in the case of emergency or unexpected situations. PDL may be taken. Prior to returning to work, faculty members are required to provide a medical certification from a health care provider that the faculty member is able to return to work. In most circumstances, the faculty member will be offered the same position held at the time of the leave or an equivalent position.

  • Funeral Leave
    Should a death occur in a faculty member’s immediate family, time off with pay will be allowed. Pay for funeral leaves comes from the PTO account for each faculty member. The following PTO for immediate leave for death is as follows:
    1. For members of the immediate family (father, mother, brother, sister, spouse, and child): Time of from the day of death through the day of the funeral. If this period is to exceed three days, approval must be obtained from Management.
    2. For near relatives (grandparents, uncles, aunts, etc.,): Time off for the funeral only (day) is allowed.

Small Necessities Leave of Absence
Any regular full-time faculty member of the School may be granted an unpaid leave of absence, provided it does not interfere with work schedules, to participate in school or licensed childcare provider activities of the employee parent’s child or grandchild. A written request for a leave of absence must be presented to the supervisor and approved prior to any absence. Faculty are allowed up to 40 hours per year of small necessities leave, not to exceed 8 hours in a single month.

Military Leave (Active and Reserve Service)
Leave without pay is provided to you when you enter military service of the Armed Forces of the United States or are in the Armed Forces Reserves. AUHS will adjust your pay considering your military service in accordance with applicable state and federal laws. You are afforded reemployment rights and retain full seniority benefits for all prior service upon reemployment in accordance with the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act. You need to provide your military service orders to your Supervisor for review prior to commencement of the leave.

The Uniformed Services Employment and Re-employment Rights Act (USERRA) mandates that while an individual is performing military service for the United States, he/she is deemed to be on a furlough or leave of absence and is entitled to the rights accorded other employees on non-military leaves of absence. Under USERRA, faculty members are allowed, but not required, to use accrued PTO or annual leave while performing military duty. Faculty members performing military duty of more than 30 days may elect to continue employer-sponsored health insurance for up to 24 months. For military service of less than 31 days, health insurance coverage is provided as if the faculty member had remained employed.

Any faculty member called to active military duty must provide a copy of his/her service orders to his/her Supervisor for review prior to commencement of the leave.

Reinstatement
Returning service members must be re-employed in the job that they would have retained had they not been absent for military service, with the same seniority, status and pay, as well as other rights and benefits determined by seniority. The period within which a faculty member must apply for reinstatement is based upon the length of military service. If the service was less than 31 days, the faculty member must return on the next regularly scheduled workday after release from service (considering travel time and a minimum of eight hours rest time). If the service was more than 30 days but less than 181 days, the faculty member must submit an application for re-employment within 14 days of release from service. For a service longer than 180 days, the faculty member must submit an application for re-employment within 90 days of release from service.

Leave for Victims of Violent Crime
AUHS understands that if a faculty member is the unfortunate victim of a violent crime that faculty member may need to take time from work to appear in court to obtain relief from such violence. If you need time off for related judicial proceedings, you must give your Supervisor reasonable notice that you need time off for this purpose. Your time off would be unpaid. If you need time off immediately or for an emergency, advance notice is not required, but you may be required to provide documentation or certification of the purpose of your absence within a reasonable time after your time off.

Jury Duty/Witness
AUHS provides time off for faculty members to serve as a juror or witness when subpoenaed or court-ordered, including faculty members who are victims of a crime. Such time off is unpaid, however if desired, faculty members may use available PTO (accrued). Faculty members who have been subpoenaed or otherwise requested to testify in court as a witness for the University may receive paid time off for the entire period of witness duty. Verification from the court clerk of having served as a juror or a witness may be required.

Emergency Duty

Leave for faculty members who volunteer as a firefighter, reserve peace officer or emergency rescue personnel may take unpaid time off to perform emergency duty when called to action. Faculty members must notify management in advance wherever possible and provide supporting documentation for the leave.

  •  Voting
    If you cannot vote in a statewide public election before or after working hours, then you will be allowed sufficient time off to go to the polls. Such time off beyond two hours absence from the workplace would be unpaid.