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Staff Handbook

Benefits

 

INSURANCE

GROUP MEDICAL INSURANCE

Group health insurance plans are offered to all full-time employees of the University. Health and vision insurance is provided under the Oklahoma State Group Insurance Plan through the use of a Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) and Health Maintenance Organization (HMO). The University provides vision and PPO coverage for the employee at no cost. HMO and dental plans are offered at an additional cost to the employee. In addition, employees may elect to provide coverage for their families by paying the dependent coverage premium. Coverage includes certain expenses related to eligible surgical and hospital charges, office visits, outpatient treatment, diagnostic work, and prescriptions.

Employees’ insurance coverage will normally be continued for a limited period of time while on an approved leave of absence. Under certain circumstances, insurance coverage may be extended beyond the time eligibility normally ceases. Reasons for the employee to continue include termination of employment (except for gross misconduct) or due to a change from full-time to part-time employment. Reasons for a dependent spouse to continue coverage include the death of the employee, termination of the employee, change from full-time to part-time employment, divorce, legal separation, or the employee becoming eligible for Medicare. If an otherwise eligible child became ineligible due to any of these same reasons, or due to age requirements, that child would also be able to continue coverage.

Questions concerning insurance and requests for additional information and/or claim forms should be directed the Office of Human Resources.

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GROUP LIFE INSURANCE

Each full-time employee has $2,000 of life insurance coverage for each full $1,000 of salary ($100,000 insurance limit). The University pays the full cost of this coverage.

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LONG TERM DISABILITY INSURANCE

This insurance is also provided at no cost to each employee working 30 hours or more per week. It guarantees an employee that after six months of disability, his/her income, including Social Security, will at least equal sixty percent of his/her salary at the time the disability began. Benefits begin with the seventh month of disability. A $50 per day hospital indemnity is included, beginning with the third day of confinement.

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SHORT TERM DISABILITY (SALARY PROTECTION)

This is optional insurance coverage that may be purchased by employees through payroll deduction. The policy provides a monthly income during the first six months of a disability. Employees who have not worked long enough to build up a reasonable amount of sick leave may want to participate in this plan.

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WORKERS’ COMPENSATION INSURANCE

Medical expenses due to a job-related injury or illness are fully covered at no cost to the employee. Employees have the option of receiving sick leave pay or worker's compensation benefits when they have to miss work. If an employee is still off work when all sick leave time has been used, the worker's comp insurance will start paying a biweekly benefit. The benefit begins after a total of seven days of absence without pay, due to a job related injury or illness. If the disability continues beyond twenty-one (21) days, it will then be computed on a retroactive basis, from the date the disability began. This coverage includes all full-time and part-time employees as well as student employees. Federal Law provides that "time spent by an employee in waiting for and receiving medical attention on the premises or at the direction of the employer, during the employee's normal working hours on days when he/she is working, constitutes hours worked." Time missed (day of injury) will be charged to sick leave. However, if an employee has no sick leave time (includes part-time employees) the time missed (day of injury only) is to be regarded as time worked. The appropriate time missed is to be entered on the time sheet and coded as "OR", for an on-the-job injury/illness.

An injured employee should be directed to the emergency room at the hospital or to his/her personal physician. The employee should take an authorization slip for medical treatment (available from the department secretary or Human Resources) when reporting to a physician. This slip will assure that the employee is not charged for services rendered and provides the physician the address of our Worker's Compensation Insurance Company. Should it be impossible for the employee to take the authorization slip at the time of the injury, he/she should make the physician aware that it was an on-the-job injury and that the proper authorization will be mailed.

Employees should not seek medical treatment (except in case of an emergency) without first notifying their supervisor of the injury. Also, once medical treatment has been completed, the employee should contact his/her supervisor to report the physician's findings.

In all cases where an employee is treated at a hospital or by a physician, an accident report must be completed by the supervisor and sent to Human Resources within seventy-two hours. It is very important that the supervisor notify Human Resources of the employee's anticipated date of return.

All employees, including part-time, temporary, and students are covered by Worker's Compensation Insurance. Upon return to work, the employee must supply the University with a physician's release statement.

This information concerning insurance is intended as a general reference only. Specific details should be obtained from your insurance policy/handbook, or from the Office of Human Resources.

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LEAVE

VACATION

Each regular full-time employee is eligible for vacation leave. Time is accrued on a monthly basis, and rates of accrual vary by the position and longevity of the employee, as follows:

POSITION	Hire Date	After 5 Years	After 10 Years	After 15 Years
Executive: President, Vice President	15 hr./month	15 hr./month	15 hr./month	15 hr./month
Deans, 12-month Faculty, Directors, Management	13.5 hr./month	13.5 hr./month	13.5 hr./month	15 hr./month
All Others (*Sponsored Programs see below)	6.75 hr./month	10 hr./month	13.5 hr./month	15 hr./month

Employees hired on or before the 15th day of the month will earn vacation for that month. Vacation leave is earned from the date of full-time employment. Vacation leave is not accrued while on lay-off, leave without pay or while receiving donated leave through the Leave Sharing Program. Vacation leave time may be accumulated to a maximum of 480 hours.

University observed holidays that fall within an employee’s scheduled vacation will not be charged as vacation time.

While every effort will be made to accommodate employees wishing to take vacation leave at a specific time, occasionally departmental work load requirements may necessitate some limitations regarding vacation scheduling. All vacations shall be scheduled with the employee’s supervisor, who will make reasonable efforts to minimize restrictions. Supervisors may deny leave if it is determined to be in the best interest of the University.

Employees who transfer to another department (other than contract or sponsored programs – see below) shall retain their accrued vacation time and length of service.

Upon termination, employees will be paid for accrued vacation. An employee who terminates on or after the 15th of the month will earn vacation for that month.

Sponsored Programs:

Salaries of employees of Sponsored Programs are funded through specific short-term grants and contracts. Consequently, these employees are subject to the requirements and restrictions of the specific funding source from which their positions are paid. Accrual rates, use of time, and carry-over policies are determined by each contract.

Because these contracts are short-term and often non-renewable, fiscal liability for accrued leave must be addressed differently than leave granted through regular University employment. The following rules apply to Sponsored Program employees.

Funded through The Office of Research Administration:

• Vacation amounts granted to employees and specific requirements regarding the use of vacation are determined by each individual contract.
• Normally, employees paid from contract or sponsored program funds must use any annual vacation leave within the contract/fiscal year for which it was granted.
• Employees paid from these contract or sponsored program funds who terminate during the contract period may be paid for unused vacation under the following conditions:
  • The employee must have worked a minimum of six (6) months of the contract period in order to be eligible for vacation pay-off.
  • All leave will be pro-rated according to the length of time worked within the specific contract period.
  • Pay-off for unused vacation will be determined by the conditions of the contract; where no specific conditions are stated, pay-off will be in an amount no greater than one-half of the unused time accrued for that contract period.
• Regular University employees who transfer to positions with sponsored/contract programs will become subject to the vacation accrual and use requirements of that program. To eliminate fiscal liability for time accrued prior to the initiation of the contract, unused vacation accumulated to date will be paid to the employee; length of service policies relative to regular full-time University employees will no longer apply.

Funded through College of Optometry:

• Employees paid from sponsored program funds administered by the College of Optometry will accrue vacation time at the specified University rates.
• Accumulated time will carry over at pre-approved levels determined by position. (The University reserves the right to review accumulation caps on an annual basis.)
• There will be no payment for unused vacation that exceeds the annual caps. Accrued balances will be reviewed twice yearly, on December 31 and June 30; any unused accrued time in excess of the cap amount on these dates will be forfeited by the employee.
• Optometry employees who terminate during the contract period will be paid for unused vacation under the following conditions:
  • The employee must have worked for the College of Optometry for a minimum of six (6) months prior to termination to be eligible for vacation balance pay off.
  • Unused accumulated vacation will be pro-rated and paid in an amount not to exceed one-half of one year’s annual accrual. Any carry-over balance is not factored into this calculation and is not subject to balance payoff upon termination.
• Regular University employees who transfer to contract-funded positions with the College of Optometry will become subject to the vacation accrual and use requirements of that program. Unused vacation accumulated prior to transfer will be paid to the employee.

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PERSONAL LEAVE

Personal Leave is a benefit granted by the University to full-time employees. It is designed to assist personnel during periods of personal or family illness or to prevent a loss of pay due to certain other absences, such as: attending a funeral, inclement weather conditions, conducting legal business, appointments with a doctor, dentist or other recognized medical professional or other appointments that can only be dealt with Monday through Friday during regular business hours.

Use of Personal Leave for absences other than personal illness or emergency must be scheduled in advance with supervisory approval. Employees are required to comply with departmental rules for reporting absences and approving time off work. Whenever possible, the University will grant time off at the convenience of the employee, but reserves the right to deny leave when and if a hardship or disruption for the department may result. The University may require employees to furnish satisfactory documentation in chronic or unusual cases.

The University grants Personal Leave to employees at the rate of 12 hours per month (18 days annually for a full-time, 12-month employee). The maximum that may be accumulated is 180 days (1440 hours). Personnel who transfer from one department to another department or subdivision within the University shall take with them the balance of unused, accumulated Personal Leave.

Personal Leave will not accrue during leave of absence without pay, unpaid family or maternity leave, suspension without pay, lay-off, sabbatical leave, or removal from the payroll for any reason. In addition, leave time will not accrue while receiving donated time through the Leave Sharing Program. There will be no payment for any unused accrued Personal Leave balance at the time of termination or reduction to less than full-time status.

The University acknowledges that individuals may occasionally need to miss work for a number of reasons. However, employees should be mindful of the impact their absence may have on their department and coworkers. Appropriate disciplinary actions, up to and including termination, may be taken if Personal Leave abuse is discovered.

Personal Leave time is designed to replace time missed during straight-time hours only. Employees may only use Personal Leave which has been earned and accrued prior to the date of absence; time must be taken in whole-hour increments only.

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WEATHER CONDITIONS

The Public Information Office will be responsible for contacting the news media if the President makes the decision to close any part of the University due to inclement weather conditions. The local radio station, KEOK - 101.7 FM/ -KTLQ 1350 AM will specify whether the administrative offices and/or classes will be closed. Unless the administrative offices are specifically mentioned as being closed, always assume they are open. Please make every effort to listen to the radio rather than calling in, but if you miss the announcement, you may call the campus switchboard for recorded information.

If classes are not held but administrative offices are open, employees who are unable to come to work would have the option to charge the time missed to either Personal Leave or vacation.

If administrative offices are closed, that day’s absence would be entered on time sheets as “Weather Leave.” By doing so, an employee would be paid for the day and the time would not be deducted from any accumulated vacation or Personal Leave.

When administrative offices are closed due to inclement weather conditions by the appropriate authority, there are still a few employees who are required to be on the job due to the nature of their work assignment. When this situation exists, these employees will be credited with the appropriate amount of compensatory time.

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ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE

There may be occasions when, at the discretion of the University or a specific department, offices must close temporarily due to unforeseen, unplanned situations or because the University, for its own convenience, has chosen to temporarily discontinue the work for a specific limited period of time. When this situation arises, employees (full-time) will receive pay for the time they miss. Unless designated otherwise by the University, this pay is charged to “Administrative Leave” and is not counted against any leave time employees may have accumulated. Administrative Leave will be designated at the discretion of the President, who will determine the appropriate length and use of the time.

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EMERGENCY LEAVE

In the case of an absence for an emergency which does not permit previous arrangements, the employee must notify his/her supervisor by telephone as soon as possible, and in no event later than 1 day/24 hours after the start of the regularly scheduled shift on the first work day absent. An absence report must be filed immediately upon return to work. If no appropriate leave time is available, the absence will be without pay.

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MEDICAL LEAVE

Northeastern State University’s Family and Medical Leave Policy, which incorporates provisions of existing University policies with the Federal Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, is designed to enable employees to balance their work responsibilities with the demands of caring for family members or in the event of a serious personal illness or injury. All regular full-time faculty and staff can access accrued leave as provided by University leave policies for use in the event of family and/or personal illness. In addition, after one full year of employment by the University, they are eligible for up to a total of 12 work weeks of leave (combined paid and unpaid) during a 12-month period in accordance with the provisions of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993.

An employee who must be absent from the job due to a medical situation may be placed on a formal Medical Leave, depending on the circumstances of the illness or injury. Medical Leave is approved leave for any serious medical condition, defined as: any condition requiring care or continuing treatment by a health care provider which incapacitates an employee and/or prevents him/her from performing assigned duties, or the existence of a contagious disease/illness which, in the judgment of the institution, would jeopardize the health of fellow employees.

Upon notification from an employee, a supervisor will review the circumstances (with the assistance of the Office of Human Resources, if needed). If it is determined that a formal Medical Leave is required, the supervisor will submit a completed Medical Leave Notification Form, signed by the account sponsor, to the Office of Human Resources.

The employee who has been on medical leave must provide a physician’s release to the University before he/she may return to work. Payment for time away from work is contingent on documentation provided by the treating physician. Leave will be paid in accordance with the employee’s combined accumulated Personal Leave and Vacation (unused and prorated), and any earned comp time. When the accumulated leave has been exhausted, the employee will be placed on leave without pay unless the absence qualifies for and assistance is granted under the NSU Shared Leave Program.

An employee who becomes ill or suffers a disabling injury while on annual leave may opt to charge the relevant time to medical leave, rather than vacation, provided that such illness or disabling injury is verified by certification from a licensed medical practitioner.

A full time staff employee’s job is protected by the University for a period of 12 months when he/she is on an approved medical leave. Failure to return to work on the next scheduled work day following the end of the twelve-month period (or earlier, if released by a physician) may result in the employee’s termination from University employment unless extended leave time is approved by the President.

Pregnancy

An employee should advise her supervisor of her pregnancy; she shall then be allowed to continue employment provided her physical health will permit the performance of duties required by the position. The employee will be responsible for notifying the University of any change in her condition which would affect her ability to continue working during her pregnancy.

Leave for pregnancy will begin and end at the time specified by the physician. Upon written request by her physician, an employee may commence her leave at any time for reasons of health. If the employee does not intend to return to work, she should indicate these intentions in writing to her supervisor.

Leave will be paid in accordance with accumulated leave balances commencing with the beginning of maternity leave and for six weeks after the date of birth unless the treating licensed health care practitioner issues a statement that the employee’s medical conditions warrant an extension. A release to return to work issued by a licensed health care practitioner must be presented before the employee can return to work. The Family Medical Leave Act of 1993 permits paid or unpaid leave for twelve weeks after the birth of a child.

Insurance

While on Medical Leave, the University will continue to pay the monthly premium for the employee’s group medical insurance (for up to a total of six months, including paid leave time). If the employee wishes to continue dependent coverage, he/she must make arrangements with the Business Office to pay the monthly premium.

Returning to Work

The University will make every effort to reinstate an employee returning from medical leave to the same position and rate of pay as previously held. If the leave is going to be for an extended period of time and the position must be filled, the University will attempt to hire a replacement on a temporary basis. In that rare case where a permanent replacement must be hired, the returning employee will be offered the most appropriate available job with an option to return to the previous position should it become available. If no job is available when the employee is ready to return, he/she would be placed on a lay-off status.

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LEAVE OF ABSENCE

A leave of absence is a leave without pay for good and sufficient reason, which does not qualify under any other leave with pay. Such leave may be granted up to thirty days by the immediate supervisor, six months by the appropriate vice president and up to one year by the President.

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JURY DUTY/COURT LEAVE

The University recognizes the responsibility of each individual to perform civic duties as called upon. When, in obedience to a subpoena or direction by proper authority, you are called to serve on a jury or to appear as a witness, the University will grant you the necessary time off from work for the period of service under the following conditions:

• · A copy of the summons or subpoena must be submitted to the appropriate supervisor (to be included in the employee’s personnel file) the next working day after the receipt thereof, or no later than 72 hours prior to the start of the leave.
• · When an employee appears as a witness or jury member for the Federal Government, State of Oklahoma, or a political subdivision thereof, or in private litigation as a representative of the University, he/she shall be entitled to leave with full pay.
• · When an employee is subpoenaed in private litigation to testify as an individual outside of his/her scope of employment with the University, the time shall be taken as vacation, Personal Leave, compensatory time, or leave without pay.
• · Jury duty allowance will not be paid for any time other than the normal forty hours during an employee’s regularly assigned work week.

If you are not selected for jury duty after reporting each of the required days, you must return to work for the remainder of the work day.

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MILITARY LEAVE

All University employees who are members, either officers or enlisted, of the Reserved Components, to include the Army and Air National Guard and the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Reserves, or any other component of the Armed Forces of the United States, shall, when ordered by the proper authority to active or inactive duty or service, be entitled to a leave of absence from their employment for the period of such service without loss of status or seniority. During the first thirty (30) regularly scheduled work days of such leave of absence in any federal fiscal year, the employees shall receive his or her full regular pay. During the remainder of such leave of absence in any federal fiscal year, the state may elect to pay the officer or employee an amount equal to the difference between their full regular pay and their military pay; employees shall receive the difference between their full regular pay and their Reserve Components pay when they are ordered by proper authority to active or inactive service retroactive to the date that the officer or employee reported to active service on or after September 11, 2001, during the period that Operation Enduring Freedom is in effect. The duration limit of protected military service as provided for in this section shall not be less than that provided by federal law. If it is necessary in the interest of the University to provide for the performance of the duties of their positions during such absence, the Office of Human Resources, as authorized by the Director and the President of the University, may appoint substitutes, to be known as acting incumbents, who shall qualify as required for the regular incumbents. Prior approval must be obtained by submitting an Personnel Action Form with a copy of the duty orders to the appropriate supervisor. The orders should then be routed to the Office of Human Resources through the appropriate Vice President.

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VOTING

When properly coordinated with the appropriate supervisor at least one day in advance, employees will be allowed up to two (2) hours in which to vote. Those employees living at such a distance that more than two hours are required to vote shall be allowed a sufficient time. The employee shall not be subject to any loss of pay or other penalty for exercising his/her right to vote. A supervisor may determine to select the hours during which an employee may vote. Any employee whose normal work day on the day of the election begins three (3) hours or more after the time of the opening of the polls, or ends three (3) hours or more before the time of the closing of the polls, cannot utilize the provision of this policy.

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CHARGING OF LEAVE TIME

No leave time may be taken prior to the date it is earned. All absences charged against your accumulated leave time must be in increments of one hour. The time sheet should accurately reflect all leave time taken. A record is maintained for each employee showing leave time used and the current amount of leave time available. All questions regarding leaves and leave balances should be directed to the Office of Human Resources. Individual summaries of leave balances will be issued annually to all employees.

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LEAVE SHARING PROGRAM

Policy

The Leave Sharing Program provides a means for NSU employees to donate paid leave to a fellow University employee who is eligible for and requires donated leave time due to an extraordinary or catastrophic illness, injury, impairment or physical or mental condition for either the employee or an immediate family member, and which has caused or may cause the employee to take leave without pay or terminate employment. For the purposes of this policy, “immediate family member” shall be limited to the spouse, child, stepchild, grandchild, grandparent, parent or stepparent of the employee. This term shall also include foster children and legal wards, but not in-laws.

Program

The Leave Sharing Program at NSU includes two options: NSU Shared Leave and the NSU Leave Bank. Both are established and maintained through the voluntary donation of accrued Personal Leave.

• · NSU Shared Leave is comprised of hours donated for distribution to a specific employee. The Office of Human Resources will solicit donations for individuals as needed. Recipients of NSU Shared Leave may retain up to 40 hours of unused leave (if available) upon return to their positions. All other unused leave time will be maintained in the Leave Bank.
• · The NSU Leave Bank is maintained through hours donated for general distribution as well as time that was previously donated to a specific employee but not distributed. The University will solicit donations for the Leave Bank annually, as needed.

Donors

To donate leave, an employee must be full-time, have one (1) year of continuous service and must maintain a personal leave balance of no less than 80 hours. Total annual donations may be made in amounts no greater than half of the annual accrual rate, or up to 72 hours in a given fiscal year. Personal Leave the donor would not otherwise be able to use, such as unused leave at the cessation of employment or earned beyond established accumulation caps, can not be donated. All donations are subject to approval by the Director of Human Resources.

Recipients

Recipients of leave donations must have been employed by NSU for a minimum of one (1) full year, have received no disciplinary actions for abuse of time, and must have exhausted all earned personal leave, vacation and compensatory time. Under the program, they will receive their normal pay and benefits, but will not accrue additional leave time while on leave share. Donated leave may only be used for the purposes specified in this policy.

Guidelines and Limitations:

• · Donated time through the NSU Leave Sharing Program is meant to cover only the duration of the serious health condition for which it was approved.
• · Any unused Shared Leave that was donated to a specific employee will be maintained in the NSU Leave Bank to be distributed to other qualified employees, with the possible exception of 40 hours (if available) to be retained by the recipient upon return to work for needed follow-up care or other medically necessary leave.
• · All donations of leave must be given voluntarily. No employee shall be coerced, threatened, intimidated or financially induced into donating paid leave for the purposes of the Leave Sharing Program.
• · An employee’s eligibility to receive donated leave through the Leave Sharing Program ends upon their return to full-time or part-time employment or when they begin to receive income from a University provided employee benefit, i.e. Long-term Disability Benefits, Worker’s Compensation Benefits, etc.
• · Donated leave for an employee’s personal injury or illness is limited per occurrence to the constraints of medical leave and will be calculated using the following formula:

Total of all unused paid leave + donated time = no more than six months.

• · Donated leave for the care of a family member is limited to 12 weeks per occurrence or 2 working days after the death of the family member, which ever is shorter.
• · Recipients are eligible for a maximum of 180 days (1440 hours) of donated leave during their total University employment.

All leave donations and distributions will be monitored and administered by the Office of Human Resources. Any variation or exception to the above policy may be subject to review by a committee, to be overseen by the Director of Human Resources. Persons involved in the administration of the NSU Leave Sharing Program are responsible for protecting the privacy of leave recipients and donors. All communications with either group will be kept confidential.

Employees shall have no expectation of entitlement to Leave Sharing. Receipt or donation of shared leave is a gift from fellow employees and is not intended to constitute or obligate debt or reciprocity. The Office of Human Resources has sole discretion in determining eligibility for participation in the Leave Sharing Program at NSU.

To participate in the Leave Sharing Program as a donor or recipient, the employee must complete a Leave Sharing Application Form, which is available in the Office of Human Resources. The Human Resources staff will secure all signatures, approvals and required documentation.

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RETIREMENT

Membership in the Oklahoma Teachers Retirement system is compulsory for certain employees, and any employee (as defined) may join. Benefit amounts are calculated on a combination of average salary and years of service. Detailed information is available in the Office of Human Resources. Employees should contact Human Resources three to six months prior to their planned date of retirement.

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OTHER BENEFITS

ENROLLMENT IN UNIVERSITY COURSES

Full-time employees may audit or enroll in classes, provided it can be done without interfering with their work assignments. Enrollment in classes during normal working hours must be approved in the office of the appropriate Vice President. When an employee enrolls in a course which is definitely beneficial to the employee professionally, the fee will be reduced by 50%. Prior validation by the appropriate supervisor regarding the relevance/benefit of the course work will be required to authorize reduced fees. In all other situations, normal enrollment fees shall apply. By policy of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, regular staff members at constituent institutions in the Oklahoma System of Higher Education may enroll in courses at the institution where employed and be charged fees at the rate of one-half the general enrollment amount charged regular students. The term “regular staff members” as used herein means all full-time employees of the University. It should be assumed that an employee's enrollment in a course of study is for the benefit of both the employee and the University. Procedures, including appropriate limitations as to the amount of formal study to be pursued in a given term, shall be determined by the University.

Employees may enroll in a maximum of six (6) hours (during regular working hours) during the regular term and three (3) hours during the summer term. The reduced fee will apply on a maximum of six (6) hours per term. All working hours missed must be made up by the employee and shown on the time sheet (non-exempt employees). Prior to enrollment, the employee's supervisor must present a completed enrollment schedule, the schedule for making up the work hours missed, and a request for the appropriate fee reduction, to the appropriate Vice President for approval. The official request/approval form, "Employee Enrollment Request," is available in most College, Division, and Department Offices. This approval form is required whether requesting reduced fees or not and whether classes meet during working hours or not. If by agreement between the Vice President and the supervisor, the employee is allowed to enroll in any class(es) in excess of those outlined above, all such hours missed will result in an appropriate payroll deduction and cannot be made up. Any class taken during regular working hours without prior approval by the appropriate Vice President will automatically result in an appropriate payroll reduction. Refer to the Manual of Administrative Procedures for detailed information.

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FEE WAIVER FOR CHILDREN OF UNIVERSITY EMPLOYEES

Northeastern has a fee waiver program for children of University employees. Completion of the financial aid application process and an application for Fee Waiver Program for Children of University Employees is required. Applications and information are available in the Office of Scholarships.

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IDENTIFICATION CARDS/“THE NSU GREEN CARD”

University Identification Cards will be issued to part-time and full-time employees hired for nine (9) months or longer. Temporary professional staff who are full-time and are employed for a semester or longer, will also be issued an ID Card. Cards will be issued upon presentation of employment verification. Human Resources will provide verification of employment for full time employees at the employee orientation; verification must be furnished by the appropriate department for part time employees.

The card will admit the staff/faculty member, without charge, to all home games of the Northeastern football, basketball and baseball teams. Family members must pay the regular price for admission to these events, unless members of the Redmen Athletic Association (see information in the Campus Services section of this Handbook). Advance notice is given regarding any event which might be an exception to this policy. In addition, the ID card may be used for Library privileges, membership verification in the Fitness Center, and, upon activation of charge privileges, to purchase food at any campus dining location. (Check with ID Services for more information.)

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HOLIDAYS

A tentative holiday schedule will be issued to all employees at the beginning of each fiscal year. These holidays will include: Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving (three days), Christmas (days to be specified each year), New Year's Day, and Memorial Day. Paid time off is also provided for Fall and Spring breaks as designated each year.

If any of the above mentioned holidays fall within an employee’s contract period, these days will be considered holidays with pay. Paid holidays are not available to employees working fewer that 40 hours per week.

Some employees may be required to work during these holiday periods. If so, they (non-exempt only) may elect to be paid for the hours worked (in addition to holiday pay) or take time off for the holiday at a later time. Compensation for working either Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day shall be at a rate of time and one-half for all hours worked (regardless of the total number of hours worked during that work week). Compensation for any other holiday officially observed by the University shall be paid at the straight time rate for all hours worked.

Employees are eligible for holiday pay if, on the last regularly scheduled work day before the holiday and the first regularly scheduled work day after the holiday, they are either at work (no minimum number of hours required) or on approved leave with pay. In any case, an employee who terminates before returning to work after the holiday will not be paid for the holiday.

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