Inside Iowa State: Iowa State University

INSIDE IOWA STATE
April 19, 2002

Parental leave policy needs regents' approval

by Anne Krapfl
A new faculty and P&S staff leave policy covering the birth and adoption of children has gained campus approval and will be forwarded to the Board of Regents, State of Iowa, for final approval. The campus thumbs-up follows more than a year of discussion, drafting and suggestions from campus constituent groups.

The policy authorizes six weeks of paid leave for eligible P&S staff and faculty with newborn or adopted children, and also acknowledges the federal Family Medical Leave Act, which guarantees up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave to new parents. Employees may use accrued sick leave and vacation time to cover leaves, but can't deplete their supply. They must reserve 40 hours of sick and/or vacation time.

The policy also spells out the responsibilities of the university, employee and employee's department prior to and during a leave. For example, tenure-eligible faculty may request an extension of their probationary periods. Employees are responsible for developing a written leave plan that includes details such as length of leave, plans for regular contact with supervisor, any provision for part-time work (and equipment needs if this is done at home). Departments coordinate coverage of the employee's duties during the leave.

As proposed, eligibility for this policy would be extended to:

Tenured and tenure-eligible faculty.
Continuous P&S staff.
Full-time adjunct and non-tenure-track faculty on at least three-year appointments.
P&S staff on contracts of at least three years.
P&S staff on full-time status with at least 12 months continuous employment.

If the regents approve the policy and it is implemented, it would be reviewed after three years for effectiveness. The policy would replace current maternity and adoption leave policies in the P&S and faculty handbooks.