Â鶹ÊÓƵAPK University is a vital component of the local community and as such is committed to help strengthen the relationships of employees to the communities in which they work and live.
To do so, Â鶹ÊÓƵAPK encourages its employees to become actively involved by offering their support to community programs that improve upon the quality of life and opportunities for those that we serve. This policy applies to all full-time faculty with nine, ten or twelve month contracts, post probationary employees working at least 35 hours weekly and post probationary part time employees (eclass PN).
Leave Hours
Employees may be granted paid leave under this policy to provide active voluntary service as part of an organized program as follows:
Regular Status Full-Time Staff Employees
A maximum of 14 hours (16 hours for eclasses PS and CF) of paid leave per calendar year.
Regular Status Part-Time Staff Employees
A maximum of 7 hours of paid leave per calendar year.
Regular Status Full-Time Faculty
Faculty with twelve-month appointments will receive paid leave for community service and should follow the procedures outlined on this page for requesting leave approval. Faculty with nine or ten-month appointments are encouraged to participate in community service as part of their on-going service activities and are not required to submit the community service leave request.
All paid community service leave should be taken in no less than 1 hour increments.
Additional Information
Service should be provided to organizations with goals that the University would deem ethical and consistent with its mission. Appropriate service activities include the provision of active service to a non-profit organization, a public agency, and/or the clients that these organizations serve. Examples of active service include, but are not limited to:
- tutoring and mentoring children through an organized program
- assisting with the physical maintenance of a community center
- teaching a CPR class through an organized program
- counseling a crime victim through an organized program
- delivering meals to the homes of older adults through an organization such as Meals on Wheels
- yard work, painting, cleaning, maintenance through an organized program
- attending non-profit board and committee meetings (Scouts, Big Brother/Big Sister, Red Cross, etc.).
Employees, who are members of volunteer fire departments and rescue squads, or auxiliary units thereof, may be granted paid leave under this policy to:
- respond to emergency situations during their working hours at the University; or
- arrive after the normal beginning of their work shift if an emergency situation to which they responded outside their normal work hours continues beyond the normal beginning of their work shift at the University.
If response to emergency situations as a member of a volunteer fire department or rescue squad will result in tardiness to work, employees must notify their supervisors as promptly as possible.
Excluded from this policy is service provided through an organization where the only recipients are members of the organization (i.e. painting and maintenance of church buildings, attending a committee meeting for a fraternal lodge). Activities involving political groups or causes do not qualify for use of this leave. Attendance of social events and fundraisers for a community organization also do not qualify.
Employees must submit the Community Service Request Form (.pdf) and receive approval from their chair/supervisor prior to using community service leave. Supervisors may require written verification from an official of the community service organization for use of community service leave.
Supervisors should make every effort to approve leave at the time requested by the employees, but have the discretion to disapprove the leave if it will significantly impact the University or department operations. The University may determine that it is not possible to release certain employees under this policy due to staffing requirements. A supervisor may require that leave be taken at a time other than the one requested based on operational needs.
Any questions or concerns related to this policy should be directed to the Human Resources Department.
Download: Community Service Leave Request Form (.pdf)
Effective Date: 9/14/2011
Reviewed and revised: 9/2024