Reminder of Current Child Rearing Policies
Date: December 7, 2007
To: Members of the Ladder Faculty in the FAS and
the Schools of Architecture, Art, Divinity, Forestry
and Environmental Studies, Law, and Management
From: Andrew Hamilton, Provost
Re: Reminder of Current Child Rearing Policies
I write to remind you of the major changes made in January 2005 in the policies that provide child-rearing support for members of our ladder faculty who become parents. These policies were developed after consultation with faculty, chairs, and deans of schools, and with assistance from the Women Faculty Forum. They apply to ladder faculty in the FAS and in all of the professional schools except Medicine and Nursing. Those schools have developed school-specific policies based on the special nature of the teaching, research, and clinical responsibilities at those schools. The new policies described here will be incorporated in the next revision of the Faculty Handbook, which we expect will appear before the end of the 2007-08 academic year. In the meantime, these policies appear on the Provost’s website at http://www.yale.edu/provost/html/childrearing.html. I have included the full text of the policies below, with underlining to indicate the most significant changes made in January 2005.
The best way to characterize these changes is to highlight the most significant one, namely that they expand the semester of teaching relief that we previously offered to women members of the ladder faculty who bear children into a semester of teaching relief for all ladder faculty members who bear a child or adopt a child under six. As had been the case for women who give birth, any nontenured member of the ladder faculty who takes a Child Rearing Leave or is granted relief from teaching for child rearing will have his or her time in rank and in the nontenure ladder ranks extended by a full year. This change from childbirth to child rearing changes the rationale for the leave and effectively separates teaching relief for child rearing from the teaching relief granted in cases of short-term medical disabilities. The short-term medical disability policy remains in effect, including complications of childbirth as well as any other medical condition affecting women or men. The terms and conditions of the teaching relief for child rearing and the effect of that relief on terms of appointment are underlined in the appropriate places.
These new polices are part of a larger effort in which we are continually engaged to find ways to help members of the Yale community balance the competing needs of their working and family lives. A related initiative underway is the attempt to address the community's child care needs by expanding child care capacity and options. We will be providing an update on this initiative in the near future.
All of these efforts have the full support and engagement of Human Resources and the Vice-President for Finance and Administration. I am also very grateful for the efforts and creative ideas of members of the Women Faculty Forum and others who have made improvement in work-life conditions at Yale a major thrust of their activities. I welcome any suggestions about current projects or others we might undertake to address these important issues.
New Child Rearing Policies
[The new policies are presented in the order they appear in the current Faculty Handbook. The pages on which they appear in that handbook are indicated, and underlining is intended to call attention to significant changes made in 2005 to then current policies and handbook language.]
From page 9 under University-wide policies:
III F. Maximum Time in Non-tenure Ladder Ranks
With the exception of faculty in certain tracks in Medicine, no one on the Yale faculty may be employed in the ranks of assistant professor and associate professor on term for longer than a total of ten years, plus any extensions as described below. This ten-year maximum may be extended by up to a total of three years for time during which the faculty member:
(a) has taken a leave of absence for public service,
(b) has taken an approved Child Rearing Leave or a Caregiver's Leave of at least six weeks, or
(c) has been granted an extension in his or her term of appointment in connection with child rearing or as a result of a short-term medical disability of at least six weeks (see Section VII.D).
Extensions granted for any combination of these reasons are subject to a maximum of three additional years in the non-tenure ladder ranks.
An extension may also be allowed, on a pro-rata basis and subject to the same three-year limit on extensions, for time during which the faculty member holds a part-time ladder appointment at Yale. (For example, a person working half time over the course of two academic years would be entitled to a one-year extension of the ten-year maximum.)
In the School of Medicine, the ten-year maximum includes years of appointment to the ladder ranks at Yale and all years (up to three) of full-time teaching at other institutions, in both cases excluding years in which the faculty member did not hold the Ph.D. or its equivalent for any part of the academic year.
From page 84 under University-wide policies governing all leaves:
VII. A. 6. No member of a University faculty may be on leave, whether paid or unpaid, more than four semesters in a seven-year period unless required by law. Absence from the University in excess of this limit is inconsistent with the teaching and University service expectations of a full-time member of the faculty. Exceptions to this policy will be granted when a faculty member has had one or more semesters of leave for reasons such as child rearing, caregiving, or public service, including leaves for military service. Teaching relief for child rearing or for a short-term disability is not considered a leave.
7. The calculation of the terms of appointment, maximum time in a particular rank, and maximum time in the combined non-tenure ladder ranks includes all leaves, with or without Yale salary, except Child Rearing Leaves, Caregiver's Leaves of at least six weeks, and leaves granted for public service. For these leaves and when a member of the faculty experiences a short-term medical disability of at least six weeks or has been granted teaching relief for child rearing, extensions in the terms of appointment and time in rank will also be granted. See Section VII.D below for policies regarding these leaves and teaching relief for child rearing. See Section III.F above for policies governing maximum time in non-tenure ladder ranks and VII. E below for policies governing short-term disability.
From page 90 under Leaves of Absence University-wide:
VII. D. Child Rearing Leaves, Caregiver's Leaves, and Maternity Policies 14
1. Child Rearing Leaves
A member of the faculty who bears or adopts a child or whose spouse or same-sex domestic partner bears or adopts a child will be granted upon request an unpaid Child Rearing Leave for up to one semester occurring within the first year after the birth or adoption for the purpose of the child's care. General policies regarding the effect of unpaid leaves upon salary and benefits (see C.3 above) apply to these leaves, but policies regarding eligibility for unpaid leaves and the effect of unpaid leaves upon eligibility for other leaves do not apply. See VII. D.5 below, for policies regarding the effect of Child Rearing Leaves on terms of appointment and time in rank.
Footnote14: For policies governing child care leaves and for maternity policies in the Schools of Medicine and Nursing, consult the appropriate dean
From page 91:
2. Caregiver's Leaves
As delineated by federal and state laws concerning family and medical leaves, a member of the faculty may take an unpaid leave of absence to care for a seriously ill spouse, parent (natural, foster, adoptive, stepparent, or legal guardian), or child (natural, adopted, foster, stepchild, or legal ward) who is under 18 years of age or, if older, is unable to care for him or herself because of serious illness for up to sixteen weeks in year one and twelve weeks in year two in any two-year period. Except in cases of emergency, two-weeks notice is required, and all requests must be accompanied by written notice from a physician or other licensed health care provider verifying the need for a leave and the probable duration. Serious illness is considered to be a disabling physical or mental condition that requires in-patient care in a hospital or licensed nursing facility or continuing outpatient care requiring treatment by a licensed health care provider. During the period of this leave, the University will continue to pay its share of health and any noncontributory insurance premiums for the caregiver on leave. An employee who has authorized payroll deductions for benefits must make arrangements with the Benefits Office to make those payments in order to continue coverage. The time available for a Caregiver's Leave is reduced by the amount of time during that same two-year period when the faculty member has been on a Child Rearing Leave or has been relieved from teaching under the policies governing maternity and short-term medical disability.
3. Teaching Relief for Child Rearing
A full-time member of the ladder faculty who bears a child or adopts a child under the age of six or whose spouse or same-sex domestic partner bears a child or adopts a child under the age of six will be relieved of teaching duties, without loss of salary or benefits, for the whole of an academic semester occurring within the first year after the birth or adoption, for the purpose of the child's care. Any other administrative and departmental responsibilities should be consistent with the purpose of the teaching relief. To qualify for this relief the faculty member must be a primary caregiver throughout the period of relief: caring for the child during normal working hours while the other parent, if any, is employed at least half time. Should both parents be full-time members of the Yale ladder faculty they may choose to divide the relief, each being granted one semester of relief from one half of the teaching responsibilities. Alternatively, one parent could elect relief from one half of the teaching responsibilities for two semesters. Fully-paid teaching relief is available only once for each birth event or adoption. Teaching relief for child rearing is not considered a leave of absence. See VII. D. 5 below for policies regarding the effect of the teaching relief on terms of appointment and time in rank, and see XI. E below for policies regarding short-term medical disability.
From page 92:
4. Timing and Arrangements
In the case of Child Rearing Leaves, Caregiver's Leaves, or teaching relief granted for child rearing or for short-term medical disability, the faculty member is expected as early as possible to discuss with the chair of the department or the dean of the school his or her anticipated teaching and administrative responsibilities before and after the leave of absence or relief from teaching. They should agree upon a schedule for the year that will facilitate the carrying out of as many non-teaching responsibilities as are practicable under the circumstances, so as to minimize the impact of the faculty member's absence on the curriculum and administration of the department or school. In such cases, the chair of the department or dean of the school, in consultation with the Provost's Office, will make such arrangements as are necessary and appropriate with regard to covering the teaching and other responsibilities, including canceling an affected course or drawing upon funds from the dean of the school or the Provost's Office to employ a substitute instructor. (See VII. D. 5 below for policies regarding extension of appointment.)
5. Extensions of Appointment
Throughout the University, any full-time, non-tenured member of the ladder faculty holding an appointment of three years or more who takes a Caregiver's Leave of at least six weeks, may request a six-month extension of his or her current appointment and the maximum time in that rank and in the combined non-tenure ranks. Any full-time member of the ladder faculty who takes a Child Rearing Leave or who is granted relief from teaching for child rearing, or who bears a child or experiences any short-term medical disability as described in Section XI.E of at least six weeks at any time of the year, may request a two-semester extension of his or her current appointment and therefore the maximum time both in that rank and in the combined non-tenure ranks. If an extension granted for a Child Rearing Leave has been divided between two members of the ladder faculty, each will be granted a one-semester extension of appointment and time in the non-tenure ranks. The requested extension will be granted automatically and may be repeated for one subsequent birth or other qualifying event, thereby extending the appointment and time in the non-tenure ladder ranks for a maximum of two years. (See also Section III.F. above)
From page 127:
E. Short-term Medical Disability
A full-time member of the teaching faculty who is unable to meet his or her teaching responsibilities or perform other duties as a result of a planned or emergency short-term medical disability -- including a period of incapacity related to the bearing of a child -- will be relieved of those duties, without loss of salary or benefits, during the period of incapacity. If the incapacity would interrupt the teaching of courses by three or more weeks of the semester in which the interruption occurs, the relief may be granted for up to the entire semester. In such cases, the chair of the department or the dean of the school, in consultation with the Provost's Office, will make such arrangements as are necessary and appropriate with regard to covering the teaching and other responsibilities, including canceling an affected course or drawing upon funds from the dean of the school or the Provost's Office to employ a substitute instructor. Outside the period of incapacity, the faculty member will be expected to meet as many department and University responsibilities other than teaching, including research, committee membership, and student advising, as are compatible with the medical situation. Should the medical incapacity prevent the faculty member from meeting his or her full teaching and other responsibilities for a period that extends into a second semester, the Provost's Office should be consulted and the University's long-term disability policy may be applied. Relief from teaching responsibilities as the result of medical disability is not considered a leave of absence. (See also Section VII.D.5 above, "Extensions of Appointment.")
