The Human Resources Department at the University of Arizona oversees the various categories of employees.

At the present time, Mary Bich (520-621-3912) is the HR representative for the College of Education. The University of Arizona Employee Handbook provides an overview of policies and resources available to employees.

There are two types of employees - those paid on salaries and those paid on wages. Among the categories of salaried employees are appointed personnel, classified staff, and graduate assistants/associates. Wage employees may include classified staff and student workers.

No one should begin working until appropriate hiring paperwork has been completed, including the I-9. Incomplete and incorrect I-9 information will result in hiring delays and could result in fines from INS.

ALL CATEGORIES OF EMPLOYEES ARE SUBJECT TO NEPOTISM (i.e., the hiring of relatives) REGULATIONS. The University Handbook for Appointed Personnel section 2.20 and the Staff Personnel Policy Manual policy number 108 outline the guidelines which do not allow employees to influence the hiring, supervision, promotion, or compensation of a relative. Refer to the policy for the relationships affected by Arizona state laws.

The following sections will address each category of employee plus benefits, payroll, and personnel forms.

Appointed Personnel

Appointed personnel include faculty (tenure/tenure eligible, adjunct, clinical), academic professionals (continuing/continuing eligible, year-to-year), and administrators. The University Handbook for Appointed Personnel contains related policies for these employees. It should be noted that "adjunct" appointments are temporary (only for the duration of the contract) and may be contingent on availability of funds.

Recruiting and Hiring for appointed personnel must follow University guidelines. Human Resources will assist the department with a search to the extent requested by the department. Advertisements must be approved by the department head, dean, and College HR representative prior to publication. Affirmative action measures are the responsibility of the department heads and deans. Exceptions to the search are limited to special situations; refer to the most current policy for the list of approved exceptions.

Contract periods for appointed personnel generally are 10 months (academic) or 12 months (fiscal). Tenure/tenure eligible faculty who are on ten-month contracts have the option of receiving their pay over a twelve month period, commonly referred to as 10/12 pay. Forms are available from Human Resources and should be completed by May 1 prior to the beginning of the new fiscal year which begins July 1.

Classified Staff

Classified Staff positions constitute a broad range of titles and are coded as "exempt" or "nonexempt" according to Fair Labor Standards Act. The Staff Personnel Policy Manual contains relevant policies for these employees.

Hiring documents will include the Recruitment Form to initiate the search. The Hiring and Appointment Form along with the employee sign-up packet for new employees are required. The Search File Documentation Checklist outlines all search-related materials (completed Candidate Referral List, applications, interview notes, etc.) that should be returned to Human Resources with the hiring documents. The documents should be signed by the department head, the PI if applicable, and sent to the Business Office. The Business Office will forward the approved documents to HR for processing.

Classified staff employees newly hired into the University have a six-month probationary period. A probationary employee accrues sick and vacation leave during this period and may take sick leave during this time but is not eligible for paid vacation until the probation is completed. If an employee terminates before the end of probation, sick leave paid must be refunded to the University.

A University employee who transfers to a new position within the University is subject to a three-month probationary period. The use of vacation hours during the probationary period is at the discretion of the supervisor.

Graduate Assistants / Associates

Graduate Assistants/Associates (GAs) are graduate students who teach, assist with research, or do other assigned tasks. To be eligible to be a Graduate Assistant or Associate, the student must meet the following criteria:

• Be admitted to a graduate degree program

• Enroll in a minimum of 6 units each semester

• Maintain a 3.0 GPA

The Graduate College Employment Manual outlines policies pertaining to GAs. The Graduate College permits appointments only at.25,.33,.50,.66, or.75 FTE. To employ a GA at a different FTE, supplemental compensation ("supp comp") should be used.

In the College of Education an appointment to an assistantship is dependent on the standing of a student in the degree program. Salary levels for each level have been established by the Graduate College. The titles are as follows:

Graduate Assistant I - a student in a master's program,

Graduate Assistant II - a student enrolled in an educational specialist program or a doctoral student who does not have a master's,

Graduate Associate I - a student enrolled in a doctoral pro gram who has a master's degree or 30 units toward the doctorate,

Graduate Associate II - a student who has reached candidacy level (i.e., passed preliminary examinations) prior to the beginning of a semester.

It is the responsibility of the department to ensure that GAs are hired at the appropriate level and meet the criteria established by the Graduate College.

An assistantship, regardless of funding source, waives nonresident tuition for nonresident GAs; however, all GAs must pay in-state registration fees.

While the same hiring form is used as with other classifications of employees, hiring documents include one additional requirement - Notice of Appointment Form (NOA). The Graduate College specifies the maximum FTE for which a GA can be hired; it is contingent on the number of units which the GA is enrolled. The information is printed on the NOA and is available in the Graduate College Manual.

Contacts for GA issues are Julie Treanor, Graduate College, 621-5193 and Bob Verdugo, 621-5998, in Systems Control.

Wage Employees

Wage employees are referred to as hourly employees; these may include student workers as well as temporary and regular classified staff positions. The Student Employee Manual addresses policies regarding student employees.

Benefits

Optional benefits are available to appointed personnel and classified staff who are employed at.50 FTE or greater for six months or more. Benefits range from health and dental plans to a variety of insurance programs. The Arizona State Retirement plan is mandatory for classified staff; appointed personnel have the option of the state plan or o ptional plans such as TIAA/CREF or VALIC. Benefits for appointed personnel are outlined in the University Handbook For Appointed Personnel and for classified staff in the Staff Personnel Policy Manual. Temporary or "ancillary employees" do not qualify for benefits. The Benefits Office should be contacted for details.

It is important to note that for employees who sign up for benefits prior to the 20th of the month, the benefits will be in effect at the beginning of the following month. For employees who enroll in benefits after the 20th, benefits will begin at the beginning of the second month. If new employees do not enroll for benefits within 30 days of their start date, they must wait until the annual open enrollment period to enroll.

GAs who purchase UA Student Health Insurance receive a $25 rebate that is applied to the students' billing screens.

GAs as well as regular employees receive a 10% discount at the ASUA Bookstore with the presentation of a UA Identification card with a validation sticker (the GA ID card must have GRA/GTA validation sticker that departments can obtain from the Bookstore).

Fee waivers to enroll in classes at any of the three state universities are available to employees who meet the above mentioned criteria. Dependents and spouses of employees are eligible for the waivers as are benefits-eligible employees; however, "ancillary employees" and GAs do not qualify for employee or dependent fee waivers. Fee Waiver forms are available on-line. The form must be signed by the Department Head and taken to the University Services Building, room 114, on 2nd Street and Euclid before the payment deadline each semester.

Payroll

The Payroll Operations Office, a unit of Financial Management, provides a vital service to the entire campus! The FRS Manual, Section 19, addresses all facets relating to payroll.

To help achieve the desired accuracy for processing time rosters, the office provides on-site training in departmental offices. To arrange Payroll Training, call 626-3108.

Payroll procedures dictate the following practices:

A clear segregation of duties in the entering and approving of on-line time rosters must be in place; i.e., the individual who enters the payroll must not be the person who approves it. In small departments this may mean that someone from another department is involved in processing the time rosters.

The Employee Time Record (ETR) is the official record for attendance and time. If a department creates its own version, it must be approved by Human Resources and reviewed by Payroll Operations. Both employee and supervisor sign the ETR to indicate agreement on hours worked or leave taken.

Non-exempt employees who work more than 40 hours per week must receive compensatory time or paid overtime; this is a federal mandate from the Fair Labor Standards Act. The additional hours worked should be approved in advance by the supervisor ,recorded accurately on the ETR, and reported in the pay period worked.

Supplemental compensation is paid to exempt employees who perform work beyond their normal work load. For an exempt classified staff employee to receive supplemental compensation, normally the work would be different from their classification and outside of the home department. Appointed personnel on academic contract may earn up to 3/9s of their salary in a year, and those on fiscal contract may earn up 1/12. Supplemental compensation may not be paid for on-campus instruction. Refer to the Staff Personnel Policy Manual and Handbook For Appointed Personnel for specific policies.

Payroll Expenditures Listings (PELs) are received in departments with paychecks. They should be reviewed and initialed by a departmental representative after each pay period. Copies of the PELs should be given to Principal Investigators for their review.

Requests for exception (normally for hand-drawn checks) should be held to a minimum and reserved for true emergencies. Payroll increasingly is reluctant to honor such requests due to the high number received.

Personnel Forms

Personnel Action Forms (PAFs) and Position Control Forms (PCFs) are important to every employee. The PAF contains information about the employee salary, FTE, title, home department, employment history at UA, and personal information. The PCF contains relevant information about the position: position control number, funding source(s), dates of employment, funding for the period of hire, and a list of employees who have occupied the position. Each employee has these two forms relating to his/her employment.

The position control number (PCN) codes the type of position and department. For example, when an employee is paid supplemental compensation, he/she is paid on a supplemental compensation PCN (as opposed to the regular PCN) that is specific for faculty, classified staff, or GA. The PCN should belong to the department paying the supplemental compensation.

While an initial hire requires the Hiring & Appointment Form,(HAF) the PAF/PCF can be used for reappointment, change in funding source or FTE and corresponding salary. The PAF is used to change personal information such as address (home or office), phone number, or name. To process a name change, a copy of the legal document is required. Turnaround documents are sent to the home department by Systems Control and are the result of the documents that were processed to initiate a new hire or reappointment. The turnaround document will have the new information underlined. The forms should be reviewed carefully to ensure the accuracy of the information. While it is rare, an error on a turnaround document could result in an employee being paid an incorrect salary or a wrong account being charged.

PAFs and PCFs that do not change salary or title are sent directly to Systems Control; documents with salary or title change are forwarded to Human Resources.

Screens in PSOS contain the same information that is on the PAFs and PCFs. F6 on a keyboard will reveal the code to explain the various fields on a screen. Screen 17 is helpful in calculating funding amounts for a given period of time; screen 31 shows information about a budget line such as who is in the line, FTE, funding source(s), any balance available, and transfers of funds related to that line.

The Termination Form is used when an employee leaves the University. For faculty and GAs a letter of resignation or retirement should accompany the form. The form should be routed through the Business Office. If an employee (particularly a student employee) is working in another department on campus and stops working in your department, the employee should not be terminated from the "system" but ended in the position. When an employee leaves a department, it is the responsibility of the supervisor to ensure that keys are returned and access to FRS, SIS, and PSOS is cancelled before the final paycheck is distributed.