Group F: PERSONNEL

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F-1. Equal Employment Opportunity / Affirmative Action

F-2. Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination

F-3. Employee Recruitment

F-4. Faculty Appointments

F-5. Faculty Placement / Advancement

F-6. Non-Faculty Placement/Advancement

F-7. Performance Evaluation

F-8. Due-Process Requirements for Terminations of Employment

F-9. Employee Grievance Policy

F-10. Employee Leave

F-11. College Travel & Expense Reimbursement

F-12. Employee Tuition Exemption

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The Austin Community College Board of Trustees adopted this policy on December 3, 1973 and amended it on March 16, 1978, May 11, 1981, September 11, 1989, and November 1, 1999.

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F-1. EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY / AFFIRMATIVE ACTION

The Austin Community College District is an equal employment opportunity / affirmative action employer. Discrimination on any ground listed in Policy F-2 (B) is thus forbidden.

As an affirmative action employer, the College will appoint employees in full compliance with existing laws. Qualification guidelines for all staffing table positions will be published by the Office of Personnel Services, and shall be applied consistently and fairly to all applicants. "Qualified" is defined as having the requisite education, training, and/or skills required of the position as defined in the approved job description.

The College shall actively seek to increase the number of minority personnel through affirmative actions. Procedures for advertising vacancies, recruitment, hiring, promotion, compensation, fringe benefits, resolution of grievance, and separations from the College shall be monitored by the College's Equal Employment Opportunity / Affirmative Action Officer.

The Board of Trustees will receive an annual report on the District's employment profile.

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F-2. PREVENTION OF HARASSMENT AND DISCRIMINATION

A. HARASSMENT
Harassment by any person, especially sexual and racial harassment, will not be tolerated in any College facilities or activities. Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature may constitute harassment when submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual's employment or academic credit, submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as a basis for employment or academic decisions affecting that person, or such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with a person's performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive workplace or learning environment.

B. FORBIDDEN GROUNDS FOR DISCRIMINATION
Employment at the College and access to its programs or activities shall not be limited on the basis of race, color, creed, national origin, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, political affiliation, or physical disability.

C. PROHIBITED ACTIONS
It is the policy of the College that any practice or behavior which constitutes such harassment or discrimination is strictly forbidden. Special attention shall be placed on the prevention of sexual and racial harassment, and on the prevention of abuse of positions of authority. Employees may not supervise or participate in the hiring of anyone with whom they have a sexual relationship.

D. NOTIFICATION OF RIGHTS AND REMEDIES
Employees, students, and applicants shall be given copies of this policy and a written description of how to make inquiries or file complaints on this topic, including how to communicate with the administrator designated by the College President to coordinate compliance with this policy and anti-discrimination laws such as Title IX of the Education Act of 1972, as amended. Copies of this policy and instructions for contacting the compliance Officer shall be prominently posted throughout the College

E. COMPLAINTS OF HARASSMENT OR DISCRIMINATION
A person who feels that he or she has been harassed or discriminated against in College-related activities on a basis forbidden by law or policy should promptly report the situation to the Title IX Coordinator, or alternatively to a counselor or supervisor, who shall report the complaint in writing to the Title IX Coordinator.
Each complaint filed shall be taken seriously and investigated promptly, impartially, and with due respect for confidentiality. Employees are expected to fully cooperate with any internal investigation. The President shall specify an internal appeals process, and a written description of it shall be provided to all parties to a complaint.
Regardless of the outcome of the investigation, retaliation is prohibited for filing a complaint, for bringing possibly-inappropriate conduct to the College's attention, or for assisting in a complaint investigation.

F. CONSEQUENCES OF VIOLATIONS
Any employee or student, regardless of gender or race, found to have engaged in conduct prohibited by this policy (or by rules adopted by the President in furtherance of the goals of this policy) shall be subject to disciplinary action or dismissal. Also, anyone found in violation of these rules may be forbidden from entering College property or conducting business with the College.

The Austin Community College Board of Trustees adopted this policy on April 4, 1988 and was amended on September 9, 1996, December 4, 1999, and January 10, 2000.

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F-3. EMPLOYEE RECRUITMENT

The College shall maintain a program of active employee recruitment which provides timely notice of employment opportunities to as broad and diverse a pool of well-qualified potential employees as feasible. To maximize faculty-position applications, the College should usually make offers for faculty positions before most college faculty have been asked to commit themselves to continue at their current institutions.

The President shall provide an annual report to the Board on the nature and results of the College's recruitment efforts. This report shall identify and explain any areas in which recruitment efforts failed to supply the desired number or range of applicants, and summarize plans to address such failures. The report shall include appropriate comparisons of the characteristics of the people hired (including gender, ethnicity, and prior experience) to those of the existing staff, the qualified-applicant pool, the pool of potential applicants meeting the job qualifications, and the staff of comparable institutions. Reasonable estimates may be used in the comparisons when exact data is not accessible, provided that the basis for each estimate is stated.

The Austin Community College Board of Trustees adopted this policy on April 21, 1997 and amended on June 2, 1997. It is a consolidation of a former policies VIII-75, Appointment for Faculty Personnel, (which had been adopted on January 17, 1977 and amended on June 1, 1981 and November 4, 1991) and VIII-62, Faculty Administrative Appointments (which had been adopted on March 4, 1996). The policy was amended on June 2, 1997.

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F-4. FACULTY APPOINTMENTS

1. Initial appointments: Faculty members shall initially receive a one-year appointment. Subsequent reappointments granted upon favorable evaluation shall be for one year until the faculty member has at least three years of service and two consecutive favorable evaluations, in which case a three-year appointment shall be granted.
2. Multi-year appointments: Any faculty member who has already received a three-year appointment shall, in each year a favorable annual evaluation is received, be given a new appointment for the following three-year period.
3. Employment termination: During the term of an appointment, the employment of a faculty member may not be terminated by the College except for immediate cause as defined in Policy F-8.
4. Evaluation: The President shall maintain administrative rules which specify how and by whom evaluations of faculty are to be conducted, what level of performance is required for an evaluation to be considered favorable in the context of this policy, and how evaluations may be appealed. The appeal process shall be constructed so as to meet any legal requirements for notice and hearings.
5. Probation: A faculty member is on probation if he or she has a one-year appointment (initial probation) or if his or her most recent annual evaluation was less than favorable (performance probation). If a faculty member receives a less than favorable annual evaluation while on probation, the College may terminate the employment of the faculty member at the end of his or her current appointment without further evaluation.
6. Rehiring: If a person is rehired as a faculty member at the College within 5 years of leaving such a position, he or she resumes the appointment status held prior to leaving faculty status.

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F-5. FACULTY PLACEMENT/ADVANCEMENT

A. Faculty
Faculty shall be placed in an experience step and educational level appropriate to their background. Thus the President shall establish rules so that faculty will receive:

1. One experience step of placement credit for each year of relevant full-time experience, with a limit of 10 steps at initial placement. The President may set equivalence rules for part-time experience.
2. The level appropriate to their relevant educational background as specified on the salary scale. The President may set equivalence rules by which a portion of relevant non-teaching work experience may be counted as educational-level equivalent rather than as experience.
3. Any discrepancy between actual placement and that which would result from the application of rules adopted under this policy must be eliminated in less than three years.

B. Adjunct Faculty
Adjunct faculty shall be placed on the adjunct-faculty salary scale in an experience step based on their experience at the College. Adjunct faculty at the third or higher experience step shall also be placed in a salary-scale level based on their educational or vocational experience.

C. Board Approval
Any change in administrative placement rules with a financial impact of more than $100,000 in a fiscal year must have Board approval, preferably during the budget process.

The Austin Community College Board of Trustees adopted this policy on August 5, 1996.

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F-6. NON-FACULTY PLACEMENT / ADVANCEMENT

Non-faculty permanent employees shall be placed, as shown in the staffing table, in a salary grade appropriate to their job responsibilities and in a salary step appropriate to their experience. Accordingly, for such employees:

1. Placement credit for each full-time-equivalent year of relevant previous experience above the minimum requirements for their current job shall be no less than one-half step and no more than one step, with a limit of 10 steps;
2. Any discrepancy between actual placement and that which would result from the application of rules adopted under this policy must be eliminated in less than three years.
3. Employees advance one step for each year of satisfactory performance, up to the top step of their grade.

Any change in administrative placement rules which would have a financial impact of more than $100,000 in a fiscal year must have specific Board approval, preferably during the budget process.

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F-7. PERFORMANCE EVALUATION

The College's evaluation systems shall reflect commitment to effective, efficient institutional performance and to fair, respectful treatment of employees. The President thus shall ensure that:

1. College evaluation processes are not arbitrary or perfunctory, and evaluations are based on the expectation of a high level of performance in each area of responsibility. The primary criteria for evaluation shall be effectiveness in: [a] discharging assigned duties, [b] enabling the effectiveness of others in support of College goals, and [c] complying with College policy and rules.
2. All individual employees are given information at least once per year about how their performance is perceived by their supervisors, by those they serve, and (on a confidential basis) by any people they supervise. Their final performance evaluation is based on their quality of work as judged by their supervisor(s).
3. Evaluations include assessment of the contributions to College effectiveness made through self-directed professional activities and through eliciting and supporting such activities by others.

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F-8. DUE PROCESS REQUIREMENTS FOR EMPLOYMENT TERMINATIONS

The College's systems for employment decisions shall normally provide opportunities for experienced employees to correct perceived performance deficiencies or to find new employment in an orderly manner, but shall enable the College to act immediately when necessary. Accordingly:

[1] Immediate Termination: The employment of any person may be terminated by the President without further compensation, regardless of employment status, for good cause for immediate termination as interpreted under Texas law.

[2] Faculty: Other than to address a substantial reduction in need for faculty in an instructional area (and then with at least 180 days notice before the end of a fiscal year), or for good cause for immediate termination as defined above, the employment of faculty members shall not be terminated during the term of an appointment made under the provisions of Policy F-4.

[3] Non-Faculty Staffing Table Employees: Non-faculty employees serving in positions which are in the current Staffing Table published by the President in accordance with Policy C-5 may have their employment terminated without further compensation either for good cause for immediate termination as defined above or under one or more of the following conditions:

[a] at will during the first 180 days at the College as a staffing-table employee.

[b] after having been placed on probation and having failed to attain, within 90 days, a level of performance satisfactory to the College in the areas named in the probation notice.

[c] as part of a reduction in force in an area or a change in the type of work skills needed. In such a case, at least 90 days notice shall be provided except when the change is in response to a serious financial emergency.

[d] after 120 days notice from the President, for employees in positions specified as managerial or administrative in the staffing table; no probationary process is required in such cases.

[4] Other employees: The employment of other College employees may be terminated at will.

[5] Notice: A person whose College employment is being considered for termination shall be given advance notice.

[6] Scope of Policy: These due-process provisions apply only to overall employment and to reductions in base compensation; the President may assign any College employee to new duties at any time.

The Austin Community College Board of Trustees adopted this policy on October 6, 1986 and amended it on April 6, 1987.

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F-9. EMPLOYEE GRIEVANCE POLICY

Austin Community College supports good employee relations and harmonious working conditions.

To attain such goals, the College shall maintain fair and expeditious procedures to resolve grievances.

The Austin Community College Board of Trustees adopted this policy on September 9, 1996 and amended it on August 4, 1997 to incorporate the policy provisions of Policy VIII-29, Sick Leave Pool, into it as part of the completion of the consolidation process. It was further amended on August 3, 1998.

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F-10. EMPLOYEE LEAVE

A. Coverage

1. The provisions of this policy apply to staffing-table positions. Paid leave may be provided for other classes of employees when deemed appropriate by the President, provided that the rates at which leave is earned do not exceed that for staffing-table positions.
2. Use of all leave is subject to administrative rules set by the President; in particular, use of annual leave may be restricted at times where it would interfere with meeting teaching assignments or needed seasonal work. Changes in Administrative Rules on leave must be approved by the Board if their financial impact would be more than $100,000 per year.

B. Standard Leave

1. Staffing-table employees are eligible to accrue annual leave after the first ninety (90) days of employment.
2. The standard amount of annual leave for eligible employees shall be 15 days per year during their first 5 years in an ACC staffing-table position and 20 days per year after that.
3. No more than 30 days of annual leave may be accumulated; employees are paid for any unused annual leave upon separation.
4. Faculty members with less than year-round employment do not earn annual leave.
5. Up to 19 paid holidays may be provided each year, as specified by the College President.

C. Exceptional Leave

1. Sick leave is earned at the rate of 1 day per month, with a maximum of 150 days, and taken as needed. Half of any accumulated excess over 120 days is paid on separation.
2. Paid leave may also be taken for jury duty, the birth or adoption of a child (10 days), the death of a close relative (3 days), and military reserve training (up to 10 days).
3. Unpaid leave, with or without benefits, may be granted at the discretion of the administration.
4. The President shall establish a sick-leave pool in accordance with state law.

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F-11. COLLEGE TRAVEL AND EXPENSE REIMBURSEMENT

Reimbursement of College employees for job related expenses and local travel shall be made in an equitable manner, with the same rules applying to all levels of employees.

Any excess of reimbursements, advances, or allowances over actual documented expenses or travel mileage, plus the value of any significant personal use of College vehicles or other College property, shall be deducted from pay so that total compensation for each position matches that stated in the staffing table.

The Austin Community College Board of Trustees adopted this policy on August 24, 1977 and amended it on February 9, 1978, August 6, 1984, July 11, 1994, and September 9, 1996.

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F-12. EMPLOYEE TUITION EXEMPTION

Since providing education benefits to its employees is in its best interests, the College will generally pay tuition and fees at the College for up to 12 credit hours or 180 non-credit hours per year, for all full-time employees and for part-time faculty and staffing-table employees employed for at least the last three years.

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Comments, suggestions? Last updated on May 3, 2000.