2,672: Academic Faculty - Responsibilities When Absent

Last Revised: June 2007

Occasionally, an academic faculty member has to miss one or more scheduled obligations (i.e. class, meeting, office hours, or other event) due to a conflicting event or emergency. These may include, but are not limited to, illness, a family emergency, travel to a conference, or other professional obligation.

When a faculty absence from a scheduled obligation occurs, it is the responsibility of the faculty member and/or the department to make accommodations for any missed classes, office hours, and other university-related obligations.

If the faculty member knows in advance that s/he will be absent, the faculty member shall make arrangements for someone to cover her/his classes, and to give advance notice to students that s/he will not be available for office hours. The faculty member should also provide notice that s/he will not be able to attend university-related obligations during the absence. 

In the case of an emergency, when the faculty member must be absent without advance notice, s/he shall contact the department immediately. It is then the department's responsibility to arrange for someone to cover the faculty member's classes, if possible, and post a notice that the faculty member is not available for office hours.

All absences of a half-day or more in which scheduled obligations are missed must be reported in accordance with university policies, as described in this manual. As absences from scheduled obligations may have an adverse effect on students, other faculty, and university staff, faculty are urged to limit absences during times that conflict with scheduled classes, office hours, and other university-related obligations.

Reporting Sick Leave:

Academic faculty who miss class or any other scheduled activity such as a scheduled meeting, office hours, or other scheduled activities due to illness or family illness are required to report sick leave using a Leave Request Form. Any absence (either sick or annual for A contract faculty or sick for B contract faculty) must be reported in half or full day increments. 

Faculty members must obtain approval of planned absences for medical reasons and give their supervisor as much advance notice as possible using the Leave Request Form. If the absence cannot be predicted in advance, the employee has two days to turn in the leave slip after return from leave.

For absences lasting more than three days, the employee or employee's department must contact the BCN Benefits Coordinator to determine whether the faculty member should be considered to be on leave under FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act).