2008 Woodie Awards
Policies on gender equity followed closely
Becky Watts
Issue date: 3/13/08 Section: Letters
|
While I respect the writer's passion and concern for justice, I am concerned that she failed to consider Murray State's policies and practices when writing her commentary. As a result, her opinion made a number of inaccurate assertions about gender equity at Murray State.
Murray State University does indeed have policies in place that clearly define leave rights and benefits that both predate and go above and beyond the requirements of the Federal Family and Medical Leave Act. The passage of FMLA in 1993 required all public and private employers with 50 or more employees to grant up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave per year to employees who need to care for family members. Murray State's policy, already in place well before FMLA passed in 1993, is more generous than the law requires, offering up to six months of unpaid leave. The University publishes this policy in the Faculty Handbook, the Staff Handbook and the Personnel Policies and Procedures Manual.
This policy directly addresses the issue of job security, stating that regardless of gender, a faculty or staff member may be granted up to six months unpaid, job-secured leave following childbirth or adoption, if the faculty or staff member has exhausted his/her vacation and sick leave. The policy also states, except for a situation like downsizing or layoffs, that Murray State will restore the employee to the position held when the leave commenced, or to an equivalent position with equivalent benefits, pay and other terms and conditions of employment.
As further support for its employees, Murray State continues to pay the University's share of the employee's health insurance while he or she is on leave as if the employee were still working. An employee who has exhausted all accrued sick and vacation leave may be placed on a leave of absence without pay for one year (including the six months family medical leave) from the date that paid sick leave and vacation leave were exhausted if the employee has a minimum of one year of service with the University.
Murray State's tenure policy specifically provides accommodation for individuals seeking tenure who take leave. The policy states that leaves taken during an individual's tenure probationary period shall not constitute a break-in service. This provides an assurance in University policy that taking leave of any kind does not put an individual's potential for tenure at risk. In essence, this allows the tenure clock to "pause" while the individual is on leave.
Be the first to comment on this story