Faculty Handbook 2007-2008

Denison's Board of Trustees has established the staff benefit programs which are briefly outlined below. A more detailed description of these various programs is available in the Office of Human Resources. These programs are subject to periodic review (normally in three-year intervals) by the Board of Trustees and may be amended at its discretion.

Participation in University staff benefit programs is subject to eligibility requirements as published for the individual programs. For the purpose of eligibility for the various benefit programs, faculty, under a yearly contract and working the equivalent of .75 FTE, and administrative staff scheduled to work the equivalent of .75 FTE receive the same benefits as full-time employees. Same-sex partners are eligible for participation in staff benefit programs that include coverage for spouses and dependent children. Coverage for all benefit programs is discontinued when the faculty/staff member's association with the University ends.

Note: For faculty, the termination date is the day of commencement in the final year of a contract.

a. Comprehensive Health Insurance Program

A comprehensive health insurance program with a Preferred Provider Option (PPO) or a Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) plan whereby participants select a primary care physician (PCP) to manage care in the HMO network. The cost of this plan is shared. A dental plan is included with the HMO or a voluntary dental plan is available for PPO participants. Full time faculty and administrative staff are eligible beginning with the date of employment. Denison and the staff member contribute to t he cost of this protection. Part-time faculty and administrative staff working fifteen (15) hours or more per week may take part in the program by paying the total premium without cost sharing by the University.

Coverage, which is coordinated with Medicare, is available for members (including eligible dependents) hired prior to July 1, 1993 and who retire from Denison with ten years of continuous service immediately before retirement. The coverage continues for a member's spouse and other eligible dependents upon the member's death. In no event, however, will coverage be continued beyond death or remarriage of the surviving spouse. Please be in touch with the Office of Human Resources for more details concerning continued coverage.

The Comprehensive Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) provides for continued participation in the group health plan after termination of employment by paying the full cost of the premium, for a maximum period of eighteen months for you and your dependents. The Office of Human Resources will provide information about the option. Denison will notify you of your right to continue coverage within 45 days of the occurrence of the above event.

b. Group Life/Accidental Death and Dismemberment/Business Travel

The group life, accidental death and dismemberment program underwritten by CIGNA, is offered to all full-time faculty and administrative staff. Coverage is 1.5 times annual salary per individual for life insurance and for accidental death and dismemberment. At 70 years of age the group life and accidental death and dismemberment coverage is reduced by 35% for active employees.

A travel accident policy provides $200,000 for loss of life or scheduled payments for dismemberment while on University business including travel to professional meetings.

c. Long-term Disability Plan

This benefit provides a monthly income, coordinated with Social Security and/or Workers' Compensation benefits, of 60% of the monthly salary not to exceed $10,000 per month maximum following six (6) consecutive months of total disability.

Other plan features are covered in detail in the Plan Description distributed by the Office of Human Resources.

Coverage of all eligible employees is mandatory. Eligibility exists on the first day of the month following completion of one (1) year of service at the University.

d. Health Care Spending Accounts

The Health Care Spending Account (HCSA) allows employees to direct pre-tax dollars from their pay into an account and pay themselves back for covered health care charges, dental expenses, and vision expenses. Employees do not pay federal, state, or social security tax on the amount directed into this account. An employee can elect to deposit up to $3500 per plan year into the HCSA. Full-time and part-time staff are eligible to participate after a three month waiting period.

e. Dependent Care Spending Account

The Dependent Care Spending Account (DCSA) allows employees to direct pre-tax dollars from their pay into an account and pat themselves back for covered dependent care charges, such as child or elder care. Employees do not pay federal, state, or social security tax on the amount directed into this account. Full-time and part-time faculty and administrative staff are eligible to participate on the date of hire. An employee can elect to deposit up to $2500 or $5000 per plan year into the DCSA, depending on whether the employee is single or married, files a separate or joint tax return, and whether or not the employee's spouse also contributes to a dependent care account.

f. Emeriti Retirement Health Solutions Program

The Emeriti Retirement Health Solution Program is a tax-advantaged program to invest and accumulate assets to help meet future retiree medical expenses is available to full time administrative staff hired after June 30, 1993. Eligibility for university contributions begins at age 40 and continues for up to 25 years. All full-time faculty and staff members, including faculty and staff hired to July 1, 1993 may make voluntary contributions beginning at age 21. Complete plan details are available in the Office of Human Resources.

a. Core Retirement Plan. Denison provides a core retirement plan for full-time faculty and administrative staff members with investment options through ING, Scudder or TIAA-CREF. Eligibility exists on the first day of the month after completing one year of service at the University and attaining age 21.

Full-time faculty and administrative staff members receiving salary checks as full-time employees before August 31, 1974, participate in the Core Retirement Plan, when eligible, on the basis of a contribution of 15% of salary by the University. Employees in this category may, at their option, elect to place up to one-third of the present Denison contribution (15% of salary) into the Supplemental Retirement Annuity (SRA) plan. The amount is limited to 5% of the maximum taxable salary under Social Security in any calendar year. Full-time faculty and administrative staff hired and/or rehired by the University after August 31, 1974, participate in the Core Retirement Plan when eligible on the basis of a step rate plan. The University contributes 10% of regular salary up to the Social Security wage contribution base and 15% of the regular salary above that base to the plan. Plan contributions by the University to the Core Retirement Plan on behalf of faculty and administrative staff shall not continue beyond the date the participant receives his/her first retirement benefit distribution under the plan.

b. Normal Retirement Age. Each member of the faculty and administrative staff reaching 65, herein called normal retirement age, prior to September 1 may retire as of the preceding June 30. Each member of the faculty and administrative staff reaching age 65 on or after September 1, may retire on June 30 following his/her 65th birthday.

c. Supplemental Retirement Annuity Contracts (Tax Sheltered Annuities). A member of the faculty or administrative staff may, through a properly drawn salary reduction agreement, divert part of his/her compensation before taxes to the purchase of supplemental annuity contract from ING, or TIAA-CREF, or mutual funds from Scudder Funds to augment a retirement plan or as a forced savings plan. Federal income taxes on the salary reduction and on the investment earnings credited to the contract are deferred until they are received in the form of benefits. At that time, payments are taxed as ordinary income in the year or years in which they are received.

d. Special Retirement Plan. The Special Retirement Plan is subject to periodic review (normally in three year intervals) by the Board of Trustees of the University and may be amended at their discretion as well as all other faculty benefits formulated and offered by Denison. This program is subject to revision with appropriate notice except for those already participating in the plan who shall continue at any event. The effective date of this program is October 18, 1997 as amended and restated April 21, 2001.

The purpose of the Special Retirement Plan is to assist eligible faculty of Denison University who may prefer to elect early retirement. Participation in the plan is voluntary. If an eligible faculty member elects not to participate in the plan, the faculty member's election will not have any direct impact on the member's current or future employment with the University.

POLICY

BENEFITS

The following program of tuition-free scholarships at Denison and tuition cash assistance awards for attendance at accredited colleges and universities other than Denison will be made available to certain dependents (Bachelor degree candidates) of full-time faculty and administrative staff.

a. General Eligibility

(1) Children of full-time faculty and administrative staff members who, as defined under the United States Income Tax Law, are dependents of the employee. (Spouses and domestic partners qualify only for tuition-free scholarships at Denison.)

(2) The Program terminates upon separation of the faculty or administrative staff member from Denison with the exception of carrying forward into retirement and in the case of the death or total disability of an employee who has been employed on a full-time continuous basis for (7) years or longer.

(3) No one child shall receive benefits for more than eight (8) semesters or twelve (12) academic quarters.

(4) Programs apply only toward undergraduate work at four-year accredited colleges or universities.

(5) Dependent children are defined as son, daughter, stepson, stepdaughter, legally adopted child of employee, or foster child (living with the employee the entire year and providing the employee has been declared legal guardian and is providing 50% support). Dependent children must be claimed as dependents on the employee's federal income tax return.

(6) A spouse is defined as the person to whom an employee is legally married according to Ohio law. A domestic partnership is defined in an affidavit of domestic partnership which must be completed for eligibility under this program. Please contact the Department of Human Resources for more details.

(7) Part-time members of the faculty and staff may take one (1) academic course per semester at Denison for credit or audit on a space available basis. Courses must be taken outside the faculty or staff member's regular work schedule. Members of the faculty and administrative staff are eligible immediately; members of the supportive operating staff are eligible following the successful completion of the ninety (90) day probationary period (latter applies to new employees of less than three months service at Denison). Regular admissions procedures apply and prior approval by the department head is necessary.

b. Tuition-Free Scholarships at Denison

Full tuition remission at Denison for spouses, domestic partners, and children of faculty and administrative staff members with no limit on the number of children entitled to the benefit subject to the following restrictions:

- Members of the family of faculty and administrative staff are eligible following completion of one calendar year of continuous full-time employment. Spouses and/or domestic partners are exempt from the one-year waiting period. Admission to Denison is not guaranteed for dependents. They must meet normal university admission standards. While this is the case, dependent children will be given full and careful consideration. All students attending Denison under the provisions of this program are subject to the normal academic and administrative regulations of the University.

- Admission to Denison is not guaranteed for dependents. They must meet normal university admission standards. While this is the case, dependent children will be given full and careful consideration.

- Spouses and/or domestic partners who have a baccalaureate degree shall be eligible to take one course per semester on a space available basis, either for credit or audit for no more than the equivalent of eight (8) semesters. Under unusual circumstances the staff member may petition to waive the one course maximum limit for their spouse. The petition justifying the request is to be submitted to the Director of Financial Aid. The Director of Human Resources and the Registrar will review the petition and may waive the one course limit based upon the circumstances.

c. Tuition Cash Assistance Award Program Elsewhere

Eligibility - Children of full-time members of the faculty and administrative staff are eligible, subject to the following restrictions:

(1) For faculty and administrative staff hired before February 1, 1974, the amount of the award is equal to the direct tuition costs exclusive of any fee, of the admitting college or Denison, whichever is less.

(2) Children of faculty and administrative staff who were placed on the payroll on or after February 1, 1974, and who have completed two or more years of continuous full-time service, are eligible for a cash assistance award not to exceed $1,500 per year. The sum of the cash assistance award and financial aid for tuition (including "need" scholarships) from the institution attended shall not exceed the tuition charges of the institution at which enrolled.

d. Great Lakes Colleges Association Tuition Remission

Children of faculty and administrative staff who meet the eligibility requirement for tuition remission at Denison are also eligible to apply for tuition remission at any of the GLCA and two ACM schools. These schools are: Albion, Antioch, Beloit, Denison, DePauw, Earlham, Grinnell, Hope, Kalamazoo, Kenyon, Oberlin, Ohio Wesleyan, Wabash, and Wooster.

Eligibility. The Adoption Assistance Program, effective January 1, 2000, pays, upon finalization of the legal adoption, up to $5,000 per adopted child to eligible faculty and staff for adoption-related expenses.

Reimbursement. Any full time, continuing faculty or staff member is eligible for the Adoption Assistance benefit. If both adoptive parents are university employees, the benefit maximum may not exceed $5,000 per child. Adopted children must be under 18 year s of age. They may not be biologically related to either parent. Adoptions made through public, private, domestic, international and independent means are eligible.

Upon finalization of the legal adoption, eligible adoption-related expenses will be reimbursed to a maximum of $5,000 per child. Reasonable and necessary expenses directly related to the adoption are reimbursable, including:

Not all expenses are eligible; examples are:

Procedure for Reimbursement. Faculty and staff requesting adoption reimbursement must provide written itemization and receipts of eligible expenses and a copy of the final adoption decree to the Office of Human Resources.

Leave of Absence. Leaves of absence may be granted on an unpaid basis consistent with the University's Family Medical Leave Act Policy and other leave polices.

10/13/00

A Home Mortgage Guarantee Program is available to members of the General Faculty to assist in the purchase of a personal residence within a ten-mile radius of Granville. A complete copy of the policy is available in the Office of Human Resources.

The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 provides eligibility for up to twelve (12) weeks of unpaid leave during a twelve (12) month period for the following reasons:

1. To care for a newborn son or daughter.

2. The placement of a son or daughter with the staff member for purposes of adoption or foster care.

3. To attend to the serious health condition of a spouse, child or parent.

4. To attend to the staff member's own serious health condition. Staff members are eligible for a leave under the act when they have worked for Denison University for at least one year and for at least 1,250 hours during the twelve (12) months before leave is requested. The 12 month period in which the 12 weeks of leave entitlement can be taken is the 12 month period measured forward from the date the staff member's first Family and Medical Leave Act leave begins. The timing and duration of the leave is based on certified medical need. (A complete copy of the Family and Medical Leave Act is available in the Office of Human Resources.)

The goals of this policy are to enable the teaching faculty to meet their medical and family needs and the College to meet its responsibilities.

Teaching faculty may take up to 12 weeks of unpaid family leave in a 12-month period (see Section VIII.C.5, "Family and Medical Leave Act"). For certified medical leaves (including childbirth), full salary is paid for up to six months. For more information, and to obtain a copy of the Family an Medical Leave policy, visit the Office of Human Resources.

Because the timing and duration of leaves vary considerably, arrangements for leaves also vary. Examples of leave arrangements include release from teaching responsibilities for all or part of a semester, adjustment of class meeting schedules, and reduction of teaching load. Teaching faculty are responsible for designing a leave plan in conjunction with the Provost and department/program chair. This plan may include a program of paid work-related activities for the weeks in a given semester that precede or follow the family or medical leave.

Descriptions of previous leave arrangements are available from the Provost's office. When appropriate, faculty may request an extension of the probationary period prior to a tenure review (see Section I.A.7, "Extension of the Probationary Period for Tenure").

In the event of the death of an active member of the Denison Faculty, Administrative Staff, or Supportive Operating Staff, the beneficiary is paid through the date of death plus twenty-two (22) workdays. Death must occur within the period the faculty/staff member is engaged in active work including sabbaticals. Leaves of absence without pay are excluded. When applicable, accrued vacation and up to thirty (30) days of accrued sick leave is also paid.