HR-53 PARENTAL LEAVE FOR GRADUATE ASSISTANTS 

On October 9, 1997, the Board of Trustees approved parental leave for faculty and academic professional staff members. Effective November 14, 1997, the Campus extended the two weeks of paid parental leave to graduate students with teaching, research, and graduate assistantships.

Graduate assistants with waiver-generating appointments are entitled to up to two weeks of parental leave without loss of pay immediately following the birth of a child, or upon either the initial placement or the legal adoption of a child under 18 years of age. Eligible graduate assistants are those graduate students who hold an active waiver-generating appointment at the time the parental leave is taken. Graduate assistants taking leave are required to return to work at the conclusion of the two-week leave. If an assistant resigns the appointment during the leave period, the assistant may be required to reimburse the University for the cost of the stipend paid during the leave. Graduate hourly appointments do not generate waivers.

Parental leave for graduate assistants will be counted as part of the twelve-week entitlement accorded by the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) for FMLA-eligible individuals and may be used in conjunction with other paid or unpaid leaves (e.g., vacation or sick leave) for which the individual is eligible. Consult the Campus Administrative Manual, Family and Medical Leave, for more information about the FMLA policy.

There is no application form for parental leave other than that used for FMLA leave. As with any leave, graduate assistants should communicate as soon as practicable with their units regarding the timing of the proposed leave. Arrangements for the leave are to be coordinated within the unit. Consistent with the FMLA policy, units may request documentation of the birth or adoption.