VII. SALARIES AND BENEFITS
| A. Paychecks VII-1 |
| B. Insurance VII-1 |
| C. Tuition Reimbursement Program VII-2 |
| D. Faculty Housing Loan Policy VII-4 |
| E. Faculty Personal Computer Loan Policy VII-4 |
Paychecks are issued to the employees of the Claremont Colleges on the 26th of each month and are distributed by campus mail to individual mailboxes in the Bernard Faculty Mailroom. Upon arrangements with the Claremont Colleges Payroll Department, Pendleton Business Office (x73792), checks may be deposited directly into the individual's bank or Credit Union account.
Salary Advances
The policy of the Claremont Colleges regarding salary advances is as follows:
a. Salary advances will be closely restricted to major and urgent emergencies and to terminal salary payments.
b. Such advances, if made, will normally be restricted to payment of a single month's salary.
c. Such advances will be made only upon written authorization from the President or the Dean of Faculty.
1. Group Medical Insurance: Various options for health plan coverage are available to full-time faculty and continuing part-time faculty (employed at least half-time) by the Claremont Colleges. These include pre-paid health plans (Health Maintenance Organizations), which provide comprehensive medical and hospital benefits to you and your dependents. You must enroll within 31 days of becoming eligible. There is usually an annual open enrollment period during which you may either enroll in a plan for the first time or change from one plan to another. Explanation of benefits are obtainable from the Benefits Department, Pendleton Business Office (x18049). Pitzer's Director of Human Resources (x18243) or personnel in the Insurance Department can answer questions you have after reading the information.
2. Group Retirement Insurance: Faculty members at the rank of Assistant Professor or above and non-academic senior administrators on at least half-time appointments are eligible to participate in the program. The College contributes 12% of the stated salary and the employee contributes nothing. Benefit coverage is not automatic and eligible employees who wish to participate in the program must enroll through the Claremont Colleges Benefits Department, Pendleton Business Office (x18049).
3. Group Disability Insurance: In cases of disability resulting in a faculty member's not performing his/her teaching functions, the College will normally continue the faculty member's full salary, although it reserves the right to deduct the expenses of replacement in whole or in part if necessitated by extreme budgetary consideration. Such an obligation on the part of the College shall not extend beyond the first six months of disability.
Whenever possible, continuing salary payments will be coordinated with short-term disability benefits payments.
It is highly recommended that every faculty member elect the TIAA long-term disability policy, which will cover 60% of the employee's salary after the first six months of total disability. (Employees are automatically covered by a short-term policy during the first months of disability.) Faculty and non-academic staff become eligible for TIAA long-term disability policy after two years of full-time service, regardless of rank.
4. Personal Liability Insurance: Faculty members acting in an official capacity in the governance of the College are covered by the general liability policy of the Claremont Colleges which is administered centrally by Financial Services Personnel.
5. Domestic Partners Policy: The overall objective of the plan is to assist in providing, to the extent permitted by law, a measure of health expense protection to employees in domestic partner arrangements that is comparable to that provided to employees in statutorily recognized family/dependent arrangements. In administering this plan, the College will recognize for spousal equivalency status an unmarried, unrelated partner of any gender whose emotional and financial relationship to an employee qualifies them to be considered domestic partners. In addition, the College will recognize for dependent equivalency status an unmarried dependent child, under age 19, of a qualifying domestic partner. An employee wishing to participate in this plan will be required to complete an application. The application will require the employee to certify that a committed relationship of shared emotional and financial responsibility currently exists. Upon acceptance of the application by a designated representative of the College, the domestic partner will be granted spousal equivalency status and the employee will be eligible for benefits. For application materials and a full explanation of the policy and benefits, see the Pitzer Director of Human Resources (x18243).
C. TUITION REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM
Eligibility: All benefit-eligible employees in regular positions at Pitzer College who qualify under the following guidelines, will be covered under this Tuition Reimbursement Plan. Staff in temporary positions, and faculty in non tenure track appointments are not eligible. Full-time employment for staff is defined as working 12 months, 40 hours per week. Part-time is defined as any regular employment, less than 12 months but at least 20 hours per week, and excludes temporary or on-call status.
1. Full-Time Employee Coverage: After l2 months of full-time continuous employment at Pitzer College, employees shall be eligible to receive: (a) full tuition support for up to four courses per academic year (summer inclusive), when enrolled as degree candidates in good standing at Pitzer College; or (b) up to two courses per academic year (summer inclusive), when enrolled as degree candidates at any one of The Claremont Colleges.
2. Dependent Children of Full-Time Employees: After l2 months of full-time continuous employment at Pitzer College, the dependent children of employees shall be eligible to receive half-tuition support, not to exceed one-half the cost of Pitzer tuition, when enrolled as degree candidates in good academic standing at any one of the undergraduate Claremont Colleges.
3. Part-Time Employee Coverage: After four years of continuous employment at Pitzer College, regular part-time staff working at least 20 hours per week are eligible to receive full tuition support for up to four courses per academic year (summer Inclusive) at Pitzer College when enrolled as degree candidates in good standing.
4. Dependent Children of Part-Time Employees: After four years of continuous employment at Pitzer College, the dependent children of part-time employees shall be eligible to receive half-tuition support, not to exceed one-half the cost of Pitzer tuition, when enrolled as degree candidates in good academic standing at Pitzer College.
5. Payments: Tuition reimbursement will be made to the student's account only upon successful completion of coursework. It is the responsibility of the student and/or employee to submit an application form to the Director of Human Resources at the beginning of each semester. Forms will be forwarded to the College Registrar for verification of course completion at the end of each semester.
6. Auditing: With the agreement of the instructor, any Pitzer College employee may audit courses at any of The Claremont Colleges.
7. Class Attendance for Full-Time Employees: Full-time employees may be granted up to three hours leave per week at the discretion of the employee's supervisor to attend classes conducted during the traditional work hours of the College.
8. Death Benefit: Half-tuition will be paid by Pitzer College for dependent children when enrolled at any one of the undergraduate Claremont Colleges as degree candidates in good academic standing up to five years from the date of death of any employee who has served the College for five or more years. Where death occurs between two and five years, the College shall adjudicate the half tuition privilege.
9. Unpaid Leave Status: Employees on unpaid leave status are not normally eligible to receive tuition reimbursement benefits for themselves during the period of their leave.
- TO APPLY -
STEP 1: AN APPLICATION FORM IS REQUIRED AT THE BEGINNING OF EACH SEMESTER. Forms are available in the Human Resources Office, McConnell 312.
STEP 2: During MARCH of each year, REGISTER YOUR INTENT to use tuition reimbursement benefits during the next fiscal year by notifying the Office of Human Resources in McConnell 312. This will allow for more accurate budget projections, and provide a time to discuss any questions you may have.
STEP 3: Taxability of Benefits: For determination of individual tax liability, participants in this program are encouraged to consult a qualified tax advisor for applicability of Internal Revenue or State of California Tax Code.Tuition is defined as such, and may not be applied to any other fees, e.g. room and board, lab fees, doctoral study fee, continuing education fee, community fees, off campus fees, etc.
The Financial Services Office at Pendleton reminds us that some tuition reimbursement benefits are considered taxable income. We advise you to check with your own tax consultant regarding taxation questions, however the following information summarizes the current law:
GRADUATE Level Course Work:
Tuition remission payments for graduate level degree work is a taxable fringe benefit, subject to all employment taxes, unless the coursework is required to keep your job. (This is a more recent change in tax law from former wording which specified coursework could be tax-free when “job-related”.)
UNDERGRADUATE Course Work:
Under current Internal Revenue regulations, tuition reimbursement payments for undergraduate work for employees and/or their dependents (as defined by the IRS) are excludable from gross income under section 117(d) of the code. This benefit is not taxed.
REGISTER YOUR INTENT TO USE THIS BENEFIT: Each year you will be asked to register your intent to use undergraduate or graduate level tuition reimbursement benefits during the next fiscal year by contacting the Office of Human Resources. This will enable us to prepare more accurate budget projections to account for the cost.
TURN IN AN APPLICATION FORM EACH SEMESTER: A new application form is required at the beginning of every semester. Please refer to the copy of our tuition reimbursement policy on the back of this memo for complete information.
A report on the amount of tuition reimbursement paid to Pitzer employees will be sent to Pendleton each semester. The payroll department will calculate appropriate taxes.
D. FACULTY HOUSING LOAN POLICY
In order to recruit and commit to the College qualified faculty members, the administration of Pitzer College recommends the adoption of a loan policy to help faculty members purchase their first home and to help new faculty members relocate to Pitzer. The proposed loan policy contains the following provisions:
1. Loans are restricted to faculty members who are appointed to full-time tenure-track positions.
2. Loans are restricted to homes within a ten-mile radius of the campus.
3. The maximum amount of a loan is $25,000. Second trust deed loans made by the College including the present principal balances of the existing first trust deed will not exceed 95% of the value of the property.
4. The interest rate on faculty housing loans is 2 percent below the current market rate in Claremont. The market rate is to be calculated by taking the average interest rate offered on second trust deed loans or on home improvement loans by three lending institutions which make such loans in the Claremont area, said institutions to be chosen by Pitzer College.
5. The Borrower will pay all customary costs for obtaining a real estate loan: the title policy, fire insurance and extended coverage, tax service, escrow charges, if any, and any other charges in connection with making the loan. Pitzer College will not charge points for the making of a loan. The College reserves the right to approve a title report. The Borrower may pay additional payments against the loan at any time or pay the loan in full and, in such cases, the College will not charge a prepayment penalty.
6. The maximum loan period is 30 years.
7. In regard to repayment, the faculty member will do so by means of normal amortization over the term of the loan.
8. Payment will be deducted automatically from payroll checks by Pendleton Business Office.
9. The loan is secured in the form of a second trust deed on the property.
10. In the event a faculty member with a faculty housing loan is terminated or resigns from the College, his or her loan can remain in effect for up to 1 year from the date of term while he or she owns the property on which the loan was made. The interest rate, however, will be raised to the rate prevailing for second mortgage loans in the Claremont area. If the property is sold or no longer occupied by the Borrower as the principal residence, the loan becomes due and payable immediately.
11. The loan application will be reviewed by the appropriate administrative staff including the Treasurer and Dean of Faculty who will make recommendations to the President. The President shall have authority to approve loans in conformance with the policy. The President also shall have authority to approve exceptions to the policy subject to ratification by the Trustee Budget & Audit Committee. The Trustee Budget & Audit Committee shall receive an annual report on the status of the faculty housing loan program.
12. The total funds available for this purpose will be limited to $95,000. If this amount is used up, the policy will be reviewed by the Trustee Budget & Audit Committee before additional funds are made available.
E. FACULTY PERSONAL COMPUTER LOAN POLICY
Pitzer College will set aside a sum of money ($30,000) to provide interest-free loans of up to $4,000 to be repaid over two years to enable faculty members to purchase personal computer systems for their professional use.
1. The Dean of Faculty will indicate the availability of loan funds at the beginning of each academic semester and ask interested faculty to submit requests with the approximate loan amount included. Requests will be ranked with priority as follows: junior faculty requesting a first loan, senior faculty requesting a first loan, junior faculty requesting a second loan, senior faculty requesting a second loan, etc. Repayment delinquency on prior loans may lower one's ranking. The Dean will approve as many loans as funds available permit. Those not funded will move to the top of the next semester's ranked list.
2. Receipts and invoices for computer purchases must be submitted to the Dean of Faculty's office. Repayment will be monthly over 24 months. When available, repayment will be through monthly payroll deduction.
3. Loans to faculty members will become due and payable in full upon the termination of employment by Pitzer College for any reason whatsoever.
4. Maintenance will be the responsibility of the faculty member purchasing the equipment.
5. As the initial loan is repaid, a faculty member may incur additional borrowing to finance system enhancements as long as the outstanding loan balance does not exceed $4,000. Normally, the total borrowing from the program for any one faculty member may not exceed $8,000.