Middlebury Handbook

Hiring

Human Resources confirms by letter all appointments as well as all promotions, job transfers, and changes in employee status. Before being placed on the payroll, new employees must complete the necessary federal forms at the Human Resources office.

Form I-9

The College, in accordance with the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, is committed to employing only those applicants authorized to work in the United States. As a condition of employment, all new and rehired employees must properly complete, sign, and date the first section of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Form I-9 by his or her first day of employment. The employee's documents must be reviewed and section 2 completed within three business days of the first day of work. An employee who does not properly complete the I-9 form within the legally required timeframe will not be permitted to continue to work until the form is completed.

Personnel Records and Changes in Personal Status

Employees are responsible for taking an active role in keeping their records current and accurate. Notification to Human Resources of any changes in personal status is critical. Such information is necessary to ensure correct coverage and, if appropriate, deductions for taxes, medical insurance, life insurance, etc. Incorrect or outdated information may affect employee benefits and the ability of the College to make the appropriate contacts in an emergency. The accuracy of an employee's entry in the College directory depends on the accuracy of that employee's files. Some changes that should be reported promptly include:

• Name
• Home address
• Telephone number
• Marital status
• Names and social security numbers of dependents
• Birth dates of dependents
• Changes in dependent(s) status
• Changes in emergency contact information
• Beneficiary designations for benefit plans, such as retirement plan, life insurance, etc.

Employees may review the personal information in their personnel files by setting up an appointment with a representative of Human Resources. One business day notice is required.

Failure to notify Human Resources of changes or falsification of records may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination.

Categories of Employment

A series of employment categories identify the type of position held by each staff and faculty member. The employee's position type should be included in the letter notifying him or her of employment.

If at any time, an employee is unclear about the type of appointment s/he holds, the employee should seek clarification from either the department head or Human Resources. See section 3, Employee Benefits for benefit eligibility information.

Faculty members teach students. Faculty titles include: professor, associate professor, assistant professor, instructor, visiting assistant professor, visiting instructor, lecturer, visiting lecturer, and assistant in instruction.

Staff members are hired to perform non-teaching duties in support of the College's academic mission.

Middlebury College classifies faculty and staff members according to the chart below. The primary basis for classification is committed hours for staff and instructional units for faculty. Committed hours are regularly scheduled and budgeted hours assigned to a specific position. Regardless of the number of hours actually worked, on-call positions have no committed hours. Human Resources will work collaboratively with managers to determine the classification of each position.

Employee Group Classifications - FACULTY

Classification	Appointment Duration	FTE	Benefits Eligibility
Full-Time	≥1 Academic Year	.8-1	Yes
Part-Time - Benefits Eligible	≥1 Academic Year	.5-.79	Yes
Part-Time - Not Benefits Eligible**	Any	<.5	No

Employee Group Classifications - STAFF

Classification	FTE	Hours Per Year	Appointment Duration	Benefits Eligibility
Regular Employees: Full-Time	.8-1	1664+	on-going	Yes
Part-Time - Benefits Eligible	.48-.79	1000-1663	on-going	Yes
Time-Limited	.48+	1000+	9+ months (with end date)	Yes
Casual** Employees: Part-Time - Not Benefits Eligible	<.48	<1000	on-going	No
On-Call	n/a	n/a	on-going	No
Temporary/Seasonal	n/a	n/a	<9 months with end date	No

**1,000 Hour Rule

Casual employees hired into positions such as those classified as: temporary, on-call, adjunct, seasonal, or other very part-time hour arrangements are, by definition, expected to work for a limited duration and/or for a low number of hours and as such are not budgeted to be benefits-eligible. To ensure compliance with various benefits laws and contracts such casual employees are limited to a total – in ALL Middlebury jobs – of 999 work hours in a rolling 12 month period.  At or before reaching 999 hours in a given period a casual employee must either be terminated from employment OR may be left “active” but not allowed to work until a new 12 month period begins.

Exceptions to the 1,000 Hour Rule are granted only for compelling business reasons and require approval.  Options are:

1. Convert the job to benefits-eligible status: requires approval from the area Vice President and the Ways and Means Committee.
2. Allow employee to continue working in the casual position for an additional limited period: requires approval from Human Resources, the area Vice President and in most cases the Budget Office, and will only be considered in rare circumstances that are legally, contractually, and budgetarily permissible.

To ensure transparency and alignment of expectations, managers should discuss these work hour limitations with applicants when hiring for casual positions, and offer/appointment letters should include information regarding worked-hour limitations.