This page discusses the most common circumstances in which faculty may miss class. The items below offer information about how we in HHD manage faculty absences in accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
If you are looking for information on unpaid leaves, visit the CSUN Human Resources/Benefits Administration page under "Leave of Absence Programs" and the Faculty Affairs site under "Forms and Memos."
Do you know who your department timekeeper is? Ask your department office coordinator, they'll know!
If you are sick and have to miss a regularly scheduled class or classes, you must notify your department chair and department timekeeper with as much advance notice as possible.
If you know ahead of time that you will be out on sick leave, it is your responsibility to advise your academic department and, if appropriate, to work with the department chair arrange to share information with the students in lieu of the normal class session.
If you will be out but have arranged for a a guest speaker or colleague to cover your class, please notify your department chair. You will need to get approval for this substitution. For extended illnesses, the college may provide funds to the department to hire substitutes to teach your classes.
When you miss class because of illness, you must use sick leave, even if a colleague or substitute has met your class in your absence. When you are well enough to return to class, notify the department office.
Absences for Which Sick Leave May Be Charged [CBA 24.10]. Your department timekeeper maintains records on the amount of sick leave accrued and used. The use of sick leave may be authorized by the President only when a faculty unit employee is absent because of:
A faculty member shall be responsible for immediately reporting an absence to the appropriate administrator [CBA 24.5]
More about university policies on sick leave can be found on the Human Resources/Benefits Administration page.
See also the memo on "Policy on Reporting of Sick Leave for Faculty" from Interim Provost Stella Theodoulou.
If you have a health-related emergency (a sudden illness, an accident, etc.) and have to miss a regularly scheduled class or classes on short notice, notify your department chair and department timekeeper as soon as you can.
You may need to use sick leave to cover this time depending on whether you have been able to work part of the day.
Canceling class is appropriate only as a last resort in cases of emergencies where prior planning for class coverage is not possible.
If you will be absent from regularly scheduled classes because of University business (for example, to attend a CSU meeting as a campus representative), please get the absences approved in advance using the official CSUN Approval of Travel Request and the HHD College Travel Itinerary form.
It is your responsibility to make alternate arrangements for your students to stay on track with your class. You can have a colleague teach in your place or you can provide your students with alternative assignments. Communicate with your department chair about any alternate arrangements you make.
Absence from class for the purpose of attending conferences or carrying out other off-campus professional activities should be kept to a minimum if the activities mean you will have to miss class. As a general rule, professional activities beyond delivering papers at conferences (for example, consulting, giving invited lectures, etc.) should normally be scheduled so that the need to miss class is avoided.
If you do have to miss class due to professional activities, (for example, to deliver a paper at a scholarly conference), notify your department chair and have the absence approved in advance using the official CSUN Approval of Travel Request and the HHD College Travel Itinerary form.
It is your responsibility to make alternate arrangements for your students to stay on track with your class. You can have a colleague teach in your place or you can provide your students with alternative assignments. Communicate with your department chair about any arrangements you make.
Faculty requiring an extended leave of absence for medical reasons: Discuss the matter with your department chair. You will need to get formal approval from your Chair, the Dean and the Vice President for Academic Affairs. Details on the types of Extended Leaves of Absence and the required forms are available on the Human Resources/Benefits website under "Leave of Absence Programs" and on the memos page of the Faculty Affairs website.
If you are summoned for jury duty during the regular academic year, we urge you to immediately request a postponement to a time when classes are not in session (such as winter break or summer). The courts will normally grant such a postponement.
If a postponement is not granted, you are required to notify your department chair prior to taking leave for jury duty. Please work with your department chair to arrange for a colleague to teach in your place for short absences. The College may provide funds to the department to hire a substitute in case of longer unavoidable absences for jury duty.
If you have questions regarding absences from class, please do not hesitate to consult with your department chair, your department timekeeper, or the dean.
Verification of actual service for jury duty will be provided by the courts and you will need to share this with the appropriate administrator [CBA 23.9] when you return from jury service.
Who is your department timekeeper? With whom do you share your proof of jury duty service documents? Ask your department office coordinator.
