2003-2004
Communiqués from the
 Vice Chancellor of Academic Personnel

   Specialist Salary Scale
          Issued June 22, 2004 

Expedited Review (sent via email)
   Proposed Extension to Supplement to Military Pay
          Issued May 27, 2004 

   Appropriate Visas for Faculty from Foreign Countries Entering the United States
          Issued February 23, 2004 

   New Checklist Cover Page for Dossiers
          Issued January 30, 2004

   Proposed Revised Specialist Salary Scale
          Issued December 15, 2003

   UC Health Sciences Faculty Retirement Proposal
          website: http://www.ucop.edu/acadadv/acadpers/health-sci-proposal.pdf
          Issued December 12, 2003

Revised Policy
   Supplemental Military Pay Policy
          Issued November 7, 2003

Important Notification for Eligible Unit 18 Members
   Non-Senate Faculty Retroactive Pay Notification
          Issued October 27, 2003

Deadline Extended to December 1st!
   Proposed Policies on UC's Consensual Relationships and Sexual Harassment
          Available in Word 7.0  
          Available in PDF format
          Available Online at the At Your Service website
          >> Comments due Monday, December 1, 2003

  2003-2004 Academic Personnel Workshop Dates
          Issued July 25, 2003

  Proposed Supplemental Military Pay Extension (sent via email)
          >> Comments due Friday, July 25, 2003
          Issued July 3, 2003

Revised Policy
  Merit Equity Review (MER) Revised Policy & Guidelines
         Available in Word 7.0
         Available in PDF format
         Issued July 1, 2003

Important Notice (sent via email)
  Whistleblower Notification

Available in PDF format Issued July 1, 2003

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2003-2004 Communiqués

June 22, 2004

DEANS, DEPARTMENT CHAIRS, DIRECTORS and SPECIALIST TITLES

Re: Specialist Salary Scale

You may recall that in December 2003 we re-circulated for review a proposal to revise the Specialist Series Salary Scale.

We have received formal communication from the University of California Office of the President that, after review of comments and additional advice from Academic Personnel Directors, a revised Specialist Scale will not be issued at this time.

Sincerely yours,

Donna L. Vredevoe, Ph.D.
Vice Chancellor
Academic Personnel

sent via e-mail
 

E X P E D I T E D    R E V I E W

May 27, 2004

DEANS, DEPARTMENT CHAIRS and DIRECTORS

Re: Policy on Supplement to Military Pay -- Proposed Extension to June 30, 2005

The University of California is proposing to extend the Policy on Supplement to Military Pay to June 30, 2005. Under current policy, the University compensates eligible employees for the difference between their University base pay and military pay and allowances until the end of an employee’s active military commitment or until June 30, 2004, whichever comes first, while on active military duty. In addition, while employees receive the military pay supplement, the University continues to pay the UC contribution to their health plan premiums. For employees who are not eligible for the supplement to military pay because their military pay exceeds their University wages, and who elect to continue their University health plan coverage, the University pays the UC contribution to health plan premiums.

Under the proposed extension, the University would continue to provide the military pay supplement and the UC contribution to health plan premiums until the end of an employee’s active military duty commitment or until June 30, 2005, whichever comes first.

We apologize for the abbreviated comment period but the current policy ends on June 30, 2004. To expedite the review, we are circulating this proposal via email. Please make this proposed policy available to faculty and other interested parties for comment. Opinions of faculty members are of particular importance, given the central role of shared governance in the University. However, your final response should convey your opinion of the impact of this policy from an administrative point of view.

The proposal is also available online at:

http://atyourservice.ucop.edu/employees/policies/policies/other_policies/
military_pay/mil_pay_guide.pdf

Since this is an expedited review, please submit all comments by Friday, June 4, 2004. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely yours,

Donna L. Vredevoe, Ph.D.
Vice Chancellor
Academic Personnel

February 23, 2004 

DEANS, DEPARTMENT CHAIRS, and DIRECTORS

Re:  Appropriate Visas for Faculty from Foreign Countries Entering the United States

As a follow up to the information presented at the 2004 Advanced Topics for Deans and Chairs Workshop on Thursday, January 29, 2004, we want to emphasize the importance of ensuring that faculty who are coming to this campus from foreign countries have the appropriate visas for travel prior to their departure from their home country.  It is necessary that you, and your staff, take an active role in verifying this information.

We have experienced a few instances in which such faculty, without a complete set of visa documents, were not allowed entry into the United States.  During these times of increased vigilance regarding travelers to the United States, it is important to comply with visa regulations. 

If you need information on documents required, please contact the Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS) at (310) 825-1681 or by e-mail intl@saonet.ucla.edu.  Faculty in the Geffen School of Medicine can contact the School of Medicine Visa Licensing Office at (310) 825-7050 or by e-mail jzamoyski@mednet.ucla.edu. 

Thank you.

Sincerely yours,

Donna L. Vredevoe, Ph.D.
Vice Chancellor
Academic Personnel                                       

Rosina M. Becerra, Ph.D
Associate Vice Chancellor
Faculty Diversity

Date:        January 30, 2004

To:           Deans, Chairs, and Academic Personnel Directors

From:       Donna L. Vredevoe, Vice Chancellor, Academic Personnel
                Nicholas Entrikin, Chair, Council on Academic Personnel

Subject:   New Checklist Cover Page for Dossiers

For some time, we have been attempting to make the Academic Personnel system work more smoothly.  Part of this effort involves training of staff in various agencies throughout the system.  Because the experience of staff varies, we have found that additional assistance in assembling complete dossiers is often helpful.  Dossiers that are complete when they leave the department result in many fewer delays in the academic personnel system.  For this reason, we are introducing a new cover page for dossiers that combines a checklist and a tracking system.  This checklist is designed to help you make sure that dossiers are complete and are assembled in a standard way that will minimize confusion and requests for additional material from the department.

There are several versions of the checklist that are designed for different types of action, and they can be downloaded from http://www.apo.ucla.edu/forms.asp. The checklists are listed at the bottom of the forms page under the heading: Academic Personnel Checklists.  The direct web addresses are:

            Appraisal Checklist
            http://www.apo.ucla.edu/docs/Appraisal_Checklist.doc

            Merit Checklist
            http://www.apo.ucla.edu/docs/Merit_Checklist.doc

            Promotion Checklist
            http://www.apo.ucla.edu/docs/Promotion_Checklist.doc

They are Microsoft Word forms that can be filled out by tabbing to empty text fields and electronically checking checkboxes.  They also have boxes for date stamps (“in” and “out” in most cases) that will help us to identify sources of delay in the system.  Please stamp them appropriately.

Please let us know of any problems that result from the use of these checklists.

p l e a s e   p o s  t
 

December 15, 2003

DEANS, DEPARTMENT CHAIRS, DIRECTORS and SPECIALIST TITLES

Re: Proposed Revised Specialist Salary Scale

The proposed revised Specialist salary scale, to be effective 7/01/04, increases the top of the range from $89,160 to $122,112 in order to provide more opportunities for career growth and advancement. 

Within the scale, we have attempted to even out the increments between steps. Two steps have been added at the Assistant level and one at the Associate level. Service at Assistant Specialist Step V may be used in exceptional situations, with proper justification, consistent with campus practice for overlapping steps. Service at Assistant Specialist Step V may be in place of service at Associate Specialist Step I. When service at Assistant Specialist Step V is followed by service at Associate Specialist Step I, the normal period of combined service with both titles at the steps indicated is two years.

The situation for Associate Specialist, Step V and Specialist, Step I is analogous to that of Assistant Specialist, Step V and Associate Specialist, Step I, except that the combined period of service is three years.

Overlapping steps allow for a merit increase in those situations where the candidate is not ready for a promotion. In the transition to the new Specialist salary scale, it is proposed that the individual's current salary be maintained until the next personnel review.

Please make this proposed policy available to faculty and other interested parties for comment.  Opinions of faculty members are of particular importance, given the central role of shared governance in the University.  However, your final response should convey your opinion of the impact of this policy from an administrative point of view. 

The proposed salary scale is available online at:

http://www.ucop.edu/acadadv/acadpers/apm/specialist-scale.pdf

Thank you for your attention to this matter.  Please return any comments to me by Friday, January 16, 2004.

Sincerely yours,

Donna L. Vredevoe, Ph.D.
Vice Chancellor
Academic Personnel

Enclosure

p l e a s e   p o s  t
 

December 12, 2003

DEANS, DEPARTMENT CHAIRS, and DIRECTORS

Re: UC Health Sciences Faculty Retirement Proposal

Enclosed for formal review is a UC Health Sciences Faculty Retirement Proposal, describing a Defined Contribution Plan benefit program that would apply a mandatory contribution rate of 7% on salary above UCRP covered compensation for health sciences faculty. The goal of this proposed change is to provide some measure of retirement coverage on all the earnings of health sciences faculty, since under current policy, the UCRP Defined Benefit Plan applies only to base salary.

Please make this proposed policy available to your faculty and other interested parties for comment. Opinions of faculty members are of particular importance, given the central role of shared governance in the University. However, your final response should convey your opinion of the impact of this policy from an administrative point of view.

Individual faculty members with concerns about these policies should forward their comments to Academic Senate leadership.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. Please return any comments to me by Friday, January 23, 2004.

Sincerely yours,

Donna L. Vredevoe, Ph.D.
Vice Chancellor
Academic Personnel

Enclosure

F I N A L I Z E D   P O L I C Y

November 7, 2003

DEANS, DEPARTMENT CHAIRS and DIRECTORS

Re: Supplemental Military Pay Policy

The University of California would like to continue to assist to the extent possible those University academic and staff personnel who are serving on active military duty. Under current University policy, employees receive a supplement to their military pay for a period of up to 365 days if they have been called to or volunteer for active military duty during Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Noble Eagle (the anti-terrorism and homeland defense campaigns), or any other active military duty meant to support the President’s call for a war on terrorism as a result of the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Effective September 25, 2003, the University will provide supplemental military pay and will continue the University’s contribution to health plan benefits until the end of an employee’s active military commitment or until the end of the 2003-04 fiscal year, whichever comes first. For affected employees who have already received 365 days of supplemental pay, the additional pay extension will be retroactive to the first day of military leave following the first 365 days of supplemental pay.

Some employees are ineligible for the supplemental pay because their military pay exceeds their University wages. The University will pay the UC contribution for those who wish to continue their health plan coverage. The Supplemental Military Pay policy, implementing guidelines, worksheet, and Q&A page are available online at:

http://atyourservice.ucop.edu/employees/policies/policies/supplement.html

Should the War on Terrorism continue beyond the 2003-04 fiscal year, the University may reconsider extending the supplemental pay and health plan contributions, depending on the budgetary situation at that time.

Sincerely yours,

Donna L. Vredevoe, Ph.D.
Vice Chancellor
Academic Personnel

Enclosure

p l e a s e   p o s  t

October 27, 2003

DEANS, DEPARTMENT CHAIRS and DIRECTORS

Re: Non-Senate Faculty Retroactive Pay

I am pleased to inform you that, with the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding between the University and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Non-Senate Faculty (NSF) will be eligible to receive retroactive pay.  Eligible NSF are those who held an active appointment in a unit title during the regular 2002-03 academic year.

The amount of retroactive pay provided will be calculated from within-unit academic year earnings for any quarter an individual was appointed in a Unit 18 title at UCLA in 2000-01, 2001-02 and 2002-03.  The calculation percentage for each of those years is based on the range adjustments provided to non-represented academic employees during the same time period.  More information can be found in Article 21, Section B, of the MOU, which is available online at the “At Your Service” website http://atyourservice.ucop.edu/ employees/policies/ systemwide_contracts/nsi/article21.pdf or the AFT website at http://www.cft.org/councils/uc/index.html and excerpted below:

B. RETROACTIVE PAYMENT

1. FY 2000-01. Individuals who had within-unit earnings will receive an amount equivalent to 2% of their FY 2000-01 within-unit academic year earnings. NSF with an annualized salary of less than $40K for 2000-01, will receive an additional amount equivalent to 2% of the FY 2000-01 earnings. NSF with annualized salaries of $40K but less than $80K will receive an increase of 1%.
2. FY 2001-02. Individuals who had within-unit earnings will receive an amount equivalent to 0.5% of their FY 2001-02 within unit academic year earnings.
3. FY 2002-03. Individuals who had within-unit earnings adjusted in 1.a or b above will have their 2002-03 within-unit earnings for FY 2002-03 adjusted by the same percentages that were allocated to their academic year earnings in B.1. and B.2., above.
4. Retroactive payments will be paid as soon as practicable but in no event later than November 1, 2003.

Retroactive payment is scheduled for Friday, October 31, 2003, delivered in the same manner as the regular pay check.  NSF should be advised to review their check or Surepay stub for more detailed information, including a month by month breakdown of the calculated retro amount.  Should the NSF have any questions about this retroactive payment, please contact the department where the qualifying NSF appointment was held.

Sincerely yours,

Donna L. Vredevoe, Ph.D.
Vice Chancellor
Academic Personnel

p l e a s e   p o s  t
 

October 15, 2003

DEANS, DEPARTMENT CHAIRS, and DIRECTORS

Re:  Proposed New Policy on Conflicts of Interest Created by Consensual
       Relationships and Proposed Revised Policy on Sexual Harassment and
       Procedures for Responding to Reports of Sexual Harassment

Enclosed for formal review are a proposed new Policy on Conflicts of Interest Created by Consensual Relationships and a proposed revised Policy on Sexual Harassment and Procedures for Responding to Reports of Sexual Harassment. 

Please make these policies available to your faculty and other interested parties for comment.  Opinions of faculty members are of particular importance, given the central role of shared governance in the University.  However, your final response should convey your opinion of the impact of this policy from an administrative point of view. 

Individual faculty members with concerns about these policies should forward their comments to Academic Senate leadership.  Individual staff members with concerns about these policies should submit their comments to the office of Assistant Vice Chancellor Lubbe Levin, who will be requesting responses from staff in a separate letter.  

Thank you for your attention to this matter.  Please return any comments to me by Monday, December 1, 2003.

Sincerely yours,

Donna L. Vredevoe, Ph.D.
Vice Chancellor
Academic Personnel

July 25, 2003

DEANS and DEPARTMENT CHAIRS

Re: 2003-2004 Academic Personnel Workshop Dates

Each year two workshops are held in which we address the various aspects of academic personnel policy and procedures.

The first workshop for the 2003-2004 academic year is designed for new Deans and Chairs. The second workshop is designed for all Deans and Chairs and is tailored to address advanced topics and current issues.

Please hold the following dates on your calendar:

New Deans and Chairs Workshop
Thursday, October 23, 2003
8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Hacienda Room, Faculty Center

Advanced Topics Annual Workshop
Thursday, January 29, 2004
8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
California Room, Faculty Center

Invitations will be sent out in late September with more information. I look forward to seeing you there.

Sincerely yours,

Donna L. Vredevoe, Ph.D.
Vice Chancellor
Academic Personnel

E x p e d i t e d   R e v i e w
 

sent via e-mail

July 3, 2003

DEANS, DEPARTMENT CHAIRS, DIRECTORS and ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERS

Re: Proposed Supplemental Military Pay Extension

The University of California is proposing to expand its Policy on Supplemental Military Pay. Under current policy, the University compensates employees for the difference between their University base pay and military pay and allowances for up to 365 calendar days while on any active military duty meant to support the President's call for a war on terrorism as a result of the September 11th attacks. In addition to supplementing military pay under these circumstances, the University continues paying the UC contribution to the health plan premiums while employees receive supplemental military pay.

Under this proposal, supplemental military pay and the automatic continuation of health plan benefits would be provided until the end of an employee's active military duty commitment in support of the President's call for a war on terrorism or until the end of the 2003-04 fiscal year, whichever comes first.  For employees who are ineligible for the supplement to military pay because their military pay exceeds their University wages, the University is proposing to continue paying the UC contribution to the health plan premiums for those employees who elect to continue their University coverage.

This is a formal review.  Comments from staff employees should be submitted via e-mail to Lazetta Smith, Campus Human Resources at lazetta@chr.ucla.edu.  Comments from academic employees should be directed to Donna L. Vredevoe, Vice Chancellor, Academic Personnel.

Since this is an expedited review, please submit all comments by Friday, July 25, 2003. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Donna L. Vredevoe, Ph.D.
Vice Chancellor
Academic Personnel

Lubbe Levin, Ph.D.
Assistant Vice Chancellor
Campus Human Resources

R e v i s e d  P o l i c y
 

July 1, 2003

DEANS, DEPARTMENT CHAIRS and DIRECTORS

Re: Merit Equity Review (MER) Revised Policy & Guidelines

As a follow up to my letter on January 15, 2003, attached is a revised policy for the MER effective July 1, 2003.

The revised policy has been expanded to include instructions for filing a MER (see Section IV and VI) which should provide you with a mechanism for submitting dossiers.

Once again, a request for a MER must be substantive and supported by documentation of a significant discrepancy between the faculty member’s existing rank and step and that of his/her peers within the same discipline. MER may not be used to grieve a recent negative personnel action. The policy also limits MER to:

(1) once at the Associate Professor level,
(2) once at the Full Professor level prior to Advancement to Professor StepVI, and
(3) once after Advancement to Professor Step VI.

The due date for all MERs is Friday, January 16, 2004 (see attached Submission Deadlines). MERs must be coordinated with your Dean’s Office or Department to ensure that it reaches APO by the deadline. The MER procedure is summarized in the UCLA CALL, Appendix 35 and is available online at:

http://www.apo.ucla.edu/call/append35.htm

The MER procedure will be reviewed after two years to examine its effectiveness and ensure that the new policy truly enables all University Ladder-Rank faculty to be at an appropriate rank and step. Should you have any questions, please contact Marsha Fractor in Academic Personnel at extension 69515.

Sincerely yours,

Donna L. Vredevoe, Ph.D.
Vice Chancellor
Academic Personnel
 

I m p o r t a n t   N o t i c e

July 1, 2003
 

UCLA FACULTY
 

Re: Annual Whistleblower Notice 

UCLA is required by law to send out the following notice to employees electronically by July 1st of each year. The notice explains how to report improper activities under University policy which implements the California Whistleblower Protection Act. If you have any questions please call Campus Human Resources at (310) 794-0860. Thank you.
 

HOW TO BLOW THE WHISTLE
ON SUSPECTED IMPROPER ACTIVITIES

 

UCLA wants you to report improper activities and will protect you from retaliation for whistleblowing.

What You Can Report

Any activity by UC or a UC employee that violates any state or federal law or regulation (e.g., corruption, malfeasance, bribery, theft or misuse of government property, fraud, coercion, or conversion); or wastes money, or involves gross misconduct, gross incompetence, or gross inefficiency.

Where To Report

Your supervisor (or other appropriate administrator within your unit), who will report it to one of the appropriate offices below:

   * Academic Personnel Office

   * Audit & Advisory Services

   * Dean - Graduate Division

   * Human Resources

           - OR -

You may report directly to any of the above offices

           - OR -

UCLA Confidential Hotline at (800) 296-7188. The UCLA Confidential Hotline is managed by an independent company with trained personnel to take your call.

How To Report

* In writing or orally

* With as much specific factual information possible (report what you know, but don't
   investigate-leave that to the experts!)

* Anonymously, if you prefer

Confidentiality will be maintained, to the extent possible.

Protection from Retaliation

If you believe you have been retaliated against for whistleblowing, you may contact your UCLA Human Resources or Academic Personnel Office for information on how to file a complaint.

For More Information

Contact your UCLA Human Resources or Academic Personnel Office for information on the University's Whistleblower and Whistleblower Protection policies and the campus procedure for filing whistleblower and whistleblower retaliation complaints. You may also locate the information on the UCLA Administrative Policies & Procedures Web site at http://www.adminvc.ucla.edu/appm.
 

In addition to the above reporting procedures, UCLA employees have the option of reporting concerns involving state funds directly to the Bureau of State Audits.

A message from the State Auditor:
Blow the Whistle on State Government Fraud and Waste.  Call the State Auditor's Whistleblower Hotline to report the improper acts of state agencies or employees.

What we Investigate
* Illegal acts like theft, fraud, or conflicts of interest by state employees.
* Misuse or abuse of state property or time by state employees.
* Gross misconduct, incompetence, or inefficiency by state employees.

We follow through when our investigation substantiates your allegation
Although we have no enforcement power, we keep the ball rolling by reporting the results of investigations that substantiate improprieties to:
* The head of the employing agency
* The attorney general or other enforcement agencies, legislative committees, and
   any other authority with jurisdiction
* The general public, keeping identities confidential
 

State law goes to bat for you
* It requires the Bureau of State Audits to shield your identity (except from law enforcement).
* It helps guard against intimidation, threats, or coercion by state employees that could
   interfere with your right to disclose improper government activities.
* It helps keep you safe from reprisal, retaliation, threats, or coercion for reporting such information.

If you experience retaliation, speak up!
If you're a state employee, contact the State Personnel Board in writing at 801 Capitol Mall, MS53, Sacramento, CA 95814.  For additional information, call (916) 653-1403.

• University of California (UC) has its own system. If you work for UC, check our web site, http://www.bsa.ca.gov/bsa/hotline/filecomp.html for a link to information on its current policy.

• California State University (CSU) has its own system. If you work for CSU, check our web site, http://www.bsa.ca.gov/bsa/hotline/filecomp.html for a link to information on its current policy.

Report What You Know
Call 1(800) 952-5665 or Mail the information to: Investigations, Bureau of State Audits, 555 Capitol Mall, Suite 300, Sacramento, CA 95814.

We cannot accept complaints via our web site or email. However, visit our web site at http://www.bsa.ca.gov/bsa/hotline/respons.html for more information on filing complaints.

Remember! The Bureau of State Audits can only investigate state government improprieties. We do not investigate misconduct by federal or local governments or by private businesses or organizations. 

Revised 6/27/03

Please contact Vivian Rupert at x54857 for any questions
regarding Vice Chancellor Communiqués

Website last updated 7/02/2004