A.  Class Schedules 1.  Class schedules are the result of careful planning on the part of each academic department, the Registrar, and the Vice President for Academic Affairs. Once the class schedule has been published in ConnectND, the following changes must be approved by the VPAA:   a.  Changes in course delivery mode b.  Changes in course day and/or time of delivery c.  Course location   2.  Faculty wishing to make a change should consult with their department chair   3.  The Department Chair should discuss the situation with the VPAA   4.  The Department Chair should then send a request for the schedule change to the Office of the Registrar, with a cc to the VPAA.   5.  Do not informally change classroom locations without informing the VPAA and Office of the Registrar – our responsibility to identify student and faculty locations in case of an emergency requires faculty to make location changes official.     B.  Final Examination Schedules (See policy V406.01.02)   Sponsored by: Faculty Association Reviewed: Winter, 1996 Number change: October 2010 (formerly 611.09) Revised: March 2015 Revised: February 2022

Campus presence significantly impacts the success of the University. Faculty share professional and contractual responsibilities with others on campus including advising, curriculum development, recruitment, impromptu meetings, consultation with students outside of class hours, and otherwise managing the business of the university. While recognizing that faculty need uninterrupted periods for research and course preparation, faculty must also make themselves available in reasonable and consistent ways, and within normal business hours, for these campus duties.  Those who teach predominately online or who maintain evening classes should—in consultation with their department chair and with his/her permission—adjust their schedules to balance the time spent in the performance of those duties outside of normal business hours with the need for a campus presence reflected above. Additionally, given the emergence of new communication technologies, and with the understanding that VCSU email is the official means of communication for our institution, faculty need to clearly outline, in syllabi, expectations regarding faculty availability, preferred modes of communication, appropriate etiquette (if so desired), and response times. Sponsored by: Faculty Association  Reviewed: Winter 1996 Number Change: October 2010 (formerly V611.10) Revised: May 2013 Reviewed: April 2020

Whenever a faculty member is off campus on a contract day, the faculty member must notify his/her department and the Academic Affairs office. The purpose of this notification is to detail how classes and other responsibilities will be managed, and to provide information to the Registrar and EMT in case of emergency. Partial day absences not impacting contracted duties need not be reported. Absences caused by illness, emergency, or weather should be reported prior to their impact on any assigned duty (class meeting, scheduled office hours, meeting, or other campus responsibility). In all other cases, notification should be made at least 24 hours prior to the absence. This includes planned absences (for university business, conferences, or short-term leave). Sponsored by: Vice President for Academic Affairs Reviewed: 1996 Number Change: October 2010 (formerly V611.12) Revised: 2014 Revised: April 2022

Purpose: To operationalize Valley City State University’s policy 605.14 Faculty Absence Reporting Policy. Procedure: Use the University email system to make notification. The intent is to use one email message to provide both notification and identify arrangements for coverage of responsibilities. Use the Subject line, "Faculty Absence." This will allow recipients to filter the notification properly. Send this email to the department chair, departmental administrative assistant, and academic.affairs@vcsu.edu (all three, in one email). Include the following information: Date and duration of absence Reason for absence List of courses/responsibilities affected by the absence. Indicate any requests for assistance ("please post a sign…"). Describe briefly how each course/responsibility will be managed to assure continuity of instruction. In the case of sudden emergency or critical illness, it may not be possible to provide continuity of instruction for the first day, and courses may be cancelled. However, planned absences and emergency absences for subsequent days should include plans for continuity of instruction. Emergency contact information, if not already included on the email.

Class Rosters are available through ConnectND for each course offered. Faculty members are required to notify the Office of Student Academic Services of any student who has not been in regular attendance. I. Documenting Last Day of Attendance Regarding refund/repayment requirements for a student who fails all courses during a semester or who unofficially withdraws early from the University, the federal government maintains that the institution is responsible for providing documentation of the last day of class attendance. Therefore, faculty members must be prepared to sign, date, and document the last date of attendance for any student. It is the responsibility of the faculty member to be able to document the last day of attendance by one of the following methods: Have on record the last date the student attended class. Have on record the last date the student handed in assigned course work. Have on record the last date the student wrote an examination. The documentation which faculty members supply may be subject to confirmation by an auditor. If documentation is not available, the federal government asserts that the student received money unjustly. The institution then becomes liable to repay any funds given to the student and the student is considered never enrolled. II.  Formal reporting requirements (see also V605.16) Second Week Notice of Non-Attendance:  All faculty must document those students not attending class by no later than the second week of classes, following the procedure established by the VPAA. Timely submission of this information will prevent the disbursement of federally funded financial aid to individuals who are not attending.   Grade Roster Report:   Faculty members must report the last day of class attendance for a student who fails a class due to stopped attendance on the Grade Roster in ConnectND.   III. Referral Policy Faculty members are encouraged to report to the Director of Student Academic Services the names of students who, in their judgment, are having academic or personal difficulties with which faculty members are not able to help. The Director of Student Academic Services will attempt to contact referred students and determine what, if any, University services may be of assistance to them. Available services include tutoring, writing skills, study skills, career counseling, and personal counseling Sponsor: Vice President for Academic Affairs (sponsor changed 12.2020) Curriculum Committee  Reviewed: Winter 1996 Reviewed: Winter 2004-2005 Revised: February 2010 Number Revised: October 2010 (formerly V611.15) Revised:  December 2020

In order for students to receive federal financial aid, VCSU must comply with federal regulations regarding satisfactory academic progress. Faculty have the responsibility of maintaining accurate records and reporting at specific intervals during the semester, so the Financial Aid office can comply with Title IV regulations. Faculty are responsible for documenting the last day of attendance. Faculty must be prepared to sign, date, and document the last day of attendance; this documentation may be audited. Please see V605.15 (Report of Student Absences) for specific details. The federal government holds the institution liable for any funds dispersed to students who did not attend the institution. Second Week Notice of Non-Attendance All faculty must document those students not attending class by no later than the second week of classes, following the procedure established by the VPAA. Timely submission of this information will prevent the disbursement of federally funded financial aid to individuals who are not attending. Feedback and Grading Timely reporting of academic challenges allows for intervention, strengthening VCSU's ability to support students academically.    As a general rule, faculty should respond to student work within two weeks of the assignment’s due date; deviations from this principle should be explained in the syllabus or communicated with students on a per-assignment basis.   In an effort to clarify how students will receive timely feedback, including grades, faculty shall include a statement in each course syllabus which:  communicates specifically how feedback will be delivered for the course;  describes how students can best access different types of feedback, including their grades, throughout the course;  identifies a reasonable time frame for when feedback and grades can be expected;  addresses how said faculty will communicate with students should they need to deviate from the allotted timeframe.   When specifically communicating grades, faculty will use the university’s official LMS grade center.   Midterm Deficiencies (D/F Grades) Midterm deficiencies (D/F grades) should be reported after the 8th week of classes following the procedure established by the VPAA. Final Grades Final grades are due on the Tuesday following finals week (or the Tuesday following the last day of the term, in summer sessions), at 10:00 am. Timely submission of final grades is essential, as a number of student service functions, including financial aid, honors, and probation, cannot be run until all grades are submitted.    Notation of last day of attendance/participation should be made in ConnectND for all students who receive a grade of "F." Sponsor: Faculty Senate Approved: December 2012 Revised: October 2016 Revised: Spring 2022

As professionals in Higher Education, faculty have a primary responsibility for providing high quality, rigorous education for students who register for their courses.  The on-going presence of faculty during the academic term and continuity of instruction for students is therefore of significant importance. We acknowledge, however, that individuals may occasionally need to be absent for personal, family, or medical reasons.  To help manage these types of absences, the following policies may apply: Short and long term faculty/dependent sick leave (V607.04)  Developmental leave (V701.02) Leave without pay  (V701.01) Faculty Absence Reporting (V605.14) In addition, while faculty do not accrue days of annual leave, they are not expected to be on campus when students have scheduled “breaks,” including holiday vacations and spring break, all of which adds up to about 20 days during the academic year when campus is open but classes are not in session. Furthermore, faculty schedules are flexible, and most personal absences for family, medical appointments, etc., can be scheduled around campus duties.   However, when personal leave cannot be scheduled around campus duties, faculty may request short-term, non-medical leave. Procedure: For single or partial day absences, please follow Policy V605.14 (Faculty Absence Reporting).   When the need for a short-term, non-medical absence that will span multiple sessions of a single course arises, or which disrupts synchronous interaction with students and colleagues for three or more days in a 7-day period, the faculty member should consult individually with the department chair to develop a written plan for continuity of instruction.   The department chair will confer with the VPAA prior to approving the leave request. The VPAA or the Department Chair will communicate the result of this conversation to the faculty member.  After receiving chair approval, the faculty member should follow the reporting procedure outlined in policy V605.14 Absences of this nature should be infrequent and typically a week or less. Absences of a non-emergency nature should be planned and approved well in advance. Sponsored by: Vice President for Academic Affairs Created: Spring 2022  

VCSU Sick Leave Policy for Faculty (includes coaches) SBHE Policy 607.4, directs campuses to adopt policies governing paid sick or dependent leave for faculty. VCSU policy V607.04 provides for short-term and long-term sick and dependent leave for faculty. For the purposes of this policy, "Faculty" refers to benefited employees who are tenured, probationary tenure-track, or on special appointment. This includes athletic coaches. A "day" is defined as any business day in which the faculty member has academic obligations, to include class sessions, office hours, or other regularly scheduled university commitments which must be either cancelled or rescheduled. A "week" equals five of these days. Sick leave does not accumulate from appointment period to appointment period and has no cash value upon the employee's separation from the institution. Short-term Leave: When a faculty member becomes briefly incapacitated due to a short-term illness or other short-term circumstance, he/she must make reasonable efforts to ensure that his/her work responsibilities are covered and must inform his/her supervisor. The supervisor is responsible for informing the VPAA office of any absence extending beyond three days; leave extending beyond three days may also require documentation (at the request of the supervisor or VPAA). Absences should be reported if they involve missing a class, faculty or committee meeting, or any other university-based obligation, even if rescheduled or covered by someone else. Coaches in this situation should follow the same process with the Athletic Director; those with teaching duties must report to both the Athletic Director and the VPAA. When the faculty member returns to work, documentation of the absence must be reported to the VPAA, using for AA-3 (Report of Faculty Absence). Long-Term Leave Faculty who must be absent for an extended period should discuss their needs for long-term leave with their department/division chair and the VPAA as early as possible, and assist the chair in assuring continuity of instruction, good communication, and coverage of all faculty obligations. Long-Term Leave is covered under the following policies: Developmental Leave, V701.02 Leave without Pay, V701.01 Sick and Dependent Leave, V607.04 The sections below describe four types of long-term medical leave available to faculty: long-term sick leave, disability leave, dependent leave, and family leave. Long-Term Sick Leave If inability to meet classes or fulfill other university obligations extends beyond two weeks, a faculty member who is sick or disabled may request long-term sick leave.  The faculty member's department, in discussion with the Vice President for Academic Affairs, is responsible for making arrangements to cover the work responsibilities of the faculty. The faculty member shall submit a memorandum requesting long-term sick leave to the Vice President for Academic Affairs, which shall be accompanied both by medical documentation and by verification from the Division Chair regarding appropriate planning to cover workload. Medical documentation to verify a serious health condition should include the date of commencement and probable duration of illness. If granted and it is necessary to hire replacement faculty, long-term sick leave will be paid at the rate of 75 percent of the applicant's regular base salary, including benefits, for a period of up to six months (until the faculty member is eligible for the start of disability leave-see section below), or until the end of the contract term. If medical documentation is not sufficient to grant long-term leave, then the faculty member's pay may be reduced commensurate with workload.  If a second or subsequent request for long-term sick leave occurs within five years from the end of the most recent long-term sick leave, the President will provide final authorization. One month prior to the start of the term following the period granted for sick leave, the faculty member must notify the VPAA and Division Chair of intent to return to work. Faculty granted long term sick leave must provide medical verification that they are fit to return to work; if special appointments have been made to cover work responsibilities, the faculty member may not return to work earlier than the contract designations of the special appointment. Faculty who do not declare an intent to return to work at least one month prior to the start of term following the period granted for sick leave and provide medical verification that they are fit to do so will be terminated. Coaches requiring long term sick leave should follow the same process with the Athletic Director; those with teaching duties must report to both the Athletic Director and the VPAA. Appeals of administrative decisions made under this policy should be directed to the Standing Committee on Faculty Rights. Disability Leave A faculty member who cannot return to work after taking long-term sick leave may be eligible for disability benefits under the institution's TIAA-CREF disability insurance. The faculty member should contact the VCSU Human Resource Director to determine eligibility. Faculty are encouraged to start the application process for these benefits in the fourth month of long term sick leave, in order to maintain consistent coverage. Dependent Leave Paid dependent leave is not offered on a long-term basis. Faculty may use short-term leave (described above) to accommodate dependent care requiring brief absences of a day or two. Absences required for long-term care of a dependent (as defined in Family Leave, below: "...for the birth, adoption, or foster placement of a child; or for the serious health condition of the employee, the employee's parent, child, or spouse") must be negotiated with the department/division chair and the VPAA, and must provide for continuity of instruction without additional cost to the University, for regular communication with supervisors and students, and for coverage for other University commitments. Absences which cannot be managed in this way must be covered using Family Leave. Family Leave Faculty members are entitled to family leave in accordance with NDUS Policy 607.4 and the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993. Family leave is defined in NDUS Policy 607.4 as "an unpaid leave of absence for the birth, adoption, or foster placement of a child; or for the serious health condition of the employee, the employee's parent, child, or spouse." Employees utilizing family leave will be provided health benefits at the same level and coverage as if the employee had not taken leave. In order to maintain continuity of instruction, faculty may be required to take family leave in combination with leave without pay (V701.01) to allow special appointment faculty to complete semester contracts. Procedure: The process of obtaining family leave generally begins with a letter or conversation with the relevant Division Chair and the Vice President for Academic Affairs or Athletic Director. FMLA application materials and information are available from the Human Resources Office. Sponsor: Faculty Senate Effective: May 17, 2011 Reviewed:  December 2019

As part of our infant-friendly policies and benefits, Valley City State University (VCSU) supports nursing mothers by accommodating the mother who wishes to express breast milk during her workday. The provisions of this nursing mother policy meet the requirements of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).  Any employee breastfeeding her child will be provided reasonable and patterned break times to express breast milk for her newborn child. A clean, private space (not a toilet stall or restroom) is available for pumping/nursing on first floor McFarland, with a private entrance. Keys may be checked out at the Facilities Services office. The windowless room provides: Lockable entrance to provide privacy from intrusion and view Accessible electrical outlets for an electric breast pump Comfortable seating Countertop with lockable storage units for equipment and supplies A small refrigerator reserved for the specific storage of breast milk A clean water source for washing hands and rinsing out any breast pump equipment is available close to the private space. Employees storing breast milk in the refrigerator must label the bottle with their name and date. Employees storing milk in the refrigerator assume all responsibility for the safety of the milk and the risk of harm for any reason, including improper storage, refrigeration and tampering. Employees who work off-site or in other locations will be accommodated with a private area as necessary. Sponsor: Human Resources Director Initial Approval: September 2011 Revised: January 2012 Reviewed:  Spring 2022

Policy: In accordance with State Board Policy 609, VCSU has established the following process for verifying communication skills, including the verbal and written English language proficiency of all personnel whose appointments include classroom instruction. Sponsor: Vice President for Academic Affairs Approved: December 2010 Revised: November 2018 Revised: December 2024