Human Resources
The Office of Human Resources is located in Dwight Hall #207. Office hours are Monday – Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. New Visiting Lecturers must sign their contract and complete the following forms at the time of hire: the W-4 (federal tax withholding), the M-4 (state tax withholding), a personal data form, direct deposit form, HIRD form, OBRA form, and the Form I-9. The Form I-9 certifies eligibility for employment and must be completed at the time of hire. Original documentation of employment eligibility must be examined by the HR Office within three business days of the date employment begins. Photocopies and expired documents will not be accepted. Please see the Lists of Acceptable Documents on page 5 of the I-9 instructions for examples of documents that may be accepted by the University. http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-9.pdf.
All Visiting Lecturers, except State retirees are required to participate in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Alternative Retirement Plan (OBRA) in lieu of participation in the FICA portion of Social Security. New employees will complete a participation agreement form when they complete their initial paperwork. Please note that direct deposit and participation in OBRA are conditions of employment.
Under the University's Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Plan, the Human Resources Office administers requests for Reasonable Accommodations for faculty and staff. If you need either a workplace or a parking accommodation, please call the Human Resources Office at 508-626-4951.
If you have additional questions regarding Human Resources or Payroll, please call the Human Resources office at 508-626-4530 for assistance.
Salary Administration and Payroll Practices
All salaries are administered according to the provisions of the applicable collective bargaining agreement. Different salary schedules exist for Visiting Lecturers in the Day Division and for Instructors teaching in the Division of Graduate and Continuing Education. Day Division Visiting Lecturers are paid on a bi-weekly schedule over a period of 20 weeks. Continuing Education Instructors teaching a regular course are paid two times a semester, generally once mid-semester and again at the conclusion of the course. Please note that there is a specific schedule for the payroll, and, if paperwork is not turned in prior to the deadline that is set, your paycheck will be delayed accordingly. The College requires that paychecks be deposited directly in your bank account, so you must provide the Payroll Office with the routing and account numbers for the account into which you wish your paycheck to be deposited.
Communication Accounts
All part-time faculty members are automatically provided accounts for e-mail, network, Blackboard, and myFramingham (portal) after they have been entered into the University's payroll system. Each individual must agree to the University's "Acceptable Use Policy" before accessing the campus computing network. Since a signature from your department chair is required, you will need to submit a hardcopy of this form to Information Technology Services located in the Doyle Center.
ID Card
An identification card, available at the Card Services Office located next to Campus Police, is necessary to access many beneficial services at the University, including use of the fitness center at the Athletic and Recreation Center.
Parking
New employees of the University must report to the Department of Public Safety and Police Services (Campus Police), located at the lower rear level of the College Center, and fill out a parking decal application card. You must also present a letter from your Department Chair confirming employment with the University. Please make certain that you know your vehicle’s license plate number, make, model and year, as well as your driver’s license number. Faculty will receive a decal in the mail valid for a two-year period at no charge and a copy of the Parking Rules and Regulation Handbook. Once your application is on file, unless any pertinent information changes such as name, vehicle, and/or address, you will not have to fill out another application card until your decal expires. If there are changes, you must contact the Department of Public Safety and Police Services so that records can be updated. Normally, part time faculty are assigned to an open access parking facility. However, if you should be assigned to a gated lot, your faculty ID card will serve as the access card.
Offices
Due to space shortages, many departments are not able to provide office space for Visiting Lecturers. Those teaching during the day should check with the department chair about the availability of space and for advice on where to meet with students if no office space is available. There are no offices for evening instructors, who are expected to be available for at least one half hour before and after the evening class period to meet with students in the classroom.
Union Membership
Visiting Lecturers who teach day school undergraduate courses become members of the collective bargaining unit at the start of their third consecutive semester of employment. The Massachusetts State College Association (MSCA) is the professional association/union that represents day faculty and librarians who work in the nine state colleges. Visiting Lecturers assigned to graduate level courses or evening undergraduate continuing education courses become members of the Division of Graduate and Continuing Education (DGCE) collective bargaining unit immediately upon employment. Both contracts are available at http://mscaunion.org/contract/.
All unit members are contractually required to pay either membership dues or the agency fee. The fiscal year for dues runs from the beginning of the summer session until the end of the following spring semester. Visiting Lecturers who are eligible for unit membership are billed in the first semester that they teach. This payment of membership dues or agency fees covers you for the year, so you will not be billed again until the next fiscal year. The union dues/agency fee bill includes payments to NEA, MTA, and MSCA, and the local chapter dues.
