Approved by iDean Lawrence Andrews
revised September 25, 2025
The following policies and practices are foundational for ladder faculty and should be reviewed annually. This memo will be available, updated as needed, on the Arts Academic HR website.
CODE OF CONDUCT. The Faculty Handbook, the Faculty Code of Conduct, the Abusive Conduct Policy and the UCSC Principles of Community outline behavior we are all expected to exhibit. All members of our community and the public are to be treated with respect and consideration.
COURSE ASSIGNMENTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES. It is the authority of the chair to make teaching assignments, always within the guiding principle of equity. See CAPM.312.245.B.
- Workload. While sabbatical and research leaves should be part of the annual fall Curriculum and Leave Planning process, late leave requests or course relief that affects the curriculum and workload assignments must be negotiated with the Department Chair and approved by the Chair and Dean. Faculty may not be relieved of a course assignment if another qualified instructor is not available. Approved medical leaves are an exception to the late leave request guidance and advance notice does not apply.
- Class schedules. Faculty are expected to meet classes at all times advertised in the schedule and to hold the class in the format approved by CCI, e.g. online, in-person, hybrid. Changes to class format may only be made in the case of health, climate, access, etc. emergencies necessitating a switch to remote. If a faculty member has a medical reason for needing to teach remotely, an accommodation may be requested via Disability Management Services. Faculty may not reduce student contact hours by abbreviating the length of classes or the number of times they meet, nor improperly delegate instruction to teaching assistants or staff. All scheduling and rescheduling of classes must be in consultation with the Department Chair. Classes should also be held in the assigned classroom, studio, or lab, barring exceptional guidance from the Chair and/or Division in the case of an emergency. Holding classes in locations other than those assigned may impact student accessibility. For more information on scheduling classes, see the Registrar’s guidelines.
- Office hours. Scheduled weekly office hours are expected of all ladder faculty and 2-4 hours per 5-unit course is the norm. Your department may set expectations for the number of office hours required and the faculty should post the office hours online (e.g. on Canvas and as advised by your department).
SERVICE.
- Department administrative service. Department service is an obligation for ladder rank faculty. Faculty in-residence should make themselves available for committee service at any time during regular working hours when they are not in class or engaged in other scheduled university service. Faculty self-governance is one of the founding principles and great strengths of the University. It is important that everyone participates fully and willingly, including the expectation that full professors chair their departments, which is essential service that the department and dean assess in the review of professor files. Faculty should further ensure that they are responsive to their department’s and the division’s leadership and administrative staff. Finally, faculty participation in departmental and divisional events is highly encouraged as it contributes to student, faculty, and staff morale and creates the lively and engaged environment for which the arts are known.
- Senate administrative service. All ladder rank faculty are urged to volunteer for service on Senate committees. It is essential that we continue to advocate for the Arts and illuminate the significance of our less traditionally recognized creative research and activities.
- Service guidelines: In addition to your department’s guidelines, review the CAP memo which outlines appropriate levels of service for teaching professors and professors at different ranks.
PRESENCE. As outlined in policy, faculty “must maintain a significant presence on campus, meet classes, keep office hours, hold examinations as scheduled, be accessible to students and staff, be available to interact with University colleagues, and share service responsibilities throughout every quarter or semester of active service” from the beginning to the end of each quarter as detailed in the campus academic and administrative calendar. Please make note of departmental events that you are expected to attend as faculty.
- Absences. Faculty must request in advance approval for absences (for reasons other than illness or personal emergency) from the Department Chair. Chairs may, on a discretionary basis, approve short leaves for attending a conference, etc. It is inappropriate for faculty members to arrange for a class to be “covered” without consulting the Chair. Leaves of absence must be requested and approved in writing. The Chair may approve a leave of up to seven calendar days; a leave of longer duration, submitted to the Chair, is subject to approval by the Dean. If a leave is out of the country for any reason other than a faculty member’s conference presentation, performance, film showing, or exhibition opening, faculty should first contact the Chair for approval and the Chair should contact the Arts Division’s Human Resources office (Katie Arnold, katiea@ucsc.edu) for additional guidance before submitting the request to the Dean.
- Medical Leaves. Should you require a medical leave, please contact the Academic Personnel Office (APO) Leave Coordinator at apoleave@ucsc.edu. APO will communicate the medical parameters of the leave to the Arts Dean (via Arts AHR) who will issue the medical leave letter as well as inform the chair and approve any course replacement funds to the department. Part-time medical leaves require consultation with the chair and the dean to determine appropriate research, teaching, and services as any leave covers all three areas. Reminder: Medical leaves are confidential. While a faculty member may choose to make public a medical leave, in general, medical leaves should not be discussed.
Faculty on course release or a non-teaching quarter are still considered in-residence and therefore are under the same service expectations as outlined above. Faculty on sabbatical or approved research leave are exempted from service.
SAFETY.
The Arts safety team is available to work with you and your departmental staff on safety plans. Greg Perkins (gsperkin@ucsc.edu) is available, along with Paul Fortino, to strategize on the most effective means to advocate for and promote safety in your studios, production and music labs, performance spaces, etc. for our entire community. Please contact Greg if you are in need of an ergonomic assessment.
EMPLOYMENT.
- Only the Dean can approve appointments of academic titles. It is essential that faculty do not negotiate “employment contracts” with readers, teaching assistants, research assistants, lecturers, or others without first consulting their Department and the Divisional Academic Human Resources Office. The Department is responsible for managing its resources within the Curriculum and Leave Planning (CLP) allocation. Informal arrangements may not be honored and may be a violation of a contract, resulting in students going unpaid or being unprotected and departments being unaware that funds were committed.
- Supervision of teaching assistants. Because faculty members have influence over student employees’ academic progress, it is imperative that faculty expectations of their TAs’ schedules and duties be established at the start of the quarter. A “Description of Duties” checklist must be completed prior to the initial instruction session and signed by both instructor and TA. Faculty are also responsible for approving TAs’ and GSRs’ monthly timesheets. Please contact your Department if you have any questions and your Department may follow up with the Academic HR office.
- Workers compensation issues. For any work-related injury that may arise from someone you supervise, please contact your department and Katie Arnold (katiea@ucsc.edu), in the Academic Human Resources Office, as soon as possible. Also, you must complete the Workers’ Compensation Injury claim form* within 24 hours; the form automatically submits to the Office of Risk Services, Workers’ Compensation.
- Outside employment. Faculty may pursue a variety of endeavors for financial gain that are not directly related to their field or discipline. However, such endeavors must not interfere with the faculty member’s full-time commitment to the University (APM 025). Contact the Arts Academic HR office should you have questions.
IMPORTANT CAMPUS POLICY/REPORTING RESOURCES:
- Title IX: Sexual violence and sexual harassment policy. Faculty have specific obligations regarding mandated reporting with respect to Title IX complaints brought to their attention. The campus policies on sexual violence and sexual harassment with which you should be familiar are located at https://titleix.ucsc.edu. In addition, the state of California requires faculty take Sexual Harassment Prevention Training every two years through the UC Learning Center. Please note that it is a new campus policy that you must be up-to-date on this and all other mandated trainings before any sabbatical may be approved by the dean.
- Bias Reporting: Reports of discrimination should be made to the Equity and Equal Protection (EEP) office. You may also solicit complaint resolution from the UCSC Ombudsperson at this same site.
- Abusive Conduct (new policy): All UCSC employees are subject to the Abusive Conduct policy. You may report abusive conduct here.
- Faculty Code of Conduct: Should you believe a faculty member to be in violation of the Faculty Code of Conduct you may file a complaint on the reference site. You may contact the Academic Employee Labor Relations Director Adrienne Ratner (anratner@ucsc.edu) for guidance.
- Whistleblower: If you suspect that a UCSC employee is engaged in improper governmental activities, you may file a Whistleblower complaint. Please review the site for additional information.
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP): If you have problems of a personal nature that interfere with your well-being and ability to perform his or her job, please contact the EAP for available support.
OTHER MISCELLANY:
- Office usage. Faculty who are away on extended leaves should expect to share or release their offices/studios during their leaves to replacement faculty. Chairs have delegated authority from the Dean to reallocate space within their own departmental allocated space. Faculty offices / studios may be changed and/or shared, following consultation with the faculty member.
- Working with Communications, Events, & Marketing Office (CEMO). When your event has been approved by your unit and is in the beginning planning stages, you will need to submit two event forms: (1) the UCSC Major Event Proposal Form and (2) the CEMO events kick-off form. The Major Event Proposal Form was recently implemented by the UC Santa Cruz Division of Finance, Operations, and Administration and requires that all open-to-the-public events must have approval by filling out the Major Event Proposal Form. After you submit the event on the Major Event Proposal Form, work with the Communications, Events, & Marketing Office (CEMO) and let CEMO know about your event by filling out the CEMO events kick-off form.
- Travel reimbursements. When a personal vehicle is used in lieu of air travel to the same destination, the lesser of the following costs will be reimbursed: 1) airfare plus transportation costs to and from airport, or automobile mileage cost plus the cost of meals, lodging and parking while in transit. For travel exceeding 24 hours, lower-cost, longer-term parking options should be used. Supporting cost comparisons are to be use to evaluate what UC would have paid, which can be obtained by a Connexus-related agency or Standard Commercial Air Carrier prior to or at the time of booking the trip. Please review the UC travel guide as well as the Divisional Business Office travel frequently asked questions.
OTHER FINANCIAL RESOURCES: