SCOPE: FACULTY AND STAFF

Issued: 4/1/00

Revised: 5/01/02, 6/1/09

1. Holidays: Current legislation authorizes the state legal holidays, but provides that educational institutions may adjust the actual observance of these holidays to permit efficient schedules. The President of Lamar University authorizes the specific holiday schedule to be observed each year, and this schedule is issued from the President's Office. The University will not exceed the paid holidays granted to state agencies as part of the Appropriations Act for each year of the biennium, however, the holiday schedule will be arranged to best meet the needs of the University constituents. Only regular faculty and staff members of the University shall be eligible for paid holidays.¹

2. General: Following are the conditions of a paid holiday for employees of the University:

2.1 Regular part-time faculty and staff are entitled to the same holidays with pay granted to regular full-time employees. However, the holiday pay for part-time employees shall be determined on a basis proportionate to the rate provided to full-time employees.²

2.2 A staff member can be required to work on a holiday, but shall be given alternate time off within a twelve-month period following the holiday worked at a rate of one hour for each hour worked, to be taken on a date mutually agreed upon by the staff member and the supervisor. Library, Police, and service departments may adopt internal policies that allow the department official to designate an alternate holiday schedule.

2.3 If a holiday occurs while a faculty or staff member is on sick leave or vacation leave, it will be counted as a holiday and not as leave.

2.4 A faculty or staff member who is on leave without pay is not eligible for pay for a holiday.

2.5 If a holiday falls in mid-month (other than the first or last workday of the month), the employee must be a state employee (legal definition is employed by the state and not on leave without pay) on the day before and the day after the holiday. If the holiday falls on the first workday of a month, the employee must be a state employee on the day immediately after the holiday. If the holiday falls on the last workday of the month, the employee must be a state employee on the day immediately before the holiday.³

3. Holidays observed should be recorded on the monthly Vacation/Sick Leave form (F3.6). If a holiday is observed on the day scheduled by the University, an "H" is entered on that date. If the staff member works on the holiday, an "HW" for "holiday worked" and the number of hours is entered on that date. If the holiday is observed on a day other than the day scheduled by the University, an "HT" for "holiday taken" and the number of hours taken is entered on that date.

4. A staff member who wishes to take time off for religious purposes on a day that is not an official university holiday must charge such time as vacation leave, leave without pay, or must make up such time if this is agreeable to the supervisor. Employees are entitled to observe the holidays of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Good Friday, and Cesar Chavez Day in lieu of any holiday(s) on which the University is required to be open and staffed to conduct business. The employee may, with the supervisor's approval, work a holiday on which the university is closed and use the compensatory time for one of the above holidays.

5. The President may arrange work schedules to fit the academic calendar in order to provide efficient and economical operation.

6. A holiday is for the standard eight (8) hour day, employees working non-traditional schedules will only receive eight (8) hours of holiday time.

References:

¹Texas Government Code §662.011

²Attorney General Opinion No. M1014 (12/9/71)

³Texas Government Code. §662.010.