Administrative Handbook
Fall 2006

Section 9. OTHER BENEFITS

9-1 EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (EAP)

The College provides an employee assistance program to help faculty and staff with the stresses of life and work--including personal and family issues, drug or alcohol problems, and job-related tensions. It offers assistance to reduce these stresses and to improve coping skills.

The College's employee assistance program provides counseling, consultation, and education to staff and faculty. The College has contracted with The Wellness Corporation to provide these services.

Eligibility and Benefit:

Each employee who works at least half-time for nine or more months per year is entitled to up to five (5) free, confidential visits for counseling, diagnosis, and referral. Family members may also be seen within the five (5) visits. Employees may use their own resources and health insurance for further counseling.

Please contact The Wellness Corporation, 512 West Main Street in Shrewsbury, MA 01545, for information, or to schedule an appointment call 1-800-828-6025.  The Wellness Corporation will make an appointment with a provider near your home or work at your request.

Employee assistance counseling plays no role in personnel evaluations.  The employee assistance program offers training and consultation to supervisors on management, leadership, and personnel issues. It also offers programs on topics in personal health, family living, and work. These are presented on-site during the work day and are open to all employees.

9-2 EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

A. Tuition Remission For Full-Time Undergraduate Study
Tuition Remission is a program that provides tuition benefits at Wellesley College to daughters/wives of eligible employees. The candidate(s) must be selected through the College's normal Board of Admission process and maintain diploma grade standing. (link to Admissions) The following policy on benefits and eligibility became effective May 1, 1982.

If you were hired May 1, 1982, or thereafter:

Eligibility
As a full-time administrative staff member you are eligible for tuition remission benefits after three years of continuous full-time employment.
Benefit
You may receive a 50% remission of Wellesley tuition, effective the semester following the anniversary of three years of continuous full-time employment.

If you were hired prior to May 1, 1982:

Eligibility
As a full-time administrative staff member, you are eligible for Wellesley tuition remission benefits after one year of continuous full-time employment.
Benefit
Eligible employees may receive a 100% remission of Wellesley tuition, effective the semester following the anniversary of one year of continuous full-time employment.
Your daughter must be your dependent for income tax purposes to qualify for this benefit.

Once begun, tuition remission will continue even if you should die before your daughter/wife has completed her degree. (link Benefits for Families of Deceased Employees)

Winter session and summer school courses are not covered by Tuition Remission.

The College's Tuition Remission policy does not apply to tuition paid to any educational institution other than Wellesley College

B. Tuition Remission for Continuing Education/Davis Scholar Program

Tuition remission for individual undergraduate courses taken for credit at Wellesley College is possible for an eligible employee and the spouse, son or daughter of the employee, provided the candidate is selected by the Board of Admission as a Degree Candidate, a Post-Baccalaureate Student, or a Visiting Student. The son or daughter must be a dependent of the employee for income tax purposes.

To be eligible for participation in the Continuing Education Program, the employee must have completed one year of full-time continuous employment at Wellesley College and be continuing in this full-time capacity. Employees who work less than full-time may participate, but the tuition will be prorated. Spouses, sons, and daughters of employees working less than full-time are not eligible for tuition exemption.

There is a limit of one course per semester for employees. In unusual cases, an employee may petition to their supervisor to take two courses with an explanation as to how the employee can make up the time and work missed. There is a limit of eight (8) courses for dependents of eligible employees. Employees who wish to participate in a Postbaccalaureate Program are also limited to eight courses.

Application to the Continuing Education/ Davis Degree Program or the Postbaccalaureate Study Program is made through the Board of Admission. Application to the Visiting/Special Student Program is made through the office of the Dean of Students (ext. 2322). Admission to any of these programs is competitive and selective.

Application deadline for the Davis Degree Program is March 1, for fall entrance only. Application deadline for second semester entry is November 15.

Applications for the Postbaccalaureate Study Program must be received by March 1 for admission to fall semester courses and by November 15 for spring semester courses. Anyone enrolling in courses for credit must pay the normal application and registration fees.

The Elisabeth Kaiser Davis Degree Program:
Eligible employees (or their dependent/spouse) who wish to work toward an undergraduate degree may apply as Degree Candidates. If accepted, they must meet the same degree requirements as Wellesley undergraduates but may take courses on a part-time basis. Prospective candidates for the undergraduate degree are women, usually over the age of twenty-four, whose education has been interrupted.

Postbaccalaureate Study Program:
Eligible employees (or their dependent/spouse) may also apply to take courses as postbaccalaureate students. Prospective candidates for the Postbaccalaureate Study Program are men and women who have already received a bachelor's degree and are interested in taking undergraduate courses to prepare for graduate school, professional careers or for general enrichment. The College reserves the right to limit the number of courses a student may take for credit under this program.

Visiting Student Program:
Eligible employees (or their dependent/spouse) may also apply to take courses as visiting students. Prospective candidates for the Visiting Student Program are men and women who are matriculated at another college or university who wish to spend a semester or a year at Wellesley College and have the credit for the Wellesley course work transferred to their college or university. The College limits the number of semesters and/or courses a student may take for credit under this program to eight courses.

Upon acceptance to one of these programs, employees must obtain permission from their supervisors and the Human Resources Office to be eligible for tuition waiver. Permission will be granted if the employee can participate with a minimum of inconvenience to the office or department.

College employees who receive these tuition benefits will be billed for the student activities fee, but will not be billed for the facilities fee; if they wish to use the Sports Center for services requiring membership, they may purchase membership at regular employee rates. If an employee is a degree candidate, s/he may complete Physical Education requirements for her/his degree at a rate of not more than 2 physical education "credit points" per term without paying the facilities fee. Dependents of College employees eligible for these tuition benefits will be charged for both the student activities fee and the facilities fee (even if they might otherwise be eligible to use the Sports Center on a family or individual membership).

To obtain these benefits for themselves or for dependents, an employee must complete an Application for Tuition Remission each term and submit it to the Human Resources Office prior to the start of the semester for which the benefit is to apply. Forms are available in the Human Resources Office. Student Financial Services will automatically bill for every course registration; the charge may be satisfied by timely filing of the form.

C. Auditing Courses

Eligibility and Benefit:

Regular full-time employees, their spouses or dependents may each audit one course per semester at Wellesley College without charge, provided space is available. Half-time employees may audit one course without charge while their spouses or dependents may each audit one course at a fee of $150, provided space is available. In order to take advantage of this benefit, your son or daughter must be your dependent for income tax purposes.

Courses open to auditors are published each semester by the Registrar's Office during Auditor Registration time.

An auditor does not participate in class discussions and does not take quizzes or final examinations.

If you wish to audit a course, you must obtain the permission from your supervisor and register through the Registrar of the College. If you audit a course that meets during work hours you must arrange with your supervisor to make up the time missed.

Those employees who retire at age 60 and over with at least ten years of continuous service may audit courses free of charge.

D. Tuition Reimbursement

The Tuition Reimbursement program provides tuition benefits to eligible employees taking courses at institutions other than Wellesley College.

Eligibility:
Employees who work at least half-time for at least nine months per year are eligible for tuition reimbursement, in accordance with this policy, after completion of one year of continuous employment.

Benefit:
Eligible full-time, full-year employees can be reimbursed for tuition for academic courses taken at an accredited institution. The maximum reimbursement in any fiscal year (July 1 to June 30) will be the actual tuition paid or the cost of one Wellesley College course, whichever is less. If you work less than 35 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, the benefit will be prorated based on your budgeted Full Time Equivalence (FTE). You determine your FTE as follows:
For 35-hour positions, multiply your hours per week by your weeks per year and divide by 1820.
For 40-hour positions, multiply your hours per week by your weeks per year and divide by 2080.

Example:
The 2003/2004 cost of one Wellesley College course is $3,647; therefore, this is the maximum reimbursement a full-time, full-year employee could receive in 2003/2004.

Eligible full-time, academic year and half-time employees can be reimbursed for tuition for academic courses taken at an accredited institution. The maximum reimbursement is an amount equivalent to the budgeted FTE of the employee applied either to the tuition paid or the current cost of one Wellesley College course, whichever is less.

Examples:
*If you work 35 hours a week (in a 35 hour position) for 39 weeks, your FTE is 0.75 (using the formula explained above for 35-hour positions). The maximum reimbursement you would be eligible to receive in 2003/2004 would be 75% of $3,647.
*If you work 17.5 hours a week (in a 35 hour position) for 43 weeks, your FTE is 0.41 (using the formula explained above for 35-hour positions). The maximum reimbursement you would be eligible to receive in 2003/2004 would be 41% of $3,647.
*If you work 20 hours a week (in a 40 hour position) for 39 weeks, your FTE is 0.38 (using the formula explained above for 40-hour positions). The maximum reimbursement you would be eligible to receive in 2003/2004 would be 38% of $3,647.

Courses Covered Under Tuition Reimbursement:
The tuition reimbursement benefit applies to tuition only; fees and other related costs are not covered. If you are matriculated in an undergraduate degree program, evidence of matriculation must be supplied. Individual courses taken as part of an undergraduate degree program do not have to be job related in order to qualify for tuition reimbursement. If you are not matriculated in a degree program, however, the course must be job related and must be taken for credit.

Workshops, seminars, and other non-academic programs are not covered by this benefit. Departments may use their training budgets to send employees to such job-related training programs.

Application Procedure:
It is expected that courses covered by tuition reimbursement are taken in the evening or on weekends, not during your regular working hours. In order to be eligible for reimbursement, an application for this benefit, including a course description, must be approved by the Human Resources Office prior to enrollment in the course. You will be eligible to receive a tuition reimbursement upon successful completion of the course (grade C or better). Evidence of successful course completion must be submitted within 60 days after completion or reimbursement will not be made. This evidence must be in the form of a transcript or other official documentation plus the itemized, receipted bill or invoice.

Employees eligible for other assistance, e.g., Veterans' benefits, must notify the College in advance. The College would then reimburse the employee, up to the amount of original eligibility, for the tuition remaining, if any, after all other assistance has been applied.