Civic Responsibility

Policy number: 7.21

Policy section: Human Resources

Revised Date: January 2, 2019

1. Policy Statement

It is the policy of the University to encourage and enable its employees to fulfill their civic responsibilities.

2. Purpose

In the spirit of enabling an employee to fulfill his/her civic responsibility, the University will continue the employee's normal scheduled pay, for a limited period of time, under the following circumstances:

  1. Jury Duty
  2. Court Service: When an employee is subpoenaed to serve as a witness in a court case
  3. Other Activities: An employee may be released with pay for other civic duties, at the discretion of the Chief Human Resources Officer.

3. Applicability

This policy applies to all regular full-time and part-time staff positions at the University.

4. Department Administrative Rules, Procedures, and Guidelines

The Department of Human Resources, under the purview of the Vice President for Business and Finance, has oversight and administrative responsibility for this policy and shall promulgate departmental rules, procedures, and guidelines pursuant to this policy. Detailed eligibility and administrative rules, procedures and guidelines can be found on the Human Resources website.

5. Taking Leave for Civic Responsibilities

The maximum leave time each year under this policy is five working days. In the event of a special circumstance requiring additional time, the employee may appeal for extended time. An extension with pay can be granted only by concurrence of the appropriate department head and the Chief Human Resources Officer.

6. Questions

Questions regarding this policy should be directed to the Department of Human Resources at smuhr@smu.edu.

Revised: January 2, 2019

Adopted: June 1, 1994

The official University Policy Manual is housed in the Office of the University Secretary. The University Secretary is responsible for maintaining new and updated policies and for maintaining this website. Should the official University Policy Manual conflict with any internal policies, procedures, departmental administrative rules, or guidelines, that may be contained in manuals provided by schools, departments, or divisions within the University, the official University Policy Manual controls.