News

• News

October 14, 2016

One proposed new policy on "Universal Restrooms" and revisions to 15 existing University Administrative Policies (UAP) have been posted for a 30-day, all-campus review and comment period from October 14-November 13. Of the 15 existing policies, several were revised to reflect new Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) regulations, which include a higher monetary threshold for qualifying as exempt from overtime pay. Descriptions of the proposed policy changes are provided below. To comment on the policy drafts, click on the links for the individual policies below or email policy@unm.edu.  We hope to hear from you.

• UAP 1030 (“Gifts to the University”)

The revisions to Section 3.2 on Quasi-Endowments authorize the expenditure of a quasi-endowment principal or corpus, and require Regents’ approval when expenditures of principal exceed ten percent in any given year.

• UAP 2010 (“Contracts Signature Authority and Review”)

The policy was revised to reflect current practices and include a new Section 2.1 on electronic signatures.

• UAP 2015 (“Contract Management and Monitoring”)

The policy and its title were revised to remove information about contract management, which is covered in UAP 2010, and narrow the focus to contract monitoring.

• UAP 2140 (“Use and Possession of Alcohol on University Property”)

Section 2.1 revisions clarify that a licensed alcohol server must serve alcohol at University social functions. Section 2.3 revisions note the licensed campus locations where alcohol may be sold and served, including the Student Union Building for catered events; similar information was deleted from Section 4.3. 

• UAP 2180 (“Foreign Nationals”)

The policy was in need of significant updating to reflect current federal regulations, names of entities, and University practices.  Exhibit A was deleted because the policy includes an updated version of the information.

• UAP 2300 (“Inspection of Public Records”)

The policy was revised to reference a new Open Records Portal (Section 3), conform with current practices (Section 5), and detail a new payment schedule for copies of records (Section 5.3).

• UAP 2610 (“Time and Leave Reporting”)

The policy was revised to reflect current practices and include a new Section 3.1 on Timekeeping Segregation of Duties.

• UAP 3200 (“Employee Classification”)

A new Section 2.1.1 explains that part-time employees are generally considered non-exempt when, by virtue of their reduced appointment percentage, their actual salary is less than the new FLSA threshold. Revisions to Section 2.2 clarify timekeeping requirements and delete outdated examples of non-exempt employees.

• UAP 3225 (“Separation of Employment”)

Section 6 revisions reflect Human Resources’ practice of authorizing employees who are retiring from the University to extend their separation dates beyond their actual dates worked by using accrued annual leave.

• UAP 3230 (“Performance Review and Recognition”)

The policy was reorganized and revised to reflect current practices, including the new Performance Evaluation and Planning Form.

•  UAP 3300 (“Paid Time”)

A new Section 3.3 on Wellness and Fitness encourages the use of flexible scheduling for fitness activities during normal work hours, such as by extending a lunch break, and suggests supervisors set an example by engaging in such activities themselves.  FLSA-related changes are reflected in Sections 7.1, 7.7, 7.10, and a new Section 10, which clarify time worked for pay purposes and when travel is compensated for non-exempt employees.

• UAP 3400 (“Annual Leave”)

A revision to Section 7 clarifies that employees retiring from the University may use annual leave to extend their separation dates.  (See UAP 3225 above.

• UAP 3410 (“Sick Leave”)

In Section 7, the initial sentence was deleted because it is overly broad and potentially subjects employees to medical costs for minor illnesses not requiring medical assistance. The last sentence of Section 7 was revised to make the requirement discretionary. Examples of sick leave abuse were added to Section 7.1.

• UAP 3700 (“Education Benefits”)

Revisions to Section 3 clarify the tuition remission benefit for graduate courses and that taking New Mexico State University courses is not an add-on benefit, but part of the normal tuition remission benefit of up to eight credit hours each fall or spring academic semester.  A new paragraph in Section 3 explains the policy for taking non-academic courses using the tuition remission benefit.

• NEW UAP 5300 (“Universal Restroom Initiative”)

This new policy establishes guidelines for the design of single-stall universal restroom facilities that can accommodate users regardless of gender identity, disability, or family status.

• UAP 6130 (“Emergency Control”)

The policy was reorganized and updated to reflect current practices. Additionally, a new Section 5 on Clery Act Notifications was added, and in Section 6 the Clery Compliance Officer was included as a point of contact.