SUBJECT:

Short-Term Appointment Extensions

Short-term appointments are defined as positions established at 50 to 100
percent time for less than three months and for which an extension may be
granted for an additional month. A frequent Campus practice has been to
break service for a few days for an employee holding a short-term
appointment and rehire the employee if the need for the position continues.

This practice has resulted in employees often being rehired several times
with a few days of break in service, who do not become eligible for
benefits normally associated with longer term appointments. This
artificial break and rehire practice has resulted in employees working on
long-term assignments without an appropriate appointment status.

The consequence of this practice impacts employees by rendering them
ineligible for benefits that would normally accrue to the appointment; and
also impacts the University's equal opportunity and affirmative action
results by providing an unfair advantage to individuals hired by
noncompetitive means. A recent compliance review by the Office of Federal
Contract Compliance Programs found that hiring decisions based on an
applicant's experience in short-term assignments are problematic if the
experience was obtained through a noncompetitive hiring process, such as a
short-term appointment.

Effective immediately, short-term appointments must reflect the true
duration of the appointment and extensions will be permitted only for
specified reasons stated below. Please consult with your Human Resources
Staffing Specialist to discuss staffing options which will ensure
compliance with University policy. If there are current employees on
short-term appointments in your department whose appointments must be
extended for business-related reasons, open recruitments or requests for
waivers should be initiated before the appointments' end date.

The following are examples of business-related reasons for which extensions
may be granted beyond the three months:

- An open recruitment is pending for the position and there is a definite
appointment end date.

- There is a continuing need to temporarily replace an employee on approved
leave beyond the initial period requested.

- A temporary position is being established to extend the employment of a
student (graduate or undergraduate) to complete a specific project.

- Extreme time and/or funding constraints exist for the completion of your
project.

To request an extension of a short-term appointment, please submit a
memorandum to your Human Resources Staffing Specialist explaining the need
and the proposed end date of the appointment. Questions should be
addressed to the Human Resources Staffing Specialist for your area as
follows:

Susan Carroll
Extension 44116
School of Medicine

Kathy Phelan
Extension 46338
Academic Affairs
Student Affairs

Becky Platero
Extension 40279
Business Affairs
Resource Management and Planning
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
University Relations and Development

Rogers Davis Assistant Vice Chancellor - Human Resources