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Early Present for UA Staffers

Posted on: Sunday, 27 November 2005, 18:00 CST

By Carol Biliczky, The Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio

Nov. 26--University of Akron President Luis Proenza gave 1,500 employees an unexpected gift this holiday season -- three extra days of paid vacation.

Proenza told 1,500 full-time staff and contract professionals by memo last week that UA would close Dec. 27, 28 and 29.

That means staffers and contract professionals will get 25, not 22, days of vacation this year.

"To thank you, Dear Colleagues, for your ongoing commitment to our students and our mission, the University will provide additional paid holidays for this academic year only," he wrote.

Roy Ray, UA vice president for business and finance, said Proenza decided to close the university after consulting with other administrators.

Ray said the extra days off would save energy and the pay of part-time staffers who work in the Student Center, Recreation Center and other sites.

It also will give 450 contract professionals such as financial aid officers and deans and 450 staffers, such as secretaries, a break that will begin on Dec. 23 and continue to Jan. 2.

UA already was scheduled to close Dec. 23 and for part of the next week -- on Dec. 26, UA's official Christmas holiday, and Dec. 30, its day off for New Year's.

Closing the entire 11 days will save $140,000 to $150,000, Ray estimated.

"We're budgeted for everybody's salaries anyway," he said. "Normally not much business takes place during this time so we don't think it'll be a major problem."

Security and other essential staffers will continue to work, he said, and departments can stay open if they choose.

The change doesn't affect faculty because classes aren't in session.

Still, it isn't common for state-supported universities in Ohio to close for the holiday week.

Kent State, Cleveland State and Youngstown State will be open except for days they're taking for their official holidays.

Miami University will be closed for the week between Christmas and New Year's. But unlike UA, employees must use vacation days for days that the university hasn't chosen as holidays.

In other words, the break at Miami will cut into staffers' 22 paid vacation days.

"The staff came to us several years ago and asked us what could we do about getting these days off," MU spokeswoman Claire Wagner said.

"We said, 'We can't give you these days off. It's public money,' " she said. "We worked it out so they have to take vacation days. They're very tight about that here."

At UA, Ray, the vice president, said the extra days off are an acknowledgement that many people work more than 40 hours a week and it's been "a tough year."

After two years, UA and its faculty recently negotiated a contract, with trustees and faculty to vote in the next couple of weeks.

"I think this is a little goodwill gesture that should help us start off the year on the right foot," Ray said.

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Copyright (c) 2005, The Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio

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Source: Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio)

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