Tufts AS&E faculty work/life resources
The AS&E Committee on Faculty Work/Life has prepared this handout for faculty work/life liaisons. Faculty members are invited to
contact their departmental liaison or any committee member for additional information.
The definitive source of information about many faculty work/life policies is the AS&E Faculty Handbook, in the section
on Nonacademic Leaves: http://ase.tufts.edu/faculty/handbook/leave/nonAcademic.htm
The Work/Life Committee wiki brings together information on all extant work/life policies, programs, and practices:
http://go.tufts.edu/worklife.
Work/life contacts and resources
For official guidance and information, important resource people are:
 Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs Margery Davies, who devotes a substantial portion of her time to faculty
work/life matters in both A&S and SOE: margery.davies@tufts.edu, 617-627-3385.
 In Arts and Sciences: Inez McCarthy, A&S Faculty Affairs Officer: inez.mccarthy@tufts.edu, 617-627-3708.
 In the School of Engineering: Amy Maher, Administrator to the Dean: amy.maher@tufts.edu, 617-627-2783.
 For benefits-related and staff work/life questions: Mary Foster, A&S's HR business partner:
mary.foster@tufts.edu, 617-627-2160; Cathy Carney, SOE's HR business partner: Catherine.Carney@tufts.edu, 617627-3154.
 If you have questions about retirement, contact your Academic Dean, or Robbyn Dewar in the HR Benefits office:
robbyn.dewar@tufts.edu, 617-627-2118.
For peer-to-peer advice or information, contact the committee's co-chairs: Elizabeth Remick (Political Science,
elizabeth.remick@tufts.edu), or John McDonald (Music, john.mcdonald@tufts.edu).
For unofficial advice about childcare, contact June Goldstein: june.goldstein@tufts.edu.
Nonacademic Leaves
See faculty handbook for details: http://ase.tufts.edu/faculty/handbook/leave/nonAcademic.htm
Leave eligibility chart: http://ase.tufts.edu/faculty/handbook/leave/leaveEligibilityChart.htm
 Parental leave for primary caregivers of newly arrived children. This includes, e.g., women who give birth,
adoptive parents, fathers, and same-sex partners, as long as they declare themselves to be primary caregivers. It is a
paid leave, for 12 weeks (8 if in the first year of employment at Tufts) per rolling calendar year, and is available to all
benefits-eligible faculty members.
 Family illness leave. This is paid leave to take care of a seriously ill family member, as defined in the faculty
handbook. Benefits-eligible faculty members are entitled to up to 6 weeks of paid family illness leave per rolling
calendar year. The illness must be certified by a health care professional. May be taken intermittently or on a reducedwork schedule, with a maximum equivalent to the amount of time allowed for a full-time leave, the exact arrangement
to be determined in consultation with the dean and chair.
 Medical leave. This is paid leave taken due to one's own physical or mental health condition, as certified by a health
care professional. Benefits-eligible faculty members are entitled to up to 6 months of paid medical leave per rolling
calendar year. If you will be away from work due to illness for more than two weeks, whether during the summer or
the school year, you will need to take a medical leave. May be taken intermittently or on a reduced-work schedule,
with a maximum equivalent to the amount of time allowed for a full-time medical leave, the exact arrangement to be
determined in consultation with the dean and chair.
 Family and Medical Leave Act leave. This federal law provides for up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave, with job
security, per rolling calendar year, for the care of an ill family member, for care of a child up to one year old, or for
one's own medical condition including pregnancy and childbirth. Employees who have worked at Tufts for 12 months,
and worked ≥ 1,250 hours in the 12 months preceding the leave, are eligible. FMLA leave runs concurrently with
Tufts' paid leaves, but can come into play if you need a longer leave than some types of Tufts paid leave allow for.
For example, you could take six weeks of paid Tufts family illness leave, followed by up to six weeks of unpaid
FMLA leave. http://www.dol.gov/whd/fmla/index.htm
Policies related to parental, family illness, and medical leaves
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Tenure clock stoppage for tenure-stream faculty. A one-year deferral is automatically granted to faculty members
who take a parental leave, or a full 12 weeks of family illness or medical leave; automatic deferrals will be granted
twice during the probationary period (additional deferrals for parental, family illness, and medical leave may be
requested). A one-year deferral may also be requested by faculty members who take less than 12 weeks of family
illness or medical leave. http://ase.tufts.edu/faculty/handbook/leave/definitionOfTerms.htm#tenureReviewDeferral
Teaching relief for tenure-stream faculty. Tenure-stream faculty members for whom the majority of a 12-week
nonacademic leave occurs during June, July, and August are entitled to teaching relief during the following academic
year. Tenure-stream faculty members whose nonacademic leave falls in the fall or spring semester are entitled to
teaching relief for the balance of a semester before or after the leave.
http://ase.tufts.edu/faculty/handbook/leave/definitionOfTerms.htm#teachingRelief
Adjustment of faculty duties for non-tenure-stream faculty. Non-tenure-stream faculty members are entitled to an
adjustment of their duties for the balance of a semester before or after a parental, family illness, or medical leave.
http://ase.tufts.edu/faculty/handbook/leave/definitionOfTerms.htm#adjustment
3/31/2015
Dependent care and self-care resources
Elder/adult care (also see the Work/Life Committee's wiki section on elder care)
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Care.com Backup Dependent Care, backup in-home care for a parent, partner, adult child or other adult you are
responsible for. Can be used anywhere in the U.S. where Care.com has coverage. All benefits-eligible employees
have access to 20 days of backup care per calendar year; users pay an hourly fee. Try to register two days in advance,
if possible. http://hr.tufts.edu/backup-in-home-child-and-adult-care-services/
Referral and counseling services through the Employee Assistance Program, http://hr.tufts.edu/benefits/employeeassistance-program/
Child care (also see the Work/Life Committee's wiki section on child care)
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Care.com Backup Dependent Care, backup in-home care for use when regular care falls through or when you have
a mildly ill child, a snow day, or school holiday. Available to all benefits-eligible employees. Access to 20 days of
backup care per year; users pay an hourly fee. http://hr.tufts.edu/backup-in-home-child-and-adult-care-services/
For toddler and infant care, Tufts families have 10 priority access slots at four Bright Horizons centers. Contact
Bright Horizons for availability and cost. http://www.brighthorizons.com/
Childcare referral and counseling services, available through the Tufts Employee Assistance Program,
http://hr.tufts.edu/benefits/employee-assistance-program/
Eliot-Pearson Children's School, preschool (age 2.9 years and up) through second grade. Part-time preschool,
flexible days, modified school calendar. Apply in September the year before you wish to enroll your child.
http://ase.tufts.edu/epcs/
Bright Horizons at Teele Square, preschool (age 2.9 years and up) through Kindergarten. Full-time, 5-day-per-week
coverage, limited holidays. Tufts part-time and full-time employees and students receive priority admission. Apply in
September the year before you wish to enroll your child. http://child-carepreschool.brighthorizons.com/MA/Somerville/teelesquare
Self-care
The Care.com Backup Care service can be used for self-care. Call if you need someone to pick you up after a medical
procedure or drive you to a doctor's appointment, or need help around the house while you are ill. Users pay an hourly fee;
all benefits-eligible employees. http://hr.tufts.edu/backup-in-home-child-and-adult-care-services/
Lactation rooms
The following rooms are dedicated lactation spaces; call to reserve a time:
 Ballou Hall, first floor. Contact: Lisa Bloom, lisa.bloom@tufts.edu, phone 617-627-4815.
 The Fletcher School, Cabot 207. Key at Hall of Flags reception desk; contact Rachel Brown,
Rachel.Brown@tufts.edu, 617-627-3329.
If you need an ad-hoc space elsewhere on campus, please contact Johny Lainé, ADA Specialist in the Office of Equal
Opportunity: johny.laine@tufts.edu, 617-627-6363.
Additional Resources
E-lists in support of work/life issues
The Committee on Faculty Work/Life maintains e-lists on the following topics to facilitate peer-to-peer support and
communication: childcare, elder/adult care, students with families, and TTMothers (for faculty mothers of young
children). To subscribe to any of these lists, visit:
https://wikis.uit.tufts.edu/confluence/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=67809486.
Housing assistance (also see the Work/Life Committee wiki section on Housing Assistance)
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AS&E Faculty Transitional Housing Program for incoming faculty, as well as for existing faculty in exigent
circumstances: http://as.tufts.edu/about/workingas/housingassist.htm
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Walnut Hill Properties rents apartments, mostly in two- or three-family wood frame houses near the
Medford/Somerville campus, to members of the university community. 781-391-5300, or
walnuthillproperties@comcast.net.
3/31/2015