[Main] [History] [Employment] [Benefits] [Compensation] [Training] [Absences] [Conduct] [Health] [Resources] [Appendix]

Personal Conduct

Attendance and Punctuality

The University of St. Thomas expects employees to be attentive to work schedules. Employees have a responsibility to be on the job when scheduled, and to be on time. Unauthorized absence or tardiness may result in disciplinary action.

• Employees must be at their work station at the start of the work day and at the appropriate time after lunch and rest breaks.
• On an occasion when absence from work cannot be avoided, you should notify your supervisor. As much advance notice as possible should be given. If your supervisor is not available, contact the individual designated by the department head.
• Failure to notify your supervisor of any anticipated absence or delay in reporting for work may result in loss of compensation during the absence, and may be grounds for disciplinary action.
• Employees are encouraged to schedule medical, dental, and other medical related appointments after normal work hours, but should it be necessary to be absent during work hours, the supervisor should be given as much advance notice as possible.
• Employees who are absent from work for three consecutive days without notifying their supervisor (except in extenuating circumstances) are considered to have voluntarily terminated.
• Excessive absenteeism and tardiness may be reason for disciplinary action.

Computing Resources, Responsible Use Of

Computing resources are provided to employees consistent with the needs of the position held by the employee. Computing resources are to be used for official, university-related business, in accordance with the university’s mission.

A complete copy of the University of St. Thomas Policy on Responsible Use of University Computing Resources may be found in the Appendix.

Confidential Nature of University Affairs

In the course of performing your duties, you may receive information that is confidential in nature. The university expects confidential information will be discussed only with those employees who have a demonstrated "need to know".

Any information regarding students and employees, with the exception of "directory information", will be regarded as confidential. Access to confidential or sensitive information will be limited to those employees who "need to know." Verification of employment should be handled through the department of Human Resources. In the absence of a written release of information by the employee, information provided for verification of employment will be limited to the employee’s job title and dates of employment.

Employees handling confidential information are responsible for its security. Extreme care must be used in the storage and/or destruction of confidential information. Disclosure of confidential information may subject an employee to disciplinary action.

Information regarding the university that is routinely made available to the public by advertisements or public notice may be shared with individuals in and outside the university. Other information about the operations of the university should not be discussed.

Conflict of Interest

The University of St. Thomas is committed to protecting its interests in any situation where the University contemplates entering into a business transaction or arrangement that might benefit the private interest of a Board of Trustee member, university officer, faculty, or staff. Trustees, officers, faculty, and staff shall not engage in any business activity that adversely affects or is detrimental to the best interest of the University.  In addition, a trustee, officer, faculty, staff, or a related person or entity shall not be disqualified from contracting with the University merely because of his or her relationship with the University. This policy is intended to supplement, but not replace, any state or federal law or legislation governing conflicts of interest that is or may become applicable to a nonprofit educational corporation.

All trustees, officers, and key employees shall file an Annual Disclosure Statement for Trustees, Officers, and Key Employees and report any known conflicts of interest as required by this policy.  In addition, key employees shall complete this annual disclosure statement as requested by the University's annual tax return, Form 990.  These key employees include the Executive Vice Presidents and the "five highest compensated employees" that are reported on the Form 990.  This disclosure statement must be completed at the time of appointment and then annually on or before October 31.

Trustees and officers shall also notify the Vice President for Business Affairs immediately if a change in his or her disclosure statement occurs during the year.  All faculty and staff shall complete and file a Financial Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statement and report conflicts of interest as required by this policy.  This disclosure statement will be presented to new faculty and staff at the time of employment.  In addition, all Academic and Administrative Leaders will be required to file this disclosure statement annually in the fall, due to the University no later than October 31st of each year.  All other faculty or staff will be requested to file an updated disclosure statement periodically.  A complete copy of the University’s Conflict of Interest policy may be found in the appendix of this handbook.  

Drugs and Narcotics

The University of St. Thomas complies with both the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988 and the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 1989. Drug and alcohol abuse affects the health, safety and well being of employees and students, and restricts the university’s ability to carry out its mission. Therefore, the University of St. Thomas:

• Prohibits the unlawful possession, use or distribution of alcohol and illegal drugs by students and employees on all campuses and at all facilities of the university, or as part of the university’s activities;
• Prohibits the unlawful manufacture, distribution, dispensation, possession, or use of controlled substances in the workplace.

Employees found in violation of the prohibitions stated above will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination.

Employees reporting to work under the influence of drugs or alcohol are not allowed to remain on the university property, and should be escorted home.

Employees experiencing problems resulting from drug or alcohol abuse are encouraged to seek help through the Employee Assistance Program.  An employee's performance of his or her job duties should always be the basis for corrective action - not the fact that an employee is seeking or has sought counseling through the Employee Assistance program.

Harassment and Workplace Violence

The University of St. Thomas prohibits behavior that is disrespectful or harassing to another individual. Such behavior is demeaning, destructive and causes isolation to the individual(s) who are targeted and creates an environment that is not true to the university's Catholic tradition. As a Catholic university committed to Judeo-Christian values, we expect all members of this community to treat one another with mutual respect and civility. The following examples are illustrative of the types of behaviors that will not be permitted, but are not intended to be all-inclusive:

• Attacks or unwelcome physical contact directed at an employee, student, or visitor at the University.
• Verbal, physical, or emotional intimidation through the threat of force or violence toward the body, possessions or residence of a University community member.
• Verbal assaults, use of slang references, racial epithets, and jokes that demean and degrade any person due to their race, color, gender, culture, sexual orientation, national origin, age, ability, language competency, religious tradition, economic status; and verbal or physical portrayals which perpetuate stereotypic beliefs and attitudes.
• Non-verbal offensive behavior, hostile attitude, hostile or offensive gestures, graffiti, offensive written materials.
• The use of profanity or abusive language.
• The possession of firearms or other weapons on university property.
• Assault on a fellow employee, student, or visitor at the University.

Any university employee found to be in violation of this policy will be disciplined and could result in immediate termination of employment.

Any employee who believes he or she has been a victim of discrimination or harassment should report the behavior to his/her immediate supervisor or the Associate Vice President of Human Resources. Action will be taken in a timely manner to follow-up on your complaint. If your complaint is not resolved to your satisfaction, the formal grievance process may be initiated.  

Hate Crimes and Bias-Motivated Incidents Policy and Procedures

The University of St. Thomas continually strives to meet the highest standards of respect and civility that are both implicit and explicit in its vision, mission, and convictions. It is the university’s goal that no member of the University community shall be subject to any physical or verbal harass­ment, abuse or violence based on the individual’s race, color, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, religion or physical or mental disability. The value placed upon human dignity and diversity should be interpreted as augmenting, not infringing upon, “freedom of expression”, or “academic freedom.”  

As a result, the university has adopted a policy and procedures designed to address claims of hate crimes and bias-motivated incidents in a direct and thorough manner while respecting the rights of all parties involved. A complete copy of both the policy and procedures may be found in the appendix of this handbook.

Off-Campus Travel

The off-campus travel policy clarifies the University's expectations of  faculty and staff  leading or traveling with students on off-campus programs and activities. A complete version of this policy is in the appendix of this Handbook. Employees whose job responsibilities require them to travel with students are strongly encouraged to familiarize themselves with this policy. 

Personal Appearance of Employees

Employees' dress and grooming should be appropriate to the work situation. The appearance of employees shall be based on the following guidelines:

• Employees are expected to dress in a manner that is normally acceptable in business establishments for the type of responsibilities of the employee and the department in which they work.
• The dress of service and trade workers shall take into consideration the requirements of safety and comfort. Most service and trade workers will be provided with uniforms supplied by the university.  

Personal Behavior

It is important for all employees to work together and behave in a manner that promotes the efficient operation of the university and ensures a pleasant working environment.

Behavior that supports this philosophy includes, but is not limited to:

• being at the work station ready to work at the start of the scheduled shift;
• notifying the supervisor when absent from work or unable to report to work on time;
• following all university safety and health regulations; smoking only during rest and meal breaks, and only in "smoking permitted" areas;
• wearing appropriate clothes for the job;
• performing assigned tasks efficiency;
• maintaining a clean and orderly work station;
• treating all customers and visitors of the university with an efficient, pleasant, service-oriented attitude;
• refraining from offensive or undesirable behavior.

Behavior that does not promote an efficient, pleasant work environment is prohibited and may result in disciplinary action. Any conduct not appropriate to a good work environment may subject an employee to disciplinary action up to and including termination. Following are examples of inappropriate behavior; these are not intended to be all-inclusive:

• unauthorized manufacture, distribution, possession or use of controlled substances including alcoholic beverages, illegal drugs, or narcotics on university property;
• reporting to work while under the influence of controlled substances including alcohol, illegal drugs or narcotics;
• theft or misuse of university property or of another employee’s property;
• gambling on university property;
• sabotaging physical or computerized records;
• falsification of any university record or report, including employment application and time records;
• punching time cards for others.  

Personal Phone Calls and Mail

The telephone and mail facilities at the University of St. Thomas are important communication tools for employees and the university’s customers and business associates. For that reason, the university’s telephone lines should be confined to business calls. Personal calls should be limited to those that are absolutely necessary and should be as brief as possible.

To avoid an increase in volume of mail, employees should not use the university’s address for receiving personal mail. Outgoing personal mail, however, may be handled through the university’s post office.

University stationery should not be used for personal correspondence.  

Possession Of Weapons and Firearms

The University of St. Thomas prohibits all weapons on university property except where possession of a weapon is a requirement of an individual’s job. Weapons include dangerous instruments that can be used to inflict bodily harm upon individuals or cause damage to buildings. Examples of weapons include, but are not limited to, firearms, pistols, guns, explosives, knives, fireworks, and anything that is not defined as a weapon but is used as a weapon in a dangerous, violent manner.

Employees are prohibited from having weapons anywhere while on university property (except where possession of a weapon is a requirement of an employee’s job). This includes carrying weapons on their person, in their clothing, a purse, backpack, locker, motor vehicle or in their office. Employees are also prohibited from carrying weapons anytime they are acting in the course and scope of employment (such as business travel, attendance at seminars, traveling to and from meetings, and during off campus meetings).

This policy applies to all employees (staff, faculty and student employees) and also prohibits employees from bringing visitors to campus who violate this policy. Violation of this policy by an employee will result in discipline, up to and including immediate termination of employment.

The safety and security of all students, staff and faculty is of paramount importance to the university. The university, therefore, reserves the right to inspect university property as well as an employee’s personal property while located on university premises.

Professional Conduct, Code of

St. Thomas is committed to upholding the highest ethical standards in all that it does and expects those who are part of the university community, including trustees, officers, employees, and students to adhere to such standards in their business dealings. This policy applies to trustees, officers, employees, students, and others who manage, supervise or conduct university business, financial and administrative transactions and activities. Included in this Code of Professional Conduct are guiding principles for expected business practices behavior. This policy complements, but does not replace, policies, procedures, guidelines, and other policies referenced in the Faculty Handbook, Employee Handbook, Student Handbook, Handbook for Academic Administrators, or other appropriate references to federal, state, and University policy. A complete copy of the university’s Code of Professional Conduct policy may be found in the appendix of this handbook.

Ethical business conduct requires trustees, officers, and employees to safeguard and preserve university assets and resources in fulfilling its mission and strategic priorities. The University will comply fully with all relevant laws and all contract and grant requirements, as well as with its own high standards of integrity and quality. Employees are expected to assume personal responsibility and accountability for understanding relevant laws, regulations, and contract and grant requirements. In addition to complying with specific laws or regulations that govern business activities, standards of fairness, honesty, and respect for the rights of others will govern the University’s conduct at all times.

Employees who have questions or who want clarification on any part of applicable policies may contact the Department of Human Resources or refer to the Employee Handbook, the Division of Academic Affairs for questions regarding the Faculty Handbook and Handbook for Academic Administrators, or the Office of the Vice President for Business Affairs for questions related to financial procedures.  

Sexual Harassment

The University of St. Thomas believes strongly in the human dignity of each individual and condemns any behavior on the part of members of its community that constitutes sexual harassment. 

A complete copy of the university’s sexual harassment policy may be found in the appendix of this handbook.

Sexual Violence

Sexual violence is not tolerated at the University of St. Thomas. A complete copy of the university’s sexual violence policy may be found in the appendix of this handbook.

Uniforms

The University of St. Thomas currently provides uniforms for most employees working in service positions. These employees must wear their uniform whenever they are at work.

Maintenance of the uniforms is the responsibility of the employee. Uniforms are to be kept clean and in good repair; this includes cleaning, tailoring, replacing buttons, etc. Minor repairs are the responsibility of the employee. The university will replace uniforms when appropriate.

Whistleblower Policy

The University is committed to maintaining the highest ethical standards in all of its business practices. It accepts responsibility for the stewardship of resources and private support it receives, which enables the University to pursue its mission and strategic objectives. Supervisors, managers, or other University officials shall not compel or attempt to compel faculty, staff, students, applicants for employment, or other university constituents to violate a law, statute, or University policy. At St. Thomas, accountability is the cornerstone of ethical business practice, and this policy is one of the mechanisms for assuring this institutional value.

The general purpose of this policy is to encourage University faculty, staff, students, applicants for employment, and other constituents, who engage in good faith, to report an alleged improper activity (or make a protected disclosure) with reassurance they will be protected from retaliation or reprisal. More specifically, this policy

• encourages employee, students, applicants for employment, and other university constituents to disclose breaches of conduct covered by University policies or relevant local, state or federal statute;
• provides information about how an individual can make a protected disclosure and to whom,
• protects employees from retaliation or reprisal by adverse employment action as a result of having disclosed or reported an improper activity to university officials who can take corrective action, and
• provides individuals a fair process to seek relief from retaliation or reprisal when they believe they have been subjected to such prohibited acts.

Although not required, faculty and staff may report any protected activity to their immediate supervisor, department head, dean, or vice president who, in turn, shall follow the guidance of this policy. In the case of undergraduate or graduate students, they may report such activity to the Office of the Dean of Students in the Division of Student Affairs. Nothing in this policy is intended to interfere with legitimate employment decisions. A complete copy of the university’s Whistleblower policy may be found in the appendix of this handbook.