3.10.2 College-Sponsored Benefit Programs

The specific benefits and eligibility requirements of the following programs are governed by the official plan documents. The College reserves the right to modify coverage and eligibility, change carriers, or terminate benefits as is determined appropriate in the best interests of the College. The following applies to regular, special-status, visiting faculty, and adjunct faculty who work .5 FTE (full-time equivalent) or more.

Medical and Dental Benefits Faculty who are at least .5 FTE are eligible for coverage under the College’s group medical and dental insurance plans. The College contributes a portion of the premium cost. Details of the plans and their costs are available in the Office of Human Resources and at http://www.lclark. edu/dept/hr.

Personal Choice Account Personal Choice accounts allow employees to use pretax dollars to pay for medical and dental insurance premiums, medical and dental expenses, and child care costs. For more information, contact the Office of Human Resources.

Employee Assistance Program The College offers a wellness benefit designed to supplement coverage provided by medical insurance plans. This program is available to all employees, their families, and their “significant others.” The College has retained Employee Assistance Services Enterprises (EASE) to provide individuals with no-cost, confidential, short-term intervention and referral to help them deal with such things as marital and family difficulties, emotional problems, personal crises, career counseling, alcohol and drug problems, elder and child care needs, financial difficulties, and so on. For more information, contact the Office of Human Resources.

Life Insurance/Accidental Death and Dismemberment The College provides group term life insurance and accidental death and dismemberment benefits for faculty who are at least .75 FTE. The coverage amounts for both plans is 150 percent of annual salary rounded up to the next $1,000. Optional term life insurance, additional accidental death and dismemberment, and dependent term life insurance are available at the employee’s expense. Details of the plans are available in the Office of Human Resources.

Retirement Plan Faculty who are at least .5 FTE, at least 21 years old, are not adjunct, and have completed one year of service at the College are eligible to participate in the College’s retirement plan, which is with the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association–College Retirement Equities Fund (TIAA-CREF). Faculty who have worked at least one year preceding their start date at another institution may be eligible to enroll on the first of the month following their start date. The College contributes 10 percent of employees’ base salary to their plan. Details of the plan are available in the Office of Human Resources.

Supplemental Retirement Annuities (SRA) In addition to the TIAA-CREF retirement plan, employees may choose to invest in a TIAA-CREF supplemental retirement annuity. Although the College does not contribute toward these annuities, contributions may be tax-deferred within limits set by federal law. Contact the Office of Human Resources for further information.

Tuition Assistance Programs For the purpose of these programs, part time is defined as teaching at least three courses (or the equivalent) in an academic year in the College of Arts and Sciences or being designated by the dean as benefit-eligible in either the Graduate School or the Law School. Qualified faculty members are those who are full time and have taught full time the preceding academic year and those who are part time and have taught part time the preceding three academic years. The tuition assistance benefits for qualified part-time faculty, their spouses, and dependents are prorated according to the FTE of the faculty member in the academic year in which the benefit is used.

There are three tuition assistance programs. The Tuition Waiver Program provides tuition waivers at the College (100 percent in the College of Arts and Sciences, 50 percent in the Graduate School of Education and Counseling, and 50 percent in the Law School) and is open to qualified faculty, their spouses, and dependents. The Tuition Exchange Program provides the exchange of students between the College and institutions participating in either the Northwest Independent College Tuition Exchange (University of Puget Sound, Reed, Whitman, and Willamette) or Tuition Exchange, Inc., and is open to the dependents of qualified full-time faculty. The Tuition Reimbursement Program provides up to $1,000 per academic year for tuition expenses at an accredited institution and is open to the spouses and dependents of qualified faculty. Information regarding each of these programs, eligibility, and the application process is available in the Office of Human Resources.

Bookstore Discounts Faculty and staff with identification cards are entitled to receive a 10-percent discount on bookstore purchases of trade books, clothing, greeting cards, office supplies, and other items.

Bon Appetit Discounts Members of the faculty and staff may use their school identification cards as debit cards. They may do so by depositing funds into an account for later purchases at any of the Bon Appetit campus food venues. In addition to receiving full credit for the amount deposited (referred to as “flex dollars”), an additional 10 percent of the value will be added to the faculty or staff member’s account balance with every deposit of $50 or more.

OnPoint Community Credit Union Memberships in OnPoint Community Credit Union are open to employees of the College and to their families (including parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.). OnPoint offers a wide variety of financial services including checking, savings, loans (personal, auto, and home), and the opportunity to share in OnPoint profits through dividends. Employees can arrange with Payroll in the Business Office to have their monthly paycheck deposited directly into their OnPoint account. Information packets and application forms are available in the Office of Human Resources.