1. No person shall, on the grounds of race, age, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, genetic information, religion, veteran status, national origin, or any other legally protected class be denied admission to or employment at Southern Arkansas University, Magnolia, or be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or subjected to discrimination in any program or activity sponsored by the University.  SAU is an equal opportunity employer and an affirmative action institution of higher education.
2. All inquiries or complaints (except for disability and Title IX) by faculty and staff should be addressed to the vice president for administration, and all inquiries or complaints by students should be addressed to the dean of students.
3. SAU is committed to the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act.  All inquiries or complaints of students, faculty, and staff concerning provisions of the Act should be addressed to the director of the counseling and testing center/disability support services.
4. SAU is committed to compliance with Title IX.  All inquiries related to Title IX can be addressed to the Title IX coordinator.  The SAU website contains all Title IX contact information.

The University operates under the doctrine of employment at will, and each staff member and the University may end the employment relationship without reason or cause at any time.  This doctrine does not apply to tenured and tenure track faculty or individuals under contract for specific term during the term.

There are two categories of employment with the University.

1. Appointed status
   1. Full-time appointment. Appointments may be for nine, ten, eleven, or twelve months. Full-time appointees include three groups:
      1. Faculty. Faculty have a specific academic rank of professor, associate professor, assistant professor, or instructor. Primary faculty duties include teaching, scholarly activities, advising, serving on committees, and public service.  Most faculty have nine month contracts. See the Faculty Handbook for specific information.
      2. Non-exempt Staff. Non-exempt positions are a part of the Arkansas Uniform Classification System.  These positions are established by grade (which establishes entry and maximum salaries).  The Office of Personnel Management of the State of Arkansas prepares the generic job descriptions for these positions.  SAU working titles may be different from the state classification title to better describe the actual job and specific job duties.
      3. Exempt Staff. Exempt staff are not part of the classification system described above.  Generally, these are management positions or positions with specific professional or technical educational requirements such as academic librarians.
   2. Part-time appointment.  A limited number of faculty and staff are part-time.  Part-time for this purpose means employment for a specific percentage of the time and may include fringe benefits if appointed ½ time or more.
2. Non-appointed positions (extra help and adjunct instructor)
   1. From time to time the University will employ extra help to perform special or seasonal tasks or to teach a course.  Extra help positions will not exceed 1,500 hours during a calendar year.  Extra help positions are paid on an hourly basis for work performed.  Adjuncts are paid an amount on a per-course basis depending on educational qualifications and experience.  No fringe benefits are included except for those required by federal and state laws, such as Social Security match, workers’ compensation, and faculty or staff members participating in Arkansas Teacher Retirement System.

1. Non-exempt Staff
   1. All appointments of non-exempt staff (including promotions and transfers) are on an entry basis.  The entry period affords the University the opportunity to examine a new staff member’s performance on a trial basis and is considered an essential part of the University’s staff development and performance system.
   2. The entry period generally lasts for six months.  Any time during this period, the staff member may be separated from the University without right of appeal or hearing except in cases of alleged discrimination.
   3. At the end of the entry period, the supervisor will prepare an evaluation of the staff member to determine if he or she is performing satisfactorily.  Additional evaluations are suggested during this period to clearly inform the staff member of their performance and progress.  Satisfactory performance results in continued employment; unsatisfactory performance results in termination.  Under special circumstances, the entry period may be extended for an additional period up to six months.  Such an extension can be granted only by the president after review by the Office of Human Resources.
   4. Should the supervisor decide it is necessary to terminate the employment during the six-month entry period, the staff member will be notified that the entry period is being ended for unsatisfactory performance.
2. Faculty and Exempt Staff
   1. The faculty development policies are found in the Faculty Handbook. Exempt staff plans are developed with the exempt staff’s supervisor and are individually designed based on the needs of the University.

• 1. Salary increases are based on guidelines found in Acts of the Arkansas General Assembly and are subject to revision every year.  Information on raises will be published annually as it becomes available from the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration.
     1. Non-exempt Staff – Raises are generally set by the General Assembly and apply to all non-exempt staff and are the same throughout the state.  The University may not have any flexibility in setting these raises.
     2. Faculty and Exempt Staff – Raises are normally recommended by the president to the Board of Trustees as a part of the annual budget cycle.
• The starting salary for non-exempt employees transferring from another state agency should be reviewed prior to the position at SAU being offered to them.  Factors such as the salary differential between the two positions, position grade difference if any, level of training the individual received at the other state agency and its applicability to the position at SAU are considered, but position, grade, and budget will determine the actual starting salary paid.  Payment at the same level received at the previous state agency may not be approved.
• The following procedures apply regarding the issuance of payroll checks by the Office of Purchasing/Payroll:

1. Payroll information summary will be distributed on the last working day of each month.  All payroll checks are direct deposit.
2. Every effort is made to process all personnel action forms within the pay period.  However, any personnel action forms (such as contracts, notice of appointments, payroll change forms, etc.) processed after the 15^th of the month will result in a delay until the following month.
3. Questions concerning payroll problems should be directed to the department head and/or supervisor or Human Resources.

All appointments are subject to background checks.  More information is available from the Office of Human Resources.