7.14 Twelve-Hour Law

(1) As used in this section:

(a) "State funds" means those funds appropriated annually from the General Revenue Fund and Incidental Trust Fund for institutional and research functions and, in the case of a health center, those funds appropriated from the General Revenue Fund and Operations and Maintenance Trust Fund for the same purposes.

(b) "Classroom contact hour" means a regularly scheduled 1- hour period of classroom activity in a course of instruction which has been approved by the university.

(2) Each full-time equivalent teaching faculty member at a university who is paid wholly from state funds shall teach a minimum of 12 classroom contact hours per week at such university. However, any faculty member who is assigned by his departmental chairman or other appropriate university administrator professional responsibilities and duties in furtherance of the mission of the university shall teach a minimum number of classroom contact hours in proportion to 12 classroom hours per week as such especially assigned aforementioned duties and responsibilities bear to 12 classroom contact hours per week. Any full-time faculty member who is paid partly from state funds and partly from other funds or appropriations shall teach a minimum number of classroom contact hours in such proportion to 12 classroom contact hours per week as his salary paid from state funds bears to his total salary. In determining the appropriate hourly weighting of assigned duties other than classroom contact hours, the universities shall develop and apply a formula designed to equate the time required for nonclassroom duties with classroom contact hours. "Full-time equivalent teaching faculty member" shall be interpreted to mean all faculty personnel budgeted in the instruction and research portion of the budget, exclusive of those full-time equivalent positions assigned to research, public service, administrative duties, and academic advising. Full-time administrators, librarians, and counselors shall be exempt from the provisions of this section; and colleges of medicine and law and others which are required for purposes of accreditation to meet national standards prescribed by the American Medical Association, the American Bar Association, or other professional associations shall be exempt from the provisions of this section to the extent that the requirements of this section differ form the requirements of accreditation.

History.--ss. 1, 2, ch. 71-365; s. 30, ch. 79-222; s. 147, ch. 81-259.

Note.--Former s. 241.73

Chapter/Section 240.227, Florida Statutes, University Presidents; powers and duties--(6) Certify annually to the Board of Regents the actual classroom contact hours conducted by each faculty member.

History.--ch. 85-241.

7.14.1 University Policy

The University requires that a separate file must be kept on each individual.

(a) File characteristics and location;.

(1) The file must be updated at the end of each semester.

(2) The file is to be placed next to each faculty member's "One Evaluation File" required by the evaluation rules and the Collective Bargaining Agreement in the location presently designated for the "One Evaluation File" for your unit.

(3) Since the file must be an auditable file, it is to contain no evaluative materials, because such materials are not available to auditors under the Florida Public Records Law exemption for SUS personnel. This means that there are to be no copies of General Faculty Evaluation Summary (Annual Evaluation) forms, SIRS report forms, or summaries of SIRS data in the file.

(4) Documents in the file are to be true copies (except for evaluative information) of documents contained in the "One Evaluation File," which should contain the original copies. A list of documents which are required to be in the file is given in the next section. The documentation is to begin with Summer Semester 1987.

(b) Required contents of file;.

(1) Copy of prior year employment contract for each year. Begin with the 1986-1987 contract. Include any amendments.

(2) Copy of statement of assigned duties for each year. Begin with the 1987-1988 assignment. Include any amendments.

(3) Copy of PARS form for each semester. Begin with Summer Semester 1987. Include a copy of the check lists on the back of each PARS form and make sure that the check lists have been completed. Beginning with Summer Semester 1988, the form will have a check list for research activities in addition to those for service activities. These check lists are an essential element in the compliance procedure, and it is imperative that they be completed by each faculty member. For Summer 1987, Fall 1987, and Spring 1988 include with the PARS form copies of the Cost Study Form and IAF Information Listing sent to departments each semester by the Budget Office to recap instructional assignments for the cost study. Beginning with Summer 1988 this information will be included on the PARS form.

(4) Copy of "Evidence of Performance" for each year. This is the document that you are required to obtain from each faculty member by the end of Spring Semester each year as part of the Annual Evaluation of Faculty process (see Sections 9.1 and 9.4.1 of this handbook and June 21, 1988, memo from John Kalb). For our faculty, it will constitute the principal documentation of Twelve-Hour Law compliance for the non-instructional part of the assignment (see special note on "Evidence of Performance" below). Any evaluative information, such as summaries of SIRS data, must be blocked out on the copy put into this file. Begin with "Evidence of Performance" submitted in Spring Semester 1988.

(c) Special Note on "Evidence of Performance".

Each faculty member shall prepare a written report on research and service accomplishments at the end of each semester to document performance of non-instructional assigned activities. It will be necessary for all units to ensure that the documents are submitted by all faculty, contain information about performance in all areas of assigned duties, and are in an easily audited format. Many units have designed special forms for submitting "Evidence of Performance."

7.15 Promotion

See section on Promotion and Tenure, Chapter 10.

7.16 Tenure

See section on Promotion and Tenure, Chapter 10.

7.17 Annual Evaluation of Faculty

See section on annual evaluation of faculty, Chapter 9.