Adjunct Support

Employees are classified as either "non-exempt" or "exempt" according to the Fair Labor Standards Act and corresponding state regulations.  If an employee is classified as non-exempt it means that they are paid by the hour.  Whether an employee is classified as exempt or non-exempt does not change how the University values or views that employee; the classification is merely a legal distinction that reflects applicable state and federal law.

We are required to do so. Within higher education, adjunct faculty have traditionally been paid on a per-course basis.  Although we believe that adjuncts have been appropriately and fully compensated, the per-course payment structure has recently been challenged in California. We are not alone in this regard; this impacts other private universities, as well. However, public employers in the state, including the UCs, CSUs and Community Colleges, as well as K-12 teachers in public schools, are exempt from this requirement. The state of California's requirements are also more demanding than the federal standards.

What an adjunct faculty member in California earns per course will depend upon the actual number of hours worked and reported. The hourly wage for these courses was determined by estimating the time it takes to prepare, teach and grade such a course and factoring in the previous per course rate.

Yes.  All employees, whether non-exempt or exempt, are paid on a semi-monthly basis.

All time spent directly preparing for your course during the contract period is compensable time. You are not expected to prepare for your course, or perform any work, outside of the contract period.  However, please note compensable course preparation does not include time spent on your own professional development within the field or time outside the contract period.  (Please see "guidelines for compensable time" below).  If you have any questions regarding whether something should be considered compensable time please discuss with your dean.

Compensable time includes:

• All instructional time spent teaching the course, grading assignments, papers, and exams, and entering grades.
• All time spent reading and responding to student emails regarding your course.
• Any time spent answering student questions before and after class.
• Any time spent proctoring an exam.
• Any time spent in mandatory department meetings, orientations, safety trainings, sexual harassment training, or other meetings where your presence is required.
• Time spent directly preparing for the course. Compensable course preparation includes modifying the syllabus, modifying assignments, and preparation for each individual class, lab, or lecture.                                   

Note:  Adjuncts shall not work seven (7) consecutive days in the work week unless approved in advance in writing by the Provost or if applicable the Vice President for Online and Professional Studies or their respective designees.

No. An individual's normal commute time to and from work is not considered hours worked. Any travel that you are required to make for your teaching assignment, other than your commute, would be considered time worked and should be reported on your timesheet. For example, if you teach a lab and you have a site visit with students to collect soil samples, travel to and from the site would be considered time worked.

Each employee will enter their own hours worked in the University timekeeping system. Employees can enter their hours once per day, or multiple times per day. All time must be properly entered and submitted for it to be paid.  

CBU’s Teaching and Learning Center (TLC) will conduct training sessions for adjuncts starting in August.

A day before the time entry deadline you will receive a notification via CBU email or the time keeping system reminding you of the deadline to submit your time by noon the next day.  If you forget to enter your hours, Payroll will not be able to process a paycheck for you.  You will need to request an off-cycle check from Payroll after submitting your time entry to receive your pay.  All time must be recorded in the University time keeping system and will be paid.

 Yes.  Given the part-time nature adjunct appointments, we do not expect that adjuncts will be incurring a great deal of overtime.  Adjunct faculty are expected to perform their duties in an efficient and professional manner.  It is expected that you will monitor and track your hours worked which includes entering the beginning and end of any break or meal period during your workday.  In accordance with industry standard and past experience, CBU has determined an expectation about the amount of hours of work (inclusive of time spent on preparation, instruction, and grading).  If, at any time during the semester, you believe that your work hours for this course will exceed the expected hours for your course you must immediately bring this to the attention of the Provost, or, if applicable to the Vice President for Online and Professional Studies, or to their respective designees.  In the rare instances where adjuncts work for periods in excess of eight (8) hours in a day or in excess of 40 hours in a week, they will become eligible for overtime pay at a rate of 1.5x their regular rate of pay.  They will be eligible for overtime pay at a rate of 2x their regular rate of pay for all hours worked over 12 hours per day and all hours worked beyond the eight hours of work on the seventh consecutive day of work in the workweek. The University's timekeeping system will calculate regular pay and overtime pay based on hours submitted by employees.

 Typically, no. Overtime is earned for time worked beyond 8 hours for CBU in any single day. If you are a non-exempt CBU employee and you worked 8 hours for CBU during the day, then went on to teach an evening course, those hours worked beyond the 8th hour would be considered overtime and you would be compensated at the overtime rate of 1.5x your regular rate of pay.

 We are very cognizant of the need to not allow this required change to interfere with the flow of work, especially during critical time periods such as grading final exams. While requests for overtime must be approved by a designated manager prior to working extra hours, we are working through how to address known busy periods and other matters. Once that is fully defined, we will share clear instructions.

 

If you choose to work on a University recognized holiday you will be paid at your regular hourly rate for those hours. You will not receive any additional compensation or holiday pay premium.

If you choose to work on a weekend you will be paid at your regular hourly rate for those hours and may incur overtime, as applicable.

 

Ordinarily, teaching a course does not require conference attendance. Conferences are typically for professional development overall and not specifically required to teach a course.  In a rare instance when your department chair or dean requires you to attend a conference as part of your teaching assignment then such hours are considered time worked with approval of your chair or dean.

No.  Overloads for full time faculty with an academic year appointment will not change and will be paid at a per course rate established by CBU.

No.  CBU only permits exempt staff members to teach courses. If you are an exempt CBU staff member who teaches courses there will be no change and you will continue to receive supplemental pay at a per course rate for any courses you teach in addition to your regular staff position.

No. Your exempt or non-exempt classification status for your position at California Baptist University does not affect your classification status in a position you may hold at another employer.

If an adjunct faculty member believes they did work beyond the hours specified for a class they taught within the past four years (fall 2015 - summer 2019), they can submit a request for any hours they worked for which they believe they were not compensated. The University will evaluate each request to determine if back pay is appropriate.