Leaves

As an adjunct faculty member, you earn sick leave at the rate of one hour for every 17.5 contact hours (including summer school).  You may use your accumulated sick leave for leaves related to Adoption, Maternity, and Personal Necessity.  You may also be eligible for leaves that are not deducted from your accumulated sick leave, such as Initial Bereavement Leave and Jury Duty leave.  You may also be eligible to apply for Additional Bereavement Leave and Catastrophic Leave.

For more information you can also refer to Article 18 of the Contract.

Excerpts from AFA's semi-annual Publication, "Article 16 Primer:"  (See AFA Publication Archives.)
What happens to my established load if I take a semester off?
Your established load remains intact unless this is your third consecutive semester without performing an assignment. In this case, you would lose your offer rights and your established load. You would be placed back in the pool.
If I take off a semester or two, does the reason for taking time off matter in terms of protecting my position on the length-of-service list and my established load? No. As long as your break in service does not exceed three full consecutive semesters, you hold on to your position on the length-of-service list and your established load. The reason for not having an assignment no longer matters, giving faculty members greater load protection and flexibility in managing their lives.

If you do not have an assignment for more than two consecutive semesters (fall, spring, fall; or spring, fall, spring), you will lose your offer rights and your place on the length-of-service list. This is true regardless of your reason for not having an assignment—that is, it doesn't matter whether you wanted work and didn't get it, or decided to take a few semesters off. (Note that if you work only during the summer, and you perform an assignment every summer, you maintain your offer rights and your position on the length-of-service list.)

If you do not have an assignment for more than four calendar years, you lose your position in the adjunct faculty pool and must reapply. See the February 10, 2012 AFA Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).