Expect More. Achieve More.
II. Getting Started
Initial Employment Procedures; Getting Set Up at BSU; Connect Card; Parking; E-mail Account; Access to Offices; Telephone; Academic Calendar; Union Membership
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You will need to make an appointment with the Benefits Administrator on or before your first day of employment. See HR website for a list of forms to be filled out pertaining to eligibility for employment and selection of benefits. The Human Resources office is located in Room 103, Boyden Hall, hours 8-5 Monday-Friday. New faculty and librarians must complete a W-4 form (federal withholding), an M-4 form (state withholding), a personal data form, and an “I-9” form at the time of hire. The “I-9” form certifies eligibility for employment. This form is required by the federal Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986. The "I-9" must be completed during the first three days of employment, and a member of the Human Resources Department must examine all original documentation of employment eligibility (a picture ID and social security card). The "I-9" must be completed at the time of hire, and original documentation of employment eligibility must be examined within three business days of the date employment begins. Examples of acceptable documents include a picture ID in addition to either a social security card or birth certificate, or a passport (expired or unexpired). Additionally, for payroll identification, the social security card must be examined; if this document cannot be produced, we ask that you apply for a new card.
Benefits are described on the HR website at http://www.bridgew.edu/HR/Handbook/Benefit_Program.cfm. The HR office can meet with you individually to discuss these options. Call 508-531-1324.
All forms may be obtained from the Office of Human Resources, located in Room 103 Boyden Hall (see campus map).
Information on withholding of social security and Medicare taxes, pay periods, and deductions is on the HR website at http://www.bridgew.edu/HR/Handbook/Salary_Administration.cfm.
To get started with your work at BSU, there are five things you as a new faculty member or librarian need to do: 1) Get your campus ID, called a "Connect Card"; 2) get a parking decal for your car; 3) obtain a BSU user account from IT, which gives you an e-mail address and other online access; 4) get a key for your office; and 5) get your phone voice mail and long-distance access set up. A list of websites and offices to contact is at http://www.bridgew.edu/Depts/AcAffairs/new_faculty.cfm. Information Technology has a webpage for new faculty at http://it.bridgew.edu/FacStaff/newfaculty/. See also Frequently-Asked Questions for New Faculty and Librarians.
The Connect card is the official BSU identification card. It gives you access to many campus resources, such as the Maxwell Library and the Adrian Tinsley Center, which is the college’s fieldhouse and gym, and serves as key card access to your building and as a vending card at dining halls, vending machines, and the bookstore. Once you have provided your identification to HR (see above), you will be issued a Banner identification number. You can then obtain a Connect card at the Connect Card Photo ID Office, room 110 in Hunt Hall from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Faculty and librarians may obtain a parking sticker to park in certain areas. You can obtain the sticker from the Parking and Decal Office located on the ground floor of the Hunt Building (see campus map). Bring a copy of your automobile registration. For parking rules and regulations, see http://www.bridgew.edu/PSCC/ParkingServices.cfm.
In order to have access to campus e-mail systems, faculty must apply for a BSU user account from Information Services. Please complete a User Account Form http://www.bridgew.edu/Depts/AcAffairs/IT_account_request.cfm. The form will go to HR and then be forwarded to Information Technology, which will contact with you login information.
Once your e-mail account is set up, your address will be added to the all-faculty/librarian e-mail list by Information Technology. Messages sent to this list arrive in your e-mail with a subject line that starts with [FACULTY]. The e-mail list is an important source of information and a way to send messages to your faculty/librarian colleagues. If you do not receive any all-faculty messages within a couple of weeks, contact IT Support Services by phone at 508-531-2555 or by email at ITSupport@bridgew.edu.
You need to fill out a form to obtain a key. See http://www.bridgew.edu/FMP/KeyReq.cfm. Once this form is completed, it will need to be passed up for signatures from your department chair, the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs (104 Boyden, see campus map), and Director of Facilities. In some buildings, your Connect card will provide office access.
The department secretary will set up the phone number for your office. Call Telecommunications at 1004 to set up the voice mailbox and password. To make long-distance calls that will be billed to the college, you will need a "PAC" code. This must be requested via email to kfilippini@bridgew.edu from your department chair with the following information: 1) your name, 2) title, 3) department, 4) whether this is for domestic and/or international calling, and 5) expiration date (if any).
The Academic Calendar is a list of important dates in the academic year. The calendar includes the dates that classes and final exams start and finish and specific holidays and make-up days. It is essential that you check the academic calendar before creating your syllabus. There are idiosyncrasies in the schedule that you should be aware of, including holidays and substitutions of one weekday for another in the academic schedule. You can find the calendar at http://www.bridgew.edu/Registrar/AcadCal.cfm.
MSCA (Massachusetts State College Association) is the professional association/union that represents the faculty and librarians who work in the nine state colleges. The website of the MSCA provides a copy of the faculty contract, a list of offices and chapters, a calendar of meetings, and news. See http://mscaunion.org/. The website of the Bridgewater Chapter is at http://www.gis.net/~bridgew/. The MSCA Contract is available at http://mscaunion.org/contract/.
All unit members are contractually required to pay either membership dues or the agency fee. The dues fiscal year runs from the beginning of the Summer Session until the end of the following spring semester. Unit members are billed in the first semester that they teach. This payment of membership dues or agency fees covers you for the year, so you will not be billed again until the next fiscal year. The union dues/agency fee bill includes payments to NEA, MTA, and MSCA, and the local chapter dues. If you have any questions, please call the MSCA Treasurer's office at (508) 697-9421 or drop by the MSCA Cottage at 91 Burrill Avenue, across from the Moakley Center.
Last Modified: May 3, 2011
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