Glossary of Terms

AA

Affirmative Action

ADA

. Requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities.

ALES

Agency Law Enforcement Services.  Union that represents University Police Officers and University Police Investigators.

ANN

Annual Salary paid over twelve months.

ANTE

At Not To Exceed - a budgetary control that appears, for example, on the SOP and sets the ceiling for expenditures from a position.

APPENDIX A/ B/ C

Refers to listings in these appendices of the SUNY Policies of the Board of Trustees that identify professional employee titles in the SUNY professional services negotiating unit in which appointees are ineligible for permanent appointment.

ARS

Accident Reporting System, for reporting and managing employee accidents/injuries.

ARTICLE 78

A section of NYS Law; a proceeding brought in New York State Supreme Court for review of governmental action pursuant to Article 78 of the Civil Practice Law and Rules.

ASU

Administrative Services Unit. A collective bargaining unit that includes clerical/office worker positions in State service. It is currently represented by CSEA.

AY

Academic Year - also AcaYr

BIW

Bi-Weekly - paid a bi-weekly rate for a defined number of pay periods.

BU

Bargaining Unit for Collective Bargaining. Also NU (Negotiating Unit).

CAL

Calendar - annual salary payment mode for employees with academic year obligations who receive their pay over 12 months (September 1 - August 31).

CSL

Casual Employee. Unclassified service employee whose employment relationship is so limited as not to justify assignment to a negotiating unit. Position titles are suffixed by (CSL).

COBRA

Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985. Provides for limited continuation of health insurance.

COUNCIL 82

Union that represents University Police Supervisors.

CS

New York State Department of Civil Service.

CSEA

Civil Service Employees Association - Union that represents State employees appointed to titles assigned to the administrative (office support staff), operational (mostly facilities), and institutional services (mostly hospitals or health centers) collective negotiating units.

CWSP

College Work-Study Program - a federal program that funds jobs for students who are awarded jobs as financial aid. They are paid on a separate payroll designed to track both their awards and payments received.

CY

College Year - refers to SUNY professional positions budgeted for obligations less than 12 months and/or professional employees with less than 12 month obligations.

CYF

College Year Full - annual salaried payment mode for professional employees with college year obligations but paid over 12 months.

DEI

Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (formerly known as Affirmative Action Office).

DIFR

Dormitory Income Fund Reimbursable - budgetary term to describe funding for positions and budgets supported by income generated from dormitory (residence hall) fees. Positions may be established as PSR or TS even though funded by revenues.

DSI

Discretionary Salary Increase.

DOB

DOB (1) NYS Division of the Budget - a state agency responsible for State budgets.  Also can refer to Date of Birth related to employment processing.

EAP

Employee Assistance Program.

EEO

Equal Employment Opportunity. Backed by legislation and executive orders, this acronym is used to notify the public that we provide equal treatment and opportunity for all job applicants and employees.

EEOC

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission - a federal compliance agency.

ERISA

Employee Retirement Income Security Act.

ERS

Employees Retirement System (NYS). A defined benefit retirement program available to all State employees.

FCWS

Federal College Work Study

FEE

A method of payment that allows periodic payments of varying amounts based upon the completion of some measurable unit of work/accomplishment.

FLSA

Fair Labor Standards Act. A law that ensures fair treatment of employees and establishes the employment categories exempt and non-exempt. Non-exempt employees must be paid time and one half for hours worked in excess of 40 hours in a defined work week.

FMLA

Family Medical Leave Act - federal law that requires employers to extend medical coverage and guarantee leaves of limited duration.

FOIA

Freedom of Information Act. Requires agencies to disclose records requested in writing by any person. However, agencies may withhold information pursuant to nine exemptions and three exclusions contained in the statute.

FTA

Full-time annual salary.

FTE

Full Time Equivalent - a budgetary term used for both employees and students that "equates" an employee or student to a fraction of full-time based upon factors such as salary and number of courses to be taught for employees, and number of courses enrolled in for students. For employees, it is not a workload measure -- only a budgetary measure. A faculty-student ration is often generated via the relationship between faculty FTE, say in a department, and the number of student FTE taking courses in the department.

GA/TA

Graduate Assistant/Teaching Assistant.

GOER

Governor's Office of Employee Relations - agency responsible for collective bargaining with State employees, for administering negotiated agreements, and for managerial-confidential affairs.

GSEU

Graduate Student Employee Union - union that represents State graduate and teaching assistants.

HIPPA

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996.

HMO

Health Maintenance Organizations. Alternative local/regional health insurance providers that generally require participants to use their doctors and clinics unless treatment is required when they are traveling or living out of the region.

HRMS

Human Resource Management System - Information system for management of employee and position data. For campuses using HRMS, it forwards information to PaySr to effect payments.

HRY

Hourly - paid at an hourly rate for hours worked.

(HS)

Health Science suffix added to faculty titles utilized at health science centers for clinical faculty.

I-9

I-9 Form. An Immigration and Naturalization Services form employers are required to obtain from of every appointee, along with documentation to prove their identity and right to employment.

IFR

Income Fund Reimbursable - budgetary term to describe funding for positions and budgets supported by income generated from fees or other income sources. Positions may be established as PSR or TS even though funded by revenues. Examples of fund sources include parking registration fees, parking fines, and ice rink fees.

IHRIM

International Association of Human Resource Information Management.

INA

(1) Immigration and Naturalization Act.
(2) Inactive.

INS

Immigration and Naturalization Service.

IPMA

International Personnel Management Association.

IPP

Income Protection Plan. An alternative sick leave plan in which employees elect to reduce sick leave accruals.

ISU

Institutional Services Unit. A bargaining unit in NY State service composed mostly of those classified service titles responsible for providing therapeutic and custodial care in the State's institutions. It is currently represented by the Civil Service Employees' Association, Inc. (CSEA).

LAG

Payroll system pays two weeks later than the end of the pay period in which work was provided. Except for UUP represented employees, an additional lag is created by withholding one day's pay from each of the first 5 pay periods for new employees paid on an annual salary basis. The amount initially withheld is paid upon the employee's separation from service.

LENS

License Event Notification System. A DMV program that facilitates an employer's access to the "public driver's license records" of persons (employees, students, volunteers, etc.) required to drive licensed vehicles in the performance of their duties and responsibilities.

LWO

Leave without pay.

LWP

Leave with pay.

M/C

Managerial/Confidential - Positions (incumbents thereof) that through their designation are excluded from being represented by a collective bargaining agent.

MP (I, II, ....)

Management Professional (salary grades for SUNY Managerial/Confidential employees).

MSDS

Material Safety Data Sheet. A MSDA must be available for any product, chemical, etc. with which employees may come in contact in the work place.

NACUBO

National Association of College and University Business Officers.

NRA

Nonresident Alien. Individual who is not a U.S. citizen, does not have a green card, and is not a resident alien for tax purposes. NRAs are taxed under an entirely different system.

NU

Negotiating Unit. A unit composed of State titles assigned similar duties that has been determined by PERB to have a common enough interest to collectively negotiate its terms and conditions of employment. Also, BU (Bargaining Unit).

NYBEAS

New York Benefit Eligibility and Accounting System. A system to maintain benefits eligibility and enrollment for health insurance for all state employees and for dental and vision benefits not covered through a benefit fund.

NYSCOPBA

New York State Corrections Officers and Police Benevolent Association - bargaining agent that formerly represented University Police Officers. Currently represents only Campus Security Assistants in SUNY.

NYSHIP

New York State Health Insurance Program.

NYSTEP

New York State Electronic Personnel system. An information system for processing personnel and classification transactions for employees in the classified service.

OFCCP

Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. A compliance agency that ensures that organizations receiving federal grants adhere to policies including those relating to affirmative action and equal employment opportunity.

ORP

Optional Retirement Program. Refers to defined contribution retirement programs approved for SUNY in 1964. Currently the authorized providers include ING, MetLife, TIAA-CREF, and Valic.

OSC

Office of the State Comptroller - Agency that administers State payrolls, State contracts, and other payments (vouchers, etc.)

OSHA

Occupational Safety and Health Administration. A federal agency responsible for ensuring safe work environments. It has a NYS counterpart (PESHA) .

OSU

Operational Services Unit. a bargaining unit in NYS service composed of craft workers, maintenance and repair personnel and machine operators. It is currently represented by the Civil Service Employees' Association, Inc., (CSEA).

PAYSRV

NYS Payroll System administered by the OSC.

PEF

Public Employee Federation. A bargaining agent that represents NYS classified service professionals.

PERB

Public Employment Relations Board.  State Agency with responsibility for providing oversight of collective bargaining for State employees including making unit determinations, rendering decisions in disputes, etc.

PESH

Public Employee Safety and Health

PESHA

Public Employees Safety And Health Act (the public employee OSHA).

PSR

Personal Service Regular. A budgetary term to identify the type/source of funding. May include positions funded from IFR and DIFR as well as State positions (FTE) authorized in the NYS executive budget. PSR positions must be classified to appear on the SOP and appointees to them must be paid on an annual salary basis.

PS&T

Professional, Scientific and Technical Services Unit. A collective bargaining unit that includes positions in the State classified service which typically require advanced educational credentials and/or certification in order to be appointed (eg. Registered Nurses, Biochemist, Jr. Scientist, etc.). Currently represented by PEF.

PSU

Professional Services Unit (SUNY) A bargaining unit in NYS service composed primarily of academic employees and professional employees of the State University of New York. It is currently represented by United University Professions, Inc., (UUP).

QAR

Qualified Academic Rank. Faculty rank other than academic rank. Includes the title Lecturer and academic titles with prefixes (qualifiers) such as Visiting or Clinical, and all part-time faculty. Faculty appointed QAR do not accrue credit (years of service do not count) towards tenure.

RA

Resident Alien. Individual who is not a U.S. citizen and does not have a green card, but who has passed the substantial presence test for U.S. residency. A resident alien is taxed like a U.S. citizen. Also "Resident Assistant" - a student employed to assist in residence halls.

RF

Research Foundation

SA

Student Assistant - students who are employed on temporary service and paid on an hourly basis.

SEC SUPR

Security Supervisors Unit. A bargaining unit in NYS service composed of supervisors of corrections, university police, and safety employees, mostly lieutenants, currently represented by Council 82.

SFE

Special Funds Estimate. Refers to funds and appointees to support special construction projects. Duties of any appointees must be restricted to the project work and must not be assigned work normally assigned to regular employees.

SG (SG-xx)

Salary Grade (statutory salaries tables).

SHRM

Society for Human Resource Management.

SL (SL-xx)

Salary Level (for professional employee position, non-statutory salary charts).

SOP

Schedule of Positions - part of the position/expenditure control system. All positions established in PSR must be lined out (listed by line item number) on the Schedule of Positions before OSC will approved expenditures from them.

SRA

Supplemental Retirement Annuity.

SSN

Social Security Number

SSU

Security Services Unit. A collective bargaining unit that includes corrections, safety, and university police officer titles. It is currently represented by NYSCOPBA.

SUBOA

SUNY Business Officers Association.

SUHRA

SUNY Human Resource Association.

SYS ADM

State University of New York System Administration.

TAYLOR LAW

Enabling legislation for collective bargaining in New York State. (The NYS Public Employees' Fair Employment Act).

TDA

Tax Deferred Annuity.

TIMA

Time Accrual System. A system that is used to maintain employee accrual balances.

TRS

Teachers' Retirement System (TRS). A defined benefit retirement program available to SUNY professional service employees.

TS OR T/S

Temporary Service - also T/S. A source of funding that is provided as a lump sum in state appropriations that can be used to hire temporary staff or to fund student, graduate, and teaching assistant positions. TS positions do not have to be lined out on the SOP. Positions funded from temporary service cannot be paid on an annual salary basis (must be hourly, biweekly, or fee).

WC

Workers' Compensation.

WCB

Workers' Compensation Board.