Following glossary of terms is significant to the human resource function. An alphabetical index is provided to assist you in locating the reference you seek.

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Term	Definition
academic employee	An academic rank or qualified academic rank employee in the professional Services Negotiating Unit.
academic rank	Rank held by those members of the professional staff having the title of professor, associate professor, assistant professor, instructor, librarian, associate librarian, senior assistant librarian, and assistant librarian.
academic year obligation	An annual obligation of service for the academic year, not to exceed 10 months.
account number	The account that will be charged to cover employee salary and fringe benefit costs.
acting appointment	An employee who fills in during a temporary absence, such as sabbatical or medical leave, after which the other employee can be expected to return.
alien	An individual born in, and a citizen of, a country other than the country in which he or she is living.
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA)	The ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in employment, programs and services provided by state and local governments, goods and services provided by private companies, and in commercial facilities. For more information, contact HRM.
ante	Refers to the maximum amount, which may be paid to an incumbent.
Appendix A	A list of professional services negotiating unit positions not eligible for permanent appointment found in Appendix A of Article XI in the SUNY Policies of the Board of Trustees. In lieu of permanent appointments, appointees to Appendix A titles must be given 5-year term appointments after an initial 1-year probationary appointment.
appointing authority or appointing officer	The officer, commission or body having the power of appointment to subordinate positions. In SUNY, each campus President is an appointing authority.
appointment	The act of placing a person in a position.
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bargaining agent	The organization chosen by employees in a negotiating unit to have exclusive representation rights for them in collective bargaining.
calendar year obligation	An annual obligation of service for a full year, (i.e., 12 months).
canvass	An inquiry as to whether an eligible candidate for a classified service vacancy would be willing to accept appointment, if offered.
casual employee	Unclassified service employee whose employment relationship does not justify assignment to a negotiating unit.
classified service	Comprise all positions not included in the unclassified service. The positions in the classified service shall be divided into four classes, to be designated as the exempt class, the non-competitive class, the labor class, and the competitive class.
college year obligation	An annual obligation of service for any period less than the full year.
competitive class	The competitive class shall include all positions for which it is practicable to determine the merit and fitness of applicants by competitive examination.
contingent permanent	An appointment, transfer, or reinstatement to a temporarily vacant position of a person meeting all merit and fitness requirements for such appointment. Except in the case of the return of a prior incumbent, contingent permanent appointees have all rights and benefits of permanent appointees.
continuing appointment	An appointment to a position of academic rank which shall not be affected by changes in such rank and shall continue until resignation, retirement, or termination.
counseling	A private conference between a supervisor and an employee at which the employee's performance deficiencies are discussed. The motivation for such counseling sessions is to improve the employee's performance and eliminate the performance deficiencies.
counseling memorandum	A written follow-up to an employee following corrective counseling which confirms the reason for the counseling, a summary of the effect of the employee's deficiencies, a summary of the employee's response to the counseling, and the corrective actions expected.
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NYS Department of Civil Service	The State's agency responsible for the classification and allocation of classified service positions, the recruitment and selection of candidates for classified service employment, and the development and maintenance of statewide agency personnel systems.
dormitory income fund reimbursable (DIFR)	Budgetary term to describe funding for positions and budgets supported by income generated from dormitory (residence hall) fees.   Positions may be established as PSR (personal service regular) or TS (temporary service) even though funded by revenues.
direct deposit	Making direct deposit of an employee's salary to the employee's bank account via electronic transfer rather than issuance of paychecks.
duration code	Identifies the expected duration of the position (e.g., calendar year).
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earmark	The term used when a position has been designated for restudy when vacant to determine its proper classification before being refilled.
eligible list	A certified list of candidates for a competitive title ranked in order of their respective final examination ratings, including seniority and veterans credits.
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA)	Employee Retirement Income Security Act.
Employees' Retirement System (ERS)	Employees' Retirement System.  A define benefit retirement program available to all State employees.
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)	Federal agency responsible for administration of several statutes which prohibit discrimination; has power to subpoena witnesses, issue guidelines that have the force of law, render decisions, provide technical assistance to employers, provide legal assistance to complainants, etc.
ethics	Usually a reference to New York State Ethics Commission which was established by the Public Officers' Law.
ethnicity	American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Hispanic, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders, White
exempt class (classified)	All positions for the filling of which competitive or non-competitive examination may be found to be not practicable.
exempt employees (professional)	employees in jobs that are purely management, administrative, or professional that perform without close supervision and consequently, they are exempt from coverage under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Rules regarding overtime and wages do not apply.
extra service	Work performed by an employee in addition to the regular full-time position.
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Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)	Law enacted to establish a minimum wage, to limit work hours, and to discourage oppressive child labor. Referred to as the Wage Hour Act because it ensures fair treatment of employees with respect to wages and hours. Act defines exempt and nonexempt employees. For more information go to Fair Labor Standards Act Handbook or Fair Labor Standards Act Regulations.
Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)	Family Medical Leave Act. For more information, go to Family Medical Leave Act Handbook (FMLA) or Family Medical Leave Act Regulations.
fee	A method of payment that allows periodic payments of varying amounts based upon the completion of some measurable unit of work/accomplishment.
fiscal year	The States fiscal year is from 4/1-3/31; SUNY's fiscal year is from 7/1-6/30.
Freedom of Information Act	Establishes that any person has the right to request access to federal agency records or information.
FTE (full time equivalent)	A full-time position budgeted from 7/1 to 6/30. The term equates an employee to a full-time equivalent. For example, a part-time employee who works one half of the time required of a full time employee would be counted as .50 FTE.
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Governor's Office of Employee Relations (GOER)	An abundance of information on collecting bargaining units, training, benefits, etc.
Graduate Student Employee Union	Union that represents State graduate assistants.
holiday pay	Additional compensation for time worked by an employee during regularly scheduled hours on a date observed as a holiday by the State.
I-9	Form required of all appointees to verify their U.S. citizenship, or if they are aliens, their eligibility for employment in accordance with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
income fund reimbursable (IFR)	Budgetary term to describe funding for positions and budgets support by income generated from fees.  Positions may be established as PSR (personal service regular) or TS (temporary service) even though funded by revenues.
increment (classified)	An established salary increase between steps of a given salary grade, marking a steady progression from the minimum of the grade to the maximum.
insubordination	The intentional and willful refusal to accept the valid authority of a supervisor ... the refusal to act on a direct order.
interim appointment	An employee who serves between the departure of one employee and the installation of another "permanent" employee.
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job description	A written summary of tasks, duties, and responsibilities of a job.
job evaluation	The systematic determination of the relative worth of jobs within the organization, which results in a pay system within the organization.
jurisdictional classification	Means the assignment of positions in the classified service to the competitive, non-competitive, exempt, or labor classes.
labor class	The labor class shall comprise all unskilled laborers in the service of the state and each of its civil divisions except those whose positions can be examined for competitively.
layoff	A layoff separates employees from the payroll due to budget constraints.
line number	The unique number assigned to a position to identify it for payroll, accounting and budget certificate purposes.
longevity rate	Salary resulting from the addition of one extra increment provided to employees who have rendered continuous and satisfactory service for five years after having attained the normal maximum pay of their salary grade.
lost time	Employee absence not covered by allowable leave credits results in a lost-time pay deduction.
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management confidential	Persons designated as managerial or confidential are excluded from coverage of the Taylor Law. Such persons are not eligible to be represented by an employee organization for the purpose of collective negotiations. They cannot belong to or hold office in an employee organization that represents or seeks to represent public employees employed by the public employer. Criteria for designation as managerial are: a. formulates policy; b. may reasonably be required on behalf of the employer to assist directly in preparation for and conduct of collective negotiations; and c. has a major role in administration of agreements or in personnel administration not routine or clerical and requiring exercise of independent judgment. Confidential employees assist or act in confidential capacity to managerial persons who have a labor relation's responsibility.
minimum qualifications	Education, training, and/or experience requirements denoting the minimum standards that all candidates are required to possess to give reasonable assurance that they can perform satisfactorily.
minimum wage	The minimum hourly rate an employee may be paid for employment in the United States by federal statute.
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negotiating unit	The grouping of employees for the purpose of collective negotiations. When it is agreed or determined which employees shall make up a unit, the employees then select the employee organization they want to represent them in negotiations.
NYS Health Insurance Program (NYSHIP)
non-competitive class	Positions that are not in the exempt or the labor class and for which it is found by the commission having jurisdiction to be not practicable to ascertain the merit and fitness of applicants by competitive examination.
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Office of the State Comptroller (OSC)	The Office of the State Comptroller (OSC) in New York State is responsible for the audit and control function, for payroll auditing, for legal opinions, and for managing the NYS defined benefit retirement programs.
open-competitive list	A certified list of appointment eligibles containing the names of candidates who passed an open competitive examination for a title ranked by examination scores. Transfer lists, preferred lists, reemployment rosters, and promotional lists, if any take precedence.
optional retirement program (ORP)	Refers to defined contribution retirements programs approved for SUNY in 1964.  Currently the authorized providers include ING, MetLife, TIAA-CREF, and VALIC.
out-of-title work	Duties performed by an incumbent of a position, which are not appropriate to the class to which the position has been assigned.
overtime service	Hours worked in excess of the required 40 or 37 1/2 hours in the basic workweek as the case may be. Overtime in excess of 40 hours must be paid at a time and one-half rate. employees whose basic workweek is 37 1/2 hours accrue compensatory time for hours worked in excess of 37 1/2 hours but not in excess of 40 hours in a basic workweek.
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PayServ	NYS Payroll system administered by the Office of the State Comptroller.
pay mode	The methodology used to compensate an employee. For full-time positions the pay mode is annual. For part-time employees it is usually biweekly.
payroll deduction	an after-tax deduction from an employee's pay check for payment of taxes, insurance premiums, unions dues, health insurance premiums, etc.
performance evaluation	A method of evaluating the behavior of employees in the workplace, normally including both the quantitative and qualitative aspects of job performance.
permanent appointment (Classified)	An appointment to an unencumbered position of a candidate who has met all of the merit and fitness requirements for such appointment, including passing the necessary competitive examination and being reachable for appointment from an eligible list, if necessary. An appointment other than a Contingent Permanent, temporary, or Provisional appointment. After completion of a probationary term a permanent appointment continues until retirement, layoff, termination for incompetence or misconduct, resignation, or death.
permanent appointment (professional)	An appointment of a professional employee in a professional title, except those titles listed in Appendix A of the SUNY Policies of the Board of Trustees, which shall continue until a change in such title, resignation, retirement, or termination.
personal service regular (PSR)	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.
Policies	Policies of the Board of Trustees of the State University of New York.  Applies to all State employees in the SUNY Unclassified/professional Service (M/C & UUP).
preferred list	A certified list of employees laid off from a title ranked by their seniority date. Preferred list candidates have absolute preference for positions based upon the "rule of one". Appointing officers must either reinstate the number one eligible willing to accept appointment or leave the position vacant.
probationary period	Every permanent appointment from an open competitive list and every original permanent appointment to the noncompetitive, exempt, or labor class shall be subject to a probationary period of not less than 26 weeks. If the probationer's service is less than satisfactory, employment may be terminated any time after the completion of eight weeks.
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professional employee	An employee in the professional Services Negotiating Unit, other than an employee with academic rank or qualified academic rank.
professional obligation	The professional obligation of an employee consistent with his or her academic rank or professional title shall include teaching, research, University service, and other duties and responsibilities required of him or her during the term of the professional obligation. Except for part-time or temporary employment where the obligation may be less, the term of professional obligation will be calendar year, or academic year, or college year.
professional staff	All persons occupying positions designated by the Chancellor as being in the unclassified service.
professional title	The title of a position in the professional Services Negotiating Unit, other than a position of academic or qualified academic rank, as shown on the budget certificate for the position on file with the State Director of the Budget.
promote	Advance to a higher level or position generally resulting in increasing demands in terms of skills, abilities, and responsibilities.
promotional list	A certified list of appointment eligibles containing the names of candidates who successfully passed a promotional examination for a title ranked by examination scores. Promotional lists take precedence over open-competitive lists but are subordinate to preferred lists.
protected class	Legally identified groups (by race, color, sex, and national origin) that are specifically protected by statute against employment discrimination.
provisional appointment	A stopgap appointment to an unencumbered permanent position which may be made when no appropriate eligible list of at least three persons willing to accept appointment is available to fill a vacancy in the competitive class.
Public Employee Relations Board (PERB)	A State agency with responsibility for providing oversight of collective bargaining for State employees including making unit determinations, rendering decisions in disputes, etc.
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qualified academic rank	Rank held by those members of the academic staff having titles of lecturer or titles of academic rank preceded by the designation "clinical", or "visiting" or other similar designations. Service in qualified academic rank does not count in meeting the service requirements for tenure.
rank	The salary grade level assigned to a position.
reachable	A person ranking by test score among the top three on an eligible list who are willing and able to accept appointment to a position in the competitive class.
reassignment	The change, without further examination, of a permanent employee from one position to a position in the same title under the jurisdiction of the same appointing authority.
recall	An employee eligible to earn overtime compensation who is recalled to work overtime, after having completed his/ her scheduled work period and left the scheduled work station, is considered to have worked a minimum of one-half day for the purpose of computing overtime compensation.
reclassify	To reassign a position to a different class based upon a reexamination of the duties and responsibilities of the position.
recruitment	The process of acquiring a pool of applicants whom is available and qualified to fill positions in the organization.
retrenchment	Termination of the employment of any academic or professional employee during any appointment other than a temporary appointment as a result of financial exigency, reallocation of resources, reorganization, or curtailment of programs or functions.
rule of three	The "rule of three" requires that appointment or promotion to classified service positions in the competitive class from an eligible list must be made by the selection of one of the three highest ranking eligibles willing to accept appointment.
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salary	Pay, which is usually stated as a monthly or annual figure and is monetary compensation for employee contributions without regard to the specific hours required of them to complete their responsibilities.
schedule of positions (SOP)	Part of the position/expenditure control system.  All positions established in PSR must be lined out (list by line item number) on the Schedule of Positions before OSC will approve expenditures from them.
seniority	Refers to an employee's length of continuous service with the State or at a campus; sometimes may also refer to an employee's time in title or rank, or appointment type, or length of service in a position or positions represented by a particular bargaining unit.
shift pay differential	Additional compensation over an employee's basic annual salary which may be authorized by the Director of Classification and Compensation subject to approval by the Director of the Budget. The pay differential may be prescribed for those employees on a night shift, four or more hours of which fall between 6:00 P.M. and 6:00 A.M.
Social Security	A federal retirement and disability income program.
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Teachers' Retirement System (TRS)	A defined benefit retirement program available to SUNY professional service employees.
temporary appointment (classified)	An appointment to a position which is established for only a temporary, short duration, or an appointment to a permanent position which is temporarily vacant.
temporary appointment (professional)	An appointment which may be terminated at any time. temporary appointments ordinarily shall be given only when service is to be part-time, voluntary, or anticipated to be for a period of one year or less, or when an employee's initial appointment is made to a position vacated by a professional employee who is serving a probationary appointment in another position. A temporary appointment is also appropriate whenever an employee on an approved leave vacates a position.
term appointment	Except as provided in section 6 of title D of Article XI of the SUNY Policies of the Board of Trustees, a term appointment shall be an appointment for a specified period of not more than three years which shall automatically expire at the end of the period unless terminated earlier because of resignation, retirement, or termination.
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unclassified service	The unclassified service shall include the following: all positions in the state university in the professional service as defined in subdivision 3 of section 355a of the education law; all persons, other than persons covered under above, whose principal functions are teaching or the supervision of teaching in a public school, academy or college.
veterans credits	Qualifying disabled veterans who pass competitive examinations are given ten points additional credits on their examination scores in open-competitive examinations and five points in promotional examinations. Non-disabled qualifying veterans receive five points and two points respectively. Veterans also have right of preference in retention in the event of a reduction in force (RIF) in the competitive class.

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