Sick & Parental Leave
URISE understands that life challenges can arise at any time. We are committed to supporting Trainees in any way we can. If you are encountering any difficulty in life that is impacting your ability to complete URISE Program Requirements, please reach out to urise@pdx.edu and cquatela@pdx.edu for assistance discussing your options.
URISE Trainees have access to sick leave and parental leave. In order for these leave benefits to apply, students MUST remain enrolled full time (12 credits) at PSU.
Summary Statement
Trainees must maintain continuous involvement in URISE without interruption.
The allowance of 15 calendar days intends to provide flexibility for Trainees who encounter challenging circumstances. In order to use sick and parental leave, Trainees MUST remain enrolled full-time (12 credits) at PSU.
For the purposes of URISE research programming, we will count only RLC hours and Enrichment hours toward the 15 days of sick leave.
Financial support continues during sick and parental leaves. Temporary withdrawal from URISE would pause financial support until Trainees return to the program and meet all program requirements.
Full Time Requirement
NIH Policy
All trainees are required to pursue their research training on a full-time basis.* Full-time is generally defined as devoting at least 40 hours per week to the program or as specified by the recipient institution in accordance with its own policies.
URISE Application
Full-time enrollment (12+ credits) at PSU in Fall, Winter, and Spring, for the two years of URISE. This policy is fixed and there is no flexibility in full-time enrollment.
If life challenges arise that limit your ability to remain enrolled full time (12 credits), please meet with Carlos Quatela right away to learn about your options, including, but not limited to:
Pass/no pass grading
Taking an incomplete for one or more courses
If a Trainee withdraws from a class mid-term and drops below 12 credits at any point, they are immediately considered ineligible to continue in URISE. All financial support will be cut off as soon as a Trainee drops below full time (12 credits) at PSU.
*Full-time training includes academic courses, RLC hours, enrichment, advising, career mentoring, and monthly program meetings.
Sick Leave
NIH Policy
Up to 15 calendar days of sick leave in a calendar year
If a significant life event may require more than 15 days’ time, a written request may be made to NIH requesting additional sick leave time.
URISE Application
URISE tracks RLC and enrichment completion on a term-by-term basis.
If a Trainee needs time off from their RLC or enrichment but makes a plan to make up the hours and assignments with their Research Mentor or the Enrichment lead before the end of term, use of sick leave days is not needed.
If a Trainee completes less than 100 research hours in one term but exceeds 100 research hours in a future term, use of sick leave days is not needed.
Sick leave days are not needed during university-wide breaks (winter break, spring break, summer break), holidays when campus is closed (for example, Labor Day and Thanksgiving), and finals week.
In other words, use of Sick Leave days is only necessary when:
School is in session, and
Trainees cannot feasibly make up the hours requirements by the last day of the final reporting period for the term (The Sunday before the first day of Winter and Spring terms, and 6/30).
Parental Leave
NIH Policy
Trainees may receive stipends for up to 60 calendar days (equivalent to 8 work weeks) of parental leave per year for the adoption or the birth of each child. Either parent is eligible for parental leave. Trainees must provide advanced notification to PSU Staff prior to taking parental leave.
URISE Application
Students must remain enrolled full-time while taking 60 days of parental leave from their research training (RLC hours, enrichment, advising, monthly program requirements, and career mentoring).