Assistantships and FMLA and leaves

[weepwah]

Hi. I started my PhD program in June 2010. I have funding - tuition plus $14K per CALENDAR YEAR. So, My first contract was June 1 to June 30, and the next contract I signed was July 1, 2010, to June 30, 2011.

My husband and I were talking about starting a family before I got into this program, and we're still considering it. For obvious reasons, being so new in the program, I don't really feel like approaching my advisor or the program secretary to ask about this just yet. I have been very dissapointed in my school's graduate college website. It is impossible to find information about taking a medical leave as a grad student. The information on taking staff and faculty leaves is, of course, easy to find. Geesh.

Just for comparison, I looked up the same information at my undergrad institution (Indiana University). The info was easy to find, and I was pleasantly surprised that grad assistants at IU are entitled to FMLA. As in, if you get pregnant, you can take up to 2 years leave without having to reapply, plus you get 6 weeks of paid maternity leave.

I guess I didn't realize that FMLA applied to graduate assistants. Is that nationwide, or is IU just awesome like that?

I was just wondering if anyone out there has any thoughts, advice, and/or personal experience on this.

[aginath]

Benefits such as paid maternity leave likely depend quite a bit on multiple policies in place at your school. One is the type of employment you have. Also consider that at some institutions, not all assistantships are created equal (work hour obligations, reimbursment, etc.). At the very least, there is most likely a Leave of Absence policy that allows you remain enrolled without having to register (here's an example).

I can understand not feeling comfortable approaching your advisor or department staff, but don't hesitate about contacting the Graduate School/College. That's what they're there for...

[weepwah]

Thanks for that info! I'm going to contact the graduate college and hope that they can point me in the direction of a policy/procedure. If anyone has any experiences with being a FT grad student and having a baby... I'd love to hear about it!