Medical College of Georgia

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General Information

Motor Vehicle Registration and Parking
Your motor vehicle(s) must be registered if you plan to park on campus.  An annual registration fee is required and a monthly parking fee is charged.  For convenience, the parking fee may be paid through payroll deduction on a pretax basis upon completion of an election form which is available as part of New Employee Orientation and/or directly from the Parking Office during the annual registration period, which normally occurs during the month of April.  A new employee must elect the pre-tax option within 31 days of their date of employment to have payroll deduction.  To take advantage of parking as pre-tax deduction, the employee must submit an election form to the Parking Office prior to the beginning of each year during the Parking registration as noted above.  An election is valid for the fiscal year and cannot be changed once started.  An employee who does not wish to have parking paid through the pretax payroll deduction will pay the registration and parking fees directly to the Parking Office upon registration.  When you register your vehicle, you will receive a window decal and a hangtag.  The decal and hangtag are valid for the MCG fiscal year, July 1 - June 30. 

The window decal and hangtag must be returned to the Public Safety Division when your employment ends and you clear campus.  Fines for violations are assessed with the authority of the Board of Regents of The University System of Georgia.  Fines not paid on a timely basis and any late fees imposed are subject to payroll deduction. 

The Medical College of Georgia Health System operates a separate parking program from the MCG campus. MCG employees participating in the campus parking program are allowed to park in hospital and clinic parking areas only when they are seeking medical treatment or have clinic appointments. MCG Parkers may be fined by the MCG Health System Parking Office for violations of the MCGHI parking rules, and these fines are also subject to payroll deduction. The MCG Health System Parking Office may be contacted at 721-7275.

MCG Parkers may ride any MCG MEDXpress shuttle for free.The MEDXpress routes currently include MCG main campus areas and the Kroger parking lot.  MCG Parkers are allowed to park in the Kroger parking lot in the MCG Parking Plan.  Shuttle routes and parking maps are available on the MCG Parking web site or from the Parking Office. 

For further information please contact the MCG Parking Office at 721-2953 or visit the Parking web site.

Food Service
Breakfast and lunch are served Monday through Friday in the Student Center Cafeteria.  Vending machines featuring canned and bottled soft drinks and water, cold foods and snack items are located throughout campus. Several of the vending machines in high traffic areas are equipped with debit card readers, eliminating the need to carry change and small bills to access these food items.

Lost and Found
The Public Safety Division provides a “lost and found” service. Employees who find or have lost articles on the Medical College of Georgia premises should take them to the Public Safety Division Office. (Public Safety 721-2911)

Credit Union
The Health Center Credit Union operates under a charter granted by the State of Georgia Department of Banking & Finance. Any employee of the Medical College or family member of an employee is eligible for membership in the Credit Union.  There is no fee for joining the Credit Union; however, a minimum balance of $25 must be maintained for a member to be in good standing.

The many benefits of Membership in your Credit Union include direct deposit, payroll deductions, home banking, bill pay, traveler’s checks, money orders, notary service, cashiers checks, Visa Credit and Debit Card availability, checking accounts, competitive dividend rates  on IRAs, certificate accounts, and money market accounts, and low interest rate loans including autos, personal, and mortgage loans.

Health Center Credit Union has been serving the Medical College since 1976.  There are five locations in town to serve members including the main office on campus located on Harper Street. More information on all products, services, and locations can be found on the credit union website.

Identification Cards
MCG Policy 1.6.11 requires all employees and students to wear their MCG Identification Card in a visible manner while on campus or other property operated by the Medical College of Georgia. The Public Safety Division provides a visual, badge type, identification card, with a color photograph to all employees. This card is to be worn on the outer clothing when on duty at the Medical College of Georgia, and must be presented when requested by an official of the College.  The card is the property of the Medical College and must be returned to the Public Safety Division when employment is terminated for any reason. There is a charge if the card is lost or not returned upon termination of employment.

Voting
Voting is a community responsibility and it is hoped that you will vote in every election. Since most polls are open from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m., time off is normally not necessary in order to fulfill this obligation. Those employees required to work during this entire time period, may be excused for a reasonable length of time not to exceed a maximum of two hours to vote. 

Absence Due to Weather Conditions and Other Emergencies
The President of the Medical College of Georgia will determine when employees and students may be excused from work or classes because of hazardous weather conditions or other emergency situations. In the event the Medical College is closed because of hazardous weather conditions or other emergency situations, non-exempt and exempt employees will receive inclement weather leave with pay equal to the number of hours the institution is officially closed during their scheduled workday or workweek. Official notice of a closing will be communicated by your supervisor and through radio and television announcements.

Smoking Restrictions
Since smoking is widely recognized as a major preventable cause of many diseases and the Medical College of Georgia is committed to the promotion of health, it is our policy to prohibit the use of tobacco products on any property owned, leased, or controlled by the Medical College of Georgia, MCG Health Inc., or the Physicians Practice Group (d.b.a. MCG Medical Associates). This includes all buildings, surrounding land, parking lots and decks, green space and adjacent sidewalks. As an employee, you are expected to adhere to this policy at all times and to promote MCG’s commitment to being tobacco free. Violations can subject you to disciplinary action under MCG’s human resources policies.

Safety
The Medical College of Georgia has an excellent safety record. You are encouraged to avoid unsafe practices, and to report unsafe working conditions to your supervisor. Many injuries are caused by carelessness, even though the job itself is not hazardous. The Medical College strives to develop and maintain safe working conditions and encourages its employees to work safely.

Political Activities
Employees may not manage or take an active part in a political campaign, which interferes with the performance of their duties with the Medical College of Georgia. Employees are not permitted to hold elective political office at the state or federal level. Employees seeking elective political office at the state or federal level must first request a leave of absence without pay with a beginning date prior to their qualification as a candidate in a primary or general election. If elected to state or federal office, the employee must resign prior to assuming office. Employees may seek and hold elective office at other than the state or federal level, or appointive office, when candidacy for or holding of the office does not conflict or interfere with the employee’s duties and responsibilities to the Medical College.  An employee cannot engage in any political activities during work hours, nor use any MCG resources (facilities, supplies, equipment, etc.) for political purposes.

Conflict of Interest
Employees of the Medical College of Georgia should avoid actual or apparent conflicts of interest between their college obligations and outside activities. You are encouraged to contact the Director of Human Resources, or the Legal Affairs Office, if you have questions concerning whether a particular activity constitutes a conflict of interest.

Gratuities
A member of the Medical College of Georgia shall not accept gratuities, courtesies, or gifts in any form whatsoever from any person or persons, corporations, or associations that, directly or indirectly, may seek to use the connection thus formed for securing favorable comment or consideration on any commercial commodity, process, or undertaking.

Use of the Telephone
The Medical College of Georgia telephone lines must necessarily be kept clear for business use. Incoming personal telephone calls to employees and outgoing personal calls by employees are discouraged except in the case of an emergency.  Personal long distance telephone calls may not be charged to the institution.

Information Technology

Definitions  
Term  Definition
Sensitive information
Defined as: non-public data (i.e. medical record or educational data) or personal/corporate information that can be harvested and used for identity theft or criminal use.
Strong Password
A password that is at least 6 characters long with a combination of letters and numbers/symbols (e.g. using the phrase “a new one for you,” the password would be “an3w14u” – replacing letters with numbers)
Encryption
The process of scrambling a message so that a key, held only by authorized recipients, is needed to unscramble and read the message. Unencrypted data is called plain text; encrypted data is referred to as cipher text.

Computer and Network Use
The Medical College of Georgia and all members of the MCG community are obligated to respect and, in many cases, to protect confidential data. There are, however, technical and legal limitations on our ability to protect confidentiality. For legal purposes, electronic communications are no different than paper documents. Electronic communications are, however, more likely to leave a trail of inadvertent copies and more likely to be seen in the course of routine maintenance of computer systems.

In the course of their job, MCG employees may need to access information for professional, education, self-training, and discussion on a wide range of subjects, not just those immediately necessary for a person’s job or courses. In this context, MCG employees are accountable nonetheless for how they use time and equipment at work. Just like a telephone, an Internet connection at an employee’s desk does not automatically confer permission to use it for personal purposes or entertainment.

  • Any device with an operating system shall run active up-to-date antivirus software. ITSS provides antivirus software for all MCG owned devices.
  • Any and all electronic transfer of sensitive information is to be encrypted.  Under no circumstances shall protected health information (PHI) be transferred to external entities without ensuring the data is encrypted.
  • All personal workstations and laptops shall have a password protected screen saver turned on with no more than a five (5) minute idle time delay.
  • Accessing the MCG network from a remote site (i.e. home, hotel, etc) can be done using a virtual private network client. The same policies, standards, and guidelines for computer and network use apply when this connection is active.

System and Network Activities
The following activities are strictly prohibited:

  • Using computing resources for personal commercial purposes or for personal financial or other gain. 
  • Forwarding e-mail to outside persons or entities that include sensitive or protected health information (PHI) without appropriate encryption.
  • Sharing accounts and passwords with anyone. 
  • Sending unsolicited e-mail messages, including the sending of “junk mail” or other advertising material to individuals who did not specifically request such material (e-mail spam). 
  • Unauthorized copying of copyrighted material including, but not limited to, digitization and distribution of photographs from magazines, books or other copyrighted sources, copyrighted music, and the installation of any copyrighted software for which the Medical College of Georgia or the end user does not have an active license. 
  • Violations of the rights of any person or company protected by copyright, trade secret, patent or other intellectual property, or similar laws or regulations, including, but not limited to, the installation or distribution of “pirated” or other software products that are not appropriately licensed for use by the Medical College of Georgia. 
  • Creating or forwarding “chain letters”, “Ponzi” or other “pyramid” schemes of any type.
  • Installing a device on the network without registering it with Information Technology Support and Services (ITSS)

Privacy
In limited circumstances, the college may be legally compelled to disclose information relating to business or personal use of the computer network to governmental authorities or to other third parties. Administrators of school, department or division networks should notify computer users if incidental personal use is not permitted and that the college cannot ensure the confidentiality of personal communications.

For security and network maintenance purposes, authorized individuals within The Medical College of Georgia may monitor equipment, passwords, systems and network traffic at any time.  The Medical College of Georgia reserves the right to audit networks, and systems on a periodic basis to ensure compliance with this policy.  

The college reserves the right to:

  • Examine computer records or monitor activities of individual computer users and/or systems for official purposes. 
  • Protect the integrity or security of the computing resources or protect the college from liability
  • Investigate unusual or excessive activity
  • Investigate apparent violations of law or University policy, and as otherwise required by law or exigent circumstances

Authentication
No one shall use the MCG network (wired or wireless) or any device (e.g. computer, PDA, or other system with an operating system and/or CPU) on the network, regardless of ownership, without a valid and unique username and STRONG password.

No one shall assist in, encourage, or conceal from authorities any unauthorized use, or attempt at unauthorized use, of any of the college’s computers or network facilities.  Computers and networks are just like any other MCG facilities - they are to be used only by people who have permission.

No one shall circumvent user authentication or security of any host, network or account. 

Authentication and data encryption or point-to-point communication will be implemented for all systems that send or receive sensitive data or when it is critical that both parties know with whom they are communicating. (Policy 2.4.06 section 3.0)

Computer Crime
Using a computer without permission is theft of services and is illegal under state and federal laws. In addition, the following specific computer crimes are defined by state law (Ga. Code 16-9-90 et seq.):

  • Computer theft (including theft of computer services, intellectual property such as copyrighted material, and any other property);
  • Computer trespass (unauthorized use of computers to delete or alter data or interfere with others’ usage);
  • Computer invasion of privacy (unauthorized access to financial or personal data or the like);
  • Computer forgery (forgery as defined by other laws, but committed on a computer rather than on paper);
  • Computer password disclosure (unauthorized disclosure/sharing of a password resulting in damages exceeding $500).
  • Misleading transmittal of names or trademarks (falsely identifying yourself or falsely claiming to speak for a person or organization by using their name, trademark, logo, or seal. (Ga. Code 16-9-93.1).

Breach of Security
Suspected breach of security, based on the level of severity, should be reported to the appropriate resource owner and/or the MCG Chief Information Officer who are responsible to determine the best course of action to correct the situation and protect against future occurrences. Certain extreme cases may involve additional levels of review and could call for disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal, or civil or criminal penalties.

Any violation of federal or state law with regard to this IT policy may be reported to the proper authority.

The above is a summary; for the official Information Technology policy, see MCG Administrative Policy and Procedure 2.4.06.

Use of Alcoholic Beverages
The use or possession of alcoholic beverages on campus shall comply at all times with Federal, State, Local laws and MCG policies governing use, manufacture, distribution, possession, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages.

Non-Violence in the Work Place
The Medical College of Georgia is committed to providing and maintaining a safe working environment for all its employees and will not tolerate acts of violence or threats in the work place. Incidents of violence and/or threats will be dealt with swiftly and appropriately.  MCG Policy 1.6.22 provides information that defines these types of behaviors and provides information regarding reporting, actions available to employees, and MCG’s response to such incidents.  Employees are encouraged to call MCG Police at 721-2911 immediately if they witness an act of violence on campus.

American Express Corporate Card
The Medical College of Georgia through the Board of Regents has an agreement with American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. to provide faculty and employees earning $15,000 or greater an opportunity to acquire the American Express Corporate Card at no cost. These cards can be for either business or personal use. Answers to questions, clarifications & applications can be obtained from the Travel Office located in the Annex Building.

Change of Personal Status
Your supervisor and the Human Resources Division should be notified immediately concerning any change of address or telephone number, as well as any change of marital status or dependents.  This change may be accomplished by the employee’s department submitting the appropriate paperwork for this change or the employee may come to Human Resources in person to change this information.

Employment of Relatives
Individuals are not permitted to be employed in a department or unit under the supervision of a relative through any line of authority. “Line of authority” means any authority extending vertically through one or more organizational levels of supervision or management.  Relatives are defined as husbands, wives, parents, children, brothers, sisters and their inlaws.

Employee/Faculty Assistance Program:
The Employee/Faculty Assistance Program (EFAP) is an on-campus assessment, counseling, and resource  service for  employees, faculty,  housestaff, graduate students and for the immediate members of their family.  The program is confidential for clinical information of those who attend.  Supervisors and department chairs who make referrals to the program receive only feedback regarding attendance.  EFAP focuses on psychological problems of  either a personal  or work-related nature.  Assessments are provided and, when indicated, short-term therapy may be scheduled for up to  five sessions at no cost to the employee.  For persons/families requiring  extended or more specialized  therapy, the program  can arrange continuing care by an appropriate local practitioner or agency.  In addition, EFAP staff are available to consult with supervisors on how to better recognize and work with employees who are experiencing difficulties of various kinds.  For more information or for an appointment, please  contact the MCG Employee Faculty Assistance Program at 721-2599.

Tuition Assistance Program:
The Board of Regents and the Medical College of Georgia are committed to helping full-time employees pursue growth and development.  Tuition assistance is available to all full-time (100% work commitment) employees who have been with the Medical College for at least 6 months prior to the application period and are working towards a degree at one of the thirty-four (35) participating University System of Georgia (USG) institutions.  Tuition and most fees are waived for up to 8 hours per semester. Tuition Assistance Program Policy.

For more information contact Human Resources Division at 1-3196.

Child Care Center:
The Medical College of Georgia operates a childcare center for children of employees and students of the Medical College. The center is conveniently located on Old Bailie Street, North of Walton Way next to the Medical Center Inn. The Child Care Center was established to provide a comprehensive program of special care and education for the children of MCG employees and students.  A variety of learning and play activities are scheduled for children of different ages. Nutritionally balanced hot lunches are served daily in addition to morning and afternoon snacks.  Fees are charged on a weekly basis for full-time or regular part-time enrollment and on a daily basis for "drop-in" enrollees. Fees are payroll deducted if you are an employee, or payable by cash or personal check if you are a student.  The Medical College of Georgia Child Care Center rates are competitive with local commercial and institutional facilities.  Please contact the Child Care Center at extension 1-4171 for further information.

MCG Express account
Your Medical College of Georgia photo identification card may be activated to eliminate the need to carry cash or exact change for on-campus purchases and transactions. The MCG Express Card is accepted for on-campus dining at Student Center Food Services in the Student Center, Caf8E a la Carte’ in the R&E Lobby, the hospital Terrace Dining Room, and the CMC McDonald’s. It may be used for purchases at the MCG Bookstore, Library, Student Health, and Wellness Center, as well as, Copy/Print/Vending at the MCG Library, Dental School, R&E Bldg, and Student Center.  Swipe your ExpressCard ID through a card reader at participating locations to access pre-deposited funds from your account. Every time you make a purchase the card reader and/or your receipt shows your balance and you may use your account to a $0 balance with no penalty. You can manage your account ONLINE at www.mcg.edu/express -- check your balance, view transactions, and make deposits 24/7 from any computer with Internet access. Additional funds may be added at the MCG ExpressCard office in person with cash, check, or bankcard.  You may also add funds using cash and your ID at the value terminal located in the Library copy room.

Your account remains valid as long as you are enrolled or employed at the Medical College of Georgia. Lost or misplaced I.D. cards should be reported immediately to prevent misuse at unattended locations. With proper notification, account funds are secure until the card is recovered or replaced. Missing cards should be reported to the MCG ExpressCard Office in the Student Center at 721-9939 or online at www.mcg.edu/express.

The MCG ExpressCard office is located in the Student Center. To open your account, review an ExpressCard brochure and complete and sign the application portion. The amount of your initial deposit depends on your campus spending needs. All initial deposits include a one-time activation fee of $5.00. (Students usually include the cost of books/supplies and campus dining in their deposits.). Complete information and program terms and conditions are listed in the brochure and are also available online at www.mcg.edu/express.

The MCG ExpressCard program allows you to plan, budget, and track your campus spending. It is secure and convenient, saving you both time and money.

Wellness Center
Great news! Exercising at one of the most impressive fitness facilities in the CSRA is right at your fingertips. Membership to the Wellness Center is open to all MCG faculty and staff. The Wellness Center is a 42,000 square foot fitness and recreation facility with indoor basketball/volleyball courts, cushioned running/walking track, full lines of strength-training and cardiovascular equipment, locker room and shower amenities, group exercise classes, and fitness assessment facilities.

The Wellness Center is located adjacent to the Student Center at the corner of Laney-Walker and 15th Street. The Wellness Center is open Monday - Friday 5:30 am to 10 pm, Saturday 9 am to 5 pm, and Sunday 1 pm to 9 pm.  

The Wellness Center is committed to making fitness convenient, fun and affordable. Membership options include four-month or twelve-month packages.  Monthly payment options are also available. For your convenience, fees can be paid via payroll deduction, credit/debit card or check. Daily guest passes are also available.

Please visit www.mcg.edu/wellness for additional information (including the application), or feel free to call the Wellness Center at (706) 721-6800. The friendly staff will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

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  June 11, 2008