V. Election
An Eligible Employee meeting the eligibility requirements of Section II may participate in this Plan by making an election to do so. The election to participate in the Plan is subject to the following terms and conditions.
A. The election is completely voluntary.
B. The Window Period for election shall begin on February 1, 2021, and end on March 31, 2021. Late elections will not be accepted. All election forms must be delivered in person, via registered mail, or electronically by DocuSign to the University’s Human Resources Office (“Human Resources”) and must be received by Human Resources, or postmarked, by March 31, 2021.
C. An election is deemed made upon receipt by Human Resources of a signed copy of the Notice of Enrollment & Employee Information Form and the required waivers, releases, and other documentation described in Section IX below, provided that such election is timely made pursuant to Subsection (B) of this Section.
D. Except as provided in Subsections (E) and (F) of this Section V, once made, the election cannot be withdrawn or modified by the Eligible Employee or the University.
E. The Eligible Employee shall have seven (7) days to revoke their decision to separate and participate in the Plan (the “Revocation Period”). The Revocation Period will start from the first day following the day the Eligible Employee submits their completed election forms to University Human Resources (if submission was via mail, the first day following the postmark date) and will end seven (7) calendar days later. An Eligible Employee’s revocation must be made in writing and be delivered in person, via registered mail, or emailed, (Attn. Jack Witt) hrweb@kent.edu, to Human Resources, Heer Hall, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242 and be received by Human Resources, or postmarked, by the last day of the Eligible Employee’s Revocation Period.
F. The University reserves the right to determine whether to accept, modify, or terminate an employee’s election under this Plan, when, in the University’s sole discretion, such actions are deemed appropriate in order to meet the University’s academic, programmatic, or economic needs, or when the electing employee becomes incapable of carrying out his or her responsibilities and duties under this election. This right ends at the end of the Revocation Period.
G. Notwithstanding Subsection (C) of this Section, with respect to full-time academic administrators who hold faculty status, if the Eligible Employee’s return to faculty salary is not included in the individual’s current Unclassified Employment Agreement, offer letter, or other document, and the Provost has not determined an appropriate return-to-faculty salary, then any election forms submitted by such an Eligible Employee shall not be deemed made upon receipt of Human Resources as described in Subsection (C) of this Section V. In such cases, an election will be deemed made if and when (i) an appropriate return-to-faculty salary is determined as described in Section I(A), (ii) that return-to-faculty salary is communicated to the Eligible Employee, and (iii) Human Resources receives, by March 31, 2021, from the Eligible Employee written confirmation that they have been informed of the return-to-faculty salary and reaffirm their election to participate in the Plan. Notwithstanding Subsection (E) of this Section, such an Eligible Employee’s Revocation Period will start from the first day following the day the Eligible Employee submits the written confirmation described in the previous sentence and will end seven (7) calendar days later.