Resources for Faculty

Approving Time-Off Requests

Graduate Student Exempt Leave System Instructions

Updated February 2026

To implement the leave provisions of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), PhD student bargaining unit members appointed to Research and Teaching Assistant (RTA) positions must submit time-off requests using the Graduate Student Exempt Leave System.

This system is the official mechanism for requesting, routing, approving, and documenting leave covered under the CBA.

This requirement applies to:

• Vacation leave
• Sick leave
• Bereavement leave

For Supervisors

Time-off requests submitted by unit members will route directly to the supervisor identified in the RTA appointment record.

Training & Instructions

• Manager Exempt Leave Training Video
• PowerPoint summary (download)

These materials provide a walkthrough of the approval process.

Questions?

Questions about leave eligibility or CBA provisions:
phdunioninfo@emory.edu

Technical questions about the Leave Tracking System:
RequestHRTS@emory.edu