Rensselaer’s guideline for administering the Parental leave for faculty is mirrored after the guidelines of the Federal Family Medical Leave Act.  The Federal guideline states ‘twelve weeks unpaid leave in a 12-month period as selected by the employer in an FMLA’.  Rensselaer has extended its Parental Leave Policy for one full semester with the possibility of extension to a second full semester. Additionally, the Federal Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) addresses the issue of two partners employed for the same organization. In this case only one Rensselaer family member may avail themselvesof the extended parental leave benefit. Rensselaer has now made a parental leave benefit available to a wider range of employees by including the graduate student population.