Work/Life | Taking Care of Business... Your Family & Yourself

Child Care
The UW-L Campus Child Center provides care for the children of University of Wisconsin-La Crosse students, staff and faculty. They have built and maintained a reputation for providing quality care to the families they serve. The Center is licensed by the State of Wisconsin to care for children ages 1 through 12 and accredited by the National Academy of Early Childhood Programs.

Family and Medical Leave
Employees may take up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave each year for specified family and medical reasons (depending on circumstances, after meeting eligibility requirements for their category of employment). Paid leave may be substituted in some situations. Learn more by contacting the Human Resources Office (785-8013).

Helping Others
Under the catastrophic medical leave program, University employees may voluntarily donate their unused vacation, personal and floating holidays, and “banked” leave to peers who have exhausted all their paid leave, but require additional time off for medical reasons. Contact Human Resources (785-8013) to learn more.

Sick Leave Benefits
Faculty, academic staff, and limited title employees with qualifying appointments receive an initial 22-day allocation of sick leave. After 18 months, 1 sick day per month or 6 days per semester (prorated if part time) are allocated.

Classified staff employees accumulate 5 hours of sick leave for each 80 hours of pay (every two weeks) or 16.25 days per year (pro-rated if part-time).

Note that faculty, academic staff and limited title employees are also allowed use of their sick leave to care for sick partners or family members, including their children. Classified staff are allowed to use their leave to care for a sick spouse or family member, including their children.

Contact the Human Resources Office (785-8013) for a description of your benefits given your specific type of appointment, or learn more at:

Tower Cards
The TowerCard is the official university identification card and offers a variety of options that enhance campus life by providing you with convenience, flexibility, and safety. The most commonly used feature of the TowerCard is the optional flexible debit account called Tower Tender. It is convenient and allows for flexibility, as you do not have to carry cash. Tower Tender also provides a cost savings since sales tax is not charged on food items. Learn more at:

Vacation and Holidays
UW-L offers annually, up to 22 paid vacation days, 9 legal holidays, and 3.5 personal days for faculty and academic staff employees with qualifying full-time, year-round appointments.

Classified employees with full-time permanent or project positions begin earning annual leave on their first day in pay status. After completing the first 6 months of employment, the employees are eligible for annual leave based on their seniority date as follows:

1-5 years 80 hours
5-10 years 120 hours
10-15 years 136 hours
15-20 years 160 hours
20-25 years 176 hours
25 + years 200 hours

Classified employees can learn more about the benefits appropriate to their specific type of appointment at:

Unclassifed employees should consult:

Both groups of employees can obtain additional information from the Human Resources Office (785-8013).

Transportation Options
All UW-L employees can purchase an MTU bus pass that gives unlimited use on any MTU route throughout the greater La Crosse area. UW-L bus passes are $60 per year. Learn more at: