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September 13, 2002
New conduct policy already seeing use
by Linda Charles
Peer review is one of the significant policy changes in the new faculty
conduct policy, which is being implemented this fall.
"A key element of the faculty conduct policy is that allegations of faculty
misconduct are reviewed by other faculty," said associate provost Susan
Carlson, who has been working to implement the policy. "That's very
important because faculty are in the best position to judge other faculty."
The new policy provides two avenues to pursue complaints -- informal
mediation or a formal process, which can result in minor or major sanctions.
"We hope most cases can be resolved through the mediation process and that
the formal process is used only for the most serious cases," said Jack
Girton, zoology and genetics, and chair of the Faculty Senate committee that
wrote the new policy.
Minor and major sanctions
When a formal complaint is filed, a faculty group will investigate the
charges and make recommendations of minor sanctions to the provost or major
sanctions to the university president. If the provost or president rejects
the recommendations, the official must meet with the faculty group for
further discussion before sanctions are imposed.
Minor sanctions include probation, suspension without pay for less than a
month, minor reassignment of duties, mandatory training, a probationary
period, letters of reprimand, restrictions on contact with the person filing
the complaint and reparations of less than $2,000.
Major sanctions include dismissal, suspension without pay for at least a
month, salary reduction, loss of graduate supervision privileges, cancelled
graduate college membership, removal of distinguished titles, reparations of
$2,000 or more and significant reassignment of duties.
Faculty serving on either the review board or sanction committee are
selected from a pool compiled by the senate and provost office staff.
Appointments to the pool are on a rotating, three-year basis.
"A lot of care went into assessing the diversity of the pool," Carlson said,
adding the pool of 25 faculty includes representatives from different
ethnicities, races, gender and disciplines. It includes both full and
associate professors, but not administrators.
Countdown to resolution
Deadlines for completing the formal process is another important part of the
new policy, Girton said.
"A great concern of the faculty in the past was timing," Girton said. "They
would launch a complaint and then nothing would happen for a long time."
Under the new policy, a case that could result in minor sanctions generally
should be resolved in about 75 working days from the time the complaint is
filed, while a case that could result in major sanctions should take about
135 days from the time the complaint is filed. In both cases, extensions
occasionally may be granted.
In general, the conduct policy covers:
- Personal misconduct (abuse of power, sexual harassment,
inappropriate consenting relationships, nepotism and criminal or violent
acts).
- Academic misconduct (falsification of data, plagiarism,
misappropriation of others' ideas, falsification of credentials or
intentional misrepresentations of truth in teaching).
- Professional misconduct (mismanagement of funds, misappropriation of
equipment or university facilities, intentional deception or failure to
report conflict of interest).
Policy in effect
Currently, two complaints have been filed under the new formal review
process, Carlson said. So far, no complaints have gone to mediation.
The new policy does not replace other university policies, such as the
sexual harassment policy, Carlson noted.
And it's not a remedy for all problems, Girton said. For example,
disagreements over administrative actions, such as salary adjustments or
teaching assignments, should go through the university appeal process.
Disagreements over issues such as tenure denial should go to the Faculty
Senate Judiciary and Appeals Council.
Components of the new faculty conduct policy
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