General Policy: Any eligible member of the faculty may seek redress for a grievance against an administrator through use of the two-step Faculty Grievance Procedure. The first step, following efforts at resolution at the department, school, or campus level, is to contact the chair of the Senate Tenure and Academic Freedom Committee (TAFC) for informal mediation. If that mediation is unsuccessful, the second step is to file a written complaint with the Provost.

Eligibility: The following persons are eligible to use the Faculty Grievance Procedure: (1) all full-time faculty, (2) all part-time tenured or tenure-stream faculty, and (3) librarians with faculty status. Research associates, whom the University excludes from faculty status, are not eligible to use this procedure.

Definitions: A grievance is an action or decision that has adversely affected a member of the faculty in his or her professional capacity that appears to have occurred or been reached unfairly, improperly, or in violation of University policy.

The definition of grievance does not include:

1. sexual harassment, discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, marital status, familial status, sexual orientation, disability or status as a disabled veteran or a veteran of the Vietnam era, and violations of academic freedom or of proper procedures associated with appointment, tenure or promotion decisions, all of which are subjects of University policy;
    
2. dissatisfaction with existing University policies (only misapplications of policy as to specific individuals are grievances within this policy);
    
3. negative evaluations of an individual faculty member's professional work (negative evaluations that constitute violations of academic freedom are within the jurisdiction of TAFC);
    
4. dissatisfaction with a salary decision, except as a salary decision or set of salary decisions is part of a pattern of conduct that as a whole rises to the level of grievance.

Time for Filing: In the normal case, this process should be invoked no later than 90 days after the incident, or after the most recent incident in a pattern of incidents. A person who has made a good faith effort to solve a problem at the department, school, or campus level, however, should not be cut off from this grievance procedure if the attempts stretch beyond 90 days.

For additional information, refer to University Policy 02-03-01 and University Procedure 02-03-02,  Faculty Grievances

Alternative Policy: Any member of the faculty may seek redress for a grievance against certain actions by an administrator not covered by other University policies by using an alternative method, as outlined in University Policy 02-03-01A, Faculty Grievances/Alternative Policy, and University Procedure 02-03-01A, Faculty Grievances/Alternative Procedure. Selection of this procedure under this policy shall be exclusive and, except as provided for in the limited circumstances specified in the policy, once the procedure is selected by the eligible faculty member, that faculty member shall not be permitted to seek redress under Policy 02-03-01 for the same grievance.

For specific information, refer to University Policy 02-03-01A  and University Procedure 02-03-01A,  Faculty Grievances/Alternative Policy.