Senate Doc #4189S

                                                 Approved   3/30/89



        FACULTY WELFARE DOCUMENT #5, 1988-89

        AMENDMENTS TO SENATE DOCUMENT #9, 1983-84







                                 Senate Document #9

                                      1982-83

                           GRIEVANCE COMMITTEE PROCEDURE





        I.  Committee Organization



        1.  [Delete:  Upon receipt of a grievance petition, the chairman

        shall within one week summons the committee to meet.  If no

        chairman exists, then the faculty members with the longest service

        at the institution shall assemble the committee.] The Grievance

        Committee shall organize itself within one week of the Fall Faculty

        Meeting.  The Secretary of the Senate shall call the initial

        meeting and preside over the election of a chair and secretary.

        After this meeting, the Secretary of the Senate will report the

        results of the election to the faculty.  



        2.  [Delete:  At its initial meeting, the committee shall elect a

        chairman and shall provide for recording of minutes.] Upon the

        receipt of a grievance petition, the chair shall, within one week,

        summons the committee to meet.  



        3.  Any committee member who is a party to the grievance or who is

        in the same academic department as the petitioner(s) shall be

        disqualified from hearing the grievance.  In addition, a faculty

        member who feels he or she has a conflict of interest may, after

        consultation with the Chair of the Grievance Committee and the

        Chair of the Faculty Senate, be disqualified.  



        4.  [Delete:  New members replace outgoing members as of the date

        of the first faculty meeting of the school year.] The Grievance

        Committee shall assume its duties at the beginning of the Academic

        year and shall continue in those duties until the new committee is

        formed the following year.  



        II.  Initial Screening 

             NO CHANGES 



        III.  Mediation 



        The Grievance Committee may [Delete:  at its discretion or ] upon

        request and agreement of the involved parties, first attempt to

        mediate the dispute without initiating a formal inquiry.

        Authorization for this procedure is found in the Tenure Policies,

        Section VII, C, paragraph 2, which permits the Committee to

        "mediate voluntary adjustment by the parties .  .  ." This

        procedure can be used in instances requiring dispatch, in cases

        where disagreements need adjustment, and when requested by the

        petitioners.  Proceeding with mediation does not prejudice the case

        against a later formal grievance inquiry, which may be used where


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        mediation is unsuccessful.  

             NO CHANGES NEXT TWO PARAGRAPHS 





        IV.  The Formal Inquiry 



        After conducting an initial screening, the committee may, based on

        the petition and the amplifying details uncovered, decide by

        majority vote that the petition warrants a formal inquiry.  The

        formal inquiry should begin within forty days of the receipt of the

        petition unless all parties agree in writing to an extension or the

        grievance is filed within forty days of spring commencement.  



        NO CHANGES TO THE REST OF DOCUMENT.  



        V.  FORM FOR FILING A GRIEVANCE [See attached.] 



        Effective date:  Fall 1989 



                 -------------------------------------------------



        Rationale:  



             The changes all serve to make the operation of the committee

        smoother.  The organizational meeting in the fall facilitated by

        the Secretary of the Senate will not only serve to elect a Chair

        but also to ascertain if the elected members are still eligible to

        serve.  The time limits on starting a Formal Inquiry are to limit

        the Mediation Phase of the grievance procedure.  A standard form

        should allow faculty to assemble the proper documents necessary to

        the committee to deal with a grievance complaint.  


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