FAS Committee to Review Conduct Policies and Procedures

Please see Dean Gay’s April 11, 2022 letter to the FAS faculty, sharing the report of the FAS Committee to Review Conduct Policies and Procedures. 

The FAS Committee to Review Conduct Policies and Procedures (CRCPP) (member list here) is charged with undertaking a three-part review.

First, CRCPP is charged with gathering feedback from FAS students, faculty, researchers, and staff concerning the “Interim FAS Policies and Procedures Addressing Title IX Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment and Other Sexual Misconduct.” These interim policies and procedures went into effect on September 14, 2020 in response to the U.S. Department of Education’s May 2020 Title IX regulations.

Second, CRCPP is charged with thoroughly reviewing and recommending to Dean Gay any changes or further supplements to the FAS’s “Interim FAS Policies and Procedures Addressing Title IX Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment and Other Sexual Misconduct.” In particular, elements of the interim FAS policies and procedures extend and expand on the University policies and procedures. The CRCPP is charged with reviewing the FAS-specific policies and procedures and recommending any changes or further supplements. This review gives the FAS an opportunity to, as needed, further extend and expand on the two University policies in consideration of the FAS’s context and needs. This is also an opportunity to thoughtfully draw on all the lessons learned since the FAS’s 2015 development of policies and procedures in this area.

Third, CRCPP is charged with comprehensively reviewing FAS faculty professional conduct policies that fall beyond the scope of sexual and gender-based harassment and other sexual misconduct and with making recommendations to the FAS Dean. CRCPP will conduct an inventory of these disparate policies, assess them, and recommend a clear and coherent FAS faculty professional conduct policy (or policies), with a goal of eliminating any internal inconsistencies, redundancy, or ambiguity. CRCPP is also tasked with recommending to the FAS Dean policies in important areas where it judges that there is a lack. Subject to the committee’s judgment, this may or may not include policies pertaining to bullying, retaliation unrelated to sexual or gender-based harassment or other sexual misconduct, racial discrimination, or other matters.

In this third area of its charge, CRCPP will not address policies governed by federal or state regulations, and it will not address research misconduct or conflicts of interest, which are governed by other University and FAS policies. CRCPP’s review will include (and is not limited to) policies and procedures such as the FAS Professional Conduct Policy (see Chapter 2, Section F2, in the FAS Appointment and Promotion Handbook) and the “Conduct” guidelines for FAS instructors (available in Information for Faculty Offering Instruction in Arts and Sciences).

CRCPP’s work in all three areas of its charge will help to bring clarity to FAS values and expectations concerning sexual and gender-based harassment, other forms of sexual misconduct, and unprofessional conduct.

The committee, which will be composed of FAS faculty, staff, and students, will consult with the FAS community, as appropriate.