Department Procedure to Report a Grievance related to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
The aim of this policy is to establish a procedure for the department to investigate, in a transparent manner, complaints related to diversity, equity and inclusion made against faculty, instructors and others with an instructional role in the department. Having an established mechanism to hear complaints will help the department nurture an inclusive and responsive environment.
Someone wishing to make a complaint should either:
· Directly contact the chair or a grievance committee member, who would then bring the complaint to the committee. The committee cannot investigate anonymous complaints, but only those where the complainant is willing to speak with the committee. Contact information for the chair and committee members is below.
· If you want to make an anonymous complaint, use the university BERT system, It is expected that the chair will discuss a pattern of anonymous complaints received through this system with any faculty member about whom such a pattern emerges.
The primary role of the committee is to hear the complainant in full. This listening, and allowing the complainant to be heard, is a key aspect of the committee’s role. Based on the nature of the complaint, the committee can then meet with relevant faculty to further fact find as needed. The committee should report their findings to the department chair, who would then decide next steps, should next steps be necessary to guarantee that standards of professional conduct are being met. The chair would also communicate the outcome of the process to the complainant. In the event that the chair is the faculty member being complained about, a chair pro tempore would fill the chair’s role in the grievance committee process. This would normally be the grievance committee chair.
This grievance process outlined here would not replace the normal process for addressing complaints about teaching, grades, division of work responsibilities between GTAs, etc, unless these complaints were being alleged as part of a pattern of discriminatory behavior. This process would also not supersede or replace a Title IX complaint or mandatory reporting responsibilities. Likewise, a Title IX complaint would also not take the place of this departmental process.
Contacts:
Department Chair, Melissa Blair - mab0122@auburn.edu
DEI Grievance Committee Members:
Ralph Kingston, Chair – rk@auburn.edu
Kate Craig – kmc0088@auburn.edu
Alan Meyer – adm0027@auburn.edu