Spectrum - Volume 20 Issue 04 September 18, 1997 - Commissions invite comment on severe-sanctions draft

A non-profit publication of the Office of the University Relations of Virginia Tech,
including The Conductor , a special section of the Spectrum printed 4 times a year

Commissions invite comment on severe-sanctions draft

Introduction by Pat Hyer, associate provost

Spectrum Volume 20 Issue 04 - September 18, 1997

A recommendation for a "severe sanction" was identified in the post-tenure-review policy (PTR) as one of the possible outcomes of a peer review of persistent unsatisfactory performance. During 1996-97, the Commission on Faculty Affairs defined the term "severe sanctions" and the process for imposing such sanctions in the context of post-tenure review. The Board of Visitors approved the recommended changes in the PTR policy at its August meeting.

The commission is now addressing severe sanctions in contexts other than PTR, such as serious violations of university policy, unethical behavior, sexual harassment, or scholarly misconduct. Introduction of such language is an important addition to the Faculty Handbook which currently does not define sanctions less than dismissal for cause, nor what process should be used in imposing a sanction in cases where serious violations of university policy have been reported, investigated, and validated.

The proposed language uses the same definition for severe sanctions as approved in the case of post-tenure review, and the same process for imposing the sanctions. As recommended by AAUP, the proposed process follows the same steps and appeal procedures as dismissal for cause (see section 2.11.1 of the Faculty Handbook ). The text of the proposed new section for the Faculty Handbook is below.

PROPOSED TEXT APPLICABLE TO

INSTRUCTIONAL FACULTY AND