USI Faculty Senate
Faculty Grievance and Hearing

The Faculty Grievance and Hearing Committee shall be composed of one faculty representative elected from each academic college. One alternate from each academic college shall also be elected.

All faculty representatives and alternates shall be chosen from among the tenured faculty. Members deeming themselves disqualified for bias, prejudice, or interest shall be removed from the case on their own initiative. In the event both representatives of a College are disqualified, one member shall be chosen from the remaining list of alternates.

In addition, the initiator and the respondent each may exclude one member from the slate of prospective committee members. The hearing may be conducted by a committee of no less than three members. In the event of a four-member committee, the chair of the committee, selected by the committee from its membership, shall be a non-voting member. The chair shall be responsible for conducting meetings and issuing all communication on behalf of the committee.

The Grievance and Hearing Committee serves the following functions:

• To provide a formal hearing for any faculty member whose grievance (as defined in Item III, Faculty and Academic Policies under Procedures for Amelioration and Reconciliation of a Grievance; I. Definitions) has not been resolved informally and who wishes a formal hearing before his/her peers;
  
  
• To ensure a fair, effective, and expeditious investigation. Recognizing the potential difficulty in conducting a hearing during the summer due to the unavailability of faculty, hearings will be conducted during the academic year; and
  
  
• To report its findings of the grievance to the Faculty Senate, who will transmit the findings to the initiator, the respondent, the provost and vice president for Academic Affairs and the president.