CAREERS

Nepotism

Revision date of this archived policy: July 11, 2002

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19.1	Policy The University of Kentucky recognizes the advantage of employing members of the family of current employees. However, although relatives are permitted to work in the same area, limitations have been defined in the second and third paragraphs of Part X.A of the Governing Regulations, as follows: "Members of the Board of Trustees, except those elected to the Board as faculty, staff, or student representatives, and relatives of any member of the Board of Trustees are ineligible for employment at the University. "Relatives," as used above, include parents and children, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, brothers- and sisters-in law, mothers- and fathers-in-law, uncles, aunts, nieces and nephews, sons- and daughters-in-law, and step-relatives in the same relationships. Employment includes regular and temporary full- and part-time employment, including student work-study and graduate assistant programs. No relative of the President shall be employed in a position at the University. Similarly, no relative of the Provost, or any Vice President, or any Associate Provost or Associate Vice President shall be employed in a position in that officer’s administrative area. Waiver of the above regulation may be permitted by the Board of Trustees on a stated temporary basis, not to exceed two years, when it is otherwise impossible practicably to fill a position with a fully qualified person. The same individual shall not be eligible for reappointment under the terms of this exception unless approval is given by the Board of Trustees. No relative of any administrative officer of the University, or of any member of the University faculty, may be appointed to any position in the University over which the related officer or staff member exercises supervisory or line authority. Employment of relatives within the same department or division shall be approved specifically by the Provost or senior vice president as appropriate. "Relatives," as used above, include parents and children, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, brothers- and sisters-in law, mothers- and fathers-in-law, uncles, aunts, nieces and nephews, sons- and daughters-in-laws, and step-relatives in the same relationships. The employment of relatives of University employees, as described in this paragraph, whose relationship was not a violation of this section of the Governing Regulations prior to its amendment on April 10, 1984, does not constitute a violation of the amended policy provided the relatives are regular employees of the University and remain in the University employment positions which they held on April 10, 1984. However, the transfer of any such employees described in this paragraph (whose employment relationship was not a violation of policy prior to its amendment on April 10, 1984) to any other regular University position shall require approval of the President."
	19.1.1	If the marriage of a staff employee would create a family relationship which would violate this policy, one (1) of the individuals shall resign, or transfer by the end of the fiscal year, or within six (6) months from the date of marriage, whichever is the longer period (see 19.3). If neither party resigns or transfers, the last hired individual shall be separated from employment at the end of the fiscal year, or the end of six (6) months from the date of marriage, whichever is the longer period.
	19.1.2	If a transfer of a staff employee would cause a relative to supervise another family member, which would violate this policy, the options of transfer, resignation, or separation from employment cited in 19.1.1 would apply.
	19.1.3	This policy applies to all staff employees at the University, regardless of employment status.
	19.1.4	In this policy, “relatives” includes relatives by blood or marriage.
19.2	Delegation The department head is responsible for verifying that employment or transfer into or within the department shall not cause a violation of this policy.
19.3	Procedure Requests for waivers allowed under the Governing Regulations shall be forwarded to the Director for Human Resource Services for processing through appropriate channels to the Board of Trustees.

All archived versions of this policy

revised 08/22/2012

revised 08/21/2007

revised 08/15/2006

revised 05/04/2006

revised 04/01/2006

revised 07/11/2002

revised 04/01/1990

revised 10/11/2013

revised 12/03/2013