Nepotism

Purpose

The University recognizes the advantage of employing members of family of current employees. Employment, for purposes of this policy, includes regular, temporary, student work-study and graduate assistant programs.

Policy

Relatives are permitted to work in the same area with the following limitations.

1) Members of the Board of Trustees and relatives of any member of the Board are ineligible for employment at the University.

2) No relative of the President shall be employed at the University.

3) No relatives of the Provost, an Executive Vice President, a Vice President, an Associate Provost, or an Associate Vice President shall be employed at the University in their respective administrative areas.

Note: Waiver of the above may be permitted by the Board of Trustees on a temporary basis, not to exceed two years, when it is otherwise impossible 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.

4) Relatives of administrative officers, faculty and staff members may not be appointed to any position over which the respective officer, faculty or staff member may have a supervisory line of authority or exercises supervisory line of authority.

Definition of relatives: Parents, children, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, brothers- and sisters- in law, mothers- and fathers- in law, uncles, aunts, nieces, nephews, sons- and daughters-in law and half- or step-relatives in the same relationships.

5) Employment of relatives within the same department or division shall be approved by the Provost or the appropriate Executive Vice President.

Note: The University’s Governing Regulations further define certain parameters of this policy.

6) If the marriage or transfer of a staff employee creates a violation of this policy, one of the individuals shall resign or transfer by the end of the fiscal year or within six months from the date of marriage or transfer, whichever is the longer period. If neither party resigns or transfers, the last hired individual shall be separated from employment.

7) The University strongly urges those in positions of authority not to engage in conduct of an amorous or sexual nature with a person they are, or are likely in the future to be, in a position of evaluating. The existence of a power difference may restrict the less powerful individual's freedom to participate willingly in the relationship.

If one of the parties in an apparently welcomed amorous or sexual relationship must evaluate the performance of the other person, the relationship must be reported to the dean, department chair or supervisor so that suitable arrangements can be made for an objective evaluation of the student or employee.

 

Process

1) The department head is responsible for verifying that employment or transfer within the department shall not cause a violation of this policy.

2) Requests for waivers of this policy allowed under the Governing Regulations shall be forwarded to the Associate Vice President of Human Resources for processing through the appropriate channels to the Board of Trustees.