Shared Governance: Grievances Committee

Updated May 2020

Charge

The Grievance Committee serves as a hearing committee for individual faculty members who are unable to resolve grievances, after having consulted with those having administrative responsibility over them…."(Bylaws)

1. Serve as a hearing committee for individual faculty members or academic departments/programs who are unable to resolve grievances, after having consulted with those having administrative responsibility over them up to and including the chief academic officer of the university as outlined in Section 13 of the UF Handbook.
   1. Sections 13.1 and 13.2 of the Faculty Handbook state the types of grievances that may be appealed to the Grievance Committee, how the Committee makes a decision whether to hear a grievance, and the procedures and timelines that are to be followed.
   2. The Faculty Handbook (Section 13.4.3) provides guidelines for handling conflicts of interest check by Grievance Committee members prior to each grievance hearing, as well as for handling objections about Grievance Committee members from any other persons and a process for replacing member who have conflicts of interest.
   3. The Grievance Committee shall have the power to call witnesses and investigate evidence relevant to the case. The investigation shall be closed, with only the committee members and the testifying witnesses attending. When the grievant appears, they shall have the right to be assisted by another faculty member or an advocate.
   4. The committee’s investigation must be completed within twenty-five (25) school days unless there are exceptional circumstances. Permission to exceed the 25-class-day period must be approved by the UF Chair and explained to the grievant.
   5. At the end of its investigation, the Grievance Committee shall submit a report on the case to the President with copies to the Provost, the grievant, and the UF Chair.
2. Procedures governing faculty dismissal are outlined in SECTION 13 of the UF Handbook

Authority

This Committee has the following authority:

• "At the end of its investigation, the Grievances Committee shall submit a report on the case to the President with copies to the Provost, the appellant, and the UF Chair." (Bylaws)

Membership

This standing committee shall consist of four (4) tenured members of the UF and one (1) non-tenured member of the UF