Institutional Complaints

Faculty Code of Conduct

Policy and procedure for faculty members alleged to have violated the Faculty Code of Conduct can be found in HOP policy 02-308.

Misconduct in scholarly or creative activities

Policy and procedure for university employees alleged to have violated university standards in scholarly or creative activities can be found in HOP policy 02-314.

Faculty performance evaluation disputes

Policy and procedure for faculty members to resolve disputes regarding their performance evaluations can be found in HOP policy 02-316.

Faculty disagreements with administrative decisions

Policy and procedure for faculty members to resolve disagreements concerning administrative decisions or other disputes can be found in HOP policy 02-310.

Tenure and continued employment

Policy and procedure related to the granting or denial of tenure and the renewal or nonrenewal of a contract can be found in HOP policy 02-320.

Financial conflicts of interest in research or sponsored activities

Policy and procedure regarding disputes concerning financial conflicts of interest in research or other sponsored activities can be found in HOP policy 02-405.

Research misconduct

Policy and procedure regarding research misconduct can be found in HOP policy 02-411.

For non-academic staff: Appealing actions related to employment

Policy and procedure for nonacademic staff employees to appeal actions taken with respect to their employment can be found in HOP policy 03-305.

Policy and procedure for individuals who believe they have been subjected to any type of discrimination (excluding sexual harassment or other forms of sexual misconduct) can be found in HOP policy 01-305.

Policy and procedure for individuals who believe they have been subject to sexual harassment or other forms of sexual misconduct can be found in HOP policy 01-307

Additional sources of help and support can be found on the Lumberjacks Care website.

Any employee or third party who can demonstrate that they have been subject to adverse treatment due to a lack of adherence to university policy or procedure by university personnel may express dissatisfaction and seek resolution.

As a first step, the employee or third party must seek to resolve the issue directly with the aggrieving university representative (staff member, faculty member or administrator).

If a satisfactory resolution cannot be reached between the employee or third party and university representative, or if extenuating circumstances prevent direct communication, the employee or third party should contact the university representative's direct supervisor (office supervisor, department chair or academic dean).

Escalation points for issues with a faculty member

• Professor
• Department chair/director
• Associate dean of the college
• Dean of the college
• Associate provost
• Provost

Escalation points for issues with a staff member

• Staff member
• Department supervisor
• Division leader

If, after diligent communication through the chain of command, a satisfactory resolution cannot be reached, a formal grievance may be filed following the procedures as outlined in Stage II.

You always can seek guidance from the Office of the General Counsel at 936.468.4305 or ogc@sfasu.edu.

Employees or third parties may file a formal, written grievance only after informal resolution strategies have been pursued following Stage I procedures.

Formal grievances must be in writing using the formal institutional grievance form and filed within 30 university business days of the university action creating the employee's or third party's concern.

Upon submission, the formal, written grievance will be routed to the appropriate administrator for review.

Response time

The administrator will notify the employee or third party of its receipt and has 20 university business days to provide a written response. For grievances filed between semesters, additional response time may be necessary to allow for availability of the relevant parties. When additional time is necessary, employees or third parties will be advised in writing of the estimated time for response within 20 university business days of receipt of the grievance.

You can print a Formal Institutional Grievance Form to complete and provide to the Office of the General Counsel. In addition, you can email ogc@sfasu.edu or you can contact the Office of the General Counsel at 936.468.4305.

Questions regarding complaints not detailed above should be referred to the Office of the General Counsel at ogc@sfasu.edu for forwarding to the appropriate department.