Williams College Employee Handbook
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Discrimination Grievance Procedures
Advising Procedure
Whenever someone has experienced an incident that could be a form of discrimination, talking about the incident soon thereafter with a trusted advisor or friend can be helpful. Members of the College community such as health staff and counselors, assistant and associate deans, human resources officers, chaplains, and the Affirmative Action Officer are available for consultation. Among them are a number of people who have training in sexual harassment counseling. This group includes also two faculty, two staff, and two student advisors appointed yearly by the President, who invites nominations from the community. The names of the College advisors are listed in print and online in the Student Handbook; Williams College Bulletin, Catalog edition; The Williams Directory; the pamphlet on sexual discrimination, Understanding Sexual Harassment; and the websites of the Dean of the College and the Vice President for Strategic Planning and Institutional Diversity. Their names are also published semi-annually online in the Daily Messages and printed in the Daily Advisor.
A student, faculty, or staff member who seeks advice on matters related to discrimination is free to consult with any of the College’s advisors. Depending on the wishes of the advisee, the advisor’s role may include any of the following informational or supportive activities: listening to and discussing the incident with the advisee; helping the advisee decide whether to try to resolve the situation on her or his own; helping the advisee understand the College’s discrimination grievance procedures. The advisee may choose at any point not to pursue the matter any further, and the College is not required to take any further action during the advising phase, except when in its judgment the circumstances present a danger to the individual or to others. Advising activities of this kind are not part of the actual discrimination grievance procedures, which require that a complaint be officially filed, as described in the Informal Grievance Procedure below. Only complaints that do proceed to the informal stage are certain to come to the attention of the appropriate authorities. The advisor keeps no record of the consultation. A person who feels discriminated against may proceed directly to the informal grievance procedure, whether or not he or she has consulted an advisor.
Should the advisee decide to proceed, the advisor’s role may also include accompanying the advisee (now the complainant) through any subsequent College discrimination grievance procedures, should he or she want the advisor present. The respondent may also consult with any of the College advisors, except the one chosen by the complainant. The advisor’s role continues to be that of a facilitator who provides information and support. The complainant may bring a draft of the statement of allegations (see Informal Grievance Procedure, paragraph 2) to the advisor to consult about how to express clearly what he or she wishes to say. The respondent, should he or she proceed to the appeal stage, may similarly consult with a College advisor about the statement of reasons for the appeal. The advisor may discuss procedural matters with the executive officers involved in the case, but may not investigate, or attempt to mediate or resolve the complaint. Like all other participants, the advisor is expected to respect the confidentiality of the proceedings.
Discrimination Grievance Procedures
Faculty Handbook . | . Administrative Staff Handbook . | . Support Staff Handbook
