Williams College Employee Handbook

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Procedures for Imposition of Sanctions on Faculty Other Than Dismissal

These procedures are modeled on Regulation 6, "Recommended Institutional Regulations" of the AAUP (AAUP Policy Documents and Reports, 2006 ed., p. 27).

Major Sanctions

If the administration believes that the conduct of a faculty member, although not constituting adequate cause for dismissal, is sufficiently grave to justify the imposition of a major sanction such as suspension from service for a stated period, the administration may institute a proceeding to impose such a major sanction. The procedures for holding a formal hearing for a proposed major sanction and for constituting the hearing committee are described in Termination for Cause and Dismissal or Sanction Hearing Guidelines.

Minor Sanctions

If the administration believes that the conduct of a faculty member may justify the imposition of a minor sanction, such as a reprimand, warning, or restriction for a limited period of time on the kinds of teaching and advising roles in which the faculty member may serve, the Dean of the Faculty will undertake an inquiry into the allegations giving rise to such a belief, unless the allegations involve discriminatory behavior. In the latter case, the Discrimination Grievance Procedures apply. In all other cases, should the Dean of the Faculty decide to proceed to the imposition of such a minor sanction, he or she will provide the faculty member with an opportunity to present a case against its imposition. The Dean of the Faculty will consider the matter further and report his or her finding and proposed sanction(s), if any, to the faculty member in writing and within one week of hearing the faculty member's case.

Appeal of Sanction

Should the faculty member believe that the finding is unwarranted or that the sanction is unjust or that the sanction is major, and therefore should not be imposed without benefit of the type of procedures referred to in paragraph 1 above, he or she may appeal the Dean of the Faculty's* decision to a hearing committee.

*In cases involving discrimination, the phrase "the Dean of the Faculty," both here and in the paragraphs that follow, should be taken to mean "the executive officers."

The hearing committee shall be appointed by the Faculty Steering Committee and shall consist of three members drawn from the Steering Committee or, in the case that fewer than three members of the Steering Committee are eligible, from the Faculty Review Panel.** Any member of the Steering Committee or the Faculty Review Panel potentially affected by bias or conflict of interest will be deemed ineligible for the hearing committee, either by the member's own initiative or at the request of either party to the case.
**In cases involving discrimination, members of the Faculty Review Panel who served on the grievance committee are not eligible to serve on the hearing committee.

Prior to the hearing, the committee will receive from the Dean of the Faculty a copy of the report of his or her finding(s) and proposed sanction(s). It will also receive, from the faculty member, a written statement of the grounds for the appeal.

The committee will proceed with its hearing informally and in private, keeping its proceedings confidential and resolving by majority vote, if necessary, any issues relating to procedural matters or to its ultimate findings.

The hearing committee shall report its decision within two weeks of the termination of its hearings. Should it reject the grounds for the appeal it will so inform the faculty member in writing, with a copy forwarded to the Dean of the Faculty. Should it find the grounds for the appeal compelling, it will make a formal recommendation to the President.

The President's resolution of the case shall be final, and he or she shall report the final resolution, in writing, to the hearing committee, the Dean of the Faculty, and the faculty member.

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