The campus maintains a faculty committee for the resolution of salary grievances and oversight of the appeals process. These grievances involve career merit concerns. The appeal process is a multi-step process. Each department or primary unit is required to maintain a written policy that describes the evaluation and appeal process within the unit. Copies of these procedures are to be kept on record at the department, dean, and vice chancellor levels. In short, appeals can only be based on a faculty member's salary and may not be based solely on an annual raise. Equity claims must be based on the salaries of other faculty members in the unit as a whole. If the faculty member is equitably paid in comparison with most other faculty members of similar career merit, the faculty member may not base a claim of inequity on the salary of a single member whose salary is unusually high with respect to that group. Claims cannot be made based on a comparison of salaries of faculty members outside the grievant's primary unit.

Members of the committee will be outgoing members of the Vice Chancellor’s Advisory Committee (VCAC). It is chaired by the Associate Vice Chancellor for Faculty Affairs. Members of the committee will serve for one calendar year. These members may also serve on the Provost’s Advisory Committee during the same time period. This committee is staffed by the Assistant to the Associate Vice Chancellor for Faculty Affairs. SEAC meets as needed. This committee will review any appeal regarding salary equity that has not been resolved at either the primary unit or college/school level. It makes a recommendation to the Provost.

Provost’s Advisory Committee (PAC)

The Provost’s Advisory Committee hears particular grievances that have not been resolved at a lower level. The Provost’s Grievance Procedure may be used only in one of the following special circumstances:

  1. The grievant alleges that an action taken by his or her dean violates an applicable school or college policy

  2. No applicable grievance policy exists at the department, school, college, or campus level

  3. The grievant alleges that a grievance process employed at the department or school/college level was conducted improperly

Within five (5) working days of receipt of a request for a hearing, the Provost shall refer the grievance to the Provost’s Advisory Committee.

The Provost’s Advisory Committee is composed of those former members of Vice Chancellor’s Advisory Committee (VCAC) who have completed their term the prior May; if fewer than five members of VCAC meet this criterion, additional members will be appointed by the Associate Vice Chancellor for Faculty Affairs in consultation with the Provost and the ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ Faculty Assembly. The committee thus constituted will elect one of its members as chair. While the Associate Vice Chancellor for Faculty Affairs convenes the PAC, s/he does not meet with the committee and does not join in their deliberations. The PAC will be staffed by the Assistant to the Associate Vice Chancellor for Faculty Affairs who staffs the VCAC. PAC meets as needed.

The PAC determines whether an appeal meets the above criteria. If it does, they review the case and make a recommendation to the Provost.