Part I. – ACCESS TO PERSONNEL AND FACULTY FILES

Section 1.

1. In accordance with state law, faculty members may inspect their personnel file if such a request is made in writing to Human Resources. Personnel files are maintained in Human Resources. A faculty member may petition Human Resources to remove information from the personnel file that they believe to be inaccurate.  If Human Resources declines do so, the faculty member may place a rebuttal statement in the personnel file.
2. Confidential information regarding a member of the university’s faculty, such as evaluative material prepared by colleagues and others, is not normally maintained in the faculty member’s personnel file. Such material may be placed in faculty files maintained by the president, the provost, the dean of the member’s school or division, and/or the chair of the faculty member’s department. This material is not subject to regular access by the faculty member. A faculty member who is concerned about confidential information in their faculty file should contact the provost. The provost or president may authorize access to information in these files. A faculty member may petition the provost to remove information from the faculty file that they believe to be inaccurate.  If the provost declines to do so, the faculty member may petition the Conciliation Committee and/or place a rebuttal statement in the faculty file.
3. Any request from third parties for any information contained in a faculty member’s personnel file, faculty file, or other confidential files, must be made through the president. Persons who are not connected with the university shall not have access to any personnel file, faculty file, or other confidential files except where access is required by law, or with written permission from both the individual faculty member concerned and the president.
4. In cases where certain committees, because of their functions, may require relevant information from a faculty member’s personnel file, faculty file, or other confidential files, such information may be made available at the discretion or direction of the provost or the president. Deans and chairs may request to review the personnel file, faculty file, or other confidential files of a faculty member in their unit.
5. In no case shall any information be copied or taken from a personnel file, faculty file, or other confidential files except with written permission from the provost or president.