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Rule 1-021C: Abusive Conduct Reporting and Resolution Process for Faculty

Revision 1. Effective Date: March 8, 2022

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  1. Purpose and Scope

  2. Definitions

  3. Rule

    1. Process

    2. Initial Concern

    3. Formal Complaint (if not resolved above)

  4. Policies/ Rules, Procedures, Guidelines, Forms and other Related Resources

  5. References

  6. Contacts

  7. History

  1. ‌Purpose and Scope‌

    1. Purpose.

      To provide a reporting and resolution process that gives employees and University authorities the tools to resolve reports that a faculty member engaged in abusive conduct.

    2. Scope.

      This rule is applicable to all reports that a University faculty member engaged in abusive conduct.

  2. Definitions

    The definitions provided in Policy 1-021 apply for this rule.

  3. Rule

    1. Process

      1. The process for filing and resolving a formal complaint is governed by the Code of Faculty Rights and Responsibilities (6-316) and the Functions and Procedures of the Senate Consolidated Hearing Committee (6-011). Please see the full policies for specifics.

    2. Initial Concern

      1. As an initial step, affected persons may report their concerns to the relevant department chair/director and/or dean (unless either is the complainant or respondent). Please see the University directory to determine the appointment home of the faculty member.

      2. For questions or assistance, please reach out to the appropriate faculty office:

        1. For Academic Affairs: officeforfaculty@utah.edu

        2. For Health Sciences: officeforuofuhealthfaculty@hsc.utah.edu

    3. Formal Complaint (if not resolved above)

      1. After 30 days if initial concerns of abusive conduct have not been resolved, a formal complaint may be filed in the office of the cognizant Executive Vice President, depending on the department of the responding faculty member. If either Executive Vice President is the complainant or the respondent, the other Executive Vice President shall act under these rules. The cognizant Executive Vice President or their designee shall provide the responding faculty member with a copy of the complaint.

        1. Complaint Form

      2. Once received, in consultation with the appropriate dean(s) and chair/director (unless either is the complainant or respondent), the cognizant executive vice president or designee shall determine whether additional efforts at initial resolution are appropriate and, if so, shall take whatever steps are useful to that end. These steps may include delegation of the process to another person, meetings with the complainant and respondent, or any other processes that the executive vice president or designee thinks will assist in reaching a resolution.

      3. If additional efforts at initial resolution are inappropriate or are not successful within 30 days of the filing of the formal complaint, the executive vice president shall forward the complaint, with a description of efforts at attaining a resolution, to the Consolidated Hearing Committee and notify the respondent, the complainant, and the cognizant department chair/director and dean of the same. From this point forward, the office of the executive vice president shall be a party to the proceedings.

      4. If a complaint is referred to the Consolidated Hearing Committee, please see Policy 6-011 for the full hearing process.

        Sections IV- VII are for user information and are not subject to the approval of the Academic Senate or the Board of Trustees. The Institutional Policy Committee, the Policy Owner, or the Policy Officer may update these sections at any time.

  4. Policies/ Rules, Procedures, Guidelines, Forms and other Related Resources

    1. Policies/ Rules.

      1. Policy 1-021

      2. R1-021A

      3. R1-021B

    2. Procedures, Guidelines, and Forms. [ reserved ]

    3. Other Related Resources. [ reserved ]

  5. References

    1. Abusive Conduct Reporting Amendments (“ACRA”) is Utah Code Section 67-26- 101 et seq., Utah Public Employees Healthy Workplace Act, as amended

    2. Utah Board of Higher Education Rule R831

    3. School of Medicine Professional Conduct Policy for Faculty Professional Conduct of University of Utah Health Medical Providers Ethical Standards and Code of Conduct Handbook

    4. Policy 5-001: Personnel Definitions

    5. Policy 5-106: Equal Opportunity and Nondiscrimination in Employment

    6. Policy 5-111: Corrective Actions and Termination Policy for Staff

    7. Policy 5-205: Code of Conduct for Staff

    8. Policy 1-012: University Non-discrimination Policy

    9. Policy 6-309: Academic Staff, Educational Trainees, Postdoctoral Fellows and Medical Housestaff

    10. Policy 6-316: Code of Faculty Rights and Responsibilities

  6. Contacts

    The designated contact officials for this Regulation are

    1. Policy Owner(s) (primary contact person for questions and advice): Associate Vice President for Faculty (Academic Affairs) and the Associate Vice President for Faculty (Health Sciences).

    2. Policy Officer(s): Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Executive Vice President for Health Sciences

      See Rule 1-001 for information about the roles and authority of policy owners and policy officers.

  7. History

    Revision History.

    1. Current version. Revision 1.

      1. Effective date: March 8, 2022

      2. Legislative History

      3. Editorial Revisions

        a. Editorially revised August 25, 2025, to change title from senior vice president to executive vice president.

    2. Previous versions.

      1. Revision 0. January 1, 2021.

        1. Legislative History for Revision 0.

    3. Renumbering

      1. Not applicable

Last Updated: 9/2/25