Case Example for Presentation #1 (10:00-11:00)

1. Case Example for Presentation #1 (10:00-11:00) • Late Sunday evening, a UIC Department Head receives an email from a student requesting a meeting. The Head agrees to meet with the student the following afternoon. The student reports that her professor has been late in grading assignments, appears disorganized in class, and, on one occasion, has embarrassed one of her peers by calling him “sweetie” in a way that felt embarrassing and inappropriate. The Head thanks the student for the feedback and tells the student that the situation will be addressed. The Head then calls the faculty member in for a meeting, and the faculty member denies the student’s allegations and provides her syllabus and access to her blackboard site, which has a grid of grades and a history of all of the powerpoints that have accompanied her lectures thus far. The Head decides to leave the situation alone and to trust the report and documentation from the faculty member. • Three months later, the Head receives a phone call from the partner of the faculty member. During a camping trip over the weekend, the faculty member was speeding down a ravine road on her bicycle, hit a pot hole, and sustained serious injuries in a fall, including a head injury. The Head arranges for the faculty member to take FMLA leave and, after a two-month rehabilitation period, the faculty member is granted permission from University Health Services to return to work. Shortly after her return to work, the Head begins to receive complaints from students, and notices erratic attendance and behavior during departmental faculty meetings. Another faculty member, who has gotten into a conflict with this individual, confides to the head that she does not “feel safe” around this individual because she witnessed her slam her office door last week. At one point, there is an allegation about a smell of alcohol on the faculty member’s breath. What should the department head do next?

2. Case Example for Presentation #2 (11:00-11:30) • A Department Head submitted a transaction request to reduce the salary of his Director of Operations. As justification he tells the Dean that the Director has refused to follow through on job duties and is argumentative, questioning every decision and directive she is given. When the Dean points out that the Head and Director have worked together without complaint for the prior 3 years, the Head admits there have been issues with the Director all along, but things have gotten progressively worse and recently escalated to a point where the work is not getting done. The Dean suggests issuing a terminal contract, rather than pay reduction. As an Academic Professional with 10 years continuous service, the employee has 12 month notice rights. The terminal contract is issued. • 2 months after issuing the T-contract, the Head approaches the Dean and requests a replacement for the Director position. The Head states the Director has simply stopped coming to work without notice or reason and the work is piling up. The Dean is concerned and sends a letter to the Director to return to work, request time off, or otherwise explain her absences. The Director responds by calling the Dean and informing him that she is issuing a complaint with the Ethics office and OBFS as well as OAE against the faculty member. Stunned, the Dean asks for the basis of the complaint. The Director states that she questioned expenses and purchases made by the Head because she suspected some of the purchases and expenses were for the faculty member’s personal use. The Head became hostile, and after confronting him, he screamed at her to do her job or else. She refused to process the transactions and within a few weeks was issued the terminal contract notice in retaliation. She refuses to return to work, stating she will not participate in theft and as a whistleblower and is fearful of additional retaliation.