| Title: | Policy on Familial Relationships and Teaching [1] |
|---|---|
| Policy Owner: | Office of the Provost |
| Applies to: | Faculty, Instructors, Students |
| Campus Applicability: | All Programs at all campuses, except UConn Health |
| Effective Date: | May 15, 2015 |
| For More Information, Contact | Office of the Provost |
| Contact Information: | (860) 486-4037 |
| Official Website: | http://provost.uconn.edu/ |
Scope
This policy governs conflicts of interest in teaching that may arise due to familial relationships among members of the University community.
Definitions
Familial Relationships is defined as a relative: spouse, child, step-child, child’s spouse, parent, brother, sister, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, dependent relative or a relative domiciled in the employee’s household.
Members of the University Community shall include any University faculty member, staff member, or student.
Policy Obligations
The following principles should guide members of the University community when a conflict of interest may arise due to a familial relationship in teaching.
- Members of the University community are prohibited from teaching (or enrolling in) a course when the instructor and a student have a familial relationship.
- When multiple sections of a course are offered, students must enroll in a section that is not taught by a relative.
- If a course, and concurrent and future sections of a course, is only taught by the familial relation, a management plan shall be developed and approved before the course begins. The management plan must ensure that the instructor will not directly or solely grade or review the student’s academic progress. In general, an independent grader or second reviewer will be identified to grade or review the student’s academic progress. The management plan must also assure that the student is treated equitably with regard to assignments and other course activities (i.e. participation, workload, deadlines, scope of assignments, etc.). The instructor and student shall develop the management plan in consultation with the instructor’s department head or supervisor. The Dean and Vice Provost for Academic Affairs must review and approve the management plan prior to the first day of classes.
[1] Some content used here relies on the University of Minnesota’s “Nepotism and Personal Relationships” (http://regents.umn.edu/sites/regents.umn.edu/files/policies/Nepotism%26Personal.pdf).