UH General Grievance Procedures

The faculty member initiating the grievance (hereafter referred to as "grievant") must file a written statement of the grievance with the Chair of the University Grievance Committee. The statement of grievance must contain the following information:

A. The names of the parties involved in the grievance.

B. Specific issues and actions upon which the grievance is based.

C. The desired outcome or remedy.

D. Documentation supporting all charges involved in the grievance.

The Grievance Committee shall decide whether or not the evidence submitted in support of the complaint warrants a detailed investigation or a formal hearing. If the Committee decides against holding a formal hearing or conducting a detailed investigation, the decision and the reasons thereof shall be stated in writing and transmitted promptly to the faculty member and the Provost.

If the Grievance Committee decides that the evidence submitted warrants a detailed investigation or formal hearing, the Chair provides a copy of the grievance and documentation to the persons named as parties in the grievance (hereafter referred to as "respondents"). Upon receipt of the grievance, the respondent prepares a response and submits to the Committee any materials relevant to the case within a time frame identified by the Committee, but no later than thirty days from receipt of the grievance.

The Grievance Committee conducts the detailed investigation or formal hearing in accordance with its procedural rules. The investigation or hearing may be conducted by the Committee as a whole or may be assigned to a subcommittee. All such subcommittees shall be responsible and report to the University of Houston Grievance Committee. A quorum of the hearing committee is required during all deliberations.

Any member of the Committee who is directly involved in the grievance or who has been a member of a previous committee involved with the case is not eligible to serve on the hearing committee.

The hearing committee is responsible for conducting its investigation or hearing in a timely manner, to be established during the formulation of the procedural rules. The Chair of the hearing committee is responsible for scheduling any necessary oral testimony.

The grievant and respondent may be accompanied by an advocate who may assist the grievant or respondent in presenting the case or response to the Committee. If an advocate is appearing for any party in the grievance, all parties shall be allowed to have their advocates present during their testimony. It is the responsibility of the grievant or respondent to communicate with their advocates about Committee proceedings. The proceedings shall be conducted as follows:

A. A formal hearing begins with the grievant's testimony. Testimony by additional witnesses is determined by the Committee on a case-by-case basis. The hearing committee hears testimony of each party separately. The grievant and respondent may request that witnesses give testimony on their behalf.

B. If a person is not available to testify, the Chair may request written testimony.

C. Both the grievant and the respondent may present to the Committee a list of questions that they would like the Committee to ask the parties not present. These questions will be asked in subsequent testimony as outlined above.

D. All testimony given before the Committee is recorded on audio tape. During the course of the proceedings, these tapes are placed on file in the office of a Committee member, who will be designated by the Committee. Upon request, copies of these tapes will be made available for review by the grievant, respondent, and Grievance Committee members.

E. The grievant and respondent may review all testimony and additional documentation given in a grievance hearing and prepare a written response. Written responses must be forwarded to the hearing committee Chair by the time specified by the Committee.

F. If further investigation is needed, the Committee may request additional documentation or testimony. All parties will have an opportunity to respond to such additional information by the Committee's specified time.

If heard by a subcommittee, the report is first submitted to the Grievance Committee for approval. The Grievance Committee Chair promptly transmits the report of findings and recommendations to the Provost with copies to the grievant, respondent, and other principal parties. The report shall set forth the findings of fact, conclusions, and recommendations. The complete grievance file and tapes of the proceedings are also forwarded to the Office of the Provost, where they are kept for two years before being destroyed. The Provost considers the advice of the Grievance Committee and makes an independent ruling on the case.

The grievant and/or respondent may, by written request, have the opportunity to present the case to the Provost. The Provost's decision shall be final. The Provost shall transmit the final decision and the supporting reasons to the faculty member, the University of Houston Grievance Committee, the President, and other principal parties in the dispute.

Should the grievance remain unresolved, the faculty member shall, at his/her request, be provided an opportunity to present his/her case to the Provost. That decision shall be final. The decision and the reasons supporting it shall be transmitted by the Provost to the faculty member, the University of Houston Grievance Committee, the President, and other principal parties in the dispute.