Seminary Faculty

In the event of a personal grievance, the faculty member is urged to confer directly with the Executive Vice President and Provost, whose decision must be given to the faculty member in writing.

Should the faculty member dispute that decision and wish to appeal it, the following procedures shall be followed:

1.   The faculty member must submit the appeal in writing to the Provost within 15 days.

2.   At the request of either the faculty member or the Provost, an Ad Hoc Grievance Committee shall be convened. The committee shall consist of three members selected as follows: a faculty member selected by the person making the appeal; a Seminary member of the Faculty Policy Review Committee selected by that body; and a faculty member appointed by the Provost to serve as chairperson.

3.   The committee shall keep record of its work. The purposes of the committee are to be investigatory and advisory. The committee is accountable to the Provost.

4.   The record of the committee’s work will be maintained by the committee chair, who will transmit the file to the Office of the Provost for appropriate storage immediately following the issuance of its recommendation. Records more than five years old will be destroyed.

5.   The committee shall review evidence presented by the faculty member making appeal, and report its findings and recommendations to the Provost within 30 days.

6.   The Provost shall act within 15 days of receipt of the appeal or the report of the committee. Written notice of the Provost’s decision shall be sent to the faculty member.

7.   Matters involving sexual harassment allegations are specifically excluded from this grievance procedure and shall be handled in accordance with Bethel’s Sexual Misconduct Policy and Procedures.

8.   Post Grievance Procedures:

a.   If a party to the grievance procedure is not satisfied with the final decision concerning the grievance, and the grievance is a claim, dispute or other matter relating to that party’s employment agreement or the employment relationship of that party with Bethel University, then the dissatisfied party may commence an arbitration proceeding as provided for in the arbitration procedures listed below.

b.   Any other matter may also be submitted for binding arbitration in accordance with the arbitration procedure.

c.   If the subject matter of the grievance is a claim of alleged discrimination prohibited by State or Federal law, then the grievance may be submitted to binding arbitration upon mutual agreement of the parties, or alternatively, a party may pursue other legal recourse available under State and Federal law.

Office of the Provost