Office of Origin: Academic Affairs
Responsibility: Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs
Original Date Adopted: 5/25/2021
Dates Reviewed: 5/25/2021
Last Date Board Approved: 5/25/2021

Academic matters such as decision authority or influence in grading, academic requirements, and assessing clinical outcomes are examples of situations that may require reallocation of duties to avoid any actual or perceived reward or disadvantage. Therefore, students who attend the College are precluded from taking classes facilitated by a family member, with a possible exception when the family member is acting as the sole faculty member facilitating the academic activity.

This policy applies to all students and faculty at the College.

Definitions

1. Family Members: Defined as a spouse, domestic partner, daughter, son, niece/nephew, stepchildren/parent, parent, grandparent, grandchild, sister, brother, mother-in-law, and father-in-law.
2. Faculty: Any person(s) identified in the course syllabus as the instructor(s). All person(s) that have an instructional role must be listed in the syllabus.

Procedure

1. In the event that the faculty is acting as the sole faculty member teaching a course, the faculty must declare the relationship to the respective Department/Program Chair.
2. The Department/Program Chair will obtain prior approval or denial of the appropriate Academic Dean regarding the course(s) offered.
3. Upon approval by the Academic Dean, the faculty and Department/Program Chair will collaboratively develop a plan to assure fairness in instruction and evaluation of all students in the course(s) in question.
4. The Department/Program Chair will monitor the approved plan and confirm the plan is being followed. If the Department/Program Chair reports the plan is not being followed, the Academic Dean reserves the right to take prompt action. This action could be a corrective return to the plan, could lead to withdrawing the student, or replacing the faculty if an actual conflict of interest is perpetuated with regards to the employee and the student who are family members.

Roles and Responsibilities

1. Declaration: The faculty must declare any familial relationship of any student they may potentially teach.
2. Approval: The Department/Program Chair will obtain prior approval or denial of the appropriate Academic Dean regarding the course(s) offered.
3. Plan: The faculty and the Department/Program Chair will collaboratively develop a plan to assure fairness in instruction and evaluation of all students in the course(s) in question.
4. Monitoring: The Department/Program Chair will monitor the approved plan and confirm the plan is being followed. If the Department/Program Chair reports the plan is not being followed, the Academic Dean reserves the right to take prompt action.