Board committee reviews proposed amendments to employee conflict-resolution policy; action scheduled for June

Associate Vice President and Title IX coordinator Tina Marisam presented proposed amendments to the Board of Regents' policy on conflict resolution for employees during the Finance and Operations Committee meeting in May.

Marisam said the board-office suggested adding three guiding principles to the policy to frame conflict as a normal, addressable feature of complex workplaces and to emphasize good-faith review and learning. She also described proposed language to provide the board chair greater flexibility in addressing allegations that involve the President or other employees who report directly to the board — including the authority to appoint an independent panel to review and make determinations in certain cases.

Marisam told the committee the proposal would simplify delegation language by removing a standing requirement that the President consult the conflict-resolution advisory committee before adopting implementing administrative policies; the advisory committee is being sunsetted and separate consultative requirements exist elsewhere, she said. She emphasized that the administrative policy would still be subject to other consultation processes required by university governance.

The presentation was informational; Marisam noted the draft policy is before the committee for review and is scheduled to return to the board for action at the June meeting.