Illinois College is committed to ensuring that personnel and other institutional decisions affecting present or prospective faculty, staff, administrators or students be made fairly and impartially. Faculty, staff, administrators and students frequently participate in personnel and other institutional decisions by serving on advisory committees. With respect to employees, the recommendations of such committees affect such matters as hiring, retention, promotion and (with respect to faculty) tenure. In the case of students, such recommendations significantly affect admission to, or continued matriculation at, the College.
All members of the Illinois College community participating in such advisory committees must exercise integrity and objectivity when making decisions. Committee members must be certain that conflicts of interest or other biases do not exist which may interfere with their ability to make an impartial decision. A conflict of interest or bias occurs when a committee member has a financial or personal relationship or interest that impairs the member’s ability to be fair and impartial. For example, a conflict of interest may well exist where a committee member will receive an individual financial benefit from a decision or where a committee member has a familial or similar relationship with an individual who may be affected by a decision.
A person serving on a committee may conclude that he or she has an actual (or perceived) conflict of interest or bias and may remove himself or herself from involvement in a particular decision to be made by the committee. A committee member who is not certain whether a conflict of interest or bias exists may bring his or her concern about the conflict or bias to the attention of the appropriate dean, committee chair or supervisor. In this event, the committee member must disclose enough information to enable the dean, committee chair or supervisor to consider the matter fairly and openly. If the dean, committee chair or supervisor determines either that a conflict of interest or other bias (or the appearance of a conflict of interest or other bias) may exist, the committee member shall be excused from participating in making that decision.
A member of the committee or an individual who is the subject of a decision to be made by the committee may also raise a question as to whether a committee member has a conflict of interest or bias which may interfere with that committee member’s impartiality. The concerned individual shall bring the matter to the attention of the appropriate dean, committee chair or supervisor. The dean, committee chair or supervisor shall discuss the matter with the affected committee member. If the dean, committee chair, or supervisor determines that a conflict of interest or other bias (or the appearance of a conflict of interest or other bias) may exist, the member of the committee shall be excused from participating in making the decision at issue.
A member of a committee who is excused from participating in making a decision in accordance with this policy does not forfeit his or her position as a member of the committee. The fact that an individual has been excused from participation pursuant to this policy shall not prejudice any personnel or other institutional decision made with respect to the committee member.
