Quick Summary
- Vice provost of Academic Affairs assists congressional committee in its inquiry on how to prevent sexual harassment in science
- Kass gives testimony on 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis鈥 pilot program of reference checks into personal conduct of finalists for faculty positions鈥 personal conduct
- Job postings note that 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis will look into potential misconduct, described by Kass as a 鈥渕odest preventive step that is long overdue鈥
A congressional committee looking at how to prevent sexual harassment in science heard recently about a 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis pilot program that checks references regarding the personal conduct of finalists for academic appointments.
Philip Kass, vice provost of Academic Affairs, in his for testimony June 12 before the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, said 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis and its sister campuses are striving to combat sexual harassment and foster a culture of respect and accountability, and this has led the 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 system 鈥渢o take a strong and public stance against portions of the Department of Education鈥檚 proposed Title IX rule that would narrow the definition of sexual harassment and lower the standards to which schools are held.鈥
The 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis pilot program, which enters its second year July 1, enables the university to obtain and review information about candidates鈥 personal conduct in their previous appointments that may be important to appointment decisions. 鈥淭his includes conduct involving gender discrimination, sexual harassment and sexual violence,鈥 Kass said.
The reference checks do not involve any process for criminal background checks, which are covered by other university policies.
Advance warning
The pilot program covers finalists for hiring into professor or lecturer titles with tenure or security of employment, respectively. Applicants are advised, in job postings, that 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis will conduct reference checks into potential misconduct 鈥 and if an applicant does not authorize such a reference check, his or her application will not be considered.
In conducting a reference check, the university contacts the applicant鈥檚 previous institution or institutions to ask whether there have been substantiated findings of misconduct that would violate 新澳门六合彩内幕信息鈥檚 Faculty Code of Conduct.
Kass explained what happens next: Academic Affairs, in consultation with the appropriate dean and department chair, will conduct an individualized assessment of any information received, including the nature of the conduct, the length of time passed, any corrective action taken, and any explanation offered by the candidate. After reviewing the information, Academic Affairs, in consultation with the dean and department chair, will determine whether the candidate is still eligible to be considered for the position.
Results to date
鈥淭o date, the pilot has resulted in 14 candidates requiring reference checks; nine completed reference checks; 23 academic institutions contacted; 19 responses received; and zero instances where information about discipline was provided,鈥 Kass told the committee.
Kass said Academic Affairs had received no protests from applicants or institutions. 鈥淲e believe that potential applicants for faculty positions who have been disciplined, upon reading 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis鈥 requirement for a signed authorization in order for their application to be considered, will be dissuaded from applying,鈥 he said. 鈥淭he 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis reference check process therefore is likely acting as a prescreening preventative, consistent with our belief that we do not want to hire faculty whose behavior is inconsistent with our Faculty Code of Conduct and our Principles of Community.
Consistent with the Combating Sexual Harassment in Science Act of 2019 (House of Representatives 36, or HR 36), Kass said, 鈥渨e believe our reference check program is an intervention for reducing the incidence and negative consequences of sexual harassment in both the STEM and non-STEM workforces, including students and trainees.鈥
Sharing our findings
鈥淎t 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis, we believe it is our moral imperative to protect our students, as well as all other members of our campus community, and so in our minds this modest preventive step is long overdue,鈥 Kass said. 鈥淲e have found no impediments to its implementation, and during the second year of this pilot program we will again review and share our findings with our counterparts at other University of California campuses.
鈥淲e expect, and hope, that other universities will want to follow in our footsteps to prevent offenders at one university from relocating to another, and potentially become repeat offenders, and we stand prepared to help these institutions.鈥
Media Resources
Dateline Staff, 530-752-6556, dateline@ucdavis.edu