Yale University is committed to cultivating a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment where all students, faculty, and staff can pursue their professional aspirations. Accordingly, the university seeks to welcome new faculty to our community who embrace the university’s values of integrity, honesty, and ethical conduct. This policy is intended to allow for the gathering of relevant information about prospective faculty.
A. Professional Conduct Questionnaire
When a conditional offer is extended to an external candidate for a faculty position at any rank, the candidate will be asked to complete a questionnaire which will include the following questions:
- Have any current or former employers and/or educational institutions determined that you have violated their policies regarding any form of harassment or discrimination1, retaliation, sexual misconduct, bullying or intimidating/abusive behavior, unprofessional relationship, or misconduct related to scholarship, research, teaching, service, or clinical/patient care (collectively “Misconduct”)?
- Are you currently under investigation, or is there an investigation pending, by a current or former employer and/or educational institution in which it is alleged that you engaged in conduct which, if you were found responsible, would amount to a violation of the employer’s or educational institution’s policies concerning any of the above referenced Misconduct?
- Have you ever left your employment or academic position during the pendency of a complaint investigation which did not conclude due to your departure and in which it is alleged that you engaged in conduct which, if you were found responsible, would amount to a violation of the employer’s or educational institution’s policies concerning any of the above referenced Misconduct?
The information collected will be received and saved by the cognizant Dean’s Office or the Office of Faculty Administrative Services (OFAS). If any of the above answers are answered in the affirmative, the cognizant Dean’s Office or a representative from OFAS will confer with the Provost’s Office for further review. The candidate may also be required to authorize current and former employers and/or educational institutions to release information to Yale sufficient to obtain further information regarding the candidate’s affirmative responses to the above questions.
B. Professional Conduct Inquiry
When a conditional offer is extended to an external candidate for a tenured or continuing ladder faculty appointment, the candidate will also be required to authorize current and former employers and/or educational institutions to release information to Yale sufficient to verify the accuracy of the candidate’s responses to the above questions. The Provost’s Office will contact these employers and institutions to ask about any substantiated violations of their institutions’ policies governing conduct pertaining to teaching, research, and service, including but not limited to policies prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, and/or other forms of harassment or discrimination2, retaliation, bullying or intimidating/abusive behavior, unprofessional relationship, or misconduct related to scholarship, research, teaching, service, or clinical/patient care (collectively “Misconduct”).
Any information about substantiated violations will be assessed by a committee comprised of the chair of the hiring department and/or the dean of the school or the dean’s designee, and representatives from the Office of the Provost, Risk Management, and the Office of the General Counsel. After reviewing the response from the institution(s) and any additional related information, if applicable, the committee will determine whether the candidate remains eligible to be hired into the position. If after reviewing the information, the committee concludes that the candidate should not be eligible for the position, the university will notify the candidate of the decision. If after reviewing the information, the committee concludes that the candidate remains eligible for the position, the committee will notify the hiring unit to proceed with the onboarding processes.
1 For the purposes of this questionnaire “any form of harassment or discrimination” includes, but is not limited to, harassment or discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, national origin, sex (including but not limited to sexual orientation and gender identity), pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, ancestry, age, veteran status, military service, physical or mental disability, or any other protected class under state, federal or local law, or any employer’s policies.
2 For the purposes of the conduct inquiry “forms of harassment or discrimination” include, but are not limited to, harassment or discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, national origin, sex (including but not limited to sexual orientation and gender identity), pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, ancestry, age, veteran status, military service, physical or mental disability, or any other protected class under state, federal or local law, or any employer’s policies.