It is hard to be surprised by UVM’s arbitrary behavior anymore, but the latest in a round of emails with me about missing FEGs makes clear something is seriously amiss up on the hill.  Pursuant to the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that UVM has with its teachers and United Academics (UA), a copy of approved Faculty Evaluation Guidelines (FEGs) must be kept in my personnel file and in the Provost’s office (and be sent to the union).

[FOR MORE ON THIS DEVELOPMENT, SEE POSTSCRIPT HERE

Article 14.4 makes this very clear:

All approved guidelines shall be distributed to all faculty to whom they apply and must be included in the dossier of every candidate for second reappointment of tenure-track faculty, promotion and/or tenure. One copy of all approved department and college or school guidelines will also be sent to the Union. Where external review is required, a copy of the guidelines shall also be sent to any external evaluators.

Here is my first email today to UVM Human Resources after discovering missing FEGs following acquisition TODAY of my personnel file:

From: John Summa <heterodoxguy@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, July 31, 2018 12:10 PM
To: Yolanda Jordan <Yolanda.Jordan@uvm.edu>
Subject: Re: Personnel File Request

Hello again, Yolanda!

I just checked the CBA again. Pursuant to CBA Article 14.4, all approved FEGs and RPT guidelines must be sent to all faculty to which they apply, be included in faculty dossiers and also be sent to the union.  I will also be asking the union for the approved guidelines. But again, there are no FEGs that I can find in my personnel file [emphasis added]. Only approved RPT guidelines are there. I went through the file twice and cannot find any FEGs. Hopefully, these can be provided to me asap, but since they are not there this itself is a violation of the CBA, pursuant to Article 14.4.

Thanks again for walking out the file to me.

Best,

John

Later I received this from Jes Kraus in Human Resources:

On Jul 31, 2018 5:08 PM, “Jes Kraus” <Jes.Kraus@uvm.edu> wrote:

Hello John,

Yolanda relayed your message, below, to me.  I understand that you already received the additional documents [no, I did not] that you request.  If you have further questions, please contact UVM counsel Ritchie Berger [UVM’s hired gun lawyer; emphasis added].

Sincerely,

Jes Kraus

Associate Chief Human Resources Officer

Phone 802.656.2909  |  www.uvm.edu/hrdma  |  Feedback or Suggestions?

Union today says it does not have a copy: