Chapter 6 - Faculty Policies and Standards

6.3 Procedures for Handling Allegations of Confessional Unorthodoxy

The following procedure shall be used for cases in which the BOT receives allegations of confessional unorthodoxy against faculty members.

1. Upon receipt of allegation(s) of confessional unorthodoxy by the BOT, the president shall be prepared to respond to the trustees regarding the allegation(s). After consideration of the president's response, the BOT shall decide whether the allegation requires an inquiry. If so, the allegation(s) shall be referred to the provost for review.
2. The provost shall present the allegation(s) to the faculty member, inform the PSC of the allegation(s), and conduct an inquiry. In doing the inquiry the provost shall use procedures that are necessary and appropriate to the nature of the allegation. These will ordinarily include consultation with the faculty member, the pastor or elders of the faculty member, and colleagues who are knowledgeable about the substance of the allegation.
3. The provost shall be responsible for preparing and presenting a report for the BOT. This report shall also be presented to the PSC and the faculty member.
4. The report should be available for the BOT preferably at the first, but no later than the second, meeting following the meeting at which the matter was referred to the provost, unless both parties agree to a delay. If the Executive Committee can act on behalf of the full BOT, the report should be submitted earlier. Normally, the report should include a specific recommendation about whether or not to implement the formal procedures.
5. The provost or a representative of that office should be present during the discussion of the report by the BOT.
6. If the report does not provide satisfactory answers to the questions raised and the BOT suspects confessional unorthodoxy in teaching or writing, the formal process involving an investigative committee as described in Section 6.1 should begin. The process should commence soon after the BOT meeting and should culminate in a report at the next meeting.