The Graduate College Handbook - 2009
H. Employment Conflict
When a serious conflict between an assistant and a supervisor occurs, reasonable attempts should be made to resolve the conflict informally. If there is a conflict between a supervisor and an assistant that cannot be resolved by informal means, the most practical solution may be to reassign the student to new responsibilities. If reassignment is not feasible or does not appear to be warranted, the assistantship appointment may be terminated by following the procedures given below. The assistant may also choose to resign the appointment by submitting a letter of resignation, (see chapter VIII.A.6)
Most conflicts between a supervisor and a student can be prevented if the student is given a clear description of responsibilities and expectation for performance and if the student receives regular supervision and evaluation. If conflicts surface, however, the Graduate College encourages and supports concerted informal efforts toward resolution within the department, beginning at the supervisor-student level. For procedures to provide guidelines for resolving and mediating conflicts informally, see the policy on Graduate Student Assistantship Conflict Mediation and Appointment Termination.
Additional resources for students experiencing employment related conflict include the following:
- the Policy and Procedures for Addressing Discrimination and Harassment at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,
- the Agreement (PDF) by and between The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois and the Graduate Employees' Organization (GEO) (for graduate assistants that are covered); with respect to any complaint alleging a violation of the Agreement (PDF), and
- the Academic Human Resources Office.