Pathways for Faculty and Staff

What are my responsibilities when someone brings a concern to me?

If a student approaches you with administrative or academic needs, start with this list of resources collected by FAA:

FAA Toolbox for Faculty & Advisors

If someone in the department tells you that they’d like to share a concern with you, you should do the following:

  1. Set an appointment with the person to discuss the concern
  2. Ask the person if they would like to bring someone else along with them to the meeting, or if they would like Illinois Theatre to provide someone to be a third person in the meeting.
    • If they ask for Illinois Theatre to provide someone, it is your responsibility to invite that person to the meeting. If the person raising the concern does not know who they would like that person to be, please make suggestions based on your best judgment and/or the pathways described in the student concerns section above.
    • Be sure to come to a mutual agreement with the person raising the concern before inviting a third person to the meeting
  3. At the outset of the conversation, we need to remind the students of our mandatory reporting responsibilities.
    • If the concern falls under Title IX (generally but not exclusively instances of sexual assault, sexual violence, sexual harassment, or sex and gender discrimination), remind the student that you are a mandatory reporter before they begin discussing the concern. Confidential, non-reporting resources (such as the Counseling Center and the Women’s Resource Center.)
    • If the student mentions wanting to physically harm someone else or harm themselves, or if the student discloses that someone has told them that they want to physically harm themselves or others:
      • If the concern is immediate, then call 911 or help the student to emergency resources
      • If the concern is less immediate you can request a welfare check by calling 311.  You do not need to know the address of the person as local police work with the university to locate people in these situations.
      • For all other concerns refer to the counseling center resources: http://counselingcenter.illinois.edu/emergency-0 or https://wecare.illinois.edu/
  4. At the meeting you should:
    • Remind the student of the mandatory reporting responsibilities described above.
    • Listen (taking notes is a good practice).
    • Tell the student what you heard to ensure that you have it right.
    • Ask if they are interested in developing a plan of action, which might include involving other faculty or staff members, or other university support systems as appropriate.
      • If the student would like to pursue further action, but wants to remain anonymous, remind them how this may impact the available outcomes of their concern. (See note in the Student section on “Anonymous Reporting”)
    • Let the student know what steps you plan to take and when they can expect you to follow up with them.
  5. After the meeting you should:
    • Do what you said you were going to do.
    • Follow up with the student within the timeframe you agreed upon, or within 30 days.

A NOTE ON FORMAL GRIEVANCES OR REPORTING

Some situations that are brought to you by students or colleagues may require that a formal grievance be filed.  Grievances against students, faculty, academic professionals, union members (like IATSE) and civil service personnel all follow different pathways and navigating it can be complex.  To assist someone in filing a formal grievance, bring it to the attention of the supervisor of that area.  At KCPA, if you are not sure who the supervisor is or how to file a formal grievance you can contact:

Make sure you keep detailed, written notes of the incident as reported to you.  These notes can be used as a case is investigated and could be considered evidence in a trial. You may be required to turn over your notes by a university office or a state investigator regardless of where or how you took the notes.

How do I get support addressing someone’s concern, either in the moment or long-term?

You may find that you do not know the best way to offer support. Or, a concern may help you recognize a need that you have for additional training, conversation, or support. In these cases:

  1. If you feel comfortable, speak with your supervisor, program chair, a fellow faculty member an or area head.
  2. If you prefer not to speak with your supervisor or area/program head, or if you have done so but require additional support, speak with any of the following:
    1. Head of Illinois Theatre, Valleri Robinson (valleri2@illinois.edu)
    2. Director of Production, Terri Ciofalo (tciofalo@illinois.edu)
    3. FAA Human Resources (faa-hr@mx.uillinois.edu)
  3. If you prefer to speak with someone outside of the department, please utilize the following University resources

Also, refer to the curated list of Non-Departmental Support Resources for more sources of support.

How do I raise a concern of my own?

If you feel comfortable, speak with your supervisor, program chair, or area head.

If you prefer not to speak with your supervisor, or if you have done so but require additional support, speak with any of the following:

    1. Head of Illinois Theatre, Valleri Robinson (valleri2@illinois.edu)
    2. Director of Production, Terri Ciofalo (tciofalo@illinois.edu)
    3. FAA Human Resources (faa-hr@mx.uillinois.edu)

If you wish to voice a concern that is about the Head of Illinois Theatre, you may also contact the Dean of the College of Fine & Applied Arts, Kevin Hamilton (kham@illinois.edu). If you wish to voice a concern that is about the Director of Production, you may also contact the KCPA Director, Mike Ross (mikeross@illinois.edu)