SIDE LETTERS
SIDE LETTER TO BE ATTACHED TO THE AGREEMENT
HOUSING
Effective with the fall semester 2020, student workers living in University-owned housing shall be able to pay rent on monthly basis without incurring fees.
NON-DISCRIMINATION AND HARASSMENT WORKING GROUPS
- Title IX Advisory Committee: The University’s Title IX Policy Review Advisory Committee provides recommendations on how the University Policy on Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment is working and whether modifications to the policy should be made. Within three (3) months of ratification of the Agreement, the Union shall select two (2) of the four (4) student representatives who serve on that Advisory Committee. The SW appointed should be willing to serve for two (2) years but will not be required to do so.
- University Working Groups. It is the intent of the University to establish University-wide policies and procedures to deal with other forms of discrimination besides sexual and gender-based harassment, including but not limited to race and ethnicity discrimination, and abusive and intimidating behavior.
- Within three (3) months of the ratification of this Agreement, the University shall establish two University-wide Working Groups (Non-discrimination Policy Working Group and Anti-bullying Policy Working Group) with representatives from various constituencies, including the HGSU-UAW, to recommend a University-wide policy and procedures to address:
- Complaints about forms of prohibited discrimination other than sexual and gender-based harassment and suggest procedures by which such complaints will be investigated and resolved, and
- Complaints about misconduct that do not constitute policy violations on sexual and gender-based harassment or other forms of prohibited discrimination but which nonetheless may be abusive and/or intimidating to SWs and other members of the Harvard community.
4. Two (2) SWs selected by the Union shall serve on each Working Group. Any SW appointed should be willing to serve for two (2) years but will not be required to do so.
5. The Working Groups shall make recommendations for the establishment of such policies and procedures. The parties agree that any such recommendations regarding policies and procedures will include, at a minimum, a final appeals panel of impartial and unbiased members similar to that provided by the ODR Procedures for Handling Complaints Involving Students Pursuant to the Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment Policy.
6. The University in its discretion may decide to combine the two Working Groups identified in Section 1 of this Side Letter, in which case four (4) SWs selected by the Union shall serve on such a combined Working Group.
ADDITIONAL TEMPORARY PRIVATE SPACE
Following ratification of the Agreement, the University and the Union will explore where additional temporary private space can be provided to SWs for them to address personal issues during work time. The University shall determine the location of such places with input from the Union within the first six months following ratification of the Agreement and will publish such locations in a mutually agreeable place.
SIDE LETTERS NOT FOR INCLUSION IN OR ATTACHMENT TO THE AGREEMENT
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EMPLOYMENT APPOINTMENT LETTER ARTICLE:
For all appointments beginning on January 1, 2021, or later, the TA’d Employment Appointment Letter article shall be in force.
If a department has already sent an appointment letter as of the ratification of this Agreement that does not include all of the information in the Employment Appointment Letter article, it will provide such information to the SW as soon as reasonable.
In those cases when the University is unable to provide an appointment letter for FY 21 within a reasonable time in advance of the appointment starting date, the University shall provide the employment appointment letter as soon as reasonable.
- WORKLOAD
In discussing the Workload Article, the parties acknowledged that faculty members and other supervisors will differ in setting academic expectations, assignments, and goals for students in their respective academic programs, including the time commitments necessary to meet such academic expectations, assignments, and goals. These topics are not bargainable nor can they give rise to any grievances or complaints under this Agreement. However, the parties believe that there should be clarity as to the process by which students can raise any concerns about such academic matters outside of this Agreement.
Therefore, while not part of this Collective Bargaining Agreement or the relationship between the University and the HGSU-UAW, the University nonetheless will require all Schools to communicate the process under which students can raise questions and address concerns about the academic time demands being imposed by a faculty member or other supervisor.
