Scope

This policy applies to all Associate Instructors on the Bloomington campus.

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Policy Statement

Course Guidelines

(Approved: BFC 5/5/77) Superseded by Guidelines of Associate Instructor Appointments (BFC 2/4/03)

Supervisory faculty or departmental chairpersons, whichever is appropriate, [shall] distribute a written set of guidelines to each A.I. for the course in which he or she functions. The guidelines should deal with the teaching objectives and administrative responsibilities established by said supervisory individual.

Faculty Council Membership

(Approved: BFC 4/7/70) Superseded by revisions to the Constitution of the Bloomington Faculty (Approved: BFC 11/18/97)
The membership of the Bloomington Faculty Council shall include, as full voting members, three Associate Instructor members, elected by the Associate Instructors each fall for a one-year term, according to election procedures established by the Faculty Council. (Later action by the Council removed the election to the spring.)

(Approved: BFC 11/18/97; 4/20/09)

The voting membership of the Council shall include:

1. The President and a Vice President of the Student Association.
2. Four graduate students selected in accordance with the procedures of the Graduate and Professional Student Organization, of whom at least one shall be an officer of the Graduate and Professional Student Organization and at least two shall be associate instructors.

AI Affairs Committee

(Approved: BFC 4/7/70)

The Faculty Council establishes as a standing committee of the Council an Associate Instructor Affairs Committee, to be composed of three full-time faculty members and three Associate Instructors from the College of Arts and Sciences, and one full-time faculty member and one Associate Instructor from each of the other schools on the Bloomington Campus having ten or more Associate Instructors. One ex-officio member will represent the Vice President, Bloomington’s Office. (Later action by the BFC changed the name of the committee to the Student Academic Appointee Affairs Committee.)

Charge to Committee

(Approved: Faculty Council 5/l3/69)

The AI Affairs Committee shall be charged with:

1. The continuing study of problems related to working conditions, status, evaluation, and training of AIs, and with initiating action directed toward a solution of these problems.
2. The formulation of policies and criteria for the purpose of assisting Chairpersons, Deans, and others in determining eligibility to the status of Associate Instructor.
3. The implementation of the election procedure of Associate Instructors to the Faculty Council.
4. The collection and dissemination to AIs, full-time faculty, and administration, at least once a year, of pertinent and precise information concerning the number of AIs, their teaching assignments, salary scales, responsibilities, evaluation, and related questions.

This committee should also work out grievance procedures involving academic freedom, salary adjustments, reappointments, nature and conditions related to work, and problems. Grievance procedures should approximate as far as possible those followed by the Faculty Board of Review. It should hear grievance cases and make recommendations for final action to the Provost. (See Associate Instructor Board of Review, Policy D-24 The committee is requested to make an interim report to the Faculty Council by the end of the first semester of the academic year l969-70, at which time the permanent status and responsibilities of the committee shall be determined. (See AI Affairs Committee, above)

AI Elections to Faculty Council

(Approved: BFC 12/4/73)

The election of Associate Instructor representatives to the Bloomington Faculty Council shall be the responsibility of the Council’s AI Affairs Committee. The results of this election will be reported to the Council by the April meeting. The AI representatives selected in this election will serve as voting members of the Council for the following academic year. NB: According to current practice, the GPSO selects its representatives to the BFC.

Dual Status of AIs

(Approved: BFC 4/5/83; 4/15/08)

An SAA who teaches is a student as well as a member of the teaching staff. In many situations, this distinction is clear and unambiguous, but at times it results in ambiguities and potential problems. As a graduate student, the SAA is subject to the “Code of Student Ethics” (available online at http://studentcode.iu.edu/) and holds full student status, including the right to vote for and hold office in Student Government. On the other hand, as a member of the teaching staff, the SAA who teaches.

Handbook

(Approved: Faculty Council 5/13/69)

The Faculty [Academic] Handbook shall be given to all Associate Instructors upon their appointment. Sections of the Handbook should be rewritten to assure they cover Associate Instructors.

Agreement Form

Superseded by Guidelines on Associate Instructor Appointments (BFC 2/4/03) (Approved: BFC 4/7/70)

All Associate Instructors shall be employed under a written appointment. A copy of this appointment is to be signed by the Associate Instructor, by the Department Chairperson or the Dean or their representative, and by the Vice President or his representative, and given, if possible, to the Associate Instructor prior to the beginning of his or her duties. A written agreement is to be used wherever possible for the academic year l970-7l; a written agreement must be used subsequently.

Written Appointment

Superseded by Guidelines on Associate Instructor Appointments (BFC 2/4/03) (Approved: BFC 4/7/70)

All departments and schools of the Bloomington Campus shall adopt the form appended to this recommendation as the written appointment for their Associate Instructors.

Parking

Rescinded by BFC 4/15/08 (Approved: Faculty Council 5/13/69)

Associate Instructors shall be enabled to buy parking permits in the same way as any other member of the instructional staff, pending resolution of any differences between this report and that of the Parking Committee. [The Parking Committee found this plan workable, and AIs may purchase any one of the decals available to full-time employees.]

Termination Procedures

(Approved: BFC 4/7/70; amended 4/15/08)

All schools shall be required to adopt a uniform policy concerning the termination of a Student Academic Appointee prior to expiration of the appointment, and that this policy be that described below: Early Termination: The termination of student academic appointees prior to its normal expiration is expected to occur only under extraordinary circumstances. Accordingly, the causes and procedures associated with termination must be uniformly defined for all schools. They are set forth below.

1. Termination by mutual agreement between the appointee and the Department Chairperson or Dean may be effected at any time. The Bloomington Provost must be advised of such an action by written notification signed by both the Associate Instructor and the Department Chairperson or Dean.
2. An appointee may terminate the appointment at the end of a semester’s duties for reason of personal hardship. This should be effected by written notification to the Department Chairperson or Dean and to the Bloomington Provost at least four weeks prior to the end of the semester. Only in the case of the most severe personal hardship or in the case of unalleviated breach of agreement by the University should termination occur during a semester.
3. The appointment is subject to termination by the Department Chairperson or Dean if the enrollment of the appointee in his departmental graduate program ceases.
4. The appointment is subject to termination by the Department Chairperson or Dean or by the Bloomington Provost for serious failure in assigned duties or for conduct otherwise at severe variance with that normally expected of University appointees.

This termination must be effected by written notification to the student appointee, and whenever possible, it will become effective at the conclusion of a semester’s duties. If, however, in the judgment of the person initiating termination, continuance of the student appointee in his/her position to the semester’s end would cause grave harm to a segment of the University community or a gross breach of the University’s educational obligations to students, termination can occur during the semester. In this case, the student appointee must first be placed under suspension from duties with pay for l4 days pending initiation of an appeal.

[For grievance procedures and appeal mechanisms, see Section Policy D-23 and Policy D-24].

AI Training

(Approved: BFC 9/30/86)

1. The deans of the schools and the College shall be charged with the responsibility for insuring that each of their units employing associate instructors provides their AIs with a program of teacher training, supervision, and development. Possible models are described in the appendix [Circular B3-87].
2. The deans shall obtain descriptions of the AI training and supervision programs existing within their units by October 1, 1987.
3. The deans shall report to the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and the Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs by November 1 of each year, starting in 1987, on the compliance of their units in providing the program called for by Resolution #1. The Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and the Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs shall share this information with the Bloomington Faculty Council’s Student Academic Appointee Affairs
   Committee and Educational Policies Committee.
4. The campus administration and school deans shall be urged to consider the development of effective AI training programs as a positive factor when considering increases in AI budgets.

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History

Varies- see individual sections

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