What is This?
California legislation (SB 791 and AB 810) requires misconduct disclosures for Academic Student Employee (ASE; including Teaching Assistant and Reader) and Graduate Student Researcher (GSR) positions. This legislation and its implementation by the University of California aims to improve the climate and safety of all UC campuses, but requires that all hiring units on campus change hiring processes which had been relatively consistent for the last few years.
What Do I Need to Know?
The big change: as a condition of employment, students who the College would like to appoint into ASE/GSR roles (which includes first year PhD students on rotations) will be required to disclose to UC Davis's Academic Affairs Office (and not to the College) whether they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct, are currently being investigated for misconduct, left a position during an investigation for alleged misconduct, or have filed an appeal with a previous employer.
“Misconduct” means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant’s previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer.
- UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
- UC Anti-Discrimination Policy for Employees, Students and Third Parties
- APM - 035: Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination in Employment
The UC's effort to comply with this law is not limited to student employees; the new process includes tenure-track faculty, and other employees in academic title codes.
How Does All This Work?
You should have received an email with a link where you can sign an Authorization to Release Information. Please email CBSgrads@ucdavis.edu if you believe you should have received this email but did not.
The College will provide the signed document to Academic Affairs, along with some basic information (your name, email address, and job title). Academic Affairs will contact you with a questionnaire in which you can disclose whether or not the criteria for "misconduct" as defined above apply to you.
Once this questionnaire is complete, Academic Affairs will be in touch with the College. They will not provide the content of your questionnaire to the College or program, but will let us know that we may or may not proceed with your hire.
If you are not willing to authorize the release of your information to Academic Affairs, Graduate Studies has advised hiring units that we cannot proceed with your hire.
Where Can I Learn More About This?
The Academic Affairs website has the complete guide to the change. If you would like to learn more about Academic Affairs' process, they can be reached at ucddisclosure@ucdavis.edu.
As ever, your Graduate Program Coordinator is a tremendous resource. In this area specifically, the college is bound by the Campus and System's implementation of the law. This new set of practices represents a large administrative burden covering sensitive topics which has been communicated at short notice by campus, so we are particularly grateful for your forbearance and happy to help you navigate this process.