FASS Peer Advisory Committee 2018/19
Co-Chairs: Arielle Baskin-Sommers, Assistant Professor of Psychology and of Psychiatry and
Jill Campbell, Professor of English
Sybil Alexandrov, Senior Lector II, Spanish and Portuguese
R Howard Bloch, Sterling Professor of French
Theresa Schenker, Senior Lector II, German
Mark Solomon, Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry
The Peer Advisory Committee will be an impartial, independent service committee designed to uphold fair practices in FAS, promote transparency, and contribute to the welfare of the faculty. The Advisory Committee’s role will be twofold: 1) to meet with faculty who have questions or suggestions about FAS processes or have concerns about institutional matters relating to FAS, or who would like to propose new initiatives. In such cases, the Advisory Committee will help faculty gain access to relevant information about university policies and/or to bring matters before the Senate; 2) to provide neutral and confidential advice to faculty who have specific or personal concerns about any aspect of their work in FAS and who would prefer to speak to a neutral member of faculty outside their department, or outside the administration. Additionally, faculty might have recourse to the Peer Advisory Committee if they have exhausted other channels and feel that their concerns have not been addressed satisfactorily.
The scope and nature of the committee’s response to specific issues will be determined by deliberations among its members, who will bring significant matters of policy before the full Senate where appropriate. It should be emphasized that the advisory committee operates independently of all FAS departments and the administration. Moreover, it has no official mandate and can only offer discreet and impartial advice and support. It is not intended to duplicate or replace existing mechanisms for resolving grievances at Yale. Instead it is intended to be an additional source of peer support for FAS faculty. Members of the Advisory Committee will observe strict confidentiality and will not disclose information without the express permission of the faculty member concerned.