FACULTY SUPPORT
& GUIDANCE
Office of the Executive Vice President & Provost
FACULTY SUPPORT & GUIDANCE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction................................................................................................................................................................. 1
Roles, Actions & Resources - Overview..................................................................................................................... 3
Individual Faculty Member ............................................................................................................................................................................. 3
Department Chair ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Collegiate Administration: ............................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Communication Coordinators – University OSC and Collegiate ..................................................................................................... 7
Central Administration...................................................................................................................................................................................... 7
Faculty Support Checklist for DEOs ........................................................................................................................... 9
Resources & Referral ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 10
Relevant UI Policies & Resources ............................................................................................................................12
Policies & Guidance ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 12
Campus Resources .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 12
For More Information ...............................................................................................................................................13
An electronic version of this document can be found online at:
University of Iowa
Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost
PROVOST.UIOWA.EDU/FACULTY-RESOURCES
page 2
INTRODUCTION
This guide is designed to assist the campus community in responding to situations in which faculty members are
targeted by individuals or groups outside of the university based on the content of the faculty member’s
scholarship, teaching, clinical care, and/or service. It addresses potential concerns in such situations and informs
the campus about resources available to assist individual faculty members, department chairs, and other
administrators.
The foundation for this guide is the University of Iowa’s unwavering support for academic freedom and freedom
of expression. The faculty’s right to academic freedom in teaching and research is protected as essential to the
university’s educational mission, even with regard to controversial issues or ideas that may provoke disagreement
in the public. Likewise, as citizens, faculty members enjoy strong protection for freedom of speech. Freedom of
speech is not only mandated by our Constitution and other laws but is also necessary for the robust intellectual
exchange on which the university’s teaching and research missions depend. Thus, the targeting of scholars for
their ideas or views not only harms those individuals, but also strikes at the university’s academic core. Through
this guide and other means, the university seeks to protect faculty against the intimidation or violence that the
expression of unpopular ideas sometimes generates.
This guide is “content neutral,” meaning that it is designed to offer support for faculty members across a wide
spectrum of views and areas of research. For example, it may be useful for faculty who come under attack for
their conclusions related to social issues, as well as for faculty whose scientific methods are deemed controversial,
such as the use of stem cells or animals in research.
This guide focuses on threats or harassment to faculty members from outside the university. For information
about policies and procedures governing harassment committed by UI employees, students, and/or patients,
please see UI’s anti-harassment policy (OMII-14), violence policy (OMII-10), and other UI policies.
Colleges and
departments may also have protocols in place to address violence or harassment in the workplace.
Faculty Support and Guidance – Updated 6.10.21
page 3
ROLES, ACTIONS & RESOURCES - OVERVIEW
In matters of safety and security, individual faculty members are encouraged to make use of campus resources to
assist them in responding to an immediate situation, as well as to address any concerns that arise in the longer
term. Numerous campus resources are also available to support department chairs and collegiate administrators
in responding to external attacks of UI faculty members. Knowing about relevant resources and guidance in
advance of a crisis will help our campus respond more effectively when a situation arises.
The following chart offers suggestions for individuals at various levels in the university, including:
• Individual Faculty Member
• Department Chair
• Collegiate/Departmental Communication Staff
• Collegiate Administration
• Central Administration
Role Actions
Individual Faculty
Member
• Ensure your safety. Identify your primary concerns and seek out assistance.
The following suggestions may be of use in your personal safety planning.
• Notify your department chair and collegiate administration, including the
senior HR leader, of the harassment. See the Faculty Support Checklist
for
ways the department might be able to support you. You do not need to
manage this experience on your own.
• Consult directly or work with your department chair and senior HR leader to
contact the UI Threat Assessment Team
(TAT). The TAT is dedicated to the
early identification, assessment, and management of incidents and behaviors
that threaten the safety and well-being of the university community. TAT
staff members are trained to assess these situations and assist with
coordinated responses, as needed. For example, the TAT can coordinate
with the UI Department of Public Safety, provide tips about classroom safety
and other on-campus safety resources, etc.
• Consult the UI Department of Public Safety (UI DPS) regarding on-campus
safety, and community police departments regarding off-campus safety. If
concerned about on-campus safety, explore the use of the “guardian”
function of the Hawk Watch
Rave Guardian app, and consider taking UI
DPS’s Violent Incident Survival Training (VIST).
• If you believe the attackers know where you live (which is not difficult to find
online) and you are concerned about safety in your home, create a safety
plan for home and work. UI DPS can assist you in assessing risk and
planning accordingly.
•
If you are experiencing gender-based harassment and/or harassment that is
page 4
Role Actions
sexual in nature, consult the Office of the Sexual Misconduct Coordinator or
the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity to ensure that you are fully
aware of your rights and resources.
• Do not delete any messages, but you may want to disengage from reading
all emails in your inbox, listening to all voice messages, etc. Preserved
messages may be of use in identifying the harassers and pressing any
relevant charges. Seek out assistance to review and sort your incoming
messages (e.g., find someone to read your messages and forward harassing
ones to the TAT and work-related ones to you). See UI Department of Public
Safety and ITS Resources on Technology Assisted Stalking, Harassment, and
Intimidation for guidance.
• Create a log to document and archive all threatening emails, tweets,
Facebook posts, and phone messages. Consider asking a friend to monitor
social and other media on your behalf and to keep you apprised of any
developments or threats.
• Be cautious about responding to threatening emails, tweets, blog comments,
etc. Although responding may seem like the right thing to do, it may only
provide harassers with additional material and serve to prolong social media
harassment. If you choose not to respond, you may also want to encourage
your friends and colleagues to do the same. Review the UI Office of Strategic
Communication’s resource, “Facing Harassment on Social Media: Know Your
Options.”
• Remember that all email communication you send and receive may be
subject to a public records request
under Iowa’s Open Records law.
• Protect your cyber-identity (e.g., cell phone, network access, social media).
ITS can be of assistance. See ITS Security and Safe Computing in Take Action
Against Electronic Harassment & Stalking.
• Consult with your collegiate communication specialists or the UI Office of
Strategic Communication for assistance in responding to the situation. For
example, you may want to consider preparing a concise message to
articulate your position in your own words and distribute to colleagues as a
form of reputation management. Communications staff can also be of
assistance in deciding whether/how to respond to media requests that may
arise.
• Reach out to friends and develop a support system. The UI Employee
Assistance Program offers free confidential, short-term counseling to UI
faculty and staff and their families.
• Know that you are not alone as an academic who has experienced this type
of harassment. Several scholars have written about the coordinated and
systemic patterns of attack against scholars and faculty members. Connect
with others who have gone through similar situations to decrease your
isolation and learn from their experience. For more information, contact the
Office of the Provost at faculty@uiowa.edu.
Faculty Support and Guidance – Updated 6.10.21
page 5
Role Actions
•
Consult with your department head if you feel this attack has affected your
progress toward tenure, promotion, or reappointment.
Department Chair
• Contact the faculty member as soon as you become aware of the situation.
Meet with them to offer support in the initial days of the attack and review
the Faculty Support Checklist
to ensure the faculty member is aware of
campus resources.
• Before all else, work with the faculty member to ensure that their on-campus
and off-campus safety and security concerns are addressed. Be aware that
the identity of the faculty member may influence their individualized needs
(e.g., parental status, faculty rank, minoritized identity). With the faculty
member’s consent, reach out to appropriate campus resources to address
whatever issues the faculty member identifies.
• It is possible that social media and phone harassment will be received by
multiple offices. Inform the department administrative staff on a need-to-
know basis. Ensure that department staff members whose responsibilities
may include answering harassing phone calls are supported and informed
about strategies for being on the front line (e.g., a script or template
response, instructions for preserving phone messages to aid future
investigations).
• Stay in communication with the dean’s office to ensure a coordinated
response. Share details of the situation on a need-to-know basis and be
mindful that all email communication may be subject to an Open Records
request.
• Consider the well-being of the rest of the departmental faculty, staff, and
students (e.g., co-authors, graduate assistants, front-line staff). Consult with
the threatened faculty member about what and how to share information
with the department. If possible, bring people together to discuss the
situation, the department’s actions, and available support resources.
• Facilitate the physical movement of assigned classrooms and/or workspace
if feasible, and if the affected faculty member requests it.
• Facilitate the removal of the faculty member’s direct contact information
from department or college webpages and the UI directory, in collaboration
with human resources and if the affected faculty member requests it.
• If the attacks are identity-based (e.g., harassment based on gender, race,
sexual identity), consult with the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity to
counsel the faculty member about their rights and with the Division of
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to explore additional support options for the
faculty member and others in the department who share their identity (e.g.,
students, colleagues, staff).
• If the faculty member is experiencing gender-based harassment and/or
harassment that is sexual in nature, consult the Office of the Sexual
Misconduct Coordinator within two business days to ensure that the faculty
member is fully aware of their rights and resources.
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Role Actions
•
After addressing the faculty member’s safety and security concerns, keep in
mind the potential effect of this event on their academic career. For example,
if their scholarship was attacked, discuss how/whether it will affect their
future research trajectory. Connecting the faculty member with other
scholars who have experienced similar attacks may be useful to contextualize
the events within their broader career goals and experiences.
• Discuss issues of academic freedom in regular forums (e.g., faculty meetings,
student seminars), including attention to ways that external forces may
attempt to silence scholars through social media attacks and the resources
available to respond when/if attacks occur.
• If you become the target of the harassment, consult with the dean’s office
and refer to the strategies recommended for faculty members (above) to
ensure your own safety.
Collegiate
Administration:
Dean, Associate Dean
for Faculty, Senior HR
Leader
• Proactively develop a leadership message that defends academic freedom,
the importance of faculty safety, and the development of learning
environments in which difficult issues are discussed and dissected to use as a
template should these types of crises emerge. Work with the UI Office of
Strategic Communication to develop a message that emphasizes university
values, draws upon best practice examples from other campuses, and
addresses potential concerns of multiple constituents (e.g., faculty, alumni,
legislators, donors, students).
• Engage collegiate HR leadership in the coordination of the college-wide
response, including support for staff who may be experiencing stress due to
being on the front line of answering harassing phone calls and/or may be
concerned about their own safety.
• Consider inviting the UI Threat Assessment Team to present about their role
and resources before or during a crisis.
• Consider developing and/or publicizing collegiate protocols for dealing with
internal
threats and harassment (e.g., from students, patients). Provide
training opportunities and resources for collegiate faculty and staff. For more
information, see UI’s Anti-Harassment policy (OMII-14
), Violence policy
(OMII-10), and other UI policies.
• If a crisis emerges, consult with the targeted faculty member to share how
you would like to publicly handle the crisis and discuss any concerns they
might have. Involve the faculty member’s department chair in crisis
management conversations to ensure that efforts are coordinated.
• Support the department chair in working with the targeted faculty member
by offering assistance and resources. See the Faculty Support Checklist
to
ensure that the targeted faculty member’s immediate and longer-term needs
are cared for.
• Inform the dean’s office staff on a need-to-know basis. It is likely that social
media and phone harassment will be directed at multiple offices. Informing
all relevant individuals in the dean’s office will strengthen the college’s ability
Faculty Support and Guidance – Updated 6.10.21
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Role Actions
to engage in a coordinated response. Ensure that dean’s office staff
members whose responsibilities may include answering harassing phone
calls are supported and informed about strategies for being on the front line
(e.g., a script or template response, instructions for preserving phone
messages to aid future investigations
• Depending on the nature of the attacks, be aware that students, staff, and
faculty who share the identity and/or research area under attack (e.g., LGBTQ
students, if the faculty member’s sexual identity is under attack; students of
color, if the faculty member’s racial/ethnic identity is the focus) may also be
experiencing trauma because of this incident. Consult with the Division of
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, University Counseling Services and/or the UI
Employee Assistance Program to arrange for support services for students
and staff in the college.
Communication
Coordinators –
University OSC and
Collegiate
• Inform the dean if you become aware that a faculty member’s name has
shown up in a harassing social media post (e.g., via a Google alert
notification). Keep the dean informed of ongoing mentions throughout the
crisis management process.
• Provide support for the faculty member being targeted, including tips on
working with the media, managing one’s professional and personal
reputation, and Facing Harassment on Social Media: Know Your Options.
• Work with the dean’s office and other campus spokespeople to coordinate
information sharing on a need-to-know basis and to coordinate a consistent
message (e.g., phone scripts for front-line staff answering aggressive callers).
• Consult with collegiate faculty, staff, and administrators about the potential
impact of speaking with the media about faculty harassment and offer
media training and guidance. Also, remind them about Iowa’s Open Records
Law and its impact on email communication.
• Provide assistance to colleges in crafting a leadership message that defends
academic freedom, emphasizes university values, and addresses potential
concerns of multiple constituents (e.g., faculty, alumni, legislators, donors,
students).
Central Administration
Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost
• Establish open communication with the affected faculty member’s dean and
request updates, as needed, on the situation.
• Reach out to the targeted faculty member, reiterating the university’s
commitment to academic freedom as appropriate, and encouraging the
faculty member to consult with their department chair for support and
assistance.
• Provide tools and training for faculty administrators to use when developing
immediate- and longer-term response plans.
• In consultation with the Office of the President and Office of Strategic
Communication, issue a statement (as appropriate) asserting the importance
of academic freedom, freedom of speech,
and committing to the safety of the
faculty. The statement should emphasize the institution’s mission and values
rather than comment on the faculty member’s scholarship.
page 8
Role Actions
Office of the President
• Maintain consistent communication with the Office of the Provost and work
together, as appropriate, to issue a statement asserting the importance of
free speech, academic freedom, and the safety of UI faculty.
General Counsel
• Provide legal counsel, representation, interpretation, and analysis on a broad
array of substantive issues related to carrying out your official duties as an
employee or representative of the university.
• Provide/coordinate effective legal services on issues facing all sectors of the
University of Iowa.
• Assist in developing policies, practices, and procedures that reduce legal risk.
Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• Provide resources and support to the individual faculty member and
department when there are personalized attacks on the faculty
member’s identity and/or diversity-related scholarship or teaching.
• Provide student support, especially for students whose identities and/or
interests are similar to the targeted faculty member.
• Establish consistent communication with Office of Provost and consult on
issuing a statement of support, as appropriate.
Division of Student Life – Office of Student Accountability
• Provide interpretation of Code of Student Life.
University Human Resources
• Provide support and assistance to the individual faculty members,
departmental and collegiate administration, and the broader unit via the UI
Threat Assessment Team and UI Employee Assistance Program.
Faculty Support and Guidance – Updated 6.10.21
page 9
FACULTY SUPPORT CHECKLIST FOR DEOS
The foundation for this guide is the University of Iowa’s unwavering support for academic freedom and freedom
of expression. The faculty’s right to academic freedom in teaching and research is protected as essential to the
university’s educational mission, even with regard to controversial issues or ideas that may provoke disagreement
in the public. Likewise, as citizens, faculty members enjoy strong protection for freedom of speech. Freedom of
speech is not only mandated by our Constitution and other laws but is also necessary for the robust intellectual
exchange on which the university’s teaching and research missions depend. Thus, the targeting of scholars for
their ideas or views not only harms those individuals, but also strikes at the university’s academic core. Through
this guide and other means, the university seeks to protect faculty against the intimidation or violence that the
expression of unpopular ideas sometimes generates.
This checklist helps department chairs and other administrators to address possible concerns and provide
resources in the immediate and longer-term aftermath of a crisis in which faculty are targeted for their ideas or
views. The department chair and/or their designee may use this checklist when meeting with the faculty member
to gather information and create a safety plan. It may be useful to capture as much information as possible
during these interactions in order to limit the number of times the faculty member has to retell the story. If it is
not possible for the department chair or designee to engage in this type of meeting, please refer the faculty
member to the dean’s office for follow-up.
What is the nature of the harassment? When did it begin? How has it changed since it began?
In what environment(s) is the harassment occurring (check all that apply)?
☐ Email
☐ Social media
☐ In the classroom
☐ In the office
☐ At home
☐ Voice messages left on campus phones
☐ On-campus stalking
☐ Via media requests
☐ Harassment of family members/children
☐ Other
What is the faculty member’s greatest concern(s)?
Resources & Referral
Depending on the type and location of the threat, and the identity of the faculty member, offer departmental
support to implement the following, as directed by the faculty member:
Actions Resource/s
Engage with the UI Threat Assessment Team about on-campus
safety resources, including assessing level of danger and
threat, arranging for escorts to a parking lot, as needed, and
rerouting/reviewing incoming email messages. The UI Threat
Assessment Team is available to do an initial assessment over
the phone or in-person with the chair or individual faculty
member.
Threat Assessment Team
A representative of the UI Department of Public Safety serves
as a member of the Threat Assessment Team and can also be
contacted directly to arrange for safety planning and/or to
investigate violent threats. Further, UI Department of Public
Safety can provide instruction for activating the guardian
feature of the Rave Guardian
app and how to preserve
incoming messages to aid in their potential use as evidence, in
the case that some type of charges are filed.
UI Department of Public Safety
If needed and if feasible, arrange for relocation of the faculty
member’s classroom(s) and office, including technology (e.g.,
computer, printer, internet). Remove the new room numbers
from public listings (e.g., directory).
Departmental and collegiate
administration
University Classrooms
If the threats are of a sexual nature or gender-based, consult
the Office of the Sexual Misconduct Response Coordinator
and/or the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity within
two business days for guidance regarding any relevant Title IX
or Title VII issues and procedures.
Office of the Sexual Misconduct
Response Coordinator
Office of Equal Opportunity and
Diversity
Arrange for a process to have someone other than the faculty
member sort incoming emails, voice messages, etc. Seek out
professional assistance regarding how to preserve the
Threat Assessment Team
UI Department of Public Safety
ITS Enterprise Services
Faculty Support and Guidance – Updated 6.10.21
page 11
Actions Resource/s
Refer to the UI Office of Strategic Communication for media
training. Reporters may call for a comment or interview;
deciding whether to talk with the press is a personal decision.
Consulting with media experts can assist in the decision-
making process and skill development.
Office of Strategic Communication
Provide information about relevant academic policies that
address specific concerns expressed by the faculty member.
See the Relevant UI Policies and Resources
section of this
guide for examples.
Office of the Provost
Office of the Ombudsperson
Support faculty members who feel their social identity is a
component of the attack (e.g., faculty of color, LGBTQ faculty).
Provide resources and support for others in the department
(e.g., students, staff, faculty) who share the faculty member’s
identity and who may also feel threatened.
Division of Diversity, Equity, and
Inclusion
Provide information about available campus resources to
address stress management and counseling services.
UI Employee Assistance Program
UIHC Mindfulness-Based Stress
Reduction Programs
RELEVANT UI POLICIES & RESOURCES
Policies & Guidance
• Acceptable Use of Information Technology Resources (OM II-19):
opsmanual.uiowa.edu/community-policies/acceptable-use-information-technology-resources
• Anti-Harassment (OM III-14): opsmanual.uiowa.edu/community-policies/anti-harassment
• Discretionary Extensions to the Tenure-clock (OM III-10.1-a-(4)e):
opsmanual.uiowa.edu/human-resources/faculty/tenure-and-non-tenure-appointments
• Free Speech at Iowa: freespeech.uiowa.edu
• Guidelines Regarding Political Activity by Faculty of the University of Iowa:
provost.uiowa.edu/guidelines-regarding-political-activity-faculty-university-iowa
• Research (OM II-27): opsmanual.uiowa.edu/community-policies/research
• Sexual Harassment (OM II-4): opsmanual.uiowa.edu/community-policies/sexual-harassment
• Social Media Use on the Internet: hr.uiowa.edu/support/employee-and-labor-relations/social-media-
usage
• Use of University Name (OM II-33): opsmanual.uiowa.edu/community-policies/use-university- name
• Violence Policy (OM II-10): opsmanual.uiowa.edu/community-policies/violence
• Violent Incident Survival Training (V.I.S.T.): police.uiowa.edu/police/violent-incident-survival-
training-vist
• Work Flexibility: hr.uiowa.edu/well-being/family-services/workplace-flexibility
• Working at a Public University Guidance: hr.uiowa.edu/onboarding/public-university
Campus Resources
The following offices are available to assist during crisis management and also to provide longer-term guidance
and programs. Please be aware that email communication with these offices may be considered a “public record”
and subject to the Iowa Open Records Law.
• Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: diversity.uiowa.edu/division
o Address: 2750 University Capitol Centre, Suite 3719
o Phone: 319-335-3555
o Email: diversity@uiowa.edu
• Department of Public Safety: police.uiowa.edu
o Address: 808 University Capitol Centre
o Phone: 319-335-5022
o UI Employee Assistance Program:
hr.uiowa.edu/employee-well-being/employee-assistance-
program
o Address: 121 University Services Building Suite 50
o Phone: 319-335-2085
o Email: eaphelp@uiowa.edu
o Equal Opportunity and Diversity, Office of: diversity.uiowa.edu/division/office-equal-
opportunity-and-diversity-eod
Faculty Support and Guidance – Updated 6.10.21
page 13
o Address: 202 Jessup Hall
o Phone: 319-335-0705
o Email: diversity@uiowa.edu
• Executive Vice President and Provost, Office of the: provost.uiowa.edu
o Address: 111 Jessup Hall
o Phone: 319-335-3565
o Email: [email protected]u
• General Counsel, Office of the: gencounsel.uiowa.edu
o Address: 120 Jessup Hall
o Phone: 319-335-3696
o Email: general-counsel@uiowa.edu
• ITS Enterprise Services: its.uiowa.edu/about/es
o Address: 2800 University Capitol Centre
o Phone: 319-384-4357
o Email: its-helpdesk@uiowa.edu
• Ombudsperson, Office of the: uiowa.edu/ombuds
o Address: C108 Seashore Hall
o Phone: 319-335-3608
o Email: ombudsperson@uiowa.edu
• Sexual Misconduct Response Coordinator, Office of the: osmrc.uiowa.edu
o Address: 450 Van Allen Hall
o Phone: 319-335-6200
o Email: osmrc@uiowa.edu
• Strategic Communication, Office of: osc.uiowa.edu
o Address: 300 Plaza Centre One
o Phone: 319-384-0019
• Threat Assessment Team: hr.uiowa.edu/threat-assessment
o Address: 808 University Capitol Centre
o Phone: 319-335-5022
• University Counseling Service: counseling.uiowa.edu
o Westside Address: 3223 Westlawn South
o Eastside Address: University Capitol Centre, Suite 1950
o Phone: 319-335-7294
• Women’s Resource and Action Center: wrac.uiowa.edu
o Address: Bowman House, 230 North Clinton Street
o Phone: 319-335-1486
o Email: wrac@uiowa.edu
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost
111 Jessup Hall, The University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa 52242
Email: faculty@uiowa.edu
Phone: 319.335.3565