VII.F. BSC Grievance Procedure

From BSC Policy
Jump to navigationJump to search

1. Definitions

Enforcement Committee
The Enforcement Committee shall refer to the investigating committee, which may either be the Conduct Committee or the Cabinet.
Enforcement Committee Chair
The Enforcement Committee Chair is either the Concom Chair or President, depending on the Enforcement Committee.
Enforcement Committee Screening Committee (ECSC)
If the Enforcement Committee is ConCom, the Screening Committee shall be the ConCom Chair, the Cooperative Experience Manager, and the Conduct Member Advisor. If the Enforcement Committee is Cabinet, the Screening Committee shall be the President, Executive Director and Conduct Member Advisor.
Harassment
For the purposes of this policy, harassment will refer to sexual harassment, sexual violence, and other instances of harassment.


2. Introduction to the BSC Conduct Process

The BSC endeavors to resolve member conduct issues in a manner that respects both the rights of the member(s) alleged to have violated policy and the member(s) who was harmed by the conduct violation.

There are two defined grievance processes: a process for general conduct violations, and a specialized process for any instance involving harassment or sexual misconduct.


3. General Conduct Violation Process

1. Collection of Complainant Report(s): A written report of the complainant’s concern(s) is generated. The complainant is briefed about their rights in the process and encouraged to utilize the Conduct Member Advisor as a resource.
2. Pre-Hearing: If the hearing officer deems the complaint to be substantive, a pre-hearing meeting will be conducted, where the respondent will meet with staff to review the allegations and will get a chance to take responsibility for the violations and resolve the concern.
3. Enforcement Committee Hearing: If the respondent does not accept responsibility for the violation and agree to the assigned sanctions in the pre-hearing or the complaint is significant enough for a termination of contract, the case will move on to an Enforcement Committee hearing where the case outcome will be decided by a body of current BSC members.

1. Collection of Complainant Report(s)

a. The BSC encourages members to report instances of conduct violations in order to promote a cooperative living environment.
b. Unit-level officials are mandatory reporters in cases of harassment, sexual misconduct, assault, and other threatening or dangerous behavior that threatens community safety. Unit level officials must forward any and all reports of these incidents to central-level staff.
c. In order for the BSC to respond efficiently, the following information will be collected from the complainant:
i. Name of the complainant;
ii. Who is named as having engaged in the inappropriate conduct;
iii. What specific behavior or comments occurred;
iv. Where did it occur;
v. When did it occur;
vi. What was the response at the time, if any;
vii. Names of the witnesses, if any, and
viii. Whether this incident of inappropriate conduct is part of a pattern of behavior and, if so, the same information regarding previous incidents.
d. The BSC will handle all complaints discreetly and will maintain confidentiality to the greatest extent appropriate to the investigation. Any case reports or statements involving allegations of harassment or sexual misconduct will have all identifying information removed.

A. The Complaint Intake Process

a. The Member Resources Supervisor, the Cooperative Experience Manager, the Operations Manager, or a designee of the Executive Director, as appropriate, is responsible for ensuring that the above information is documented in writing. In this intake meeting with the complainant, the BSC staff member will collect the complainant’s statement, and inform the complainant of their rights in the conduct process, including that 1) the Conduct Member Advisor is available to assist them in navigating the process and collecting witness statements and 2) the complainant may recommend sanctions for the respondent that the Conduct Committee will consider .
i. Staff also should ask whether the complainant would be willing to participate in a restorative conference or circle.
b. The complainant’s written statement will then be given to the central level supervisor handling the case, hereafter known as the hearing officer. The hearing officer, will perform a preliminary assessment of the written conduct complaint, which shall include consulting with the complainant if additional information is needed.
i. The hearing officer mediator will be one of the following: 1) the Member Resources Supervisor, 2) the Operations Manager, 3) the Cooperative Experience Manager, or 4) a designee of the Executive Director, as appropriate.
ii. Any individuals with potential conflicts of interest will be excused from the decision-making process, and the Executive Director will designate a replacement(s).
c. In consultation with the staff member who processed the initial grievance, the hearing officer will determine if a) the case should move on to the conduct process or b) be dismissed. The Cooperative Experience Manager, Member Resources Supervisor, and Executive Director will also consult on cases to determine if they may warrant a contract termination and should be sent to Conduct Committee.
d. Following the filing of the initial complaint, the Conduct Member Advisor will aid the complainant and respondent in understanding their right to provide testimony, and in collecting witness statements for the hearing(s). Any updates for complainants involved will be communicated by the hearing officer or Conduct Member Advisor.

2. Pre-Hearing Meeting with Respondent

a. The hearing officer will schedule a pre-hearing meeting with the respondent, where they will privately inform the respondent of the complaint, review their rights in the conduct process, review the alleged policy violations/charges involved in the case, and give the respondent the opportunity to respond to the allegations.
b. The respondent will be notified of this meeting and the charges/ alleged policy violations 72 hours (including 1 business day) in advance of the pre-hearing. The respondent will be notified by email and then reminded by phone/text. If they do not attend, the case will automatically be sent to the Enforcement Committee for review.
c. If the respondent requests it, the complainant’s testimony can be provided to them at the pre-hearing meeting.
d. If in the pre-hearing meeting 1) the respondent chooses to take responsibility for violating all policies involved in the case AND 2) the hearing officer does not believe a termination of contract should be applied, THEN the respondent can choose between the following two options for case resolution:
i. Conditional Contract: The hearing officer and respondent decide on several conditions and/or sanctions that the respondent must complete to successfully resolve the concern. The respondent will sign the agreement at the close of the meeting.
ii. Restorative Conference: Within a deadline designated by the hearing officer and if the complainant is willing to engage in a restorative process, the respondent will contact the Conduct Committee Chair to schedule a restorative conference or circle. The Conduct Committee Chair will facilitate this restorative process.
e. If the two conditions above are not met, then the case will move on to the Enforcement Committee for review. The respondent will be notified that they have the right to attend this hearing and provide their testimony in person and given a timeline of when the hearing will take place.
f. At the close of the hearing the hearing officer will inform the respondent that any retaliation against a supposed complainant, witness, or member of an enforcement committee violates the BSC whistle-blower policy and is a termination worthy offense.

3. The Enforcement Committee Hearing

a. Following the pre-hearing, the Conduct Member Advisor will contact the respondent to assist in collecting witness statements. Only the statements of witnesses to the incident(s) involved in the case will be considered. The Conduct Committee can decide whether to exclude a witness statement from the hearing if it is too long or not relevant to the case.
b. The hearing officer will notify the Conduct Committee Chair of the upcoming conduct case. The Conduct Committee Chair will notify the Conduct Committee Members of the upcoming hearing and will prepare administratively for the hearing (will contact the Conduct Member Advisor for the complainant’s witness statements, will make copies of the complainant’s report, print out copies of the policies allegedly violated, prepare the agenda, etc.).
c. The respondent will be notified of the Enforcement Committee meeting and the charges/ alleged policy violations 72 hours (including 1 business day) in advance of the hearing. If they do not attend, a decision on the case will be made in their absence.
d. Only members of the Enforcement Committee (including the Chair, Administrative Assistant, and staff advisors), the Conduct Member Advisor, and the respondent may attend the hearing.
e. The entire Enforcement Committee proceeding shall be held in executive session.
f. Before the respondent is let into to the room, the Conduct Committee Chair will present some basic details of the case to the committee, including the alleged policy violations. The Conduct Committee will:
1. Read the complainant’s report and witness statements
2. Disclose potential conflicts of interest
a. The Conduct Committee member who believes they may have a conflict of interest should discuss the circumstances privately with the Conduct Committee Chair. Collectively, they will decide if the Conduct Committee member should participate in the hearing.
3. Develop questions to ask the respondent about the incident
4. Review the agenda and determine which representative will facilitate each portion of the meeting.
f. The hearing is recommended to proceed as follows:
1. Introductions & Conduct Philosophy
2. Member Rights in Conduct Process
a. The Conduct Committee reviews the respondent’s rights in the conduct process with them.
3. Review of Applicable Policies/ Charges
a. The policies that have been allegedly violated are reviewed with the respondent, and they have the chance to ask questions about the policies
4. Opportunity to Present Written Witness Statements
a. If the respondent presents witness statements, the Conduct Committee is given reading time to review the statements.
5. Report Reading
a. The respondent is given the opportunity to read the complainant’s report and witness statements.
6. Respondent’s Testimony (10 minutes)
a. The respondent is given the opportunity to respond to the allegations made by the complainant in the case.
7. Question and Answer (15 minutes)
a. The Conduct Committee asks the respondent questions about the incident, including questions to clarify what occurred and restorative questions focused on the impact of what happened.
8. Respondent Responds to Charges
a. The respondent is given the option to take responsibility for the policy violation(s). Each charge is read, and the respondent can respond that they feel like they are:
i. responsible for the policy violation
ii. not responsible for the policy violation
iii. no-comment
9. Appeals and Notification of Outcome
a. The Conduct Committee tells the respondent when they can expect to be notified of the outcome
b. The appeals process is reviewed with the respondent, including the reasons an appeal may be considered.
10. Deliberations (15 minutes)
a. During deliberations, the respondent shall leave the room.
b. The Conduct Committee will discuss which policies the respondent is responsible for violating and will determine appropriate sanctions, if applicable.
c. The Conduct Committee should vote on whether the respondent is responsible or not responsible for violating each individual policy in the case. Then the committee should assign relevant educational or punitive sanctions.
d. The Enforcement Committee may only take action on allegations specified in the report using only the evidence presented at the hearing.
e. The Cooperative Experience Manager or other professional staff advisor to the Enforcement Committee should inform the committee if they believe the decision made is problematic based on risk or past precedent. If this is the case, the Committee must review the materials again and vote for a second time on the outcome of the case. After this second vote, if the Cooperative Experience Manager/staff advisor or Enforcement Committee Chair still feel the decision is not appropriate, they may announce that they will refer the decision to the Termination Appeals Body for review. In such circumstances, the Enforcement Committee decision is not official until approved by the Terminations Appeal Body.
g. The only timed portions of the hearing are the respondent’s testimony, question and answer, and deliberations. If the committee wishes to extend the time on any of these sections, it must vote and approve by a 2/3 majority.
h. The Enforcement Committee chair may deviate from the procedure above to ensure a sound process.
i. Any intended deviation should be discussed with the members of the Conduct Committee before the respondent enters the hearing.
ii. To preserve the integrity of the process, any procedural deviations after proceedings begin will be made only if necessary.
i. The Enforcement Committee Chair shall notify the respondent and complainant of the outcome of the case in writing within 72 hours of the hearing. The respondent’s notification should include information on the appeals process.
j. The Cooperative Experience Manager/staff advisor, or their their designee, is charged with ensuring that the committee’s decision is implemented. If appropriate, this may include notifying unit-level management of the hearing’s outcome.
k. The Conduct Member Advisor will follow-up with the respondent to ensure they understand the decision and their rights to appeal.
 The Conduct Member Advisor will also follow up with the complainant to check in and process the outcome with them.


4. Conduct Process Involving Harassment, Sexual Harassment, and Sexual Violence

To produce a process that respects the privacy and rights of the complainant, the general format of a harassment or sexual misconduct conduct case differs from the general conduct process. The overview of the conduct process for cases involving harassment is as follows:

1. Complainant Interview: In person interview with the complainant about their concerns. A written report of the complainant’s concern(s) is generated. The complainant is briefed about their rights in the process and encouraged to utilize the Conduct Member Advisor as a resource.
2. Respondent Interview: If hearing officer deems the complaint to be substantive, a thorough investigation is defined and a pre-hearing interview or meeting will be conducted, where the respondent will meet with staff to review the allegations and provide their verbal testimony, which will be recorded.
3. Screening Committee Review Written Report(s) & Provide Recommendations: The conduct staff who conducted the interviews with the complainant and respondent will meet to review the reports, insure they are ready to send on to the Enforcement Committee, and to make recommendations for an outcome and sanctions.
4. Enforcement Committee Meeting: The case will move on to an Enforcement Committee hearing where the written testimony of all parties will be considered. The outcome of the case will be decided by a body of current BSC members and staff.

1. Collection of Complainant Report(s)

a. The BSC encourages members to report instances of conduct violations in order to promote a cooperative living environment.
b. Unit-level officials are mandatory reporters in cases of harassment and sexual misconduct, and must forward any and all reports of harassment to central-level staff.
c. In order for the BSC to respond efficiently, the following information will be collected from the complainant:
i. Name of the complainant;
ii. Who is named as having engaged in the inappropriate conduct;
iii. What specific behavior or comments occurred;
iv. Where did it occur;
v. When did it occur;
vi. What was the response at the time, if any;
vii. Names of the witnesses, if any, and
viii. Whether this incident of inappropriate conduct is part of a pattern of behavior and, if so, the same information regarding previous incidents.
d. Upon completion of the complainant interview, the staff will type the complainant's statement and review it with the complainant to ensure accuracy. The complainant will sign and date the statement to verify their approval.
e. The BSC will handle all complaints discreetly and will maintain confidentiality to the greatest extent appropriate to the investigation. Any case reports or statements involving allegations of harassment or sexual misconduct will have all identifying information removed.
f. After the initial intake of the complaint, cases of this nature will take priority over those that do not interfere with the safety of member. The BSC will have 60 days to conduct interviews and an investigation, to send the case to the Enforcement Hearing body, and to render a decision.

A. The Complaint Intake Process

a. The Member Resources Supervisor, the Cooperative Experience Manager, the Operations Manager, or a designee of the Executive Director, as appropriate, is responsible for ensuring that the above information is documented in writing. In this intake meeting with the complainant, the BSC staff member will collect the complainant’s statement, and inform the complainant of their rights in the conduct process, including that 1) the Conduct Member Advisor is available to assist them in navigating the process and collecting witness statements and 2) the complainant may recommend sanctions for the respondent that the Conduct Committee will consider .
i. Complainants will be given the option to a) provide a written report or b) to provide a verbal account of what occurred that will be recorded and transcribed by the staff member performing the complaint intake process.
ii. Staff also should ask whether the complainant would be willing to participate in an early resolution. Early Resolution includes options such as discussions with the parties, making recommendations for resolution, and conducting a follow-up review after a period of time to assure that the resolution has been implemented effectively.
b. The complainant’s written statement will then be given to the central-level supervisor handling the case, hereafter known as the hearing officer. The hearing officer will perform a preliminary assessment of the written conduct complaint, which shall include consulting with the complainant if additional information is needed.
i. The hearing officer will be one of the following: 1) the Member Resources Supervisor, 2) the Operations Manager, 3) the Cooperative Experience Manager, or 4) a designee of the Executive Director, as appropriate.
ii. Any individuals with potential conflicts of interest will be excused from the decision-making process, and the Executive Director will designate a replacement(s).
c. In consultation with the staff member who processed the initial grievance, the hearing officer will determine if a) the case should move on to the conduct process or b) be dismissed.
d. Following the filing of the initial complaint, the Conduct Member Advisor will aid the complainant and respondent in understanding their right to provide testimony, and in collecting witness statements for the hearing(s). Any updates for complainants involved will be communicated by the hearing officer or Conduct Member Advisor.
i. The complainant in a harassment case may opt to waive the use of the Conduct Member Advisor, or to utilize a trained survivor advocate in their place. In this case, the Cooperative Experience Manager will coordinate communication between the survivor advocate and others involved in the BSC conduct process.
ii. All complainant witness statements in harassment cases must be collected and all identifying information must be removed from them by the Conduct Member Advisor before the pre-hearing interview with the respondent. The Conduct Member Advisor should provide these statements to the hearing officer within 72 hours after the complaint submits their official complaint, so that the hearing officer can generate questions for the respondent. The Conduct Member Advisor should convey an appropriate deadline to the complainant for these witness statements as a result.

2. Pre-Hearing Interview with Respondent

a. The hearing officer will schedule a pre-hearing meeting with the respondent, where they will privately inform the respondent of the complaint, review their rights in the conduct process, review the alleged policy violations/charges involved in the case, and give the respondent the opportunity to respond to the allegations. The respondent will not have access to the complainant's full written statement. The respondent’s testimony will be collected in this meeting, and questions about their statement will be asked by the hearing officer.
b. The respondent will be notified of this meeting 72 hours (including 1 business day) in advance of the pre-hearing. The respondent will be notified by email and then reminded by phone/text. If they do not attend, the case will automatically be sent to the Enforcement Committee for review without the respondent’s testimony.
c. The charges and alleged policy violations, date and location of the alleged violations will be provided to the respondent at the pre-hearing interview. The respondent will be given the chance to respond to these materials. The respondent’s testimony and their response to questioning will be recorded and transcribed by the hearing officer.
d. If a staff member determines that a hearing is warranted, and a thorough investigation is defined and performed, then the case will move on to the Enforcement Committee for review. The respondent should be notified that a) In harassment cases, the respondent cannot attend the Enforcement Committee hearing and b) when they can expect to be notified of the outcome of the case.
e. At the close of the hearing, the hearing officer will inform the respondent that any retaliation against a supposed complainant, witness, or member of an enforcement committee violates the BSC whistle-blower policy and is a termination worthy offense.
f. The hearing officer will inform the respondent that the Conduct Member Advisor will contact the respondent to assist in collecting witness statements. Only the statements of witnesses to the incident(s) involved in the case will be considered.
g. In harassment incidents, the respondent has 72 hours following the pre-hearing to procure witness statements and give them to the Conduct Member Advisor. In order for the respondent’s witness statements to be included in the report, The Conduct Member Advisor must receive the respondent’s witness statements, remove all identifying information from them, and share them with the Screening Committee before it meets to make recommendations.

3. Screening Committee Review Written Report(s) & Provide Recommendations

a. For harassment cases that progress to the Enforcement Committee hearing, the Cooperative Experience Manager/staff advisor and Conduct Member Advisor shall collaborate to create an evidentiary report that contains the following:
i. Cooperative Experience Manager/staff advisor’s Responsibility:
1. brief summary of case
2. alleged policies violated
3. the complainant’s statement
4. the respondent’s statement
5. the respondent’s response to the charges (responsible, not responsible, or no comment)
ii. Conduct Member Advisor’s Responsibility:
1. witness statements and any additional relevant evidence from the complainant
2. witness statements and any additional relevant evidence from the respondent
b. When the Cooperative Experience Manager/staff advisor and Conduct Member Advisor prepare the report for the Enforcement Committee, no identifying details will be divulged in harassment cases.
c. Before the Enforcement Committee Hearing, the Enforcement Committee Screening Committee (ECSC) shall meet to review a draft of the evidentiary report.
i. The ECSC will determine which documents in the report are irrelevant, too lengthy to include, or what desired information the report is missing.
1. The ECSC may either accept the report as written or direct the Cooperative Experience Manager/staff advisor and Conduct Member Advisor to make further modification in advance of the Enforcement Committee hearing.
2. Any document may be added or removed from the report by a majority vote of the ECSC.
3. A simple majority of the ECSC can vote to send the report to the Enforcement Committee hearing after any amendments have been made.
ii. After approving the report, the ECSC will develop recommended outcomes and sanctions to present to the Enforcement Committee in conjunction with the report. These recommendations should take into account the wishes of the complainant and any concerns involving community safety and organizational liability.
iii. Complainants and respondents may review the report after the hearing has taken place and an outcome has been rendered. Given the confidential nature of the report, the complainant and respondent may only view the report in its physical form in the presence of the Conduct Member Advisor or central-level staff.

4. The Enforcement Committee Hearing

a. The hearing officer will notify the Enforcement Committee Chair of the upcoming conduct case. The Enforcement Committee Chair will notify the Enforcement Committee Members of the upcoming hearing and will prepare administratively for the hearing (will contact the Conduct Member Advisor and Cooperative Experience Manager/staff advisor for the evidentiary report, prepare the agenda, etc.).
b. The respondent will be notified of the Enforcement Committee meeting, the charges/ alleged policy violations, and when to expect notification of an outcome 72 hours (including 1 business day) in advance of the hearing. The respondent may not attend the hearing.
c. Only members of the Enforcement Committee (including the Chair, Administrative Assistant, and staff advisors) and the Conduct Member Advisor (or Trained Survivor Advocate) may attend the hearing.
d. The entire Enforcement Committee proceeding shall be held in executive session.
e. The hearing is recommended to proceed as follows:
1. Review of Applicable Policies/ Charges
2. Review of the Evidentiary Report
3. Disclose potential conflicts of interest
a) Any Enforcement Committee member who believes they may have a conflict of interest should discuss the circumstances privately with the Enforcement Committee Chair. Collectively, they will decide if the Enforcement Committee member should participate in the hearing.
4. Presentation of ECSC’s Recommendations (5 minutes)
a) The ECSC will appoint one or more of their members to present their recommendation(s) to the Enforcement Committee
5. Question and Answer (15 minutes)
a) The Enforcement Committee can ask questions of the investigation team
6. Deliberations (15 minutes)
a) The Enforcement Committee will discuss which policies the respondent is responsible for violating and will determine appropriate sanctions, if applicable.
b) The Enforcement Committee should vote on whether the respondent is responsible or not responsible for violating each individual policy in the case. Then the committee should assign relevant educational or punitive sanctions, taking into account the recommendation of ECSC.
c) The Enforcement Committee may only take action on allegations specified in the report using only the evidence presented at the hearing.
d) The Cooperative Experience Manager or other professional staff advisor to the Enforcement Committee should inform the committee if they believe the decision made is problematic based on risk or past precedent. If this is the case, the Committee must review the materials again and vote for a second time on the outcome of the case. After this second vote, if the Cooperative Experience Manager/staff advisor or Enforcement Committee Chair still feels the decision is not appropriate, they may announce that they will refer the decision to the Termination Appeals Body for review. In such circumstances, the Enforcement Committee decision is not official until approved by the Termination Appeals Body.
f. The only timed portions of the hearing are the question and answer, ECSC recommendations, and deliberations. If the committee wishes to extend the time on any of these sections, it must vote and approve by a 2/3 majority.
g. The Enforcement Committee Chair may deviate from the procedure above to ensure a sound process.
i. Any intended deviation should be discussed with the members of the Enforcement Committee before the hearing commences.
ii. To preserve the integrity of the process, any procedural deviations after proceedings begin will be made only if necessary.
h. The Enforcement Committee Chair shall notify the respondent and complainant of the outcome of the case in writing within 72 hours of the hearing. The respondent’s notification should include information on the appeals process.
i. The Cooperative Experience Manager/staff advisor, or their designee, is charged with ensuring that the committee’s decision is implemented. If appropriate, this may include notifying house management of the hearing’s outcome.
j. The Conduct Member Advisor will follow-up with the respondent to ensure they understand the decision and their rights to appeal.
 The Conduct Member Advisor will also follow up with the complainant to check in and process the outcome with them.

5. Enforcement Committee Appeals Procedures

1. A case resolved in a pre-hearing cannot be appealed. By taking responsibility for a policy violation, the complainant/respondent has waived their right to an appeal.
2. Once the Cooperative Experience Manager/staff advisor has received the written request for appeal an appeal report shall be written. The report will be distributed to the Appeals Committee. This report, when relevant, shall include:
a. A complete summary of the case, and the action taken by the previous body, along with the reasons for it.
b. The written request for appeal filed by the appellant.
c. Explanations by each of the other parties to the case of their views, and action desired.
d. An explanation of any relevant BSC or unit-level policies.
e. All relevant correspondence or minutes, dated.
3. Refer to section II.XVIII of the Policy Directory for the details of the appeals process.

6. Records

a. Minutes should be taken of the Enforcement Committee’s proceedings.
i. Minutes are not kept during deliberations.
ii. All motions made and voted on by the committee must also be included in the minutes.
b. These minutes, along with any reports or testimony involved in the case, will be kept by the Cooperative Experience Manager as confidential records. They will only be shared with the respondent in the case of an appeal and only when deemed appropriate by the Cooperative Experience Manager.