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Updated policy on equal opportunity, affirmative action, and serious search for salaried positions
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Update History
DateSection(s)Description of Update
2025
Language edited to align with current legal requirements and internal Human Resources practices
Updated language in these sections to reflect new titles for Vice Chancellor for Student Life and Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate and Graduate Education
2024
Updated description of support staff positions to align with current Human Resources language and practices
Updated examples of possibly harassing conduct to align with the collective bargaining agreement with the Graduate Student Union
Revisions to Research Scientist, Engineer, and Associate positions to create career pathways; addition of Program Scientist, Engineer, and Associate positions
Text edits to replace gendered language with gender-neutral language
2023
Text edits to replace gendered language with gender-neutral language
Revised to clarify details about postdoctoral associate appointments, including notice period for non-renewal
Clarified that proposals for use of MIT marks must be sent to Office of Communications for approval or denial in accordance with use of name guidelines
Changed references to "Administrative Officer" to "Director of Administration and Finance" in the sections listed
Updated tenure process policy in 3.2 and made conforming changes in the other sections listed
Minor conforming changes to align with new language in Section 7.1 on serious search requirements
Updated to reflect that administrative staff appointments are generally exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act and usually not entitled to overtime pay
Updated title of policy and references to office name from Office of Sponsored Programs to Research Administration Services
2022
Added references to MIT's Section 504 Coordinators and to the internal process for resolving complaints about disability discrimination
Changed title of Section 9.1 to "Introduction to Relations and Responsibilities Within the MIT Community"
Changed office name from Office of Sponsored Programs to Research Administration Services and updated link in Section 12.7
Updated cross-reference to Section 9.9 Consensual Sexual or Romantic Relationships in the Workplace or Academic Environment
2021
Updated internal cross-references and links to other Institute policies to reflect renumbering
Updated Non-Retaliation policy to include additional examples of retaliation and clarity on where to report concerns
Renumbered Personal Conduct and Responsibilities Towards Students and Employees from Section 9.1 to Section 9.2; Renumbered Nondiscrimination policy from Section 9.2 to Section 9.3; Renumbered Racist Conduct policy from Section 9.3 to Section 9.4; Renumbered Consensual Sexual or Romantic Relationships policy from Section 9.5 to Section 9.9; Renumbered Access and Accommodations for Employees and Students with Disabilities policy from Section 9.9 to Section 9.11; Renumbered Policies Specific to Students from Section 9.10 to Section 9.12; Renumbered Substance Abuse policy from Section 9.11 to 9.13; Renumbered Environmental Health and Safety policy from Section 9.12 to Section 9.14; Renumbered Protection of Minors policy from Section 9.13 to Section 9.15
Updated to include notification requirement when supervisors become aware of certain policy violations
Retitled to "Confidentiality and Privacy" and updated content to provide more details on confidentiality in Section 9.8 proceedings
Renumbered Harassment policy from Section 9.4 to Section 9.5; added new subsection on notification of allegations of sexual misconduct and sexual harassment of students
Updated to reflect changes required by new Massachusetts law related to reporting, written notice of discipline, supportive measures, and assistance during complaint resolution in sexual misconduct cases
Updated Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action and Serious Search policies to reflect changes in the law and MIT's current practices
Updated to include references to the College of Computing, additional Master's degrees, and links to MIT Facts
2020
Updated to reflect that an investigation report could be shared with the Respondent's immediate supervisor and/or a higher level manager
Updated point of contact for the Independent Activities Period to the Office of the Vice Chancellor
Updated point of contact for student activities to the Student Organizations, Leadership and Engagement Office
2019
Changed to allow vacation accruals for postdoctoral associate appointments of 3 months or longer.
Revised to reflect current status and to include information on Institute committees formerly in P&P 1.7
2018
New section 9.5 added “Consensual Sexual or Romantic Relationships in the Workplace or Academic Environment;” Sections 9.7 renumbered as 9.8; Section 9.8 renumbered as 9.9; Section 9.9 renumbered as 9.10; Section 9.10 renumbered as 9.11; Section 9.11 renumbered as 9.12; references to those sections updated; Section 4.4 updated with link to Section 9.5; Section 7.2 updated with link to Section 9.5
2017
Revised the Campus Smoking Policy by changing the title of "Housemaster" to "Heads of House" and updating the language about where students can smoke to comply with the Housing Smoking Policies.
Revised the Departmental Handling of Violations policy reflecting the current practice with the Committee on Discipline (COD) and updated the name of DUE to the Office of the Vice Chancellor (OVC) as well as the Office of Student Citizenship to the Office of Student Conduct, remaining (OSC).
Corrected broken links for the TLO Office, the Guide, and the Disclosure Form. Removed link to section 2.1.2 of the Guide in section 13.1.1
Removed language about more examples of harassing conduct found on the Complaint Process and Resolution website
Corrected error - changed the wording "final Inquiry report" to "final Investigation report" to be consistent with the mention of this report in other paragraphs of this section
Added section 2.3.2.1 "Adjunct Professor Emeritus, Professor of the Practice Emeritus" and section 2.3.7 "Senior Technical Instructor". Renumbered sections 2.3.8-2.3.13
Made minor clarifications to section 3.1 - Search, Appointment, and Promotion Process for Faculty
2016
Updated harassment, nondiscrimination, personal conduct policies; added and updated related policies; moved some policies. Most sections of prior Section 9 renumbered.
Removed links to Office of Sponsored Programs and added mention of Conflict of Interest Officer and Officer's contact email. Added link to Conflict of Interest in Research Policy in Sponsored Research section.
Renumbered references to Affirmative Action Serious Search Policy from 7.1.3 to 7.1.4.
Updated Nondiscrimination Policy to include an address of where to file a complaint and a statement that harassment can be a form of discrimination. Policy 7.1.2 labeled Non-retaliation was added, including the new "pay transparency" regulation. Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Policy was renumbered 7.1.3 and Affirmative Action Serious Search Policy was renumbered 7.1.4.
2015
Updated Sick Leave Policy for Faculty, Academic Staff, Research Staff, and Administrative Staff to include requirement to record use of paid sick time for monthly paid employees and that up to 40 hours per year can be used for sick family members and for victims of domestic violence.
The Faculty Committee on Outside Professional Activities has been disbanded and mention of this committee has been removed from the applicable policies.
Updated Nondiscrimination Policy to include a statement about Title IX prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex and an email address for the Title IX Coordinator.
Added a new policy section; 7.5.7 - Leaves of Absence for Victims of Domestic Violence due to a new state law requiring leaves of absence for victims of domestic violence.
Section 8.0 was removed because the Chancellor determined that the Committee on Student Information Policy should no longer exist and the Student Information Policy Officers never came into existence.
Updates reflect the expansion of Mass. 8 weeks of unpaid maternity leave into 8 weeks of unpaid parental leave and mention a new benefit for all new parents of 5 days of paid parental leave.
Updated EEO language to include Lorraine Goffe-Rush and Sarah Rankin's new title of Title IX Coordinator.
Included a reference to the new MA Earned Sick Time Law. This section was shortened due to added linking with websites.
2014
Updated the MIT Compensation Guidelines for Special Activities and Programs from the July 2010 version to the July 2012 version.
Removed contact information for Alison Alden and added sentence defining roles in the absence of the VP for Human Resources.
In last paragraph, added reference to section 3.3 and corrected number of reference to Termination of Tenure from 3.3 to 3.4.
2013
Removed the reference to Bantrell fellow. This title is no longer used at MIT, as the fellowship program no longer exists.
The number of Professors of the Practice and Adjuncts is now limited on a School-wide basis rather than on a unit-by-unit basis.
Clarified policy to indicate that MIT owns Intellectual Property made or created by MIT faculty, students, staff or others participating in research pursuant to a sponsored research agreement to which MIT is a party.
2012
Made several minor editorial changes and removed a line indicating that persons being evaluated may obtain access to assessments of themselves and others.
Removed section 7.4.5, stating that employment is contingent upon evidence that an employee is free from tuberculosis. That legal requirement was repealed.
Inserted note that, even with the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the Department of Defense's ROTC programs conflict with MIT's policy of nondiscrimination in regard to gender identity.
Revised contact information for inquiries related to EEO and Title IX. Inquiries should be addressed to the VP for Human Resources or to the Manager of Staff Diversity and Inclusion.
Added reference to PPM provisions on probationary period, performance feedback, performance reviews, corrective action, termination reasons and process. Made minor updates to language, benefits, and overall flow.
Employees who receive a layoff notice and who apply for other positions at MIT should notify their Human Resources Officer, not Staffing Services.
Established subsections 6.1.1 through 6.1.3. Added reference to PPM provisions on probationary period, performance feedback, performance reviews, corrective action, termination reasons and process. Made minor updates to language, benefits, and overall flow.
Replaced first paragraph with information about the definition of a "retiree" at MIT, and added link to HR Benefits website on retirement.
Changed "Special Assistants to the President" to "Ombuds Office." Changed "Graduate Students Office" to "Office of the Dean for Graduate Education."
Clarified that Section 11 focuses on personal privacy; added cross references to Section 13.2 on IT Resources.
Added a new term of "IT Resources"; clarified the standards for access and disclosure of information from MIT's IT Resources.
Updated names of Offices of the Deans for Student Life, Undergraduate Education, and Graduate Education.
2011
With the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," removed note indicating that MIT's policy of nondiscrimination is in conflict with the Department of Defense's ROTC's programs.
Removed lists of titles associated with Academic Council, Administrative Council, and Faculty Council. Moved Committees Appointed by the Provost section to 1.7.4.
Updated the names of various faculty and presidential committees. Created new section (1.7.4 Committees Appointed by the Provost), which was previously 1.6.4.
Updated the title of the Dean for Graduate Education. Removed the Committee on Faculty-Administration.
Added detail to the process for raising, reviewing, and resolving complaints. Added sections concerning retaliation, false accusations or testimony, confidentiality, assistance during the complaint resolution process, pay status for time spent in dispute resolution, record keeping, termination of internal review, and legal information.
Removed lists of departments and programs and instead linked to Schools' websites and Senior Leadership organization chart.
Removed a series of exceptions to the Annual Salary Plan. Added the fifth feature of the Plan and created a certificate-protected link to the Compensation Guidelines for Special Activities and Programs.
Changed the length of appointment required to participate in the mandatory health care program from five months to three. Updated the title of the appointments subject to the mandatory health care program.
Removed all references to the IAP Policy Committee. The work of the IAP Policy Committee now falls under the purview of the Committee on Curricula.
Clarified the number of Corporation members. Added the Screening Committee for Nomination of Recent Graduates. Increased the number of visiting committees from 30 to 31.
2010
Created new section: "Decision not to Promote or Award Tenure." Shifted 3.3 to 3.4 and shifted 3.4 to 3.5.
Replaced "Public Relations Services" with the "Office of the Vice President for Institute Affairs." Noted that requests for public statement should be directed to the MIT News Office.
Under Academic Departments and Programs, added Biological Engineering; updated department name of Nuclear Science and Engineering; removed Division of Toxicology; updated program name of Women's and Gender Studies.
Updated language related to outside professional activities.
2009
Added "logo" to the list of items prohibited from use by outside organizations without the approval of the Technology Licensing Office.
Removed all references to the Office of the Dean of Students and Undergraduate Education (ODSUE). Questions of academic dishonesty should be reported to the Office of Student Citizenship (OSC). Also removed references to the Committee on Faculty-Administration.
Removed all references to the Office of the Dean of Students and Undergraduate Education (ODSUE). Questions of academic dishonesty should be reported to the Office of Student Citizenship (OSC). Removed "faculty warning letter" as an option for faculty action in the event of potential academic dishonesty.
Added the category of "genetic information" as part of the classes that are protected from discrimination.
Updated the text to reflect that the Provost does not need to review appointments to the rank of Professor Emeritus and Professor Without Tenure (Retired).
Removed the Committee on the Writing Requirement from the "Special Faculty Committees" section.
Updated the description of the Institute's government and community engagement; revised the description of the role performed by the Office of Government and Community Relations and the MIT Washington Office.
Instructor-G appointees may not receive compensation from MIT-controlled sources of payments for engaging in additional employment during their periods of appointment.
Removed passage indicating that graduate students may be appointed to the position of instructor on the academic instructional staff.
Replaced references to the Acquisitions Committee with the List Center's Collections Committee. Clarified the role and responsibility of that committee. Replaced references to the Associate Provost of the Arts with simply Associate Provost.
2008
Changed the definition of Professor Emeritus to specify that an appointment of professor without tenure (retired) may be renewed. Before this change, such an appointment was normally limited to a maximum of 5 years; now the appointment is normally for 5 years and may be renewed at the discretion of the Provost and appropriate dean.
Clarified that only years spent as a member of the regular Faculty are counted towards the six-year requirement in order to be eligible for a sabbatical.
Added language to the Adjunct Professor and Professor of the Practice designations regarding time, pay, renewal, and review.
Added language to the Adjunct Associate Professor and Associate Professor of the Practice designations regarding time and pay. Appointees to these ranks are normally limited to eight years. Removed line about commitment to either of these designations being capped at 50%.
Appointees to the rank of Sr. Research Scientist, Sr. Research Engineer, and Sr. Research Associate generally are expected to raise funds to conduct research and cover their own salaries.
The expense for a layoff of a long-service employee in absence of notice should be drawn from funds administered by the department.
Updated the vacation policy to align Sponsored Research Staff Appointments with other benefited staff at the Institute.
Added 'date of birth' and 'any honors and awards received' to the list of directory information about students.
Postdoctoral and Senior Postdoctoral Associate appointees must report their outside professional activities to their department heads annually.
Removed text indicating that the smallest fraction of a year in calculating years ofservice for faculty is a full term.
Tenured faculty on sabbatical leave must report their outside professional activities to their department heads annually.
All proposals to use MIT's name or other identification should be submitted to the Technology Licensing Office. Proposals dealing with using the name or identification for the purpose of press conferences and public announcements should be submitted to the Technology Licensing Office and the News Office.
Clarified that full-time adjunct associate professors and associate professors of the practice may be granted consulting privileges on an ongoing basis with approval of their department head and the School Dean.
Added two additional criteria to the list of directory information. Made several changes in wording to reflect that the Committee on Student Information Policy is an advisory committee to the Chancellor and Deans for Undergraduate Education, Student Life, and Graduate Education.
Updated the vacation policy with regard to administrative staff to match the Personnel Policy Manual.
Updated the vacation policy to align Technical Instructors with other benefited staff at the Institute.
Changed the wording to stress that support staff positions are not exempt from the FLSA and are entitled to overtime pay. Also, updated the approval process for requesting to fill support staff positions. (The process is determined by the department.)
Changed the wording to indicate that requests to fill service staff positions follow the approval process under the collective bargaining agreement.
2007
Removed the percentage and length of appointment restrictions and updated the wording of the Annual Salary Plan to indicate that it applies only to salaried appointments.
Change Personnel Office to Human Resource Office, Personnel Officer to Human Resource Officer, Update Personnel Policy Manual links to hrweb.mit.edu