Appendix F - Legal Considerations
When conducting a faculty search, attention must be given to the federal, state, and local laws governing employment discrimination and to the Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ University Policy on Institutional Equity.
The University prohibits discrimination and harassment on the basis of 17 protected classes:
- age
- citizenship status
- color
- disability
- gender identity
- gender expression
- genetic information
- marital status
- national origin
- parental status
- pregnancy
- race
- religion
- reproductive health decision-making
- sex
- sexual orientation
- veteran status
The law in areas of equal opportunity, nondiscrimination, and affirmative action is evolving and can be complex. Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ’s Office of General Counsel (ph 847.491.5605) and Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance (ph 847.467.6165) work closely with the Office of the Provost on these issues.
Basic Interview Guidelines
The following guidelines are based on federal, state, and local law and Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ University policy. As a general rule, ask only what you need to know (questions relating to the requirements of the job) and not what you would like to know (questions that do not pertain to the job and/or are personal in nature). Similarly, you should only ask interview questions that you also ask the other candidates.
|
Topic |
Questions NOT to ask |
Permissible questions |
|
Age |
Age, birth date, date of graduation |
Expected completion date of PhD degree requirements |
|
Citizenship |
Whether candidate is a US citizen Place of birth of applicant or close relatives |
Whether candidate is eligible to work in the US |
|
Disabilities |
Any question about a candidate’s health, medical condition, or illness Any question that is for the purpose of eliciting information about a disability |
How candidate would perform the job |
|
Marital and family status |
Questions about marital status, child care, children, pregnancy, or future plans with respect to these matters |
Candidate may be provided with available information regarding Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ family policies and services and may be referred to appropriate campus resources (Office of the Provost, Office of Human Resources) |
|
Race and ethnicity |
Any question about candidate’s race, national origin, ethnicity, or (unless job-related) languages spoken |
None |
|
Religion |
Questions about religious affiliation |
None |
|
Sex, gender identity, gender expression |
Questions about maiden name or any question pertaining to only one sex |
None |
|
Sexual orientation |
Questions about sexuality |
None |