Purpose
- To establish a proactive protocol for statements coming from Pitt Law's Dean's Office in response to current events that bear upon legal education and the law school environment and
- To set expectations for the Pitt Law community regarding when and how the administration will lead the law school’s response to such events. Statements from the deans do not necessarily reflect the views of the faculty.
When will this protocol be followed?
The dean and/or vice dean are often called upon to address our community in various instances. They must communicate with our community about building operations and provide updates to course information and operations. They often share changes in personnel and other news about Pitt Law community members. This protocol is not intended to govern communications that typically relate to the regular business of the law school.
This protocol is intended to address two specific circumstances: (1) When an instance of faculty, staff, or student conduct that is inconsistent with the values encompassed by Pitt Law’s commitment to equity and inclusion causes a significant emotional and social disruption among Pitt Law’s students, faculty, and staff; OR (2) When breaking social or political news events intersect with both the study of law and the values encompassed by Pitt Law’s commitment to equity and inclusion.
- Equity: Our vision of an equitable law school is realized when institutional barriers to fulfilling one’s potential as a law student are removed or accommodated for.
- Inclusion: Our vision of an inclusive law school is realized when all learners feel welcome and supported within both the law school and the professional communities to which the school is integral.
Given that each newsworthy event represents a unique situation and carries varying degrees of impact, the decision to respond to social or political news events will be informed by consideration of the following:
- The likely emotional and psychological impact upon Pitt Law’s students, faculty, and staff
- The interests of Pitt Law’s key stakeholders (e.g., alumni, University of Pittsburgh’s Chancellors & Provost Office) concerning the incident
- The intersectional nature of the incident
- The proximity of the incident to members of the Pitt Law community
What is the protocol for preparing and releasing an administrative statement?
Should there be an event that, based upon the considerations above, leads to the conclusion that a response is warranted, Pitt Law’s dean and/or vice dean, in consultation with the Dean of Students, the Dean for OEIE, and any other relevant party will prepare a three-part Truth – Space – Action, or “TSA” response. This means that:
The administration will acknowledge the occurrence by releasing a statement to current Pitt Law faculty, students, and staff that speaks to the truth or veracity of the event using reliable sources to support the information provided.
- Statements will relate the issue to Pitt Law’s mission, credo, and core values.
- Statements will contextualize the issue to relevant historical or legal milestones.
- Statements will consider the multiple perspectives of a situation, with close attention paid to those whose perspectives are historically underrepresented and marginalized.
- Clear explanations of policy, procedures, rules, and requirements that must be followed will be shared
- Confidentiality will be respected when at issue.
Timeline: within 24 - 48 hours of the event or incident
2. The administration will acknowledge emotional responses, such as incidents and events, by identifying one or more spaces for current Pitt Law faculty, students, and staff to process their feelings. These spaces include, but are not limited to:
- Pitt Law Community Dialogues
- Increased opportunities to schedule one-on-one meetings with OEIE, the Dean of Students, the Vice Dean, or the Dean
Timeline: within 48 - 72 hours of the event or incident
3. The administration will acknowledge the importance of aligning Pitt Law’s values with its behaviors by identifying one or more actions that will be taken by the administration, or students, faculty, and staff can take that in response to the event or incident. These actions may include training/workshops, related learning resources, or adopting new policies.
Timeline: The event planning process, policy review, or other action item will be initiated within one calendar week of the event or incident
Who is responsible for catalyzing the Protocol?
Pitt Law’s dean and/or vice dean will catalyze the protocol.
How will the content of each step in the protocol be communicated?
The TSA response will be communicated via email. The Pitt Law eDocket, Pitt Law social media, or other means of communication may supplement such emails. In every case, the TSA response will be communicated through means accessible to all current Pitt Law faculty, students, and staff.
Where will this policy be shared with the Pitt Law Community?
This policy will be posted on Pitt Law’s website and shared at relevant trainings, including, but not limited to, Faculty workshops, Adjunct Faculty Orientations, 1L Student Orientations, and Student Leadership retreats.