Administrators understand the importance of the policies in place, Cunningham said.

“It’s well-known that these are important and strongly enforced policies,” Cunningham said. “Dr. Williams or Dr. Seaver, given the level of their roles, it’s even more important.”

The review process for hiring has two stages. The first includes an advertisement recruitment plan and the formation of a search committee, and the second involves interviewing candidates, following equal opportunity guidelines and an approval of the person chosen.

“We ensure that a family relationship does not inappropriately influence areas of employment,” Cunningham said. “The parties have to follow board regulations.”

Seaver believes the university’s system is set up to control ethical dilemmas.

“You can’t always rely on an individual’s ethics. That’s why we have checks and balances,” Seaver said. “Whatever office you’re working in, processes have to be followed. They all have to follow the rules, everybody has to file the same paperwork.”

Searches

The process of searching for an employee can be extensive.

“The issue is, is the search really thorough? You need to make sure you’re getting the best person,” Morrison said.

Searches can be waived if the position needs to be filled quickly or if a certain candidate has exceptional expertise, Cunningham said.

“It’s more or less not a good use of university funds to conduct a search,” Cunningham said.

It’s also not uncommon for the person in a temporary position to retain that position permanently after a search, Cunningham said.

“There are lots of situations where we employ on a temporary basis, with a one year or less appointment. The nature of the university is, there’s a lot of internal ability,” Cunningham said.

Williams believes doing what’s best for NIU is the most important factor.

“The public interest is to do what’s best for this university,” Williams said. “I think we all work within that framework.”

Continue reading this story by clicking on part six.