Bill Thallemer recently resigned his position as president of Lake Land. The details involving his departure have not been made public, as per confidentiality agreement.

According to the Employee and Labor Relations office at Eastern, an agreement to not talk is typical of actions of that nature.

“Discipline on campus is confidential, its not meant to be a public matter,” said Robert Wayland, director of employee and labor relations.

Employees at Eastern are categorized in a few ways. Administration, faculty and civil services are all categories of employees. Each category has its own regulations and standards to adhere to.

The president of the university adheres to standards set by the board of trustees. If an action is inconsistent with those standards, a separate disciplinary procedure exists.

In dealing with termination or reassignment of the president or other members of administration, the member must have faculty rank.

“Presidents are typically not guaranteed a retreat to a faculty position,” Wayland said.

Should incumbent Eastern President William Perry face discipline action, he would have the option of such a retreat. While at Texas A&M University, Perry had tenure as a mathematics professor, who has transferred to Eastern.

Depending on the severity of the infraction, the administration member could receive an immediate termination of duties or one after three months. The employee would receive a statement of reasons for the decision. The employee could also request a hearing.

Adequate cause would need to be found, which involves one or more acts affecting the duties of the employee.

The board of trustees would be responsible for the hearing and reassignment of an employee’s duties.

The Employee and Labor Relations office practices progressive discipline in dealings with employees working under the civil service heading. These employees include secretaries, janitors and those working in civil service.

“Progressive discipline is designed for the less serious infractions,” Wayland said. “The idea is to work towards correcting the problem.”

Once a problem has been brought to the office, the facts must be found.

“The he said/she said cases happen a lot and can be difficult to prove,” Leonard said.

Appropriate discipline includes oral reprimand, written reprimand, suspension and discharge, respectfully. All of these are documented and placed into a worker’s file when they occur.

An oral reprimand is a discussion between employee and supervisor with emphasis on correcting the employee’s behavior. Under the written reprimand, the supervisor shall explain the correct and expected behavior, in addition to recording the violation in memorandum form. Suspensions are based upon the recommendation of the supervisor.

Discharge occurs when less severe actions fail to correct behavior. This is also is done when the offense requires immediate separation from employment.

The employee has an option to appeal any step in the process.

The office sees many performance related issues. One such example is excessive absenteeism.

“We tell supervisors to look for a pattern, then to ask for verification by way of a doctor’s note,” Wayland said.

The Civil Service Disciplinary Management form lists several actions that would bring about disciplinary action. The list is not meant to be an all-inclusive list as to the actions provoking discipline. It includes habitual lateness, sleeping during work hours and failure to adhere to departmental regulations.

A few serious actions exist, that if committed, would result in immediate separation from employment.

“Theft is the biggest one, if found you’re dismissed,” said Lloyd Leonard, assistant director of Employee and Labor Relations.

Each department has its regulations for dealing with infractions. Many of them involve first discussing the situation with the department chair before bringing it to Wayland and Leonard’s attention.