02.A.21 – Nepotism
Section: Human Resources
Area: General
1. PURPOSE
This document sets forth the University of Houston System's policy on nepotism, and requires compliance with State of Texas statutes , Board of Regents Policy 57.01.4 , and regulations regarding unfair employment practices due to nepotism. This administrative memorandum applies to all positions, full and part-time, regular and temporary, in all university programs, regardless of funding source.
2. POLICY
2.1. Members of the Board of Regents shall not appoint, confirm the appointment of, or vote for the appointment or confirmation of their relative or another Board member's relative to a position with the System unless the individual was continuously employed in the position for at least 30 days immediately before the appointment of the Board member to whom the individual is related. If this exception applies, the Board member to whom the individual is related may not participate in any deliberation or voting on the appointment, reappointment, confirmation, employment, reemployment, change in status, compensation, or dismissal of the individual if that action applies only to the individual.
2.2. System employees shall not hire, appoint, reappoint, promote, or supervise their relative and shall not recommend, approve, or otherwise act with regard to the hiring, appointment, reappointment, salary, promotion, or supervision of their relative. Relatives shall not be employed in the supervisory-subordinate relationship even if it results from marriage after the employment relationship was formed.
2.3. The provisions of this policy apply to all System programs, regardless of funding source.
3. DEFINITIONS
3.1. Nepotism: Favoritism in employment shown to a relative.
3.2. Relative: For this administrative memorandum, the term "relative" is defined as anyone related to the Board member or employee within the third degree of consanguinity (i.e., parent, grandparent, great grandparent, brother, sister, half brothers and sisters, child, grandchild, great grandchild, aunt, uncle, niece, and nephew) and within the second degree of affinity (i.e., spouse, spouse's parent, spouse's grandparent, spouse's sibling, spouse's child, spouse's grandchild, parent's spouse, grandparent's spouse, sibling's spouse, child's spouse, and grandchild's spouse).
4. PENALTIES
Violation of the nepotism statutes is a misdemeanor involving official misconduct; employees violating the statute are subject to a fine and dismissal from employment. An employee who violates this administrative memorandum—as an employee knowingly approving the hiring of a relative, as the currently employed relative, or as the relative being hired—is subject to reassignment and/or to disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal.
Issued: 08/21/1995
Last Reviewed/Revised: 11/27/2023
Responsible Office(s): Human Resources