University Guidelines for Writing Letters of Recommendation

This is a matter of concern to the University, its faculty, professionals, and all employees. Under the Indemnification Clause of the Trustee Bylaws, the University obligates itself to provide legal defense for persons who are sued for actions taken in the course of their duties as University employees. Letters of recommendation could prove to be very troublesome and costly. Therefore the following guidelines for their composition are established and shall be followed in order to avoid lawsuits, or in the event of litigation, to ensure protection for University employees. Failure to follow these guidelines will relieve the University of its obligation to provide legal defense for a faculty member or any other employee.

It is recognized that personnel evaluation can function properly only if honest and frank judgments are made about colleagues or students. Nevertheless, all letters should be written from the point of view that the person about whom the letter is being written will eventually see that letter. Only judgments that can clearly be supported by demonstrable evidence should be put in any correspondence about that person. Comments that have no relation or relevance to the position about which one is asked to judge the person's qualifications should not be made; one should avoid gratuitous comments about the individual's personal appearance, home life, professional or personal ambition, traits of character, or manner of dress. Remarks that could be interpreted as sexist, such as those concerning marital status, number of children or plans for a family, support of feminist causes, and so forth, should not be included.

1. When a Student or Present or Former Employee Asks to Have a Letter of Recommendation Written
   1. If a positive recommendation cannot be written, the individual should be so informed. One should never agree to write a letter of recommendation and then write a letter of condemnation.
   2. If a letter of recommendation, but with some reservations, can be written, the person requesting the letter should be informed and his or her agreement to proceed should be obtained. Whenever possible, the individual should be invited to read the written letter and decide whether or not it should be mailed. Documentation of the individual's decision to have the letter sent should be obtained in writing.
   3. If the letter of recommendation must be kept confidential, then the person whom it is about should be requested to waive the right of inspection. Such waivers must be in writing and a copy kept on file; an indication that the waiver has been received should also be recorded in the letter of recommendation.
   4. It is possible and sometimes preferable to distinguish between a letter of evaluation and a letter of recommendation. A faculty member or other employee of the University may be unwilling to recommend someone for a position but still be willing to write an evaluation of that person. Agreement should be reached, in writing, whether the alternative of a letter of evaluation is acceptable to the person concerned before one is sent. All evaluations, of course, should be based upon clearly documentable evidence (see further below under #2).
2. When You Are Asked to Comment on a Colleague or Student by a Person or Agency Outside the University
   1. The best approach, if a positive letter cannot be written, is to decline, unless the questions asked are specific and refer to job- related activities. Hostile, unsupported, or abusive remarks about students, colleagues, or former or current employees must be avoided. Appraisals may be frank so long as the information proffered is accurate, can be documented, and is not given in the spirit of malice.
   2. Requests for confidential letters of recommendation by outside groups or individuals may be met providing that the person concerned is willing to sign a waiver regarding the right to inspection. If the waiver is not signed, the writer should respond that a confidential letter is not possible under the policies of the University.