Mississippi law and the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) Bylaws contain prohibitions against nepotism, which is the hiring of a person’s family member where the hiring family member will have a direct effect or supervision on the other individual’s progress, performance, or welfare. To the extent provided for in Mississippi Code § 25-1-53, and state law interpreting that statute, the University prohibits the hiring of an employee’s relative.
Relatives are defined as husbands, wives, parents, children, brothers, sisters, cousins, and any in-laws of any of the foregoing within the third degree and including one’s grandparent, grandchild, great-grandparent, great-grandchildren, a parent’s sibling, and children of a brother or sister. Half bloods are treated the same as full bloods under the statute.
This policy does not apply to any employee who shall have been in said department prior to the time his/her kinsman within the third degree, became the head of said department. An employee affected by this policy shall have all matters dealing with progress, performance, welfare assignment, salary, or promotion decided by the next highest administrative officer.