Reporting Violations and Protection from Retaliation
We will report all known or suspected improper governmental activities under the provisions of the University's Whistleblower Policy, recognizing that everyone is protected from retaliation for making such reports under the Whistleblower Retaliation Policy-
This means that each member of the campus community
- Reports all suspected improper governmental activities to a supervisor or other appropriate campus authority
Perspective: A Real World Illustration
A November 2005 Columbus Dispatch (Ohio) newspaper article reported on a public university in Ohio unveiling a phone line and online form through which employees, students and the public can anonymously report suspicions of financial fraud at the university.
If the effort succeeds, the university might expand it to accept reports of NCAA violations and academic fraud.
"People at the lower levels of employment are afraid of retaliation if they report on something that would reflect poorly on their bosses," said the university's senior vice president of business and finance. "This is another way misconduct can be reported and dealt with. It's a safeguard."
Faculty members are leery that anonymous callers might eventually be able to make claims of academic fraud. An associate professor of linguistics and president of the university's chapter of the American Association of University Professors, fears such a system could become "a vehicle for a personal vendetta."
"People who are whistle-blowers usually back up their charges with their own identities," he said. "You don't get guarantees of anonymity in something this crucial. That way if you have an ulterior motive, it should be evident during an investigation."
He said faculty members will fight any attempt to expand the hot line without adequate checks and balances. "If people feel they're being threatened, then everyone's first instinct is to talk to their lawyers," he said.
The university hired a company that sets up confidential hot lines for organizations worldwide, to operate the system. The company will review each complaint and forward it to the appropriate university office for investigation. The senior vice president expects most will be investigated by the school's internal auditors.
The company also will provide a way to confidentially contact whistle- blowers for further information, something that's impossible with anonymous complaints now.
University officials say the yearly cost of $36,000 is worth it. The thinking is that whistle-blowers will feel more protected calling an outside party, the senior vice president said.
The university is adopting the system because of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which requires businesses to have programs to reduce fraud, including a confidential way to report wrongdoing, the senior vice president said. Universities don't have to follow the act's requirements, but many have.
A number of universities already have whistle-blower hot lines, including Case Western Reserve, Duke, Minnesota and Yale.
One of the institutions has received 14 complaints since starting its hot line in May. "There was a concern that there would be all these frivolous claims, but in general all have some legitimacy in them," a spokesperson for the institution said.
Its hot line and online complaint form can be used to report concerns about any unethical behavior at the university. An outside company charges $5,000 a year to collect complaints and turn them over to the institution to investigate.
Last Revised 5/23/2006