Northeastern Oklahoma A&M CollegeEthics Training

Developed by NEO Ethics Review Board

Ethics

• A code of values which guides our choices and actions and determines the conduct by which we live

• NEO employees play a role in assuring high standards of ethical practice

• The employees’ personal and professional conduct reflects on NEO and higher education at large

NEO Standards for Best Ethical Practices

• The foundations of ethical behavior are a commitment to respecting the rights and dignity of all persons and a commitment to discharging our obligations to others in a fair and honest manner. Each person in the OSU/A&M System plays an important role in keeping these commitments by demonstrating integrity and respect in his or her daily activities and in the performance of his or her responsibilities. The Board of Regents have established a statement of principles to guide the activities of all faculty, staff, students, and individuals acting on behalf of it’s member institutions.

Ethics Reporting• Specifically employees and students are

encouraged to report in good faith all information regarding alleged improper or wrongful activity that may constitute, but may not be limited to, the following:– Illegal misconduct, harassment, or discrimination;– Fraud;– Unethical or unprofessional conduct;– Academic, scientific, or research misconduct;– Noncompliance with Board of Regents or

institutional policies/procedures;

Ethics Reporting– Circumstances involving substantial, specific or

imminent danger to any members of the faculty, staff employees, administrative officials, students, or other individuals affiliated with or visiting any of the institutions governed by the Board of Regents;

– Threats to health and/or safety;– Violations of local, state, or federal laws and

regulations;– Other illegal or improper practices or policies; or– Misconduct or violations of policies or regulations

of applicable intercollegiate athletic associations.

Non Retaliation

• The Board of Regents and NEO A&M College are firmly committed to a policy that encourages timely disclosure of such concerns and prohibits retaliation against any individual who in good faith, reports such concerns.

Ethical Scenario One

Your department needs new equipment and you place the $3,000 order with a business owned and run by a friend.

Is this ethical?

Solution One

No, placing a $3,000 order with a business run by a friend without getting bids or price comparisons is unethical.

The State Policy and established NEO A&M purchasing procedure states that bids or price comparisons are required for all purchases of $2,500 or more. If other than low bid is recommended, rationale must be provided.

Ethical Scenario Two

An employee notices that an instructor dismisses their students early from every class session.

What action should the employee take?

Solution Two

The employee could speak to the instructor, speak to the instructor’s supervisor and/or file a report through Ethics Point.

Ethical Scenario Three

You serve on a committee to award student scholarships. A student who is related to you applies for a scholarship.

How do you handle this situation?

Solution Three

Being related to a student you have the authority to award a scholarship to has the potential to be a conflict of interest.

Let the rest of the committee know about the relationship. You may have to excuse yourself from discussions regarding this student. This would also apply to serving on hiring committees.

If you are solely responsible for awarding scholarships or hiring, you would speak to your supervisor about the situation.

NEO Ethics Review Board (ERB)

• There are five members. The current members are:– Evan Jewsbury, Human Resources Director– Mark Rasor, VP for Fiscal Affairs– Dr. Bethene Fahnestock, VP for Academic Affairs– Amy Ishmael, VP for Student Affairs & Enrollment

Management– Dr. Shannon Cunningham, Asst. VP for Academics

Ethics Reports

• The ERB investigates all alleged violations reported through the Ethics Point Line and other channels.

• To preserve the integrity of any potential investigation, alleged violations directed toward a specific member of the ERB will not be routed to that member and automatically assigned to a different ERB member. Furthermore, alleged violations directed toward a specific department supervised or under the direction of that ERB member will not be allowed to act as the assigned investigator.

Ethics Report Line• Suspected or alleged violations should be

reported by using the Ethics Report Line. • The Ethics Report Line can be accessed in

three different ways

1. Calling 1-866-294-8692• An Ethics Point employee will answer and take your

report.• At the end they will give you a Report Key and

Passcode. Please write these down.

2. Filing a report online through the third party Ethics Point servers by going to www.ethicspoint.com

• Type in “Oklahoma State University System (OSU/A&M)” in the “file a new report” section

• Confirm that the correct institution has been selected

3. Selecting “Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College” from the homepage will allow you to make a report under the correct system.

Filing an Ethics Report Online

• Choose the category you think best fits the situation

• Financial• Research• Human Resources• Athletics• Risk and Safety Matters• Medical• Information Technology• Academic/Student Affairs• Other

• Then choose the specific issue, if one does not fit exactly, pick the one closest.

• Don’t worry about getting it exactly right. The categories can be changed by the ERB later.

• Fill out the report to the best of your ability making sure to complete the required information marked with an *

• Reports can be anonymous– If you anonymously file a report please use the

Report Key provided and Password you chose to regularly check back for any questions and/or follow up

• If you are uncertain whether or not the situation is unethical you can– Contact a member of the ERB– File a report with Ethics Point

• Once you file a report you will be contacted for further information.

• If you filed anonymously, it is critical you check Ethics Point regularly. The ERB may not be able to investigate without further information.

• At the conclusion of the investigation you will be informed of the results of the investigation, but you may not be informed of the actions taken due to privacy concerns.

• NEO A&M College prohibits retaliation for filing an ethics report.

• If you experience any retaliation, it is a separate ethics violation that will be dealt with whether or not the original report is an ethics violation.

• If you have any questions please feel free to contact a member of the Ethics Review Board– Evan Jewsbury, Human Resources Director (918-

540-6378)– Mark Rasor, VP for Fiscal Affairs (918-540-6213)– Dr. Bethene Fahnestock, VP for Academic Affairs

(918-540-6202)– Amy Ishmael, VP for Student Affairs & Enrollment

Management (918-540-6212)– Dr. Shannon Cunningham, Asst. VP for Academics

(918-540-6295)

Thank you for your time