Ethical Reporting
The success of Middlebury depends not only on the competence of its faculty and staff but also on its reputation for honesty, integrity, and bias-free conduct.
Middlebury has selected Ethical Reporting to provide you with a simple way to report activities that may involve unethical or otherwise inappropriate activity or behavior in violation of the institution’s established policies and Code of Conduct.
Ethical Reporting is specifically designed for reporting the following:
- Matters of a financial nature
- Human Resources related incidents
- Workplace safety
Please note that harassment and discrimination should be reported using the existing policies and procedures outlined in the Handbook.
All reports submitted through Ethical Reporting will be handled promptly. They will be forwarded only to Middlebury officials on a “need to know” basis, provided that such notification will not compromise any investigation. Appropriate action will be taken following a discreet investigation.
The audit committee of the Board of Trustees and the management team at Middlebury value your input and encourage employees and other involved parties to bring serious issues and concerns to Middlebury’s attention, as well as make inquiries in good faith about potential breaches of Middlebury’s Code of Conduct.
Middlebury expects any report of a violation will be made in good faith, and that it will reflect a real and legitimate concern that you believe should be addressed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q What items will be covered under the system?
Issues related to Finance, Human Resources, and workplace safety.
Q Is the reporting really anonymous?
Yes, if reporters choose not to give their names, we will not know who submitted the report. If reporters choose, they can provide their names.
Q What is Ethical Reporting and why do we need it?
Ethical Reporting is a confidential reporting tool to assist managers and employees to work together to address fraud, abuse, and other misconduct in the workplace.
Offering our employees, parents/students, suppliers, service providers, and other stakeholders a way to report conduct that may be in violation with our stated code of conduct, helps to foster a culture of integrity and compliance and protects our reputation.
Ethical Reporting is designed to enable our employees and other stakeholders to report any issue or instance of misconduct easily and in confidence. And unlike some whistleblower hotlines that simply address incidents of major financial malfeasance, the flexibility of the Ethical Reporting enables us to capture various risks to Middlebury, including:
· Theft
· Accounting irregularities
· Conflict of interest
· Wage/hour violations
· Data breaches
· Financial fraud
· Unsafe working conditions
Q Will this cover our Schools Abroad, Summer Programs, and the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS)?
Yes. All students, staff and faculty are encouraged to use Ethical Reporting to report issues related to Finance, Human Resources, and workplace safety.
Q What type of situations should I report?
‘Ethical Reporting’ is designed for employees to report any violation of our stated Code of Conduct, or other concerns you may have. ‘Ethical Reporting’ is designed for reporting matters of a financial nature, as well as Human Resources related incidents, and issues related to workplace safety.
Harassment and discrimination should be reported using the existing policies and procedures outlined in the College Handbook.
Q If I see a violation, shouldn't I just report it to my supervisor, a VP, or Human Resources and let them deal with it?
When you observe some behavior that you believe violates our Code of Conduct, we expect you to report it. We recognize that you may not be comfortable reporting the issue in person. It is for such circumstances that we have established Ethical Reporting. We would rather you report anonymously than keep the information to yourself.
Q Does the administration really want me to report?
We certainly do. You may have initial knowledge of an activity that may be cause for concern. Your reporting can minimize the potential negative impact on the institution and our community.
Q Where do these reports go? Who can access them?
The Risk Office is designated to receive and coordinate responses to reports related to staff conduct (unless otherwise specified by another policy).
Note that the Chief Risk Officer will refer reports regarding faculty member conduct to the Provost (unless otherwise specified by another policy). The Provost’s Office will consult with the Chief Risk Officer as needed.
Q Can I file a report from home and still remain anonymous?
A report from home, a neighbor’s computer, or any Internet portal will remain secure and anonymous. An Internet portal never identifies a visitor by screen name.
Q I am concerned that the information I provide Ethical Reporting will ultimately reveal my identity. How can you assure me that will not happen?
Ethical Reporting is designed to protect your anonymity. However, if you wish to remain anonymous, you—as a reporting party—need to ensure that the body of the report does not reveal your identity by accident. For example, avoid providing clues to your identity, such as “From my office next to Jan Smith …” or “In my 33 years at Middlebury …”
Q What if I want to be identified with my report?
There is a section in the report for identifying yourself, if you wish.
Q I am aware of some individuals involved with unethical conduct, but it doesn't affect me. Why should I bother reporting it?
Middlebury is committed to promoting ethical behavior. Unethical conduct, at any level, ultimately hurts Middlebury and all employees, including you. You only have to consider what happened in recent corporate scandals to see the disastrous effects that a seemingly harmless lapse in ethics can have on an otherwise healthy organization. So if you know of any incidents of misconduct or ethical violations, consider it your duty to yourself and your coworkers to report it.
Q I am not sure if what I have observed or heard is a violation of Middlebury policy, or involves unethical conduct, but it just does not look right to me. What should I do?
File a report. Ethical Reporting can help you prepare and file your report so it can be properly understood. We’d rather you report a situation that turns out to be harmless than let possible unethical behavior go unchecked because you weren’t sure.
Q What if I remember something important about the incident after I file the report? Or what if Middlebury has further questions for me concerning my report?
Employees may choose to submit their report with a college email, or a personal email address for follow-up communication. Employees who identify themselves can request that their report be treated in a confidential manner. Employees may also choose to submit anonymously. In cases where a form is submitted anonymously, any investigation outcomes or follow-up information will not be provided to the submitter. All submissions will be investigated to the extent possible regardless of whether the report was made anonymously, confidentially, or with contact information provided.