EthicsPoint, the third-party whistleblower service adopted by Seattle University last month, has sparked both acclaim and outcry from students and faculty.
Though some speculated EthicsPoint was implemented to handle only ethical issues or inappropriate behaviors, the university purchased the software in compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the post-Enron legislation which requires companies and other institutions to handle any embezzlement allegations and protect the identity of whistleblowers. The university will still handle ethical issues with the protocol outlined in Seattle U’s code of conduct.
Reports submitted to EthicsPoint are forwarded to the administration.
Still, the outside approach to gathering complaints has sparked opposition from some members of the university community.
“When I first saw it, I thought they we were going to institute an honor code. I went back and read it, and I thought ‘My God, this is Orwellian,’” said David Madsen, history professor. “Where do these reports go […] who’s getting it?”
An institution using an independent program to oversee internal—and sensitive—affairs at the university is in no way unique. However, according to Jerry Huffman, assistant vice president of human resources, EthicsPoint is not only a secure alternative to traditional handling of ethics cases, but a preferable one.
“A formal report on EthicsPoint is not released to the community,” Huffman said. “They just offer a great opportunity to report when people otherwise wouldn’t feel comfortable reporting.”
According to the company’s stated policies, this spirit of confidential compliance is at the heart of EthicsPoint, which boasts a list of more than 2,000 clients. According to statements from the company, EthicsPoint is not only dedicated to a compliance with legal standards, but to “providing complete confidentiality.”
Furthermore, Huffman added, the system in no way requires those reporting infractions to identify themselves, emphasizing that 44 percent of ethics-based complaints that result in some finding are a result of anonymous tips.
Indeed, most student opinion regarding EthicsPoint has been far from hostile; many see it affirming the university’s mission.
“I think it’s a good thing,” said Robert Birungi, international student representative and junior international business major. “There are some students that know some things, and may want to point them out but cannot; there’s need for a system that kind of checks that.”
First-year graduate student Robbie Lang said she is “in full support of it [EthicsPoint]—it’s a great system, a great thing to implement.”
Regardless of the feelings of the community, EthicsPoint is here to stay, Huffman explained.
“They’ve required all public companies to have […] this type of process, to offer their constituents an opportunity to report,” Huffman said. “We have a responsibility to our students to use our resources wisely.If we have unethical things going on on campus that result in inappropriate use of resources then shame on us. It’s as simple as that.”
University's purchase of EthicsPoint raises questions, doubts
Published: Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Updated: Friday, December 4, 2009
Be the first to comment on this article!