Confidential Telephone Reporting Process/Whistle Blower Hotline

The following is a reminder from Vice President for Finance and Administration Arosha Jayawickrema.

Rigorous accountability standards remind all University departments and colleges of the importance of continually reviewing and improving business practices as well as establishing avenues for providing internal and external feedback.

As a result, the University established a formal process, called the Confidential Telephone Reporting Line, as a means for callers to report allegations of questionable and/or inappropriate business conduct. Issues raised to the Confidential Telephone Reporting Line are taken seriously and will be researched and evaluated for appropriate follow up.

This confidential reporting line, 860.242.0138, allows callers to leave a message of up to three minutes in length. While calls can be placed anonymously, callers should know that some types of issues are difficult to investigate without the ability to obtain additional information that can only be obtained through follow-up with the caller. A caller may, on a purely voluntary basis, leave contact information to allow for follow-up. If a caller chooses to provide contact information, the University will make every effort to keep the caller’s identity confidential, unless (a) the caller agrees to be identified; (b) identification is necessary to allow law enforcement officials to investigate potentially criminal activity; or (c) release of the identity is required by law.

Faculty and staff are encouraged to report any activity that they believe could be illegal or otherwise improper under applicable law or University policy. Examples of these activities include, but are not limited to, the following:

• unauthorized or inappropriate use or misappropriation of University resources;

• theft, embezzlement, fraud, self-dealing, or private benefit;

• discrimination (i.e., use of any epithet, slur, negative stereotyping, or threatening, intimidating or hostile act) against an employee or potential employee due to a person’s race, color, sex, age, religion, national and ethnic origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, genetic information or any other protected class under applicable law;

• sexual harassment;

• violation of the University’s Drug-Free Workplace policy;

• conflict of interest;

• breach of confidentiality or privacy;

• any suspected cases of child abuse occurring on University property or involving any University activity. Note: The University also encourages everyone to report suspected cases of child abuse directly to law enforcement officials;

• violation of NCAA regulations;

• violation of the University’s policies related to human subjects research, and other research and academic misconduct;

• violation of the University’s obligations under federal, state and local grants, contracts and sponsored research agreements; or

• any other conduct which would constitute a violation of any federal, state or local law.

The Confidential Telephone Reporting Line shall supplement and complement, rather than replace, other existing mechanisms and avenues for reporting employee concerns. The whistleblower system shall not be used as a replacement for normal supervisory reporting lines or interdepartmental interactions.

Reports to the Confidential Telephone Reporting Line should be made in good faith by verifying that the report has a reasonable factual basis, and includes as much specific information as possible in the message to allow the University to properly assess the nature, extent and urgency of any applicable incident. In the event that it is apparent that a report was not brought in good faith but rather was intended in a capricious or malicious manner, grounds may exist for instituting formal disciplinary action against the reporting employee.

Retaliatory action of any kind taken by an employee of the University of Hartford against any other employee or student of the institution as a result of that person's use of the Confidential Telephone Reporting Line is prohibited by University policy, and in certain instances, by law. If an employee is concerned that another individual has retaliated in response to his/her use of the Confidential Telephone Reporting Line, then he/she is entitled to file a written complaint under the University’s grievance procedure or with the University's Internal Auditor, CC327.