Whistleblower Policy and Campus Conduct Hotline

This Policy is designed to protect members of the College community (i.e., board members, faculty, staff, volunteers, students, vendors, alumni, applicant) from retaliation, who in good faith, report action or suspected action taken by or within the institution that is illegal, fraudulent, unethical or in violation of any adopted policy of the college.

Purpose and Applicability

The purpose of this document is to set forth LaGrange College’s policy regarding the disclosure of misconduct relating to accounting or auditing matters, as well as reporting of serious violation of college policy and to protect College community members from retaliation in the form of an adverse employment and other action for disclosing what the individual(s) believe(s) evidences certain unlawful practices.  This policy is applicable to all college community members, including board members, employees, volunteers, students, vendors, alumnae of LaGrange College and to applicants for jobs at LaGrange College.

Statement of Policy

It is the policy of LaGrange College that college community members shall be free without fear of retaliation to make known allegations of alleged misconduct existing within the institution that he or she reasonably believes constitutes the following:  wire fraud, mail fraud, bank fraud, securities fraud or questionable accounting, internal controls and auditing matters.  It is further the policy of the Institution all college community members shall be free without fear of retaliation to make known allegations of alleged misconduct existing within the institution that he or she reasonably believes constitutes a violation of the LaGrange College’s stated policies, procedures or legal obligations.

Retaliation for disclosures made under this policy may result in suspension, termination, cancellation of the applicable vendor contract, removal from campus or any other action the institution deems necessary.  Intentionally providing false information regarding an actual or potential violation of this policy may also result in discipline under this policy, including suspension, termination, cancellation of the applicable vendor contract, removal from campus or any other action the institution deems necessary.

Process for Disclosure

A college community member shall disclose all relevant information regarding evidenced misconduct to the following designated intake officers, in accordance with the subject matter of the disclosure:

If the disclosure is by a Vice President it shall be made to the President, unless the complaint involves the President, in which case the complaint shall be to the Chair of the Board.

If the disclosure of misconduct involves the designated intake officer, the disclosure shall be directed to the President, unless the complaint involves the President, in which case the complaint shall be to the Chair of the Board.

If the disclosure involves a member of the Board of Trustees, the disclosure may be directed to the President or the Chair of the Board.

The disclosure may be made in writing or orally.  In all cases, the reporting party should provide as much detail as possible regarding the specific concerns along with any supporting information.  The reporting party is not required to provide his or her name but may want to provide name and contact information in the event additional questions arise.

In addition, the institution has adopted an alternative method of reporting instances of suspected fraudulent, illegal or improper actions. Campus Conduct Hotline, 866-943-5787, is a confidential, independent call-in service that provides all college community members a simple and anonymous way to disclose action or suspected action taken by or within the Institution that is illegal, fraudulent, unethical or in violation of any adopted policy of the college.

It is possible that fraud and abuse can be discovered through information provided by people who do not know all the relevant facts and circumstances of a particular situation.  The institution will, to the best of its ability, properly investigate all credible reports of misconduct in a fair and impartial manner.

Knowingly providing false information in relation to a complaint, investigation, hearing or other event under this policy, or intentionally withholds information without an appropriate basis for doing so, he or she will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination or expulsion.

NON-RETALIATION POLICY

Retaliation against any member of LaGrange College’s community who makes a complaint under this policy, or who in good faith reports impermissible activities, or the warning signs thereof, or who raises any other concern under this policy to an administrator, or who refers a matter for complaint or investigation, or who participates in the complaint, investigation or hearing process under this policy, is prohibited. 

The term “retaliation” includes discriminating against, mistreating or taking adverse employment action against someone who has made a complaint under this policy or raised any other concern under this policy to an administrator, or who referred a matter for complaint or investigation, or who participated in the complaint, investigation or hearing process under this policy.

For purposes of this policy, an "adverse employment action" shall be defined as actions including discharge, demotion, suspension, being threatened or harassed, or in any other manner discriminated against with respect to compensation, terms, conditions or privileges of employment.  Other adverse actions include: dismissing, suspending or disciplining a student or changing or lowering a grade or evaluation of a student or in any other manner negatively affecting the student’s academic career; terminating or threatening to terminate a customer or vendor relationship; and discriminating against or mistreating an alumni or volunteer. This policy does not prohibit an employment action or any other action that would have been taken regardless of the disclosure of information under this policy.

If a college community member believes that he or she has been retaliated against in the form of an adverse employment or other action for disclosing information regarding misconduct under this policy, he or she may file a written complaint requesting an appropriate remedy to the appropriate official.

A college community member who engages in retaliation will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination or expulsion.

CONFIDENTIALITY IN REPORTING

The college will maintain the confidentiality of the reporting party’s identity and the information provided by the reporting party to the extent practicable within the limitations of the law, college policy, and the legitimate needs of the investigation. If the confidentiality of the reporting party’s identity or information provided must be disclosed, the reporting party will be given notice.

Note that if an employee self-discloses his or her identity or other information related to the report directly or indirectly through his or her own actions outside of the official investigation process, the College is not obligated to maintain confidentiality.

Call 866-943-5787

Campus Conduct Hotline is a confidential, independent, call-in service that provides a simple, anonymous way for you to help preserve the values and reputation of our institution.  One phone call from you can alert the institution administration of problems that may affect the entire campus community.

How does Campus Conduct Hotline work?

When you call Campus Conduct Hotline you will speak to a friendly, trained specialist who will guide you through the details of your concern.  You will be given a case number for your reference, so your call will be completely anonymous. No information will be taken about you, so you will never be identified.

Your concerns will be submitted to the campus administration for investigation. Using your case number, you can call Campus Conduct Hotline at any time to check on the status of the investigation and learn of any actions that have been taken.

When you use Campus Conduct Hotline, your call will be:

• Confidential and anonymous
• Answered by a masters’-degreed specialist in psychology or social service
• Handled with support and sensitivity
• Reported to the administration for investigation
• Assigned a case number you can use to follow-up on the status of your concern

When should you call Campus Conduct Hotline?

Campus Conduct Hotline offers an easy, comfortable way to report activity or behavior you may observe or experience on campus that is harmful, unethical, questionable, or causes you or someone else personal injury. You should call the Campus Conduct Hotline if you experience or observe any of the following:

• Fraud or crime
• Sexual harassment
• Discrimination
• Safety or facility risk issues
• Security and Internet policy abuses
• Code of Conduct violations
• Workplace hostility
• Unethical grading practices
• Fraudulent financial or business practices
• Any other questionable behavior