Spring 2013
The VCU Code of Conduct is now available to the university community. Please take a few moments to explore our Code of Conduct, which highlights many of the laws, regulations, VCU policies, and ethical standards that all employees—faculty and staff at every level—are expected to follow.
To view our Code or to learn more, please visit www.codeofconduct.vcu.edu
This is a general article that reflects best practices in the Compliance industry. We hope this provides some context for the function of Compliance and Ethics Programs.
Mahatma Gandhi said: “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Essentially it means you can make a difference, if you choose to. We are all responsible for results (good or bad) and we can influence the outcomes in matters of compliance within organizations. We will touch on how compliance begins with you, and why is it important.
The Jeanne Clery Act is the law that requires colleges and universities to disclose to their campus communities information about crime on and around their campus. It requires the publication of an Annual Safety and Fire Report that reports crime statistics for the last three years and outlines various safety and security policies. The Clery Act also requires that universities send timely warnings and emergency notifications to the campus community if a crime or situation on campus presents a serious or on-going threat to the campus community.
Many readers responded to the Conflicts of Interest Tic-Tac-Toe puzzle in the Fall 2012 Issue of The Compass. The puzzle identified some situations intended to provoke thoughts and discussions regarding both conflicts of interest in the workplace and knowledge of, and compliance with, university policies. Below, these nine situations are revisited with appropriate guidance and information.
Each year, every state agency is required to identify employees that are considered to be in a position of trust. These employees are then required to disclose their financial interests to the Commonwealth so as to assure the citizens of Virginia that the judgment of employees will not be compromised or affected by inappropriate financial conflicts. By completing this process, VCU is able to maintain oversight of external relationships or influences and potential for conflict and thereby identify, manage, and remove conflicts where necessary.
As technology progresses, email is becoming the de facto standard of communications in the business environment. However, did you know that by default emails are sent in plain text, and can be read by anyone who obtains or intercepts the email? While the interception of many emails may be harmless, this is not the case when emails containing your or others personal information is intercepted. Aside from risks of identity theft caused by lost or stolen information, there are Federal, State, and industry regulations, such as Code of VA, the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS) and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA), among others, driving the protection of sensitive personal information, and loss of such information can not only damage the individuals whose information is contained in the email, but also your organization, and ultimately yourself. The University holds sensitive personal information for many of our constituents, including those of your own, and it is a shared responsibility for all of us to safeguard our personal information.
The Education and Training page on the Integrity & Compliance website is a great resource to find information to share with your fellow employees.
This page contains educational materials such as training presentations, handouts, topical speaker lists and links to external resources, which are organized by the six Ethical Standards–Respect, Honesty, Excellence, Responsibility & Accountability, Stewardship and Compliance.
Please join the Department of Assurance Services in welcoming Audrey Michael as the new Senior Compliance & Policy Analyst. She can help you with your policy questions, assist you with policy development, and put your policy into the Policy Library. Audrey can be reached at policy@vcu.edu or 828-2336.
VCU has long been committed to meeting the highest standards of service and professional integrity in all our business operations. We recognize the following employees for their contribution to a culture of ethics and compliance at VCU.