UCF IntegrityLine Report
January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2024
During the 2024 calendar year, the UCF IntegrityLine received a total of 245 reports. Of these reports 239 contained allegations of suspected misconduct or ethical concerns and six reports were inquiries. Reports containing allegations of misconduct were triaged between University Compliance and Ethics and University Audit. Based on the nature of the report, it was either investigated by University Compliance and Ethics, the Office of Nondiscrimination & Accommodations Compliance, University Audit, or referred to the appropriate compliance partner for review. Reports involving students under the UCF Golden Rule were referred to the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities. Reports criminal in nature were referred to the UCF Police Department.
Highest Number of Reports by Issue Type
All Issue Types
Reports submitted to the UCF IntegrityLine in 2024 spanned a total of 22 issue types.
Closed Cases
During the 2024 calendar year, University Compliance and Ethics closed a total of 248 reports which included seven inquiries and 241 cases alleging misconduct. Closed cases include a combination of cases received in 2024 as well as those submitted in a previous year. Below are the outcomes for the 241 cases closed in 2024.
Closed Cases – Investigations with Substantiated and Unsubstantiated Findings
A total of 93 of the 241 cases were closed after an investigation was conducted by University Compliance and Ethics, the Office of Nondiscrimination & Accommodations Compliance, or University Audit. Additionally, University Compliance and Ethics oversaw and guided 35 investigations in conjunction with colleges and departments, providing guidance on appropriate corrective action when needed. A total of 128 cases were investigated. The following are the outcomes of the investigations.
Substantiated Cases
Thirty-four cases investigated resulted in a substantiated finding (representing 14% of all closed cases that alleged misconduct) where investigations yielded evidence to support the allegation and a finding that misconduct occurred. The substantiated cases spanned a range of topics, with the highest number being Employee Misconduct and Offensive or Inappropriate Communication, at 20% each.
Substantiated Cases – Action Taken
For the 34 cases investigated that resulted in substantiated findings, the university took appropriate actions. Those actions included policy / process reviews, training, disciplinary action, and termination.
Unsubstantiated Cases
The remaining 94 cases (39% of closed cases that alleged misconduct) investigated yielded insufficient or no evidence to support misconduct occurred and were closed with an unsubstantiated outcome. Despite the unsubstantiated finding, 66 of the cases resulted in recommendations for improvements such as a review of a policy, process, or training due to identified weaknesses.
Closed Cases – Referred or Insufficient Information
One hundred and thirteen (113) cases were not investigated. Those cases were either referred out of the system or to another office or closed due to insufficient information.
Referred
A total of 44 cases (18% of all closed cases) were referred to the UCF Police Department, Student Conduct and Academic Integrity, or another college or department to address through the appropriate university process and closed out in the IntegrityLine system. These cases span the range of issues involving student misconduct such as alleged alcohol or drug abuse, grade disputes, and interpersonal conflicts. Once the report is referred to the appropriate office, it is closed in the IntegrityLine system with a message posted back to the complainant.
Insufficient Information
For 69 cases (29% of all closed cases that alleged misconduct), questions were posted to the complainant requesting additional information with no response. These cases were closed due to insufficient information.
2024 IntegrityLine Trends
IntegrityLine reports containing issue type Offensive or Inappropriate Communication which relate to allegations of inflammatory, derogatory, unduly critical, or insulting communication, including bullying, and employee’s failure to treat one another with respect in accordance with the UCF Ethical Standards continued to decrease, from 33 reports in 2023, down to 25 in 2024. This is the first year since 2015 that this issue type was not in the top three highest reported issue types. This positive downward trend is directly tied to the office’s efforts spanning several years supporting the university’s strategic plan aspiration to be a best place to learn and work.
This year we also saw a significant increase in student reports categorized as Other Academic Affairs Matters which contain concerns related to class assignments, grades, or other academic related concerns that are not misconduct and are more appropriately handled by the colleges. This issue type was the highest reported in 2024 with 40 total reports, up from the 26 reports submitted in 2023. University Compliance and Ethics assisted each student in finding the appropriate contact to address their concern, however, efforts are being made to ensure that students can locate these resources first, without having to reach out to the IntegrityLine and be redirected.