Case Corner

In our March 2022 edition, we revealed that most UCF IntegrityLine reports do not result in a finding of employee misconduct. In fact, most often we find that the reported issues are either the result of a misunderstanding, a lack of knowledge of university requirements, or a gap that was identified in a process which needed to be fixed. In this edition’s Case Corner, we’ll share the outcome of one IntegrityLine report submitted by a student that involved a third party posing as an employee. This case led us to highlight the university’s policy on solicitation and communicate a potential risk to our faculty, staff, and students.

Background

An anonymous student submitted an IntegrityLine report stating a man named “Jordan” came into their large lecture and appeared to pressure their professor into letting him speak to the students before class started. “Jordan” proceeded to distribute paintball passes for paintball locations in Orlando and Tampa. He told the students that the passes were a $50 value, and they could purchase two for $10. He went around the room during their lecture and gave out the paintball passes and took student money via Cashapp, Venmo, and placed any cash he received in a white envelope. “Jordan” claimed to be with “student activities.” The student said this felt sketchy, so they decided to report it. The student did not want to provide information on which class they were attending, as they had expressed concern with getting their professor into trouble.

Actions Taken

Despite providing a very detailed description of “Jordan” the university was unable to identify the individual who entered the classroom that day. We did confirm that “Jordan” was not with UCF, and this was not a university sanctioned solicitation, as required under UCF regulation 4.010 Solicitation on Campus. Working with UCF Business Services, we facilitated a communication to the campus community alerting them of this issue with a reminder that no third parties are allowed to enter classroom spaces for solicitation purposes.

We appreciate the student who submitted the UCF IntegrityLine report allowing the university the opportunity to address the concern. If you become aware of a situation that you believe is not in accordance with UCF regulations, policies, procedures, or standards of conduct, please report it through the available reporting mechanisms or submit a report through the UCF IntegrityLine.