Background
In 2016, University Compliance, Ethics, and Risk conducted a compliance and ethics culture survey to evaluate the compliance and ethics culture at UCF. The results of the survey were extremely positive, with a few opportunities for improvement, such as a relatively low employee familiarity with University Compliance, Ethics, and Risk, the UCF IntegrityLine, and UCF’s policy for reporting Misconduct and Protection from Retaliation. To increase employee awareness and education about the office, the UCF IntegrityLine, UCF policies and regulations, and compliance and ethics topics, the office implemented a number of initiatives such as the new UCF Employee Code of Conduct, three online web trainings titled Gifts and Honoraria, Potential Conflicts, and the UCF Employee Code of Conduct, and the compliance and ethics newsletter, the IntegrityStar. Annual Compliance & Ethics Week awareness campaigns were held each November and the office hosted tabling events for faculty during orientation and for staff during the benefits fair each year. All new employees also began receiving information about the office, the UCF IntegrityLine, and the UCF Employee Code of Conduct.
You’re driving to a wedding. You thought the directions to the address were clear but suddenly nothing looks familiar. You drive in circles, turning the directions over and over in your mind as you anxiously watch the hands of the clock. Finally, in a moment of clarity, you remember the road map in your glove box. Quickly, you re-orient yourself to your current location and arrive breathlessly just as the ceremony begins.
The whistle-blower term comes from the expression “blow the whistle” and refers to a sports official who calls a foul during the game. When university wrongdoing occurs, calling foul as soon as possible can save the university millions in fines and legal fees and preserve a priceless reputation.
