Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College
Ethics Training
Developed by
NEO Ethics Review Board
Ethics
• A code of values which guides our choices and
actions and determines the conduct by which
we live
• NEO employees play a role in assuring high
standards of ethical practice
• The employees’ personal and professional
conduct reflects on NEO and higher education
at large
NEO Standards for
Best Ethical Practices
• The foundations of ethical behavior are a
commitment to respecting the rights and dignity of
all persons and a commitment to discharging our
obligations to others in a fair and honest manner.
Each person in the OSU/A&M System plays an
important role in keeping these commitments by
demonstrating integrity and respect in his or her
daily activities and in the performance of his or her
responsibilities. The Board of Regents have
established a statement of principles to guide the
activities of all faculty, staff, students, and individuals
acting on behalf of it’s member institutions.
Ethics Reporting
• Specifically employees and students are
encouraged to report in good faith all
information regarding alleged improper or
wrongful activity that may constitute, but may
not be limited to, the following:
– Illegal misconduct, harassment, or discrimination;
– Fraud;
– Unethical or unprofessional conduct;
– Academic, scientific, or research misconduct;
– Noncompliance with Board of Regents or
institutional policies/procedures;
Ethics Reporting
– Circumstances involving substantial, specific or
imminent danger to any members of the faculty,
staff employees, administrative officials, students,
or other individuals affiliated with or visiting any
of the institutions governed by the Board of
Regents;
– Threats to health and/or safety;
– Violations of local, state, or federal laws and
regulations;
– Other illegal or improper practices or policies; or
– Misconduct or violations of policies or regulations
of applicable intercollegiate athletic associations.
Non Retaliation
• The Board of Regents and NEO A&M College are
firmly committed to a policy that encourages
timely disclosure of such concerns and prohibits
retaliation against any individual who in good
faith, reports such concerns.
Ethical Scenario One
Your department needs new equipment and you
place the $3,000 order with a business owned
and run by a friend.
Is this ethical?
Solution One
No, placing a $3,000 order with a business run
by a friend without getting bids or price
comparisons is unethical.
The State Policy and established NEO A&M
purchasing procedure states that bids or price
comparisons are required for all purchases of
$2,500 or more. If other than low bid is
recommended, rationale must be provided.
Ethical Scenario Two
An employee notices that an instructor
dismisses their students early from every class
session.
What action should the employee take?
Solution Two
The employee could speak to the instructor,
speak to the instructor’s supervisor and/or file a
report through Ethics Point.
Ethical Scenario Three
You serve on a committee to award student
scholarships. A student who is related to you
applies for a scholarship.
How do you handle this situation?
Solution Three
Being related to a student you have the authority to
award a scholarship to has the potential to be a
conflict of interest.
Let the rest of the committee know about the
relationship. You may have to excuse yourself from
discussions regarding this student. This would also
apply to serving on hiring committees.
If you are solely responsible for awarding
scholarships or hiring, you would speak to your
supervisor about the situation.
NEO Ethics Review Board (ERB)
• There are five members. The current members
are:
– Evan Jewsbury, Human Resources Director
– Mark Rasor, VP for Fiscal Affairs
– Dr. Bethene Fahnestock, VP for Academic Affairs
– Amy Ishmael, VP for Student Affairs & Enrollment
Management
– Dr. Shannon Cunningham, Asst. VP for Academics
Ethics Reports
• The ERB investigates all alleged violations reported
through the Ethics Point Line and other channels.
• To preserve the integrity of any potential investigation,
alleged violations directed toward a specific member of
the ERB will not be routed to that member and
automatically assigned to a different ERB member.
Furthermore, alleged violations directed toward a
specific department supervised or under the direction
of that ERB member will not be allowed to act as the
assigned investigator.
Ethics Report Line
• Suspected or alleged violations should be
reported by using the Ethics Report Line.
• The Ethics Report Line can be accessed in
three different ways
1. Calling 1-866-294-8692
• An Ethics Point employee will answer and take your
report.
• At the end they will give you a Report Key and
Passcode. Please write these down.
2. Filing a report online through the third party
Ethics Point servers by going to
www.ethicspoint.com
• Type in “Oklahoma State University System
(OSU/A&M)” in the “file a new report” section
• Confirm that the correct institution has been
selected
3. Selecting “Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College”
from the homepage will allow you to make a report
under the correct system.
Filing an Ethics Report Online
• Choose the category you think best fits the
situation
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Financial
Research
Human Resources
Athletics
Risk and Safety Matters
Medical
Information Technology
Academic/Student Affairs
Other
• Then choose the specific issue, if one does not
fit exactly, pick the one closest.
• Don’t worry about getting it exactly right. The
categories can be changed by the ERB later.
• Fill out the report to the best of your ability
making sure to complete the required
information marked with an *
• Reports can be anonymous
– If you anonymously file a report please use the
Report Key provided and Password you chose to
regularly check back for any questions and/or
follow up
• If you are uncertain whether or not the
situation is unethical you can
– Contact a member of the ERB
– File a report with Ethics Point
• Once you file a report you will be contacted
for further information.
• If you filed anonymously, it is critical you
check Ethics Point regularly. The ERB may not
be able to investigate without further
information.
• At the conclusion of the investigation you will
be informed of the results of the investigation,
but you may not be informed of the actions
taken due to privacy concerns.
• NEO A&M College prohibits retaliation for
filing an ethics report.
• If you experience any retaliation, it is a
separate ethics violation that will be dealt
with whether or not the original report is an
ethics violation.
• If you have any questions please feel free to
contact a member of the Ethics Review Board
– Evan Jewsbury, Human Resources Director (918540-6378)
– Mark Rasor, VP for Fiscal Affairs (918-540-6213)
– Dr. Bethene Fahnestock, VP for Academic Affairs
(918-540-6202)
– Amy Ishmael, VP for Student Affairs & Enrollment
Management (918-540-6212)
– Dr. Shannon Cunningham, Asst. VP for Academics
(918-540-6295)
Thank you for your time