EthicsPoint FAQ

The Reporting Line is an option for making a confidential report using the internet or a telephone line to help identify and address the concerns of students, employees and other persons affiliated with Claflin University.

The service is not maintained on the University’s systems nor by University employees.  Reports can be filed anonymously and are held securely and confidentially on the external systems.

EthicsPoint, based in Portland, Oregon, is the commercial service provider for the University’s Compliance and Reporting Line.

University management believes that employees, students and other persons affiliated with the University have a personal stake in assisting the University in maintaining integrity and ethical behavior.  Although direct discussion with University personnel is the preferred mode, in some circumstances persons may feel the need for a more confidential and sometimes an anonymous means to express good faith concerns.

Direct communication among involved persons is generally preferred; however, an individual may believe that a direct conversation is not the better option.  The Compliance and Reporting Line provides another avenue to report concerns.

No. The reason for filing a report should be a genuine concern for the integrity of the University.

Reports can be filed through the internet or by telephone.  Both will ensure anonymity as well as provide a comfortable and convenient mean of reporting.

If a person does not have access to the internet or prefers to use a telephone, the individual can call the Compliance and Reporting Line toll-free at 877-319-8243, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Reports are entered directly on the EthicsPoint secure server to prevent any possible breach in security.  The reports, available through the EthicsPoint system, are routed to designated University personnel who understand the importance of maintaining confidentiality.  The EthicsPoint system and staff are trained and committed to ensure that no report is shared with implicated parties, their peers or subordinates.  

The individual who has filed a report through the Compliance and Reporting Line website or phone number receives a unique user name and chooses a password.  This allows return to the Compliance and Reporting Line after 10-15 business days to check the status of the concern.  In the interim between the time that a report is filed and the time of investigation, EthicsPoint notifies the designated University administrators that there is a report posted to a secure access site on the EthicsPoint system.  The University administrators review the report and begin the process of determining the facts and any appropriate action.

The Compliance and Reporting Line distribution process is designed not to share a report with implicated parties or their subordinates.  If a University employee is implicated in a report, that report is available to other designated University personnel but not the employee that is implicated.

The employee can use his or her user name and password to return to the Compliance and  Reporting Line to add information.  Also, it is a good idea for the reporter to check into the site to see if there are any follow-up questions from designated University personnel.  

Yes.  According to EthicsPoint, fewer than 12% of reports are generated during business hours.  Most people prefer to report from their home after hours and on the weekend.  

A person can file a report from any computer and can access the internet to include home computers.  An internet portal does not identify a visitor by screen name and the EthicsPoint system deletes internet addresses so that anonymity is maintained.  In addition, EthicsPoint is contractually committed not to pursue a reporter’s identity.

Yes. University telephone logs often show telephone numbers accessed through University telephones.  A person who wishes to maintain maximum anonymity should not make the telephone call from a University telephone. The toll-free Compliance and Reporting Line is operated by EthicsPoint and not the University.  EthicsPoint safeguards reports received through the telephone.

Yes, however, this depends entirely on the information provided by the reporter.  A person making a report should not reveal any information in the body of the report that may reveal his/her identity; for example, “From my office next to Jane Thomas …” or “In the 30 years I have worked here …”.    In any case, the University will honor and protect the reporter’s request for confidentiality to the extent possible.

If a reporter wishes to be identified, the report contains a section for identity. 

If there are other questions, please contact EthicsPoint directly at 877-319-8243 .