Compliance and Ethics

The Office of Compliance and Ethics elevates and enhances the NDUS culture of compliance and ethical conduct by increasing the visibility, effectiveness and support of compliance activities on each campus and throughout the System.

 

The Office of Compliance and Ethics promotes a working environment which reflects the NDUS commitment to maintaining the highest level of integrity and ethical standards in the conduct of its operations. NDUS Compliance and Ethics programs include formal training, informal outreach and education and various opportunities for communication and collaboration.  These programs are designed to nurture an organizational culture of respect and honesty while encouraging compliance and ethics consciousness in the daily activities of its faculty and staff employees.

 

Compliance and Ethics Concerns and Questions

The Office of Compliance and Ethics accepts and coordinates concerns raised by individuals who suspect a member of our system has violated a law, regulation, policy or procedure, or has acted in an unethical manner. This can include suspicions of illegal or fraudulent activity, financial misstatements or irregularities, conflicts of interests, unethical conduct, and violations of laws, rules or regulations. Healthy organizational cultures encourage reports of all types of concerns. NDUS Employees are our greatest resource for identifying issues, improving compliance and preventing and detecting fraud. There are options for reporting concerns or suspected compliance and ethics violations:

Concerned about a possible policy violation or ethical dilemma?

The NDUS Office of Compliance & Ethics provides an online reporting form for initiating reports of possible violations or ethical concerns. This form is sent directly to the Office for processing and investigation.

Do you suspect possible fraud, theft, waste and abuse?

The NDUS Fraud & Compliance Hotline is managed by Syntrio Lighthouse Services. The hotline is a 24-hour service for reporting fraud, theft, waste and abuse. Reports can be anonymous, and are investigated by the NDUS Office of Compliance & Ethics or by a designated campus investigator.

Call 1-833-210-3961 or click the button below to file an online report.

 

Looking for more compliance information or have a general question?

Use the direct compliance email for general questions about compliance or ethics, requests for additional information or resources, or a referral to a more specific NDUS function.

 

 

 

It Can Happen Anywhere – Recent Violations at US Higher Education Institutions

Compliance violations, unethical behavior and fraud can occur at any institution. See the following links to reports of recent events involving other US higher education institutions:

  • P-card and Time Card Fraud:   An administrative assistant was accused of using thousands of dollars from the Hartnell College Foundation by linking their credit card to her own personal Amazon account. Police said she was found to have also been falsifying time card entries in the payroll system, using part-time employee profiles. Hartnell College
  • Rankings Data Misreporting:  USC pulled its School of Education out of U.S. News & World Report’s annual rankings list after it discovered “a history of inaccuracies” in data for at least five years. Two deans allegedly directed key data to be omitted, causing a rise in rankings.     USC Rankings
  • Fraud: A former Stanford University employee and her brother were sentenced to federal prison terms for their roles in a scheme in which hundreds of laptop computers were ordered on behalf of the university but sold for private gain.   Stanford University Fraud

Resource links to NDUS policies and procedures: