Ethical Standards

Due to the very nature of Augustana College, it is important that all employees maintain the highest standards of business ethics. You should always avoid situations where your personal interest may conflict or appear to conflict with the interests of the College.

You should not accept gifts from customers or suppliers unless the gifts are of nominal value and it would be impractical to refuse or return them.

If you are employed in a department that purchases goods or services for the College, you must be careful to avoid situations which might appear to create a conflict of interest.

If you find yourself in a situation that may involve a conflict of interest or even the appearance of a conflict of interest, notify your administrator.

Campus Conduct Hotline

As part of Augustana College’s continuing effort to promote “zero tolerance” of unethical conduct, I am pleased to announce a new service. It is called Campus Conduct Hotline© and it is designed to minimize any apprehension you may have and make it possible for you to report concerns about possible violations of Augustana’s Code of Ethics and employment policies. The Campus Conduct Hotline© system is available for your use around the clock, seven days a week. Because the Hotline is operated by an independent organization, any calls made through this Hotline are completely confidential and anonymous.

Using this new reporting service is easy. If you have a question or concern about a possible violation of our Code of Ethics or employment policies (see the Human Resources tab at Augie.edu for these policies), simply dial toll-free to 866.943.5787.

Once you have dialed the toll-free number, here is how the reporting and follow-up processes work:

Your call will be greeted promptly and courteously by a person who makes certain you understand the Campus Conduct Hotline© program and how it functions. If you prefer to make your report in a language other than English, just let the person who answers know, and they will arrange for a translator to participate.
At the beginning of the interview, you will be provided with a five digit, randomly generated case number that you should use to check back for updates and requests for additional information. Be sure to write this number down and remember where you put it.
You will then be interviewed about the question or concern that is on your mind.
Your interview will not be recorded. Instead, the interviewer will be typing notes of your conversation. Whether or not you choose to provide your name is completely up to you.
Within one business-day of your call, a summary of the interview will be forwarded to Augustana. Our goal will be to have a basic response back to you in five business days.
To receive your response, you will need to call back and provide the five digit case number that has been assigned to you. At that time, you might be asked to provide additional information or to call back at a later date. You will be able to keep checking back for updates until your case is closed.

Because of the built-in confidentiality, it is important that you try to be as specific as possible about the information you provide. And, please be sure to call back in five business days to check to see if any additional information is needed. Alternatively, if you would like someone to contact you directly, you can leave your name along with a phone number where and when you would prefer to be called.

To repeat, at no time is any caller required to identify himself or herself and all information provided can be completely confidential and anonymous.

We are committed to maintaining the highest ethical standards at Augustana. If you experience or observe what you believe is inappropriate behavior and are unsure what to do, hopefully you will use the Campus Conduct Hotline© to report it.