As public servants of the State
of Texas, University employees
have a responsibility to report
fraudulent information
suggestive of dishonest or
illegal activities involving
fraud, abuse or waste. These
activities include theft,
kickbacks, misuse of grant
funds, misuse of state
resources, falsification of
documents and conflicts of
interest.
Anonymous Confidential Reporting
Employees of the university may
report allegations of fraud,
waste or other regulatory
compliance issues anonymously
and confidentially if that is
their preference from any
computer with internet access or
by phone.
Reports may be made in the
following ways:
MySafeCampus
The University uses MySafeCampus
as it's incident reporting
system.
This secure system is
intended to provide a
comfortable environment for
reporting as well as complete
anonymity if that is your
preference. MySafeCampus is not
affiliated in any way with the
University of Houston System.
This reporting system
supplements UHS SAM
01.C.04
Reporting/Investigating
Fraudulent Acts
and UHV Policy C-8,
Employee Code of Conduct,
which also address
the confidential reporting of fraud
and other noncompliance.
Why do we have this program?
Anonymous and confidential
reporting is a good business and
management practice. This
program is intended to build
trust and enable dialogue
between the university and
reporting individuals without
requiring identity disclosure.
This is a part of our overall
campus Institutional Compliance
program to promote and support a
culture of compliance with
applicable laws and regulations
and to build compliance
consciousness into the daily
activities of our employees.
The State of Texas also has an
interest in uncovering fraud and
regulatory abuse. Governor Rick
Perry’s Executive Order, RP36,
relating to preventing,
detecting and eliminating fraud
and waste recommends as a best
practice that state agencies and
universities have a way for
employees to report fraud
anonymously. In the private
sector, the federal law known as
the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, mandates
that corporations develop
reporting systems that allows
for anonymity or confidentiality
in reporting criminal conduct
without fear of retribution.
The Sarbanes-Oxley legislation
was enacted in the wake of
numerous infamous corporate
scandals of recent years. As a
result, universities and
colleges, including UHV, have
been adopting similar pro-active
measures to help mitigate the
risks of litigation, fines,
unfavorable publicity and other
liabilities associated with
non-compliance issues.
How do I submit a report?
MySafeCampus provides two
options: You can log on to
www.MySafeCampus.com
from any computer with internet
access to create and submit a
report by following the simple
format. As an alternative, you
can also call a toll-free
number, 1-800-716-9007, which is
forwarded to a call center
available 24/7/365. When you
call, an individual trained in
reporting will take your call
and interview you in detail
about your concern. You will
not be required to provide any
personally identifiable
information.
What happens after I submit a
report?
Upon submission of a report, you
will be provided with an access
number and you will be asked to
generate a personal confidential
password. Your access number
and personal password will
enable you to anonymously
re-enter the site at any time.
You will be able to send and
receive messages pertaining to
your report and you can
participate in any follow-up.
You can call MySafeCampus at
1-800-716-9007 or log in to
www.MySafeCampus.com to
check report status. Once your
unique access code and password
is entered, you may continue
anonymous dialogue with us
through the “talk to your
organization” message board.
You should know that your
confidential report will
instantly be forwarded to the
appropriate officials
within the university and an
acknowledgement will be provided
the next business day. Your
report is not publicly available
at any time and will only be
seen by approved campus
personnel. Upon receiving your
report, the University will
determine what action to take
and the extent of any
investigation.
What types of things can I
report?
Report activities such as theft,
kickbacks, misuse of grant
funds, misuse of state
resources, falsification of
documents, conflicts of interest
or other violations of laws or
regulations. Personal
employee dissatisfaction should
not be reported to MySafeCampus. Complaints about wages,
work hours, performance
evaluations, merit raises, and
so on, should be addressed with
your supervisor or the HR
department.
What if I only suspect something
is wrong?
The University’s Institutional
Compliance program encourages
employees to make good faith
reports including factual
information of suspected fraud or
violations of laws or other
regulatory matters. All reports
will be investigated.
What legal protection do I have
when I make a report?
The university is committed to
maintaining the confidentiality
and anonymity of all individuals
who make such reports to the
extent allowed by law. Pursuant
to federal and state laws and
university policy all employees
of the University of Houston
System have the right to report
suspected compliance failures.
Employees who report compliance
failures in good faith will be
protected from retaliation.
Anyone who retaliates against
an employee who reports a
compliance failure shall be
subject to disciplinary action
up to and including dismissal.
If you believe you are
experiencing retaliation based
on a report you have made, you
should do a follow up
communication to MySafeCampus.
If I have other questions about
this program or Institutional
Compliance, who can I talk
with?
At UHV, you can contact the
Campus Compliance Officer by email at institutionalcompliance@uhv.edu
or by phone at 361.570.4820.
