Whistleblower Protection

Administrative Procedure 3.804

Elgin Community College is committed to maintaining an environment where trustees, officers, and employees are free to raise good faith concerns regarding possible violations of applicable law, business practices, or ethical standards without fear of reprisal. More specifically, this Administrative Procedure provides a mechanism for trustees, officers, and employees to:

  1. Report suspected violations of applicable law or governmental regulations.
  2. Report suspected incorrect financial accounting or other improper business practices.
  3. Provide truthful information in connection with inquiries or investigations conducted by a court, law enforcement agency, regulatory or other governmental bodies, or ECC.
  4. Identify potential violations of ECC policies and procedures.
  5. Report other activities that amount to serious misconduct.

ECC has contracted with a third-party vendor for anyone needing to file a whistleblower complaint. Any trustee, officer, or employee who becomes aware of a suspected violation of this Administrative Procedure should report this in confidence to EthicsPoint, and dial toll-free at 844-977-0474. These complaints will be routed to a System Administrator within the College for follow-up.

ECC expressly prohibits any form of retaliation, including harassment, intimidation, adverse employment actions, or any other form of reprisal against trustees, officers, or employees who in good faith, express their concern about a suspected violation or cooperate in inquiries or investigations referenced in this Administrative Procedure. Any employee who engages in retaliation will be subject to discipline, up to and including termination of employment.

Any employee who believes that he or she has been subjected to any form of retaliation as a result of reporting a suspected violation referenced in this Administrative Procedure should contact EthicsPoint at www.elgin.ethicspoint.com, and dial toll-free at 844-977-0474.

Reports of a suspected violation referenced in this Administrative Procedure, including acts of retaliation, will be investigated promptly and in a manner intended to protect confidentiality to the greatest extent possible, consistent with the need to conduct an adequate investigation. Depending on the nature of the alleged violation or retaliatory act, the investigation may be conducted by the Chief Human Resources Officer, Elgin Community College Police Department, or other appropriate parties. The results of the investigation will be shared with the concerned individuals, consistent with the disclosure of confidential information to those individuals who have a legitimate need to know it.

In the event that a report of a suspected violation of law or policy or retaliation against an employee involves a System Administrator or a subordinate of the System Administrators, the System Administrator(s)will not participate in the investigation. Ethics Point will route the complaint to the System Advocate, who will determine, along with the President, how the complaint should be investigated.

Anyone filing a report regarding a violation or suspected violation must do so in good faith and have reasonable grounds for believing a violation has occurred or may occur. Any reports that are made maliciously or with knowledge of their falsity will be treated as a serious disciplinary offense.