FW: Big Brother?

[Katz, Michael R.]

For anyone interested, here is the response I got when I wrote to the VP
for Finance and Treasurer.

Michael Katz

On 9/28/13 6:03 PM, "Norton, Patrick J." <pnorton at middlebury.edu> wrote:

>Dear Michael,
>
>This is no joke.  Fraud, embezzlement, and theft is an unfortunate fact
>of life and something every organization needs to guard against.  Vassar,
>Wellesley, and Wesleyan (and in our own state at Southern Vermont
>College) have been victims of significant frauds.  Many college and
>universities have implemented EthicsPoint ­ including Amherst, Bowdoin,
>Bucknell, Colgate, and Hamilton just to name a few organizations that are
>somewhat similar to us.
>
>I¹m sure I don¹t have to remind you that we are a complex organization Š
>$300 million annual budget with $1.5 billion in assets Š we operate sites
>across the U.S. and overseas Š we educate thousands of students Š we
>employ thousands of people Š we operate 12 months a year, almost around
>the clock.  For an organization our size and complexity EthicsPoint is an
>essential service.
>
>The process of implementing EthicsPoint began with a discussion with the
>audit committee of the board of trustees and our auditors who recognized
>the need to augment the current reporting process.  EthicsPoint was then
>discussed with the president and VPs Š then finally with Faculty Council
>and Staff Council.  Faculty council supports the use of EthicsPoint and
>this support was reflected in the faculty council minutes of Feb 27 and
>included in the materials that were distributed to the faculty in advance
>of the March 13 faculty meeting.
>
>One important point I want to make is that EthicsPoint is simply a tool Š
>it builds on the current reporting process that we have in place and
>makes it anonymous and of course confidential.
>
>The deployment of EthicsPoint is targeted and narrow: financial,
>HR-related items, and issues of workplace safety.  As is noted in the
>attached minutes -issues related to faculty will be directed to the VPAA.
> 
>
>Patrick J. Norton
>Vice President for Finance and Treasurer
>Middlebury College
>Middlebury, Vermont 05753
>802.443.5699
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Katz, Michael R.
>Sent: Saturday, September 28, 2013 10:33 AM
>To: Norton, Patrick J.
>Subject: FW: Big Brother?
>
>Dear Patrick:
>
>I received your message and decided to post it on the listserv of
>teachers of Russian and other Slavic languages.
>
>I am appalled by the College's decision to institute this system of
>reporting.
>
>Michael Katz
>________________________________________
>From: SEELANGS: Slavic & East European Languages and Literatures list
>[SEELANGS at LISTSERV.UA.EDU] on behalf of Katz, Michael R.
>[mkatz at MIDDLEBURY.EDU]
>Sent: Saturday, September 28, 2013 1:30 PM
>To: SEELANGS at LISTSERV.UA.EDU
>Subject: [SEELANGS] Big Brother?
>
>Dear Comrades:
>
>The following announcement was recently sent to all employees of
>Middlebury College.
>
>At first I thought it was a joke; alas, it is for real.
>
>Big Brother is watching us.
>
>Michael Katz
>
>EthicsPoint Reporting System
>
>An announcement from Patrick Norton, Vice President for Finance and
>Treasurer
>
>As members of Middlebury, all of us, regardless of position, share the
>responsibility to promote a culture of integrity. To help accomplish this
>goal, we have recently installed a new phone and Internet-based ethics
>reporting system managed by EthicsPoint.  Serving more than 2,000
>organizations world-wide, EthicsPoint is committed to helping
>organizations like ours by facilitating the reporting and identification
>of issues that are inconsistent with our policies.
>
>We hope you feel comfortable bringing potential ethical issues or
>concerns to your supervisor. But we understand that this is not always
>the case. This new system provides an alternative channel for you to
>communicate your concerns confidentially and anonymously. We have
>partnered with EthicsPoint to manage the reporting system for us. They
>have gone to great lengths to ensure that reports entered in the system
>are completely confidential.
>
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------
>  Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
>  options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
>                        http://seelangs.wix.com/seelangs
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
  options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
                        http://seelangs.wix.com/seelangs
-------------------------------------------------------------------------