Educating the campus community on compliance issues
by Prufer
It is only 10 a.m. on a Monday morning, and already Beverly “B.J.” Landrum has advised Coastal Carolina University’s training department to add a tobacco-free primer to faculty and staff orientation, has met with the University president about the need to instruct hundreds of volunteers on compliance issues, and has responded to a media request under the state Freedom of Information Act.
It’s all in a morning’s work for Landrum, whose job as associate university counsel and chief compliance officer makes her responsible for facilitating accountability in all campus offices and departments. From the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to Title IX issues and more, she makes sure that CCU stays in tip-top shape with the law.
In simple terms, Landrum is the compliance authority for the university. This summer she earned a certificate as a compliance and ethics professional (CCEP), which makes her “a professional with knowledge of regulations and expertise in compliance processes,” according to the Compliance Certification Board.
Compliance wasn’t as big an issue for higher education five years ago as it is now. Landrum attended a recent higher education compliance conference in Austin where attendees were asked to raise their hands if they were currently compliance officers. A majority of people raised their hands. When asked if they had that job title five years ago, there were no hands raised.
“Compliance came to the higher education forefront in 2012 when compliance matters became front page news, and fraud and abuse were exposed in large corporations,” says Landrum. “Now, it’s something large corporations – and higher education – are paying attention to,” she says.
Landrum and her legal intern, Meredith Canady, have spent many hours putting together an extensive matrix, now available online at coastal.edu/universitycompliance/compliancematrix, that provides guidance for compliance mandates throughout the university.
From smoking to sexual harassment to NCAA violations, there are many issues that CCU employees should be aware of. A report can be filed, even anonymously, thanks to the “See It, Say It” campaign presented by EthicsPoint, a confidential and anonymous hotline where anyone can address fraud, abuse, waste or misconduct of any kind. (coastal.edu/EthicsPoint)
Landrum says there are situations where a person might feel uncomfortable using his or her name for fear of retaliation. In addition to the anonymous reporting option, a Whistleblower Policy offering protection from retaliation for good faith reports was recently passed by CCU’s executive staff.
Suppose a colleague has a few drinks after work and brags about falsifying his expense reports? What if your supervisor regularly takes long lunches and comes back smelling like a brewery? What if a new female employee gets hit on by her boss? What if that boss is your boss? What about waste? Do you see wasteful practices going on that are creating unnecessary costs for CCU?
As uncomfortable as these situations might be to address, it is your duty to report them, says Landrum. And the new process in place, EthicsPoint, makes that easier.
Violations of the Code of Ethical Conduct, university policies or violations of law are all issues that could be reported via this new system.
“We have several reporting mechanisms that are not true ‘hotlines,’” Landrum says, such as Silent Witness (crimes), Academic Integrity, NCAA compliance and others.
With those methods, you should start with your direct supervisor (when appropriate, according to the issue) and review reporting routes to see which is best suited to address your concern. If there is a situation where you prefer to place an anonymous report in confidence, use EthicsPoint.
“We are very hopeful that people will start using this hotline without fear of retribution,” says Landrum. “We have so many legal mandates and sometimes they change frequently. It can be overwhelming. But just remember it is in the best interest of the university, as well as your duty, to report.”
