Anonymous Whistleblower + Reportline
The Reportline is a toll-free number (855-312-9257) you can call anytime from anywhere to anonymously report suspected unethical or inappropriate activity, e.g., fraud, waste, abuse, or violations of federal or state laws or Loyola New Orleans policy. Alternatively, you may enter reports anonymously via the internet at the following address: https://loyno.ethicspoint.com/ While you are encouraged to report these issues directly to your immediate supervisor or to the appropriate administrator, Loyola New Orleans recognizes that this may not always be an option and has made the Reportline available for this reason. Although all calls and web-based reports will be accepted and reported to the compliance officer, the Reportline is not intended for reporting employee grievances, e.g., complaints concerning wages, hours of work, performance evaluations, merit raises, etc. Only compliance-related issues will be investigated.
The Reportline is a resource available to Loyola University New Orleans students and employees (faculty, staff, and administration) 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The Reportline service is provided by the Network, a company staffed with multilingual, trained interviewers who respond to all Loyola calls and web-based reports. Loyola employees do not answer calls or directly receive web-based reports. When you contact the Reportline, you will be asked to describe the issue in as much detail as possible. You do not have to tell them who you are. The trained interviewers will promptly relay the information to the compliance officer at Loyola, where it will be evaluated to determine the most appropriate means of handling the issue. If you called the Reportline and you need to provide additional information, you may call the Reportline back and provide the interviewer with the report number and any additional information.
Reports to the Reportline should be made in good faith and concern misconduct rather than employee dissatisfaction. A few examples of typical reports are as follows:
- Suspected embezzlement or theft
- Questionable accounting or auditing matters
- Time or expense abuses
- Conflicts of interest
- Kickbacks
- Discrimination
- Environmental and safety issues
- Computer security violations
- Violations of federal or state laws or Loyola University New Orleans policy
No. You do not have to reveal your identity when you call or submit a report to the Reportline. Calls and reports are not traced, and calls are not recorded. No one will know you made a report unless you willingly identify yourself. The information you provide will be treated as confidential and privileged to the extent permitted by law.
There are federal and state laws that protect individuals who provide confidential information regarding possible illegal activities in the workplace. Under the law, Loyola University New Orleans is not allowed to penalize those employees who provide good-faith reports of this nature. Additionally, Loyola has a non-retaliation policy and is committed to maintaining the confidentiality and anonymity of whistleblowers to the extent allowed by law. Employees who intentionally and maliciously use the Reportline to make false allegations shall be subject to disciplinary action.
Loyola University New Orleans is committed to promptly investigating all reports of unethical or inappropriate activity. When an issue is reported to the Reportline, the specific action taken will depend on the nature and severity of the violation. You can be assured that compliance-related reports will be investigated; however, in order to maintain confidentiality and anonymity of all parties involved, you may not be aware that an investigation has taken place. On the callback date, you will be provided with a brief message informing you whether an investigation is under way or directing you to the appropriate Loyola contact if the issue is not appropriate for investigation through the Reportline.
Most instances of fraud and abuse are discovered through tips from honest people who are not sure of all the facts. This type of report is not only accepted but also encouraged. The Reportline will take the information you provide and forward it immediately to the compliance officer for further investigation.
Over the past 15 years, stories of fraud, waste, abuse, and misconduct at private corporations have been prevalent in the national headlines and Congress has responded with increasingly more compliance laws to address the problem―the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. The Board of Trustees at Loyola University New Orleans is mindful that although these federal regulations apply only to private corporations, nonprofit colleges and universities are not immune from incidents of fraud, waste, abuse, and misconduct. The board has supported the administration’s efforts to demonstrate its commitment to ethical and transparent operations through such initiatives as the adoption of strong policies; the hiring of a full-time compliance officer; and the subscription to an anonymous, accessible reporting service. Communications that promote ethics and encourage reporting not only help detect issues but also help prevent them by creating a culture of ethical behavior.