GovState strongly encourages the good-faith reporting of suspected illegal or other wrongful conduct. It is vital to the public’s trust that the University act ethically and legally in all its dealings, whether academic, business, athletic, or otherwise. Although the University has developed and implemented internal policies, procedures, and controls to deter and to prevent unethical, illegal, and other wrongful conduct, it is also critical that GovState stakeholders report instances of suspected unethical, unlawful or other wrongful conduct to a University, State, or accreditor representative with the power to take corrective action.
All GovState stakeholders—whether employees, students,
trustees, alumni, contractors, volunteers, or visitors—should immediately make
a report if they witness or experience or otherwise reasonably believe that unethical,
unlawful, or other wrongful conduct (collectively, “misconduct”) has occurred. University
employees specifically are required to report what they reasonably believe to
be violations of law, University policy, or any accreditation requirement so
that appropriate corrective action can be taken to address substantiated
violations. The responsibility of students to report is explained in the
University Student Handbook.
GovState has established a Compliance Hotline for the
confidential reporting of possible misconduct, including anonymous reporting. The
Compliance Hotline allows for both telephone (toll-free) and online reporting
and is available 24/7. It is staffed by
a third-party vendor, not University employees, to help preserve privacy. The vendor has multilingual specialists
available to assist non-English speakers. When prompted, reporters should tell
the Hotline they are affiliated with Governors State University.
Protection for Whistleblowers
Any GovState stakeholder who, in good faith, reports a
suspected misconduct, assists in an investigation, participates in an audit, or
requests information about the proper interpretation or application of any law,
accreditation requirement, or the University’s own policies will be protected
from retaliation for having engaged in such a protected activity.
Avenues for Reporting
In addition to the Compliance Hotline described above, there
are many other avenues for reporting available to stakeholders who need to
report misconduct. The appropriateness of a given avenue might depend on the
status of the reporter (e.g., being an employee versus a student) and the
nature of the misconduct being reported. Information about various reporting
avenues, both internal to GovState and external, is provided in the sections
below to guide reporters. If a reporter has any concerns about what avenue to
use, they may contact the GovState Ethics Officer at:
Kaitlyn Anne Wild
Director of Compliance and Ethics Officer
1 University Parkway, G-338
University Park, IL 60484
Telephone: 708.534.4846
Email: ethicsofficer@govst.edu
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Office of the General Counsel
The Office of the General Counsel includes the University
General Counsel and the University Director of Compliance and Ethics Officer,
either of whom will accept any reports of possible misconduct, especially
violations of law and University policy. The Ethics Officer may be contacted at
the information provided above. The
General Counsel may be contacted at:
Therese King Nohos
Vice President and General Counsel
1 University Parkway, G-364
University Park, IL 60484
Telephone: 708.534.7096
Email: tnohos@govst.edu
The General Counsel is also available to advise University
personnel on the University’s legal risks and responsibilities and the
interpretation and application of University policies.
Human Resources Department
Members of the University’s Human Resources Department will accept any
reports of possible violations involving University employees. The Department may
be contacted at:
Human Resources Department
1 University Parkway, C-1360
University Park, IL 60484
Telephone: 708.534.4100
Email: hr@govst.edu
Office of the Dean of Students
Members of the Office of the Dean of Students will accept
any reports of possible violations involving students. The Office may be
contacted at:
Office of the Dean of Students
1 University Parkway, C-1310
University Park, IL 60484
Telephone: 708.235.7595
Email: deanofstudents@govst.edu
Chief Internal Auditor
The University’s Chief Internal Auditor will accept any
reports of possible violations of law.
He may be contacted at:
Kristoffer Evangelista
Chief Internal Auditor
1 University Parkway, D-34041
University Park, IL 60484
Telephone: 708.534.4134
Email: kevangelista@govst.edu
Office of the Provost
The University Provost and Associate/Assistant Provosts will
accept any reports of possible violations of accreditation requirements. The Provost and Associate/Assistant Provosts
are also available to advise GovState stakeholders on the interpretation and
application of accreditation requirements. The Provost’s Office may be
contacted at:
Office of the Provost
1 University Parkway, G-351
University Park, IL 60484
Telephone: 708.534.4980
Email: provost@govst.edu
Chief Diversity Officer
With respect to misconduct involving matters of diversity,
equity, and inclusion, reports may be made to GovState’s Chief Diversity Officer.
The CDO may be contacted at:
Joi Patterson, Ph.D.
Chief Diversity Officer
1 University Parkway, G-334
University Park, IL 60484
Telephone: 708.534.4023
Email: jpatterson3@govst.edu
Title IX Coordinator
With respect to violations based on an individual’s actual
or perceived sex or sexual orientation or gender identity or expression,
reports may be made to GovState’s Title IX Coordinator as explained in
University Policy 78, and associated reporting and grievance procedures, which
are published on the University’s Title IX webpage. The Title IX
Coordinator may be contacted at:
Kaitlyn Anne Wild
Director of Compliance and Ethics Officer
Title IX Coordinator
1 University Parkway, G-338
University Park, IL 60484
Telephone: 708.534.4846
Email: titleixofficer@govst.edu
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Office of the Executive Inspector General
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The Office of the Executive Inspector General for the Agencies of the Illinois Governor (OEIG)
has jurisdiction over executive branch agencies in the State of Illinois
(including the University and its employees). The primary role of the OEIG is
to investigate allegations of misconduct and to make reports of its findings to
the affected agencies. The OEIG
investigates, when appropriate, alleged violations of laws committed by any
employee of, or those doing business with, an entity under its
jurisdiction. Under the Illinois State
Officials and Employees Ethics Act, the OEIG is tasked with accepting and
investigating: (a) reports of violations of the Ethics Act, such as instances
of fraud and waste; and (b) complaints of unlawful discrimination, harassment,
and unlawful retaliation submitted by State employees. Such a report/complaint may be filed with the
OEIG in writing or orally as described at: https://www2.illinois.gov/oeig/complaints/Pages/process.aspx
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Illinois Department of Human Rights
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The Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR) administers the
Illinois Human Rights Act (775 ILCS 5), which prohibits various types of discrimination and
harassment in Illinois, including discrimination with respect to
employment. It investigates charges of
employment discrimination filed against employers that are units of State
government. A discrimination charge can
be initiated by calling, writing, or appearing in person at the IDHR’s Chicago
or Springfield office within 300 days of the date the alleged discrimination
took place, as described at: https://dhr.illinois.gov/filing-a-charge/employment.html
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Department of Education Office for Civil Rights
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For students, the U.S. Department of Education Office for
Civil Rights (OCR) enforces the federal laws—such as Title VI of the Federal
Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title IX of the Federal Education Amendments of
1972—that prohibit discrimination, harassment, and retaliation (on the basis of
several federally recognized protected classes) in programs or activities that
receive federal financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Education. A student who believes they have been
unlawfully discriminated against, harassed, or unlawfully retaliated against by
an educational institution receiving federal funds from the Department, or any
other person who believes a student has been unlawfully discriminated against,
harassed, or unlawfully retaliated against, may file a complaint of
discrimination with the OCR. A timely
compliant can be filed online, by mail, by email, or by fax, as described at:
https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/howto.html
More details about the OCR’s jurisdiction can be found on
its website at:
https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/frontpage/pro-students/protectingstudents.html
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Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
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The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) enforces the federal
laws, such as Title VII of the Federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibit
employment discrimination and retaliation on the basis of a federally
recognized protected class. Employees who believe they have been unlawfully
discriminated against, harassed, or unlawfully retaliated against at work can
file a “charge of discrimination” against their employer with the EEOC. All the
laws enforced by EEOC, except for the Equal Pay Act, require an employee to
file a charge of discrimination with the EEOC before being able to file a job
discrimination lawsuit against their employer. There are time limits by which
charges of discrimination must be filed with the EEOC depending on the type of
discrimination alleged. Timely charges of discrimination can be filed online,
in person, or by mail, as described at:
https://www.eeoc.gov/how-file-charge-employment-discrimination
Additional information about how the EEOC can help employees
is available at:
https://www.eeoc.gov/employees-job-applicants