The Daily Egyptian is published by the students of SIU at Carbondale. Except during vacations and exam weeks, The Daily Egyptian is published Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and TWThF during the summer semester."

University caps ethics tests

This fall University employees have been ethically tested in their workplaces.

Not because situations demanding ethical questioning arose, but because it's the law.

In fall 2003, the Illinois government passed the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act. The act requires all government employees to either complete an online test or to read and sign a pamphlet concerning hypothetical ethical dilemmas: bribes and political activity at work and their solutions.

"I think the primary focus of the training is, really, to make individuals aware of the ethics act and some components of the ethics that they may not be aware of as far as the types of activities that are prohibited," said Brent Patton, the University's Ethics Administrator. "From an awareness standpoint, the training materials have done that."

University employees were first required to complete the ethics training the first week in October.

Provost John Dunn said within the first week of the administering the tests, more than 35 percent of University employees completed the requirement.

Patton said the University is now at a 99 percent completion rate.

"I would compliment the vice chancellors and the deans and the department chairs in their efforts to get the word out and to make sure the employees, under their supervision, did comply," Patton said. "I think at 99 plus percent, we're in excellent shape here and that's all due to those folks."

John Wilson, a Politics and Government instructor at Illinois State University, disagrees with the training and spoke of the supposed flaws in an article published by the Independent Media Center of Bloomington-Normal.

Wilson wrote that "the state's training program doesn't deal with any important ethical issues" and offers no relevance to university employees.

Patton said he thought the training was initially geared toward departments like the Illinois Department of Transportation and the Department of Natural Resources.

Because the focus of the tests were not explicitly for the use of higher education facilities, there has been some concern the content of the tests don't correctly apply.

"There were parts of it that, I would think, would be even better if the nature of the training was more specific to the University and the kinds of issues that confront us here daily," Dunn said.

According to Patton, the Ethics Act requires the training.

"As far as sanctions are concerned, the State Ethics Commission has the authority to investigate and fine individuals who are not in compliance with the law," Patton said. "I believe it's up to $5,000."

Patton said a supervisor could seek disciplinary action against an individual who chooses not to comply with the ethics training.

"One of the questions that rattles around in my mind about this is how will we know, at some point, whether this has had any desired change," Dunn said. "One thing we do know is that there has probably been more conversations and discussions about being ethical."

 

 

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