EthicsPoint raises questions, doubts

EthicsPoint, the third-party whistleblower service adopted by Seattle University last month, has sparked both acclaim and outcry from students and faculty.

Though some speculated EthicsPoint was implemented to handle only ethical issues or inappropriate behaviors, the university purchased the software in compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the post-Enron legislation which requires companies and other institutions to handle any embezzlement allegations and protect the identity of whistleblowers. The university will still handle ethical issues with the protocol outlined in Seattle U’s code of conduct.

Reports submitted to EthicsPoint are forwarded to the administration.

Still, the outside approach to gathering complaints has sparked opposition from some members of the university community.

“When I first saw it, I thought they we were going to institute an honor code. I went back and read it, and I thought ‘My God, this is Orwellian,’” said David Madsen, history professor. “Where do these reports go […] who’s getting it?”

An institution using an independent program to oversee internal—and sensitive—affairs at the university is in no way unique. However, according to Jerry Huffman, assistant vice president of human resources, EthicsPoint is not only a secure alternative to traditional handling of ethics cases, but a preferable one.