Frequently Asked Questions

The Values and Ethical Responsibilities are intended to document expectations of responsibility and integrity. Exemplary ethical conduct is critically important in our relationships with colleagues, trustees, students, volunteers, contractors and the public.

You can view the policy on the NKU policy website here.  

There are several ways you can report ethical or compliance violations.

• You can speak to your manager or supervisor if you are comfortable doing so.
• If you prefer to make a report anonymously, you can utilize our third-party reporting helpline provider EthicsPoint. This helpline is available for use 24/7. You can make a report via telephone toll-free at 855-597-4539 or report online by clicking here. Please note that this is NOT a 911 or emergency service. If you need to report an emergency, please call 911 or contact University police at 859-572-7777.

Any behavior that is in violation of our Ethical Principles and Code of Conduct should be reported. Also, behavior that violates federal or state law, University policies or procedures or any waste, fraud, abuse or misuse of university resources should be reported. Any compliance or ethical concern you have may be reported through the helpline.

We are relying on all University members to ask questions and notify the  Ethics and Compliance Helpline if you have any concerns. If you are in doubt about making a report, please go ahead and report the issue. We would rather you report the information than keep it to yourself.

You can view the list of categories and issues on the Ethics and Compliance Helpline site.  

No. The University will not tolerate any retaliation against a University member who makes a good faith report of a violation. If you feel you are experiencing retaliation due to a report you have made, please make a report to the helpline.

No. The helpline is through a third-party vendor – EthicsPoint. Reports made to EthicsPoint are entered onto their secure server and the information transmitted is not retained in NKU’s files. EthicsPoint does not generate or maintain any internal connection logs with IP addresses so there is NO information linking your computer to EthicsPoint. The telephone reporting is handled directly by EthicsPoint via trained employees and NKU does not have access to caller id or any identifiable information. You do not have to make a report from your University computer or telephone. You may make the report from any computer or telephone where you feel comfortable.

However, if you would like to be identified in your report, there is a section in the report where you can identify yourself.

Yes! We need you to report. Your report can minimize the potential negative impact on the University and its members. We have carefully chosen the best reporting tool to meet our ethical and compliance goals while maintaining a positive reporting environment.

The reports are entered directly onto the EthicsPoint secure server to prevent a security breach. Report information is made available only to specific individuals within the University who have the responsibility of investigating the reports.

The report will be investigated promptly and thoroughly and the disposition of the report will be recorded in the sytem.

The EthicsPoint system and report distribution is designed in such a way that implicated parties are not notified or granted access to reports in which they have been named.

Yes. EthicsPoint does provide a way to follow up on the status of your report. When you file your report either online or over the phone, you receive a unique user name and you choose a password. You can return to the EthicsPoint system at any time either online or by phone and access the original report to:

• Check on the status of your report.
• Add more detail to your report.
• Answer questions posed by the university.

If you add more detail to your report or answer questions regarding the incident from the university, your anonymity will be still be maintained, even if there is a dialogue between you and the university personnel.

**Please take care to retain your unique user name and password created at the time of your report. EthicsPoint does not retain your password and will be unable to provide it to you if lost.