Resources

Employee Compliance Guide

Contacts with External Entities

What should employees do when contacted by external entities, like the media? How should employees respond to being served with legal process? Is it OK for employees to sell something on a USF campus for an external organization? What about contacting elected or appointed officials for legislative action? This section provides links to USF policies and a guide governing employee contact with external entities.

The Florida Code of Ethics

All USF employees are subject to the provisions of the Florida Code of Ethics for Public Officers and Employees (the “FCOE”) under Title IX, Chapter 112, Section 313 of the Florida Statutes. The FCOE sets standards of conduct for all employees with respect to avoiding conflicts of interest stemming from employee receipt of certain gifts; engagement in certain business relationships; nepotism; and more.

Fraud Prevention & Detection

All USF employees are responsible for detecting and reporting fraud or suspected fraud. What should employees do if they observe or suspect fraud? Notify their supervisor. What if the employee believes the supervisor is involved? Notify the next highest level of management or USF Internal Audit or make an anonymous report through EthicsPoint―our anonymous third-party hosted hotline. What should you do if you believe retaliation may have been taken against you as a result of your good faith filing of a grievance, complaint, or report of violation of law, rule, regulation or policy? Review the retaliation policy and guide below for valuation information.

Information Technology Resources

USF employees are expected to use information technology (IT) resources in a responsible, ethical, and lawful manner according to state and federal laws, USF rules, regulations, policies, guides, and the terms of software license agreements. Here you can learn more about appropriate and acceptable use of IT resources.

Outside Activity

All USF employees are required to disclose and receive prior approval for certain Outside Activities (OA) that, if not disclosed and managed through the appropriate conflict review process, could result in an impermissible conflict of interest or commitment. Consult USF regulations, policies and our guide governing the disclosure, review, and management of employees’ outside activities.

State and University Guidance

Other state and local guidelines frequently used.

USF Records

Most records created during the transaction of official business for our university are subject to disclosure under Florida’s Public Records Law found in Florida Statutes, Chapter 119. Likewise, most meetings of the governing bodies of our institution are open to the public under Florida’s Government-in-the-Sunshine Law found in Chapter 286 of the Florida Statutes. Here you can access these laws and other records-related USF policies and our guide.