RETURN TO ETHICS AT RUTGERS HOME

Memo Regarding Faculty and Staff Requirements Under the Ethics Program

Over the course of the recent ethics program rollout, some questions have arisen about the collection and processing of the forms faculty and staff need to fill out. This is a summary of which employees need to fill out which forms, when the forms are due, and where the forms should be sent once completed. Please note that there have been some minor changes made to these forms to clarify ambiguities in the originals.

Receipt and Acknowledgement of Rutgers Code of Ethics and Rutgers Plain Language Guide to Fundamental Ethics and Conflicts Rules Established by State Law, Federal Law, and University Policy. Every employee* must sign this form, but only once (i.e. not annually). New employees will be required to sign this form upon commencement of employment. Staff should forward their forms to University Human Resources. Faculty should forward their forms to their chair or immediate supervisor, who will forward them to the appropriate Dean, and if applicable, Chancellor. These officials, in turn, will forward the forms to the Office of the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs.

The Rutgers Annual Disclosure Form for Payments and Expense Reimbursement from Non-University Sources for Acting in a “Scholarly Capacity.” Only employees who have engaged in activities in a scholarly capacity that were compensated by non-Rutgers sources need to fill out this form. On November 19, 2007, the New Jersey State Ethics Commission adopted a regulation that requires these reports. Accordingly, the Commission determined that reports of payments from non-Rutgers sources for scholarly activities for the time period November 19, 2007 through December 31, 2007 shall be submitted by April 30, 2008 to Rutgers. Rutgers will file the forms with the Commission by May 31, 2008. Next year, and in subsequent years, the forms will be due for filing with the Commission at the end of January covering the previous calendar year. Employees should forward their signed forms to their chair or immediate supervisor. The chair or immediate supervisor should, in turn, forward the forms to the appropriate Dean or Vice President, and if applicable, Chancellor. The Dean, Vice President or Chancellor will collect the forms and forward them to the Office of the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, which will forward them to the State Ethics Commission. If you have not already done so, please make sure these forms are received by Academic Affairs in New Brunswick before May 31, 2008.

Rutgers University Outside Activity Report Form. All employees must fill out this form on an annual basis regardless of whether or not they have compensated outside activities to report. If employees have no such activities, they just check that box on the form, sign the form and submit it. If they do have activities to report, they should identify outside sources of compensation, the nature of the outside activities undertaken and the time involved. Starting with September 2008 the form will be due each September 30. The form should report all non-Rutgers compensated outside activities for the fiscal year (i.e. July 1 to June 30). The form also asks for information regarding anticipated outside activities for the current fiscal year. It is not Rutgers’ intention to limit the ability of any employee to engage in outside employment where there is no conflict. As set forth in Rutgers Policy Sections 60.4.2 and 60.5.8, the law and existing university policies prohibit employees from accepting duties, incurring obligations, accepting gifts or favors of monetary value, or engaging in private business or professional activities where there is, or would appear to be, a conflict between the employee’s private interests and the interests of the university. Staff should forward their forms to their immediate supervisor, who will forward them to the appropriate Vice President, and if applicable, Chancellor after retaining a copy for departmental files. Faculty should forward their forms to their chair or immediate supervisor, who will forward them to the appropriate Dean, and if applicable, Chancellor. These officials, in turn, will forward the forms to the Office of the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs.

It is advisable for employees to keep a copy of these forms for their records.

* For purposes of all three forms described herein, the term “employee” applies to all full- and part-time faculty and staff except teaching assistants, graduate assistants, coadjuncts, post-doctoral fellows, casual hourly employees (type 4) and part-time lecturers.