Failure to comply with applicable laws, rules and regulations by a member of the USG community may result in disciplinary action. Members of the USG community may be governed by ethical codes or standards of their professions or disciplines. It is expected that those USG community members will comply with applicable professional standards in addition to laws, rules and regulations.

It is the policy of the USG to conduct its business in an open and transparent manner consistent with the privacy rights of members of the USG community and Open Government laws. USG employees have a responsibility to ensure that any requests made pursuant to the Open Records Act are immediately routed to the office charged with that responsibility.

USG institutions that accept grants from public or private organizations to perform as outlined in the grant have a fiduciary responsibility to ensure that the grant funds are expended in a manner consistent with the grantor¡¯s guidelines and applicable laws, rules and regulations. The submission of false or misleading documentation in connection with a federal grant may result in both employment action and criminal prosecution. Members of the USG community must exercise due care and avoid any personal use of grant funds.

Compliance with the rules and regulations governing athletics is a multi-faceted and challenging demand for the USG institutions that maintain athletic programs. Members of the USG community are expected to comply with athletic conference and association rules.

Requests for reimbursement for expenses incurred on behalf of the USG must be accurate and in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. Submission of false or misleading expense reimbursement documents subjects the member of the USG community submitting the documents to the risk of both termination of employment or contractual relationship and criminal prosecution.

Respect the intellectual property rights of others.

USG employees associated with the production of intellectual property have the responsibility to comply with the BOR and institutional policies governing intellectual property. Extensive BOR and institutional policies have been developed governing intellectual property. See BOR Policy 6.3 for a detailed description of the BOR policies governing intellectual property.

Employees who use software licensed to the USG or a USG institution must abide by applicable software license agreements and may copy licensed software only as permitted by the license.

It is also the practice of the USG to comply with copyright laws. USG employees or any individual using USG resources should not violate copyright laws to include publications, recordings and other electronic media. It should be noted that the ? copyright notice is no longer required by law. This means that individuals copying material must take extra steps to ensure that the material is in the public domain or may be copied under the ¡°Fair Use¡± doctrine. USG employees are encouraged to consult with institutional legal counsel for additional guidance on this topic.

Avoid improper political activities as defined in law and 正版bbin平台下载 of Regents Policy.

USG employees are encouraged to participate as responsible and interested citizens in our democratic society. However, there are ¡°political¡± activities that are inconsistent with the roles and responsibilities of USG employees. Employees may not participate in a political campaign which interferes with performance of official duties. Employees are restricted from holding state or federal elective office and must obtain a leave of absence prior to qualifying as a candidate for state or federal elective office in a primary or general election and ending after the general or final election. Appointive offices and locally elected offices may be held by a USG employee if there is no conflict or interference with the employee¡¯s USG duties and responsibilities.

See BOR Policy 8.2.15.3 for additional information on employee participation in the political process. See BOR Policy 6.14.1 for information on use of campus facilities for political purposes.

Protect human health and safety and the environment in all USG operations and activities.

The 正版bbin平台下载 of Regents of the University System of Georgia is strongly committed to protecting the environment and human health and safety in all of its operations. In working to meet this commitment, the 正版bbin平台下载 of Regents recognizes that pro-active efforts must be made to ensure that sound environmental, health, and safety planning is integrated into every level of University System decision making. Additionally, all members of the USG community bear a responsibility for protecting human health and safety and the environment in those areas for which they are responsible. See BOR Policy 9.11.4 for detailed guidance pertaining to environmental compliance.

Report wrongdoing to the proper authorities; refrain from retaliating against those who do report violations; and cooperate fully with authorized investigations.

All members of the USG community have a responsibility to follow university policies and procedures, adhere to applicable laws and regulations and speak up when they see or suspect misconduct. Members of the USG community with concerns about possible unethical behavior or noncompliance with 正版bbin平台下载 of Regents policy are encouraged to speak to their supervisor or to use the Ethics and Compliance Hotline. Retaliation against a member of the USG community for reporting wrongdoing is strictly prohibited by federal law, state law and BOR policy.

Members of the USG community are required to cooperate fully with authorized internal investigations. Failure to cooperate may subject the individual to disciplinary action to include termination of employment or contractual relationship. Members of the USG community who are unsure as to the legitimacy of an investigation should consult a supervisor or institutional counsel.

Disclose and avoid improper conflicts of interest.

USG employees are expected to devote their primary efforts to the USG¡¯s mission. Outside employment or activities must not interfere with performance of official duties. Additionally, outside activities may create conflicts of interest or of commitment that must be properly disclosed and managed. See BOR Policy 8.2.18.2 for additional information. Other members of the USG community who are not USG employees are subject to other conflict of interest provisions as contained in various laws, rules and regulations.

Refrain from accepting any gift or thing of value in those instances prohibited by law or 正版bbin平台下载 of Regents policy.

No member of the USG community shall directly or indirectly solicit, receive, accept or agree to receive a thing of value by inducing the reasonable belief that the giving of the thing will influence his/her performance or failure to perform any official action. The acceptance of a benefit, reward or consideration where the purpose of the gift is to influence a member of the USG community in the performance of his/her official functions is a felony under state law. See BOR Policy 8.2.18.4 for a detailed description of the prohibition on receiving gifts.

Not use your position or authority improperly to advance the interests of a friend or relative.

No member of the USG community will use his or her position or authority improperly to advance the interests of a friend or relative. Any benefit granted to an individual will be based on merit and/or written procedure. No individual shall be employed in a department or unit which will result in the existence of a subordinate-superior relationship between such individual and any relative of such individual through any line of authority. See BOR Policy 8.2.3 and O.C.G.A. ¡ì 45-10-20 et seq. for detailed information on this topic.

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