Diversity and Non-Discrimination
The University of Southern Maine Foundation adheres to the Non-Discrimination Policy of the University of Southern Maine which is as follows:
- The University of Southern Maine is an EEO/AA employer, and does not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender expression, national origin, citizenship status, age, disability, genetic information or veteran’s status in employment, education, and all other programs and activities.
Whistleblower Policy
Each reporting individual has an obligation to report what he or she believes is a material violation of law or policy or any questionable accounting or auditing matter by the Foundation, its Directors, Officers, employees, agents or other representatives. Each reporting individual must also notify the Foundation if an action needs to be taken in order for the Foundation to be in compliance with law or policy or with generally accepted accounting practices. The types of concerns that should be reported include, for purposes of illustration and without being limited to, the following:
- Providing false or misleading information on the Foundation’s financial documents, tax returns or other public documents;
- Providing false information to or withholding material information from the Foundation’s auditors, accountants, counsel, Directors or other representatives responsible for ensuring Foundation compliance with fiscal and legal responsibilities;
- Embezzlement, private benefit, or misappropriation of funds;
- Material violation of Foundation policy, including among others, confidentiality, conflict of interest, whistleblower and document retention;
- Discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender expression, national origin, citizenship status, age, disability, genetic information or veteran’s status; or facilitation or concealing any of the above or similar actions.
The objective of the Whistleblower Policy is to establish policies and procedures to:
- Prevent or detect and correct improper activities;
- Encourage each Director, Officer and employee to report what he or she in good faith believes to be a material violation of law or policy or a questionable accounting or auditing matter by the Foundation;
- Ensure the receipt, documentation, retention of records, and resolution of reports received under this policy; and
- Protect reporting individuals from retaliation.
Whenever possible, employees should seek to resolve concerns by reporting issues directly to his/her supervisor. If the employee is not comfortable speaking to his or her manager or does not believe the matter is being properly addressed, the employee may contact the President & CEO of the Foundation. If an employee does not believe that these channels of communication can or should be used to express his or her concerns, an employee may contact the Vice President or the Chair of the Governance and Nominating Committee of the Foundation. It is preferred that reports should be in writing by the complainant, but in any event, the person receiving the complaint should document its receipt to at least one of the other designees. Directors and Officers may submit concerns to the President of the Foundation or directly to the chair of the Governance and Nominating Committee.
The Foundation will investigate all reports filed in accordance with this policy with due care and promptness. Matters reported internally without initial resolution will be investigated by the person to whom they were reported (hereinafter, the “Complaint Investigator”) to determine if the allegations are true, whether the issue is material, and what actions, if any, are necessary to correct the problem. The complaint investigator will issue a full report of all matters raised under this policy to the Governance and Nominating Committee. The Governance and Nominating Committee may conduct a further investigation upon receiving the report from the complaint investigator.
For matters reported directly to the Governance and Nominating Committee chair, the Governance and Nominating Committee shall promptly acknowledge receipt of the complaint to the complainant if the identity of the complainant is known and conduct an investigation to determine if the allegations are true and whether the issue is material and what, if any, corrective action is necessary. Upon conclusion of the investigation, the Governance and Nominating Committee shall promptly report its findings to the Executive Committee. The Governance and Nominating Committee shall have full authority to investigate concerns raised in accordance with this policy and may retain outside legal counsel, accountants, auditors, private investigators, or any other resource that the Committee reasonably believes is necessary to conduct a full and complete investigation of the allegations.