ETHICS AND THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT BROWNSVILLE
AND TEXAS SOUTHMOST COLLEGE
Ethical behavior means being honest, telling the truth, and doing what you said you were going to do.
-- Barbara Jordan
A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
High ethical standards and compliance with the law are of the utmost importance to The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College.
This web site is intended to provide employees with brief practical guidance on some of the more common ethics/legal issues. More detailed guidance can be found in the Standards of Conduct Digest, published by the U. T. System Office of General Counsel and available on the World Wide Web at http://www.utsystem.edu/ogc/ethics.
If you have questions about matters involving ethics laws or issues, I encourage you to contact your supervisor or the Ethics Officer. If you still have questions, I encourage you to contact the U.T. System Ethics Advisor.
All of us have an obligation to the state of Texas, the Board of Regents, and to ourselves to be good stewards of the resources that have been entrusted to us. Thank you for your commitment to ethical behavior and your compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and U.T. System policies, and UTB/TSC procedures.
ETHICS POLICY
Conflicts of Interests: Officers, faculty, and employees (collectively “employees”) of The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College may not have a direct or indirect interest, financial or otherwise, that is in conflict with the proper discharge of their duties. Potential conflicts of interest must be disclosed.
Adherence to Law: Employees shall adhere to applicable laws, rules, regulations, and policies of governmental and institutional authorities. The failure to do so will be grounds for disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.
Gifts: No employee shall accept or solicit any gift, favor, or service that might reasonably appear to influence the employee in the discharge of duties.
Note: Making or receiving gifts, including honoraria, may constitute a criminal offense under certain circumstances.
Confidential Information: No employee shall disclose confidential information or use such information for his or her personal benefit.
Self-Dealing: No employee shall transact any business in an official capacity with any business entity of which the employee is an officer, agent, or member, or in which the employee owns a substantial interest.
Personal Investments: No employee shall make personal investments that could reasonably be expected to create a conflict between the employee's private interest and the public interest.
Outside Employment: No employee shall accept other outside or dual employment or compensation that could reasonably be expected to impair the employee's independence of judgment in the performance of the employee's public duties.
Note: Outside employment is further limited by other policies, laws, and regulations.
Sexual Harassment and Misconduct: Sexual misconduct and sexual harassment are unacceptable behaviors. Such unacceptable behavior includes verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature. Incidents of sexual misconduct or sexual harassment should be reported to the office charged with reviewing such complaints where the incident occurred.
The above policy is summarized from Regents' Rules and Regulations.
USE OF STATE RESOURCES
The Law: State officers or employees commit a criminal offense if they intentionally or knowingly misapply any "thing of value" belonging to the government that is in their custody or possession as a result of their state employment in order to obtain a benefit or to harm another person.
Telephones and Electronic Mail: Telephones and e-mail are to be used for institutional purposes. Incidental use for local personal calls or messages not interfering with work responsibility, however, is not a misapplication of state resources. Personal long distance telephone calls should not be charged to the institution and must be reimbursed by the employee if charged inadvertently. UTB/TSC telephone logs and e-mail are public property and may be subject to open information requests.
Equipment and Supplies: State-issued machines, office supplies, and other equipment are to be used for institutional purposes, not for personal or private purposes.
Vehicles: No employee shall use any UTB/TSC vehicle for any purpose other than official business of the institution.
Employee Time: Employee work time is a “thing of value” belonging to the state. Employees may not use work time for personal business.
Political Campaigns and Elections: An employee shall not use institutional time, funds, equipment, or other resources to work on a political campaign or to influence the passage or defeat of legislation.
Political Campaigns and Elections: An employee shall not use institutional time, funds, equipment, or other resource to work on a political campaign or to influence the passage or defeat of legislation.
Expense Claims: Vouchers for travel expenses must be accurate and requested only for expenses related to official business.
Liability for Property Loss: When institutional property disappears, whether through theft or other cause, as a result of an employee failing to exercise reasonable care for its safekeeping, such person shall be liable for the loss sustained by the institution.
Institutional Credit Cards: Employees shall not use credit cards issued by the institution for personal expenses unrelated to institutional business.
Internet: The use of the internet via institutional computer is limited to activities related to education, research, instructional, or administrative purposes in accordance with state law and applicable System or component policies.
Software: Software licensed to the state is to be used for institutional purposes. All software loaded into institutional computers must be properly licensed.
Consulting Contracts with Previous Employees: No funds shall be used to enter into a consultant contract with any individual who has been previously employed by the institution within the past 12 months.
Purchases From/By Employees: Purchases are not permitted from an employee unless approved by the President, V.P. for Business Affairs, or the Purchasing Director. Similarly, no employee may purchase equipment or property from the institution without appropriate approvals.
All topics in this brief guide are discussed in greater detail in the U.T. System Ethics Policies and Guidelines.
ETHICS CONTACT INFORMATION
U.T. SYSTEM ETHICS ADVISOR
Mr. Cullen M. Godfrey
Vice Chancellor and General Counsel
201 West Seventh Street
Austin, Texas 78701
(512) 499-4462
UTB/TSC ETHICS OFFICER
Ms. Rosemary R. Martinez, CPA
Vice President for Business Affairs
80 Fort Brown - Tandy Hall
Brownsville, Texas 78520
(956) 882-8240 - Fax (956) 882-3868
U.T. ETHICS INFORMATION
The following ethics publications are available from the Office of General Counsel, U.T. System, or the Ethics Officer:
- Texas Ethics Commission Opinions
- Standards of Conduct Digests
- Guidelines on Giving and Receiving Benefits: Recent Changes in Texas Ethics Laws
TEXAS ETHICS COMMISSION
Texas Ethics Commission
P.O. Box 12070
Austin, Texas 78711-2070
(800) 325-8506
(512) 463-5800