Administration

If you see something, say something: Resources shared for reporting wrongdoing

Penn State encourages the reporting of misconduct at reporting.psu.edu

Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — All members of the Penn State community are asked to remain mindful of their individual commitment to the Penn State Values by helping to keep the University a safe and ethical institution. In addition, as members of this community, everyone should be responsible stewards of University funds, whether generated from state, federal, student or other sources.

The University does not condone wrongful conduct by any member of the Penn State community, no matter what position he or she may hold.

Penn State encourages the reporting of misconduct. If you see something, say something.

If you report misconduct, be assured that the University will protect you from retaliation. See AD67 or contact the Office of Ethics and Compliance for more information.

A summary of types of misconduct and how to report is available at reporting.psu.edu.

If at any point you are unsure where to report a nonemergency, you may contact:

  • The Office of Ethics and Compliance, Monday‑Friday, 8 a.m.‑5 p.m. ET: 814‑867‑5088.
  • The Penn State Hotline, 24/7: 800‑560‑1637 or hotline.psu.edu.

The following resources are available for faculty, staff, students and others:

TO MAKE A REPORT

COVID-19

The University has established requirements and expectations with respect to measures intended to reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus within the University community. Violations can be reported as follows:

  • Students: The Penn State Student Code of Conduct outlines sanctions, including suspension or expulsion from the University, that may be imposed upon failure to comply with University Policies, or reasonable directives from University officials. Student concerns should be reported to the Office of Student Conduct (contact the Office of Student Conduct at 814-863-0342, StudentConduct@psu.edu or http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/conduct, or report here).
  • Employees: Any employee found in violation may be subject to disciplinary action, including dismissal. Faculty concerns should be reported to the academic unit head (chief academic officer, department head, director of academic affairs, school director, division head, or associate dean for academic affairs) or Human Resources. Staff concerns should be reported to the supervisor or to Human Resources.

Crime or emergency situation

  • Contact the campus police or security office.
  • In an emergency, dial 911.
  • Penn State has established a Responsible Action Protocol, which entails the following:
    • A student who acts responsibly by notifying the appropriate authorities (e.g., calling 911, alerting a resident assistant, contacting police) AND meets one or more of the following criteria typically will not face University conduct action for his or her own use or possession of alcohol or drugs. However, the student will be required to attend an approved alcohol or drug education program, such as BASICS or the Marijuana Intervention Program (MIP); the fee will be waived. When the student's behavior involves other Code of Conduct violations (e.g., vandalism, assault, furnishing to minors), the additional behavior may be subject to disciplinary action. If a student exhibits a pattern of problematic behavior with alcohol or drugs, that student may be subject to formal disciplinary action.
  • The criteria which invoke the protocol are:
    • A student seeks medical assistance for themselves when experiencing an alcohol or drug overdose or related problems.
    • A student seeks medical assistance for a peer suffering from an alcohol or drug overdose or related problems and remains with the peer until appropriate authorities arrive.
    • A student suffering from an alcohol or drug overdose or related problems, for whom another student seeks assistance and remains with the peer until appropriate authorities arrive, will also not be subject to disciplinary action for alcohol violations.

Suspected ethical or policy violations

(Including fraud, theft, conflict of interest, abusive or intimidating behavior, retaliation, athletics integrity or NCAA compliance, misuse of sponsored funds)

Child abuse, including child sexual abuse

  • Contact the Pennsylvania Child Welfare Services "ChildLine" at 800‑932‑0313 or https://www.compass.state.pa.us/cwis.
  • If the child is in immediate danger, dial 911 first.
  • You must also email AD72@psu.edu communicating that a report has been made. For more information on AD72 (Reporting Suspected Child Abuse), see https://policy.psu.edu/policies/ad72.
  • Further details can be found in the Building a Safe Penn State: Reporting Child Abuse training available on the Learning Resource Network at http://lrn.psu.edu.

Behavioral threat

If you feel that a member of the campus community (visitor, student, staff or faculty) presents behavior that is aggressive, disruptive, dangerous or threatening to the health and safety of him/herself or others:

  • Contact the Behavioral Threat Management Team at 855‑863‑BTMT (2868), 814‑863‑BTMT (2868), or http://btmt.psu.edu/.

Bias or discrimination

  • To report behavior by an employee, contact the Affirmative Action Office at 814‑863‑0471 or https://affirmativeaction.psu.edu/welcome/on-line-report/.
  • To report behavior by a student, visit the Report Bias website: https://reportbias.psu.edu/. For behavior that you believe may violate the University’s Code of Conduct, contact the Office of Student Conduct.
  • To file a discrimination or harassment complaint outside of the University:
    • For student complaints: The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (Philadelphia Office) at 215‑656‑8541 or email OCR.Philadelphia@ed.gov.
    • For employee complaints: The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (Philadelphia District Office) at 800‑669‑4000.
    • The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (Harrisburg Regional Office) at 717‑787‑9780.

Environmental health and safety concerns

Hazing

Hazing by any student organization or individual is against Penn State's Code of Conduct, and also a violation of Pennsylvania law. To report instances of hazing:

  • Contact the Office of Ethics and Compliance, Monday‑Friday, 8 a.m.‑5 p.m. ET: 814‑867‑5088 or email psoec@psu.edu.
  • Report online 24/7 via the Penn State Hotline: 800‑560‑1637 or hotline.psu.edu.
  • For concerns related to students and/or student organizations, including fraternities and sororities:
  • For concerns related to employees:
    • Contact Human Resources, Labor and Employee Relations at 814‑867‑0041.

Sexual harassment and other forms of sexual misconduct**

  • To make a report to the University:
    • Contact the University’s Title IX Coordinator at 814‑863‑0471 or titleix@psu.edu.
    • To file an online report: Visit the Office of Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response's website at http://titleix.psu.edu/filing-a-report/ to file an online report.
    • To file an anonymous report: The Penn State Hotline is available 24/7 at 800‑560‑1637 or hotline.psu.edu. Both are anonymous and available 24/7.

**Additional information regarding information and resources available in relation to incidents of sexual harassment and/or misconduct (including a campus-specific list of victim support services and confidential reporting options) can be found at http://titleix.psu.edu/.

Student misconduct

Research-related issues

  • Any research-related concerns should be directed to the Office for Research Protections at 814‑865‑1775 or orp@psu.edu.
  • Research misconduct concerns should be directed to 814-865-1775 or researchconcerns@psu.edu.

Suspected athletics and NCAA violations

(Including but not limited to recruiting inducements; extra benefits or other improper gifts; fraudulent activities designed to influence the outcome of sporting activities (e.g., sports wagering activities; altering the outcome of a sporting event or facets thereof); impermissible agent involvement with student-athletes; booster misconduct; recruiting misconduct; financial aid misconduct; arrangement of fraudulent academic credit or falsification of transcripts).

  • Use the Penn State Hotline at 1‑800‑560‑1637 or hotline.psu.edu. Both are anonymous and available 24/7.
  • At University Park, contact the Athletics Compliance Office at 814‑863‑8048 or compliance@athletics.psu.edu.
  • At the Commonwealth Campuses, contact Maureen Cooper, director of Commonwealth Campus Athletics, at 814‑865‑0721 or mmc39@psu.edu.
  • Contact the University’s Athletics Integrity Officer at 814‑865‑0722.

RESOURCES

If it is not clear where to turn for assistance, any of these offices will guide the individual to someone who can help:

Last Updated September 2, 2021

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