Summary/Purpose:
It has been and shall continue to be the policy of Temple University that all fulltime and parttime faculty members avoid any conflict, or appearance of conflict, between their personal interest and the interest of the University in dealing with any organization or individual having, or seeking to have, any business relationship with the University or with any organization or individual whose objectives or interest may be adverse to University interests. The following guidelines are adopted to achieve this policy.
Scope of Applicability: All fulltime and parttime faculty members
Definition: A faculty member shall be deemed to have a potential conflict of interest when:
(A) The faculty member is an officer, director, trustee, partner, employee or agent of, or has a 5% or greater interest in, a person or an entity involved in a transaction with or affecting the University; or
(B) The faculty member is aware that the faculty member, his or her spouse or any of their parents, children, brothers or sisters or relatives is an officer, director, trustee, partner, or agent of, or has a 5% or greater interest in a transaction with or affecting the University; or
(C) Without regard to (A) or (B) above, the faculty member's independent judgment is or might appear to be impaired by an existing or potential financial interest; or
(D) A faculty member supervises or participates in a decision affecting a relative of the faculty member.
The Policy:
Before an action is taken by a faculty member with or on behalf of the University, where an actual or potential conflict of interest may exist, the faculty member will:
(A) Promptly make full disclosure to the faculty member's Dean; and
(B) Refrain from acting until the faculty member has received written approval from the cognizant Vice President and University Counsel that such action is appropriate. The cognizant Vice President and University Counsel will make reasonable efforts to resolve the matter expeditiously.
This Policy does not require faculty members to divest themselves or their relatives of outside financial interests. The Policy also does not mean that two relatives may not be employed in the same unit of the University. What the Policy does mean is that faculty members may not allow outside financial interests or relations with relatives to influence, or to appear to influence, their actions and decisions as University employees.
Implementation / Procedure:
1. The faculty member's Dean will coordinate the faculty member's conflict of interest concerns with the Vice President responsible for the action and University Counsel.
2. University Counsel will be responsible for consistently interpreting the University Conflict of Interest Policy.
3. If a faculty member is uncertain as to whether or not a given transaction is deemed to have a potential conflict of interest, the faculty member will, through the faculty member's Dean, seek advice in writing from the Vice President responsible for such transaction.
4. Each faculty member shall provide the faculty member's Dean with a written list of all business, charitable and other relationships, with a short description of the nature of each, for which there is reason to believe that the transaction might be with or affecting the University. The Dean shall provide a copy of the statement to the Vice President to whom the Dean reports.
5. Any faculty member who is aggrieved by the decision of the cognizant Vice President and University Counsel may appeal the decision to the Personnel Committee of the Faculty Senate (see Article IV, Section 8 of Faculty Senate ByLaws), which shall forward its recommendations to the Faculty Senate and the President.
Summary/Purpose:
Temple University personnel at various administrative levels occupy positions in which they directly or indirectly influence the expenditure of large amounts of money. In order to avoid any possible conflict of interest, or appearance thereof, University personnel must be extremely cautious and circumspect with respect to gifts. Even though there may actually be no wrongdoing intended, the knowledge that a Temple University representative has accepted a gift from those who do business with the University can easily be misinterpreted.
Scope of Applicability: All University Employees
The Policy: Except where there is an exchange of gifts between personal friends, no University representative may accept a gift which exceeds the value of $50.00 from any firm or individual doing business with the University. Gifts exceeding this value are to be turned over to the University.
Gifts of real or personal property to the University may be accepted only by the President or the Vice President of Financial Affairs.
Distribution: Budget Unit Heads
In order to help the Temple Community understand and apply the University policies pertaining to Conflict of Interest and the receipt of gifts, selected situations and how you deal with them are enumerated below.
1. The following activities are permitted ONLY when PRIOR WRITTEN APPROVAL of your cognizant Vice President AND University Counsel are obtained when:
a. Hiring, supervising, or maintaining the time and attendance records by a Temple University employee for relatives.
b. A Temple employee travels at vendor(s') expense, or he/she is accompanied by a spouse or child who also travels at a Temple vendor(s') expense.
c. Receipt of meals, tickets to sporting events, an/or theater in excess of $50 from a Temple vendor.
d. Individuals who negotiate, consummate, or administer contracts in behalf of the University, and obtain special reduced prices for items of personal use from bidders on those contracts, which reduction is not available to the University Community at large.
e. Site visits where the Temple employee involved in the decision is fed and entertained by actual or probable vendor(s) and vendor(s') expense in excess of $50.
f. Engaged as a consultant for an actual or probable Temple vendor.
2. The Conflict of Interest covers any area of activity in which an employee may have or appear to have his or her judgement impaired in behalf of the University.
3. Employees or their relatives may not borrow or take loans from the University, except under programs specifically authorized by the Executive Cabinet or by the President.
