Code of Conduct, Conflicts of Interest & Gift or Benefit Report Form

Code of Conduct

The Code of Conduct has been formulated to provide a clear statement of the University’s expectations of its staff and affiliates in respect of their professional and personal conduct. The Code reflects, and is intended both to advance the object of the University, namely the promotion of scholarship, research, free inquiry, the interaction of research and teaching, and academic excellence, as well as to secure the observance of its values.

Conflicts of Interest

As a Staff Member, External Appointee or Director, you are obliged to avoid, consistently with the terms of the Conflict of Interest, real or perceived conflicts of interest between your personal or private interests or duties and your duties to the University. This policy sets out the procedures that must be followed in order to limit, report and record, and prepare a plan to eliminate or manage, actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest. This policy does not apply to conflicts of interest to which the Commercial Activities Guidelines apply.

Gift or Benefit Report

The Gift or Benefit Report allows a University staff member to report gifts and benefits received as required by Section 8 Code of Conduct. Here is an extract from the Code:

Code of Conduct Section 8 Acceptance of Gifts and Benefits

Staff and affiliates must not solicit nor accept gifts or benefits, either for themselves or for another person, which either might in any way, either directly or indirectly, compromise or influence them in their official University capacity or might appear to do so.

Consistent with and subject to that general principle, staff and affiliates may accept occasional gifts or benefits, subject to the following requirements:

• Gifts may be accepted only if the recipient is satisfied that he or she cannot be compromised, or be seen as having been compromised, by doing so;
• A staff member or affiliate who is in a position in the course of his or her University work to confer a benefit on a third party must not accept a gift from that party;
• Where the value of the gift or benefit exceeds $100, it may be retained only if reported for registration on the University’s Register of Gifts and Benefits (maintained by Office of General Counsel); and
• Cash or gift vouchers must not be accepted from any third party which derives a commercial benefit from a contractual relationship with the University under any circumstances.
  

Any gift or benefit that cannot be considered as occasional and token should be declined and the staff member or affiliate should state that it is the University’s requirement that such gifts or benefits not be accepted.

If this is not possible because of the environment in which the gift or benefit is offered, the gift or benefit may be accepted on behalf of the University, and it should then be retained by the relevant School or Administrative Unit.

For the purposes of this Code, “gifts” include honorariums which may be retained subject, if required, to being declared on the University’s Register of Gifts and Benefits. Staff and affiliates must report any offers of bribes to their supervisor, who should then ensure that the matter is reported as corrupt behaviour in accordance with Part 12 of this Code.