Ohio U. shuts down ethics tipline after records request
Ohio University officials have said they felt they
had to stop taking anonymous tips on suspected ethics violations after OU's
student newspaper obtained records of the tips through a public-documents
request.
The student who was editor of the OU Post at the time called
that decision "very strange," and suggested it shows a disappointing lack of
faith in the paper's judgment.
"It's kind of sad that because of a
public-records request, they quit using the (system), which seemed to be doing a
pretty good job," said Sean Gaffney.
As editor of the Summer Post,
Gaffney oversaw a request to OU for records from the university's EthicsPoint
tip line. The program accepts anonymous tips about alleged employee wrongdoing
at OU, both over the phone and online.
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The Post and
Athens News