Procedures for Reporting Known or Suspected Violations of Law, Policy or Misconduct through the UMB Hotline

Administration, Accountability and Compliance   |   Approved April 23, 2021

Purpose

Provide the process for reporting known or suspected wrongdoing and/or misconduct through the UMB Hotline.

Applicability

These Procedures apply to all members of the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) Community. The UMB Community includes faculty, staff, and volunteers (“UMB Personnel”); UMB students (“Students”), contractors, vendors, and consultants while performing duties for UMB (“Third Parties”), and guests of UMB (“Guests”).

Procedure

UMB Personnel and Third Parties are required to report known or reasonably suspected fiscal irregularities, illegal activity, and violations of UMB or University System of Maryland (USM) policy by UMB and by its administrative and academic officers, faculty, employees, fellows, students and volunteers. UMB strongly encourages Students and Guests to report such known or reasonably suspected wrongdoing.

UMB provides a variety of ways for reporting known or suspected violations of law or policy, or misconduct including the UMB Hotline. 

The UMB Hotline, which is the preferred method for submitting reports, allows for identified or fully anonymous reporting that can be accessed online or by phone. In some cases, policy or law will require that a report be referred to another organization (for example, the USM Internal Audit Office or the Office of the Attorney General).

Submitting a Report

Upon learning of known or suspected wrongdoing or misconduct, an individual (“Reporter”) should submit a report through the UMB Hotline:

• Access the UMB Hotline either electronically or telephonically.
• To access the UMB Hotline electronically, go to https://www.umaryland.edu/umbhotline/ or click on the Hotline link included in the bottom ribbon on most UMB websites.
• To access the UMB Hotline via telephone, call 866-594-5220. This number is also included on the UMB Hotline website provided above. 
• Select a category for the type of known or suspected wrongdoing. If the issue being reported involves multiple categories or if the Reporter is unsure of the appropriate category, the Reporter may choose “Other.”
• Provide the following information:
  • Location of the incident
  • Reporter’s relationship to the University of Maryland, Baltimore
  • If the Reporter prefers to remain anonymous
    • If not, contact information for the Reporter will be requested
  • Persons engaged in the behavior being reported
  • Length of time the incident or behavior has been occurring, if known
  • A description of the known or suspected wrongdoing or misconduct
  • When filing the Report electronically, upload any supporting documentation, if available
  • Create a password.

When the Reporter creates the password for the report, a Report Key will be assigned during submission to access the report.  It is important the Reporter keep the Report Key and password as the UMB Hotline is administered by a third party and cannot be recovered by UMB. 

UMB encourages Reporters to log into their submitted Reports regularly. This allows the Reporter to add additional information as it may become available and to respond to any questions or requests from UMB through the system. For Reporters that chose to report anonymously, this is the only method of communication that will be available between the University and the Reporter. 

To access filed reports, go to the UMB Hotline website and click the “Report Follow-Up” button.

Reviewing Reports

Once a report is received, it is reviewed and assigned a Case Number.  The reviewer will often request additional information from the Reporter to determine how best to proceed.  Requests will be communicated either via the Hotline or by the provided contact information. 

After this initial review, it assigned to the appropriate department or individual(s) for Preliminary Review. 

No Retaliation

Fear of reprisals should not be a deterrent to reporting known or suspected misconduct. Retaliation includes any adverse action against a person because he or she has made a complaint in good faith or participated in a UMB process.  If a member of the UMB Community suspects they have experienced retaliation, they should report the behavior.