Associate General Counsel Catherine Santiago presented the annual whistleblower report to the audit committee, summarizing hotline activity for academic year/FY2025 under VSC Policy 2.11. Santiago said the system received nine complaints through EthicsPoint and that “no fraud or improper business behavior has been reported.”

Santiago told trustees that of the nine complaints, none remained open at the time of the presentation. Two complaints were directed to the chancellor’s office, none concerned Community College of Vermont (CCV), and most addressed student, faculty or staff issues that were validated and handled by the affected institution’s student conduct or personnel processes. One complaint fell outside the institutions’ jurisdiction; another concerned digital accessibility of calendars and was addressed.

The committee chair explained that, as a matter of practice, he receives EthicsPoint notifications and reads complaint narratives to confirm proper handling; if any matters warranted further committee review he would raise them or call an executive session. Committee members said the hotline provides an avenue for people who want anonymity and that in many cases complainants later elect to identify themselves so the matter can be resolved through campus processes.

Santiago noted that the whistleblower hotline and procedures, including an FAQ, are published on the Vermont State Colleges website and that the system uses EthicsPoint for anonymous reporting. Trustees heard that most hotline reports are operational or personnel matters rather than allegations of waste, fraud or abuse and that VSC staff route each item to the appropriate campus office to avoid duplicative processes.

No motions or votes resulted directly from the whistleblower report; the committee concluded the item with no outstanding open complaints reported.