Financial integrity and reviews

Ensuring financial integrity

The ASU policy on ensuring financial integrity is located in Financial Services Policies and Procedures Manual. With respect to ASU’s financial information, any action, activity or correspondence by an employee undertaken in the performance of their official duties, or that gives the appearance of same, must be done in accordance with all applicable laws, policies and other relevant standards of conduct. Actions an employee shall not knowingly undertake include, but are not limited to the following.

1. Violate any federal, state or local law or regulation, including, but not limited to, corruption, collusion (with vendors or other ASU employees), blackmail, malfeasance, bribery, theft, fraudulent claims, fraud or conversion.
2. Misappropriate or misuse ASU property (physical, electronic or intellectual) or inappropriately expend monies without the legitimate business purpose of furthering the university’s operations and mission; nor provide inaccurate or misleading information regarding said business purpose.
3. Willfully neglect to perform a duty or intentionally violate ASU policy, procedure, rule or regulation.
4. Act in a way that is significantly economically wasteful or involves gross misconduct, incompetence or inefficiency or creates for ASU potential exposure to liability or financial irregularities.
5. Act in a way that poses a significant threat to ASU’s financial status or overall reputation.
6. Pursue or receive a benefit or advantage in violation of ASU’s conflict of interest policy.
7. Intentionally access, alter, manipulate, destroy, backdate, falsify or withhold information (verbal, physical or electronic of ASU or its vendors) that affects ASU’s financial reporting prior to the time of allowable destruction as defined by the university’s record retention policy.
8. Sign a document as evidence of approving a transaction or acting as a representative of ASU on behalf of another to mislead, or to imply compliance with policies that would be violated in the absence of such a signature.
9. Sign a document on behalf of another person without their full knowledge and consent, and without clearly indicating such action has occurred; nor sign on behalf of another when such action is a violation of policy (authority that cannot be delegated).
10. Interfere with a university investigation conducted in accordance with policy, including the withholding, backdating, falsification, destruction or tampering with financial or any other evidence (verbal, physical or electronic) of ASU or vendors.
11. Engage in any other action, activity or correspondence that could result in a significant misstatement of financial information.
12. Fail to report another employee for violating or strongly suspecting with reasonable evidence the violation of these items.

With respect to financial matters, ASU adheres to the Code of Conduct for State of Arizona Employees Engaged in Accounting, Financial and Budgeting Activities. The code was issued by the State of Arizona – Arizona Department of Administration, General Accounting Office.

The university has a toll-free Ethics and Compliance Hotline operated by an outside vendor. Reports of suspected financial transgressions can be submitted to the Hotline (anonymously, if desired) by calling 1.877-SUN-DEVL (1-877-786-3385). For further information, visit the ASU Hotline page.

Financial, P-card and Travel reviews

Our goal is to ensure that ASU operates within an effective framework of internal controls. The objectives of this framework are as follows:

1. Effective and efficient operations
2. Reliability of financial reporting
3. Compliance with applicable policies, laws and regulations

The Financial Controls division of the university performs regular reviews of financial transactions, as well as data mining and analysis with respect to many ASU financial activities. The Financial Controls division of the university performs regular reviews of financial transactions, as well as data mining and analysis with respect to many ASU financial activities. Financial reviews encompass budget variance analysis, cash handling, employee disbursements, P-Card transactions, payroll, travel expenses and vendor disbursements for a specific business unit or college. Quarterly P-Card and travel reviews are conducted across all business units and colleges focused on fraud, policy and regulatory compliance.

You are obligated to report any suspected financial misdeeds to the appropriate level of management. Do this by contacting your supervisor or the head of your department or VP area, Financial Controls, or the ASU Ethics and Compliance Hotline. The call to the Hotline can remain anonymous.

If you have any financial data mining or analysis needs or questions relating to financial transactions or P-Card reviews performed by Financial Controls, contact us at 480-727-8465 or by email.