If you are a WSU employee or official, this REMINDER applies to you:
Resources in your control or available to you as a state employee or official belong to the state and may not be used for private benefit or personal gain. State resources include your computer, wsu.edu account and other WSU property used by you to perform your duties as an employee. A private benefit would include not just benefit to you, but to any other than WSU, including: charities, shelters, non-profits, or individuals.
Guidance from the Executive Ethics Board clarifies allowable uses. Specific to charitable events: the limited use of state resources to support charities may be allowed if an agency head or his/her designee approves the activity as one that promotes organizational effectiveness … (WAC 292-110-010(3)).
LIMITED USE – even if approval is received for an activity determined to provide organizational effectiveness, if state resources are utilized for the private benefit, the use must be limited in nature – infrequent, short in duration, little or no cost to state, and does not interrupt state business or disrupt or obligate other state employees to make personal use of resources.
DESIGNEE APPROVAL – WSU’s designee is the Associate VP for Business and Finance (Barry Johnston).
ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS – This relates to an agency’s mission (such as community outreach/service) and encompasses activities that enhance or augment the agency’s ability to perform its mission. With the proper approval, employees of WSU may be allowed to participate in activities that are not official state duties but promote organizational effectiveness, even if the activities may incidentally support a private organization. In no case, however, is an activity allowed that may involve a state agency’s endorsement or promotion of a commercial activity such as advertising or selling products.
If approval has been obtained for an event in the past, or a similar event, it does not guarantee that the approval for the event is grandfathered.
Further, the state’s ethics law contains a very strong presumption against solicitation by any state officer or state employee for any purpose, including charitable events. This includes solicitation from local businesses, as well as co-workers and colleagues. Avoiding such personal solicitation is best in order to avoid creating a situation in which others feel pressured to give or perceive the risk of an unfavorable job action if they fail to give.
Voluntary participation may be in the form of a notice on a general bulletin board reminding employees where donations may be made (Red Cross, shelters, etc.).
You can learn more at https://www.wa.gov/ethics/ or by contacting Internal Audit at 5-2001.
Heather Lopez, hlopez@wsu.edu
[h1]Changed from Rich Heath to Barry 2/1/11.
