Whistleblower FAQs

Liberty University is committed to leadership and actions that are above reproach, accountable, and demonstrate good stewardship. As such, Liberty has established the LU Whistleblower Portal, which is a secure, confidential platform that allows all members of the university community to report in good faith any suspected wrongful conduct without fear of retaliation. While the Whistleblower Portal is not intended to replace existing processes for addressing concerns, and individuals are still encouraged to apply principles such as those found within Matthew 18, the portal is available as an additional option to ensure that all persons have methods in which they can feel comfortable reporting suspected wrongful conduct, such as fraud, waste, misconduct, or abuse of LU assets.

All members of the university community are encouraged to utilize the Whistleblower Portal to report concerns of wrongful conduct which may include, but are not limited to:

• Abuse of Authority
• Academic/research misconduct
• Bias-related incidents
• Conflicts of interest
• Environmental health and safety concerns
• Fraud/theft or improper accounting/financial reporting
• Misuse of University resources/assets
• Philanthropy and Donor Relation concerns
• Violations of law, regulation, contract, or University policy

If you are concerned for your safety, call the LUPD at 434-592-3911. For medical emergencies, call 911.

The Whistleblower Portal is not intended to be a substitute for the University’s pre-existing processes.

Things that should NOT be reported through the Whistleblower Portal:

• Problems with colleagues, co-workers, and supervisors
• Complaints of discrimination or harassment
• Requesting accommodations or medical exceptions
• Student requests for refunds
• Complaints and appeals regarding grades or other student-related academic issues
• Health and safety complaints
• NCAA rule violations
• Title IX concerns and violations

For more information on wrongful conduct and uses of the Whistleblower Portal, please review Liberty University’s Whistleblower Policy.

The Whistleblower Portal webpage has a question feature in which any members of the university community can ask questions about the whistleblower policy or use of the portal. These questions will be reviewed by Internal Audit, who will provide you with a response or, as applicable, direct users to the appropriate area to report concerns.

Liberty University will maintain the privacy of any individual who submits a report via the Whistleblower Portal to the extent practical within the limitations of law and the need to conduct a competent investigation. Any person submitting a report through the portal will have multiple options to protect their identity. Reports can be submitted anonymously, in which neither Liberty University nor the third-party whistleblower portal staff will have your identity, anonymous to only Liberty University, in which the third-party portal staff may have access to your identity for technical assistance or communications, or a reporter can confidentially disclose their identity with the report.

Members of the university community shall not be subject to retaliation for making a report in Good Faith about potential or actual Wrongful Conduct by others, or participating in an investigation in Good Faith, whether the report is specifically under the whistleblower policy or otherwise. Any person who believes that he/she is being retaliated against in violation of should immediately report the retaliation, which can be done through the Whistleblower Portal as well.

Reports made through the Whistleblower Portal are received by the University’s Internal Auditor, and a copy is provided to the University General Counsel unless that report is regarding the General Counsel. After initial review, the Internal Auditor may investigate the allegations, refer the report to the appropriate department, notify the reporter of this referral, or request additional information from the reporter. In all cases, the reporter will maintain access to the whistleblower portal and will receive notifications from the Internal Auditor regarding the status of the report until it is closed.