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Eastern Washington University
Main Campus Contact
Cheney, WA 99004
phone: 509.359.6200 (campus operator)

Whistleblower Program

 

What is the Whistleblower Act?

The Whistleblower Act, enacted by Washington State Legislature in 1982, encourages state employees to report improper governmental actions. The law makes retaliation against whistleblowers unlawful and authorizes remedies should it occur.

 

What is an improper governmental action?

An improper governmental action is defined as any action by an employee undertaken in the performance of the employee's official duties which:

  • Is a gross waste of public funds or resources.
  • Is in violation of federal or state law or rule, if the violation is not merely technical or of a minimum nature
  • Is of substantial and specific danger to the public health or safety.
  • Is gross mismanagement.
  • Prevents the dissemination of scientific opinion or alters technical findings.

Malicious or False Assertions

Whistleblowers must file assertions in good faith. RCW 42.40.020 states that an employee must not knowingly report false, malicious or frivolous information, recklessly disregard the truth or omit relevant information. It states that the identity of any person, who in good faith provides information in a whistleblower investigation, will be given confidentiality..

Personnel Issues

The Whistleblower Act specifically excludes personnel actions for which other remedies exist. Excluded actions include: employee grievances, violations of state civil service laws, labor agreement violations, reprimands and other disciplinary actions..

How to report an improper governmental action

University employees, students or others may file complaints of improper governmental actions in the following ways:

1) Whistleblower Program

Current state employees may contact the State Auditor's Office directly, by completing the Whistleblower Reporting Form or submitting a detailed letter to:

Washington State Auditor's Office

Attn: State Employee Whistleblower Program

PO Box 40031

Olympia WA 98504-0031

e-mail: whistleblower@sao.wa.gov

web site: www.sao.wa.gov

telephone: 1-866-902-3900

2) University Personnel

Complaints of improper governmental actions may be brought to the attention of the following personnel:

Dr. Rodolfo Arévalo
President
Email: president@ewu.edu
Phone: 509-359-6362

Laurie Connelly, J.D.
Associate to the President
Email: lconnelly@ewu.edu
Phone: 509-359-2372

Jo Lynn Rogers
Director of Human Resources, Rights and Risk
Email: jrogers@ewu.edu
Phone: 509-359-2383

Frequently asked questions about the Whistleblower Act

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