The holidays are upon us.  According to the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency, “the holiday season is a prime time for hackers, scammers, and online thieves.  While millions will be online looking for gifts, hackers will be looking to take advantage of unsuspecting shoppers by searching for weaknesses in their devices or internet connections or attempting to extract personal and financial information through fake websites or charities.” 

Read Holiday Online Safety Tips to learn how to shop online safely and protect your assets. Happy holidays!

USC’s annual process for faculty and staff disclosure of outside financial interests and professional activities will launch again in early January. Employees who are required to submit the annual disclosure will receive an email with a link to the system and instructions for completion. A few common questions related to the disclosure process:

• Q: As a faculty member, I’m involved in a range of outside professional activities— which activities do I need to list in the annual disclosure?
• A: Policy ACAF 1.50 provides guidance on which activities need to be reported during the annual disclosure process.

• Q: If I’m on a 9-month contract with USC, do I need to disclose outside professional activities or employment from the time I am not working at USC (e.g., summer months)?
• A: Yes, faculty with appointments less than 12-months still need to report outside professional activities and financial interests from the full year.

• Q: What happens if an item is flagged as a potential conflict?
• A: Your supervisor will work with you, in consultation with the department head/dean, to address the potential conflict. Oftentimes, a management plan can be utilized to ensure the potential conflict does not impact your USC duties.

• Q: Do all employees submit annual disclosures?
• A: All full-time faculty and select staff are required to submit annual disclosures. However, any USC employee that has an outside activity, relationship, or financial interest that presents a potential conflict of interest or commitment (or the appearance of a conflict), must submit those items in the disclosure system for review— regardless of whether they are required to submit annually. See BTRU 1.18.

Keep an eye-out for communications in early January regarding the annual disclosure process. If you have any questions related to disclosures or conflicts of interest, please contact COI@mailbox.sc.edu.

As a Carolinian...

• I will practice personal and academic integrity;
• I will respect the dignity of all persons;
• I will respect the rights and property of others;
• I will discourage bigotry, while striving to learn from differences in people, ideas and opinions;
• I will demonstrate concern for others, their feelings, and their need for the conditions which support their work and development.