February 6, 2007 - Springfield, IL – Two tenured university professors accused of flouting a state ethics law have filed a lawsuit to reverse a decision that threatens their jobs. At issue is an ethics training program that both Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC) professors completed successfully, but, in the eyes of the state, too quickly.
In September 2006 mathematics professors Marvin Zeman and Walter Wallis reviewed the material from the State of Illinois Ethics Training Program, passed the 10-question quiz at its end, and received certificates from the Illinois Executive Inspector General stating they had successfully completed the training.
However, in November, they were notified by Inspector General James Wright that their certificates were invalid because the training program was completed in less than the minimum time. The minimum time was not specified.
Consequently, the pair was ordered to complete an additional training program for non-compliant employees and sign its accompanying certification form. Failing to comply could lead to discipline, including possible termination of state employment.
"I believe that taking the additional training and signing the certification would be an admission that I was non-compliant, though I was not," Zeman said. "It would be unethical for me to sign this document."
Zeman, who serves as SIUC Faculty Association president, representing some 700 university professors, said he finds the state's invalidation of records of compliance, solely on the basis of some unspecified time, "rather surreal," as it is being made against employees of an institution of higher learning.
"We have no problem with the ethics law or the ethics training, but it's ludicrous to suggest that highly educated people cannot grasp, within a few minutes, the nuances of a document prepared by a subcontractor hired by a state bureaucrat," Zeman said.
"The Inspector General arbitrarily decided that scoring 100 percent, as I did, matters less than how long I took to complete the training. It's almost comical, until you realize I could be fired as a result of this capricious action," he said.
The lawsuit seeks to bar Wright from imposing a minimum time employees must spend on the ethics document. The suit would also bar the state from imposing discipline on employees who fail to take a minimum time to complete the training.
"This lawsuit is intended to stop the state from arbitrarily imposing rules on our members and all state employees. We must ensure the state respects the collective bargaining relationship we have with our employer, Southern Illinois University" he added.
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