Ethical Employment Guidelines
Public Officers' Law
As a SUNY Canton employee you should know about significant sections of the New York State Public Officers' Law that impact your employment. Failure to comply with the law could result in disciplinary or criminal action, or civil penalties. While the law is more complex, the following highlights may be helpful.
Conflict of Interest
You may not have any interest, or engage in any business transaction or professional activity, or incur any obligation of any nature, which is in substantial conflict with the proper discharge of your public duties. Even the appearance of impropriety, or doing anything that would give the public a reasonable basis to think anyone can improperly influence you in your official duties by reason of kinship, rank, position or influence is prohibited.
Confidential Information
You may not disclose confidential state information or use it for your personal interests or gain.
Moonlighting
You should not take a job which would impair your official independence, or give the public a reasonable basis to think that you have been or may be improperly influenced in your official duties.
Honoraria and Travel Reimbursement
You may not accept honoraria or official travel reimbursement without prior approval. If the donor does business with the college, you probably cannot accept such payments.
Financial Disclosure
If you have been designated as a policymaker, or if you earn over $115,252 per year and have not received an exemption, then you must file an annual financial disclosure statement with the Ethics Commission by May 15th of each year.
New York State Ethics Commission
The New York State Ethics Commission offers official interpretation of Sections 73 and 74 of the Public Officers' Law, advice to state employees and managers regarding ethical employment guidelines, and prohibitions after retirement from state service. Visit their web site for further information. Further information is also available in the Human Resources office. The Director of Human Resources serves as the campus Ethics Officer.
Principles for Responsible AI Use at SUNY Canton
This set of principles provides guidelines for integrating artificial intelligence tools into teaching, learning, and administrative practices at SUNY Canton. The principles emphasize ethical use, transparency, accessibility, security, and respect for privacy and intellectual property. This set of principles is updated with the evolution of AI.
The SUNY Canton community including faculty, staff, and students, is committed to this set of principles, and all campus constituents are expected to follow these principles:
- Transparency: All substantive and substantial use of AI in authored work as well as any use in decision-making that affects others, must be disclosed to uphold ethical standards.
Related SUNY Canton Policies and Resources: - Accountability/Responsibility for work using AI: AI technology is not a substitute for human decision-making and should not be used without human oversight, quality assurance, review, validation, and decision-making. All who use AI tools are responsible for verifying the accuracy, appropriateness, objectivity, and compliance of any AI-generated output prior to incorporating it into their work and sharing it with others.
Related SUNY Canton Policies and Resources: - Data Privacy and Information Security of AI Systems: Protecting data privacy and information security is critical when using AI. Regular monitoring and audits of AI systems are to be conducted to verify compliance with security standards, detect vulnerabilities, and ensure ethical and lawful use. Non-public information, including but not limited to confidential information, Personally Identifiable Information (PII), and SUNY Canton’s institutional data should never be input into AI tools unless specifically approved for that purpose.
Related SUNY Canton Policies and Resources: - Equity and Ethics: AI use should be inclusive, ethical, and free from bias. The use of AI technologies to discriminate, harass, intentionally mislead, coerce, and impersonate others is strictly prohibited.
Related SUNY Canton Policies and Resources: - Intellectual Property: AI may not be used to generate or replicate content that infringes upon copyrights, trademarks, patents, or proprietary ideas. When working with AI, ownership and usage rights must be taken into consideration, since sharing copyrighted or confidential work with AI tools may expose it to misuse.
Related SUNY Canton Policies and Resources:
Human Resources
SUNY Canton
34 Cornell Drive
Canton, NY 13617
(315) 386-7325
Fax: (315) 386-7064