The “American Whistleblower Tour: Essential Voices for Accountability,” will return to Auburn University Thursday, Jan. 31, from 7-9 p.m. in 113-A Lowder Business Building.
The Auburn stop on the tour, sponsored by the Government Accountability Project and Auburn’s School of Accountancy, will feature a moderated panel discussion with whistleblowers Jon Oberg, who will speak about fraud in the student loan system and Frank Casey, who will speak on the Bernie Madoff scandal.
The goal of the whistleblower tour is to educate the public – particularly university students – about the phenomenon and practice of whistleblowing. A full description of the tour can be found at http://wordpress-350926-1087337.cloudwaysapps.com/action-center/american-whistleblower-tour.
Frank Casey was an equity specialist manager at Ramparts Investments when he uncovered irregularities regarding money manager Bernie Madoff’s returns to investors.
In 2003, while at the Department of Education in a research capacity, John Oberg discovered illegal payments to student loan lenders of federal tax dollars.
Last year, the GAP brought whistleblowers to the Auburn campus to talk about the Enron scandal and the peanut butter/Salmonella scandal. GAP senior fellow and American Whistleblower tour director Dana Gold will again moderate the panel at Auburn’s event.
Sarah Stanwick, an associate professor in Auburn’s School of Accountancy, said “Whistleblowers highlight the importance of both individual ethics and institutional accountability. As educators of the next generation of accounting experts, we are thrilled to be included in the “Whistleblower Tour,” so our students and faculty can hear firsthand from individuals who have exposed fraud and gain from our combined efforts to promote professional responsibility.”
Goals of the Tour include raising awareness about the vital role whistleblowing has in our democracy, preparing America’s youth for ethical decision-making, countering negative connotations associated with whistleblowing, connecting prospective whistleblowers to available resources and encouraging academic studies of whistleblowing.