As a follow-up to the article this weekend about whistleblowers

North Dakota's Watchdog Update

Is there a legislative agenda to silence whistleblowers at Dickinson State University?

Previously, I wrote about House Bill 1198 would “require an individual who requests an open record to provide the individual's name and contact information,” and how this is a huge departure from current law and policy. That bill is sponsored by Representative Mike Lefor, Representative Vicky Steiner, and Senator Dean Rummel - the entire District 37 delegation from Dickinson…

17 days ago · 1 like · Dustin Gawrylow

Dr. Eric Grabowsky appeared on Talk of the Town with Steve Bakken on AM1270 Supertalk. (listen to the audio above)

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Joel Heitkamp and I discussed this issue this morning on News and Views.

North Dakota's Watchdog Update

News and Views: Whistleblowers and Property Taxes

Listen now (17 min) | Joel and I had a brief segment on some of the issues popping up recently. Specifically the issue regarding whistleblowers. As well as property tax reform…

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14 days ago · Dustin Gawrylow

Back in 2011, during the original Dickinson State scandal back in 2011, when we operated as the North Dakota Taxpayers Association, I wrote about the importance of whistleblowers to taxpayers:

North Dakota's Watchdog Update

Taxpayers Need Whistle-blowers

In college, anyone who takes courses in Management has reviewed the work of W. Edwards Demming and has studied how fear in the workplace is the most destructive force to productivity. A system cannot understand itself. The transformation requires a view from outside…

11 years ago · Dustin Gawrylow

Most people are not in a personal financial position to be able to risk their jobs and careers by "doing the right thing" - which is exactly the problem, the system should not allow "doing the right thing" to be a risk in the first place.
If we as taxpayers want Good Government, we have to understand the need to legally shield whistleblowers that go on the record when it comes to waste, fraud, and abuse.
State law should make it clear to public employees that it is their moral and professional obligation to be stewards of taxpayer dollars. Sure, the law also needs to strictly deter false claims, but the basic concept of protecting those who are watching out for the public dollar should have the support of the law.
If the legislature wants to fix the problems in Higher Ed, they must, as Demming's 8th Principle says, "drive out fear, so that everyone may work effectively for the organization."

It’s time for the legislature to embrace whistleblowers, not silence them.

North Dakota's Watchdog Update

Audio: DSU Professor Speaks Out