last updated: Thursday, July 1, 2004
Under the NYS Ethics Law, SUNY employees are prohibited from soliciting or accepting any gift worth $75 or more when it could be reasonably inferred that the gift was intended to influence them, or could reasonably be expected to influence them in the performance of their official duties, or was intended as a reward for any official action. SUNY employees must adopt an attitude and mode of operation that is above criticism and avoid any type of conduct that would give any suggestion of a conflict of interest.
"A gift may be in many forms, including money, loan, travel, meals, refreshment or entertainment. The value of a gift is the retail cost to purchase it; the value of a ticket entitling you to food, refreshments, entertainment, etc. is the face value of the ticket; if no value is indicated, the value is the actual cost to the giver. Multiple gifts from a single source that are given over a twelve-month period and add up to $75 or more will be deemed to be one gift that equals the total value of all the gifts. The offer of reciprocity, or even actual reciprocity, does not reduce the value of a gift given to you. You may not designate a friend, family member or entity (for example, a charity) to receive a gift that you cannot receive."
Reference:
Ethics
On-Line Training from the Governor's Office of Employee Relations (GOER)
http://www.goer.state.ny.us/Train/onlinelearning/eth/intro.html
Gift
and Gratuities (NYS Ethics Commission)
http://www.dos.state.ny.us/ethc/giftmenu.html