Special Rules

More About Gifts

If my unit has set a specific limit on accepting gifts (e.g., staff members can’t accept any gifts valued at more than $10), is it okay for me to accept any gifts that fall within this cost limit? 

Not necessarily. For example, if a vendor, in giving you a coffee mug worth less than $10, asks you to encourage the department or unit key administrator to process his or her purchase order three days sooner than it otherwise would be processed, or a student gives you a box of candy in anticipation of a better grade, this request establishes a potential quid pro quo (the giving of something in return for something else).  Irrespective of how much the coffee mug or the candy is worth, the vendor’s request and the student’s expectation create potential conflicts of interest.  Plus, if you were to act on either request, you would be violating Michigan law.