ECSU Audit Says Enrollment Was Improper

[Aggie One]

Audit: Elizabeth City State improperly admitted students (Update)
Associated Press

Updated at 10:50 p.m.

ELIZABETH CITY — A new internal audit shows that Elizabeth City State University improperly admitted students who did not qualify last year and improperly awarded financial aid.

The audit started last October following allegations that an administration had told staff to make financial awards to ineligible students, The News & Observer of Raleigh (http://bit.ly/1pi6f3x) reported.

It was also alleged the administrator had told staff to do whatever was necessary to increase the number of students in school.

Enrollment at the school has dropped by more than half in the past five years. The school had fewer than 1,600 students last year, resulting in heavy budget cuts.

The audit completed last month does not contain proof the unnamed administrator deliberately broke the rules to boost enrollment.

The audit found that 93 applicants admitted last fall did not meet minimum academic requirements. Nearly three dozen 35 students did not meet admissions standards. They received nearly $490,000 in financial aid.

For the rest of the story:
www.greensboro.com/news/audit-elizabeth-city-state-improperly-admitted-students-update/article_a947743c-feb1-5ea8-8849-065ba870147f.html

[Maxell]

Wow!

[Gator]

Actions are similar to what Morris Brown was charged with!

[oleschoolaggie]

i’m praying that ecsu survives. as a native of new bern, i especially hate to see it close because its the only hbcu in the state that’s located in eastern north carolina...

[Maxell]

More mess...

www.newsobserver.com/news/local/education/article67638602.html

BY JANE STANCILL

ELIZABETH CITY
The former chancellor of Elizabeth City State apparently used a university-paid driver, took free meals from the dining service and failed to follow hiring policies, leading to questionable hires, according to two internal audits.

Stacey Franklin Jones resigned abruptly as chancellor in December, after 14 months on the job. She is no longer employed there in any capacity.

She is not mentioned by name in the Feb. 16 audits, which only refer to “Employee A.” But three sources familiar with the audits say the findings center on Jones. An ECSU spokesman, Robert Kelly-Goss, said only a chancellor would have had a driver, unless an employee with a medical disability requested reasonable accommodations. The audits examined a period of time that began on Oct. 1, 2014 – Jones’ start date.

Reached by telephone Tuesday, Jones said she didn’t think she was “Employee A” in all cases, and that the term referred to different employees. She pointed out that the audit itself said having a driver was customary at ECSU, and no policy was violated. She said the dining issue had to do with a longstanding contract and improper invoicing.

Jones said the reports were riddled with innuendo and errors, including something as basic as the university’s freshman enrollment number. “The audit needs to be audited,” she said.

She said she had not seen copies of the reports until they were provided to her Tuesday by The News & Observer. She took issue with the “negatively sensational, dramatic language” in the audits.

“You would think an auditor would not produce something that had unsubstantiated employee statements, negatively sensational tone and all that,” she said. “Clearly that just wasn’t done.”

The two internal audits follow a UNC system audit that found significant problems in financial aid and admissions operations. That report showed that 93 students were accepted for admission last fall without meeting minimum admissions standards; 35 ineligible students ended up enrolling. Also, some students improperly received financial aid.

The two internal audits were focused on hiring practices and misuse of university resources. They were conducted by Stacie Tronto, East Carolina University’s chief audit officer, who was brought in to do the work.

THE REPORT ON MISUSE OF UNIVERSITY RESOURCES STARTED WITH A HOTLINE COMPLAINT TO THE OFFICE OF THE STATE AUDITOR. THE TIPSTER ALLEGED THAT “EMPLOYEE A” GOT FREE LUNCHES FROM THE DINING SERVICE AND USED A UNIVERSITY EMPLOYEE AS A DRIVER WHO EARNED OVERTIME FOR OUT-OF-TOWN TRIPS.

[aggielaw]

Pettiness!