An audit of Eastern Connecticut State University (ECSU) found that more than $100,000 of expenses and contracts lacked proper documentation during the 2023-2024 fiscal year.

Among other things, auditors reviewed 15 receipts of transactions outside of the Bursar’s Office worth a combined $65,487. Records for when these departments received funds were missing in all 15 transactions.

Auditors reviewed 11 payments made to 10 part-time lecturers and found that, in all cases, the university did not properly complete the required forms. The total sum of the payments reviewed was $44,096. The university could not justify stipends, worth a combined $5,000, and could not provide non-instructional work reports to support six payments worth a combined $15,915.

Another consequence was that one lecturer was underpaid $632. This same year, the university incorrectly logged 213 hours of holiday time and, as a result, overpaid two employees $1,038 for hours they did not work.  

There were also issues with purchasing cards (P-Cards). Four of the former university president’s P-Card expenditures, totaling $1,124, lacked supervisory review and approval. On top of that, the University did not have a log that supported a $180 purchase made by the president at the time, Elsa Nunez.

“There are no procedures to ensure adequate oversight of the president’s purchases,” the auditors wrote in their report. “The missing and improper purchasing card logs appear to he the result of a lack of management oversight.”

ECSU said it agreed with this finding and that in May, they implemented a process for P-Card purchases.

“Under the new policy, Presidential P Cards require review and sign off by System Office Chief of Staff, Vice Chancellor for System Affairs,” the University said.  

In total, auditors identified 11 findings in their report, including seven repeat findings.

“Another state university audit brings – you guessed it – more findings of past misuse of state government purchasing cards,” a statement from Senators Stephen Harding (R-Brookfield), Henri Martin (R-Bristol), and Rob Sampson (R-Waterbury) said. “A lack of oversight. A lack of internal controls.”

Earlier this month, a state audit of Southern Connecticut State University found that almost $25,000-worth of P-Card transactions were made improperly. This included nine transactions, totaling $21,777, that did not have documentation to support the purchases, and three purchases, worth a combined $1,321, that were made by a person who was not the cardholder.  

This was not the only controversy to plague the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) system. Last year, a state audit found widespread misuse of state money among CSCU leadership.

“It had been going on for years and years, even as Gov. Lamont dismissed it as ‘small ball’ and a no-show $442,000 a year state job was given to former CSCU Chancellor (Terrence) Cheng,” the Republicans’ statement went on.

In March, Cheng stepped down from his position as CSCU chancellor and became a “strategic advisor” to the Board of Regents. In his new position, he maintained his previous salary. But between taking on this new role in July and early September, Cheng had not attended a single meeting.

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