A preliminary report prepared by the state auditor general's office shows that accounting methods and financial control at Florida A&M University both need improving. The audit covers fiscal year ending June 30, 2006.State auditors have been working on the operational audit of the university for sometime, but have been hampered by the university's lack of responsiveness. On Monday, the auditor general's office is scheduled to present FAMU's preliminary audit report to the Joint Legislative Auditing Committee. According to Auditor Ted Sauerbeck, the University continues to submit requested information and documentation to the Auditor General's Office for consideration in its final report.
The preliminary report was presented to university officials Wednesday, and copies have been forwarded to the board of trustees and president-elect James Ammons. The university has 30 days to responsd and prepare a plan of action.
This audit's 35 findings is an increase of 25 findings from the university's previous operational audit. If the 35 findings hold up, it will be the worst operational audit in FAMU's history.
Here are some of the findings:
Numerous employees were not paid timely for work performed, the report said. “Although the university had made an attempt to identify employees still owed salary for work performed, such efforts can be enhanced.”
The issue of employees not being paid resurfaced last month when it was determined that hundreds of university employees once again hadn't been paid. The university has since rectified most of those cases.
The university's accounting records did not accurately reflect budgeted revenues and expenditures per the board of trustees- approved operating budget. “Contrary to board policy, the operating budget did not include all planned revenues and expenditures and several budget amendments were not approved by the board or president."
The audit points to understaffing as a possible contributor to “some of the control deficiencies disclosed in this report.”
University Officials holding up audit
No wonder the University was stalling this audit.
ReplyDeleteDamn, damn, damn!
ReplyDeleteOne of the worse things to do at FAMU is trying to get paid. You have to give up something like 24 hours of walking around looking for paper work to make sure that you get paid. You start at your department go to the dean's office which goes to either 1) sponsored research then to vp of research then to the provost office, 2) famu foundation to the provost office or 3) straight to the provost office. Once in the provost office, there is a secretary that looks at the document and initials it, then the provost signs. It leaves there and goes by the comptroller office (i think), then goes to pay roll. Now, get this, pay roll stamps it and sends it to the presidents office. When it comes back from the president's office it is processed. When you look at the final document, it has something like 5 to 7 stamps on it, 5 signatures and 10 initials. All of these people are required to "process" your paperwork before you can get paid. In some instances, the VP of Human Resources has to sign the form. It puzzles me that this amount of paperwork is required at FAM and not at FSU. It can not be the ERP system. The same ERP system FSU has, FAM has. They were built identifically. The difference is that FSU uses theirs. FAM still requires this bassackwards method of sending it around to people who slow down the process without any value addition. The stack of papers that these people sign each and everyday is mind boggling. There is no way they know what is going on with 4 to 6 inch deep piles coming in daily to sign. Again, this is what is necessary to get paid, go on travel, purchase something, anything. The one thing that it shoes is the resolve that FAMU wants to live. Any other orgnizations back would have broken under such bureaucracy.
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