Amid a swirl of rumor and innuendo that the audit uncovered spending improprieties, the Board of Trustees voted to authorize the release of all documents related to the audit to the state office of the Inspector General. Watch video
08.01.2013 | WESTFIELD -- Westfield State University President Evan Dobelle waits in the hallway as the university's Board of Trustees meets in executive session. WESTFIELD — The Westefield State University board of trustees voted Thursday night to authorize the release of all documents related to a university audit to the state inspector general.
Following the vote at the school’s Horace Mann Center, school President Evan S. Dobelle said he welcomed the involvement of the state inspector general because it will ultimately clear the air and demonstrate there is nothing wrong.
“People say there must be something wrong. Well, there isn’t anything wrong,” Dobelle said. “I’m happy the (inspector general) is involved to show there is nothing there.”
The meeting was scheduled by the board to vote on a request by the inspector general for the release of documents related to an October 2012 audit. The request specifically seeks all draft copies of the audit, all notes and supporting documentation related to “travel, paid leave, employee expenses and reimbursement.”
Board chairman John Flynn III said the release of documents is “consistent with sound public policy and transparency.” Â
Dobelle said as a routine matter the board voted to conduct an audit on travel policies that were implemented earlier that year.
A draft of the audit – but not the final report – has been completed. Campus groups have called for its release – including the campus faculty union which presented a formal request to the trustees calling for such Thursday night – but it remains a private document.
Dobelle said it has not been released because it is not a final document. Specifically, his administration has not had a chance to respond to the findings.
“I will be happy to release the report, once we are able to respond to it,” he said. “I have not been able to respond to it.”
Without his administration having a chance to respond, the draft is mostly numbers without context, he said.
Offering and then answering his own hypothetical example, Dobelle said. “Did we spend X number of dollars for dinner? Yes, but there were 25 students there that we thanked for their volunteer work on campus.”
“When it is a finished document, I will be happy to have everyone look at it,” he said.
One of those seeking a release of the audit was professor Buzz Hoagland, president of the Westfield State faculty union.
“They won’t let anyone look at it,” he said. “We want to see what is inside it.”
The audit, he said, was conducted by a private auditing firm O’Connor and Drew at a cost of $50,000 in university money. As such, members of the university and the public have a right to see what it’s findings are.
Initially the board was prepared to vote to authorize the release of documents, to allow full cooperation by anyone who worked in connection with the audit and to waive any professional privilege. But some trustees balked at waiving their right to maintain privilege. Following an hourlong executive session, the board emerged to amend the original motion to remove the privilege waiver.
Trustee Terry M. Craven, first justice of Suffolk County Juvenile Court, was one of two trustees, along with James M. Rubero, to vote against the motion to release information to the inspector general.
Craven said she could not vote to release any documents because “I have not had a chance to read any materials and it would be an uninformed vote by me.”
Trustees voting in favor included Elizabeth Scheibel, former Northwestern district attorney; Flynn, chief administrative officer of the state police; and Joseph Carvalho III, former president and executive director of the Springfield Museums.
Following the vote, university communications consultant Molly Watson, issued a statement saying, in part:
“As a matter of policy established by President Evan Dobelle, review of our operating practices are routinely undertaken. ... The chairman of the Westfield State Board of Trustees (sic) a letter dated July 11, 2013 from the office of the Inspector General requesting information related to a financial review. The university is cooperating with the IG and is providing responsive documents and information."
Westfield State Faculty Letter by masslive
Westfield State University statement on Special Board Meeting.