4 College of Wisconsin System universities misspent a complete of $239,000 in federal COVID-19 reduction cash, directing the money to consultants, on-line maps and pupil leisure, based on the Legislative Audit Bureau.
UW-Madison’s annual fundraising drive, referred to as “Fill the Hill,” faucets into the mischief of a flamingo prank pulled in 1979 to lift cash for dozens of causes on campus.
System directors dispute a number of the findings, nonetheless.
The report by the Legislature’s nonpartisan audit bureau discovered UW-La Crosse, UW-Superior, UW-Platteville and UW-Stevens Level all misspent federal reduction funds within the 2021-22 fiscal 12 months.
The cash LAB auditors consider was misspent represents 0.04% of the $524 million in federal support System colleges acquired between the three federal stimulus payments. UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee, whose mixed enrollment makes up near half of the System’s pupil inhabitants, collectively acquired greater than a 3rd of these {dollars}.
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“UW System was vigilant in working with our universities to make sure overwhelming compliance with federal reduction funding and believes that with simply 0.04% of the funds deemed unallowable, the UW System demonstrated a dedication to fiscal stewardship and accountability throughout COVID,” System spokesperson Ethan Schuh stated.
UW-La Crosse is answerable for three-quarters of the misspent federal {dollars}, based on the report. There, a lot of the $181,400 in misspent cash went to recruitment efforts, together with the hiring of a advisor, the audit bureau stated aren’t allowable underneath the reduction necessities. An extra $54,000 went towards bills incurred earlier than March 13, 2020, additionally not allowed.
UW-Platteville had created on-line variations of their campuses in order that potential college students might tour them, the Audit Bureau report stated.
The bureau stated in its report it had discovered proof that UW-La Crosse needed to make use of the funds to drive new undergraduate enrollment and that UW-Platteville had continued to make use of the maps to recruit college students, each of which aren’t permissible.
Different bills the audit bureau deemed inappropriate included UW-Superior offsetting $30,000 of misplaced alcohol gross sales from canceled occasions and $1,500 for a summer season musical occasion; UW-Platteville utilizing $1,000 to cowl bills for a summer season bowling and movie show occasion; and UW-Stevens Level spending $930 to point out a movie.
The System argues the bureau erred in considering the advisor was for recruitment, as System directors contend the consultancy was for monetary support. The net maps for UW-Platteville campuses have been essential for when college students weren’t allowed on campus and should not rely as a type of promoting, which is an ineligible expense, Schuh stated.
“The monetary support advisor was employed to develop a strategic plan to make sure our college students acquired monetary support, each new COVID-related support and ongoing Title IX support,” Schuh stated. “Recruitment might profit from this and was talked about in college communications, however this was not the first goal.”
UW-Platteville’s maps have been an “important a part of orientation to campus life,” Schuh added.
UW-La Crosse has accepted the audit bureau’s determinations and has since coated these prices, Schuh stated.
As a part of its suggestions to the System, the bureau stated directors must work on resolving unallowable bills and supply written steering to its universities on allowable makes use of.
Schuh stated the System routinely shared steering with its universities when new federal laws {and professional} organizations, such because the Nationwide Affiliation of School and College Enterprise Officers, launched interpretations of the principles. Schuh added that COVID-19 funding was an everyday matter on System assembly agendas with college directors.
“When such questions did come up, we referred college employees to particular places throughout the already-available steering paperwork or we sought enter from the federal authorities (or) nationwide organizations,” Schuh stated.
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