Time for an Audit? - USM Forum -- Message Board

Date: Feb 12, 2005

Time for an Audit?

Date: Feb 12, 2005

If the FS passes such a resolution, and I hope they do, it should be a call for a Federal audit. To request the Office of State Auditor under the control of Phil Bryant to audit anything would be a joke. Everyone knows he sold out to ST as part of his plan to run for Lt. Gov. and he wanted to keep all USM alum happy by not finding out any wrongdoing at USM. Once again a USM alum, Phil Bryant, has become an embarrassment to the state just as Shelby Thames has become one as president of what was, and will be again one day, a fine university well-respected for many exceptional educational programs. But until the trash has been thrown out.............. well MS continues to be laughed out. Does anyone really believe Phil Bryant is a professional? He probably learned at Arthur Andersen how to look the other way when the corruption is staring him in the face.

Bring on the Feds!

Date: Feb 12, 2005

The audit should definitely be independent.

Date: Feb 12, 2005

Very independent. A good quality audit that is done by the books. Exactly like the excellent accounting faculty in the CoB have been teaching for years that professionals should do when completing their work.

Date: Feb 12, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: Gone Never Returning
"Very independent. A good quality audit that is done by the books. Exactly like the excellent accounting faculty in the CoB have been teaching for years that professionals should do when completing their work. "

I don't think it needs to be independent at all -- I'd vote to put Jim Crockett and his colleagues on it . . . why should this stuff be a secret from the faculty and staff?

Date: Feb 12, 2005

Is it against the law for an administrator to be a student (or vice versa)? And check the state nepotism laws. What you see at USM is carefully crafted around those laws. Remember, the current Zeitgeist among USM's top brass is that "legal" & "ethical" are synonymous.

Moreover, if you look at the economic development profession (and I use the term loosely), you'll find that cronyism & political favoritism are two major components. Shouldn't an academic department closely mirror the paradigm of its discipline?

Date: Feb 12, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: Invictus
"Is it against the law for an administrator to be a student (or vice versa)? And check the state nepotism laws. What you see at USM is carefully crafted around those laws. Remember, the current Zeitgeist among USM's top brass is that "legal" & "ethical" are synonymous. Moreover, if you look at the economic development profession (and I use the term loosely), you'll find that cronyism & political favoritism are two major components. Shouldn't an academic department closely mirror the paradigm of its discipline? "

Gotta love it. I think we ought to dress you in Moses garb (complete with tablets) and set you outside the 9th floor doors to the IHL conference room . . . .

Date: Feb 12, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: stephen judd
"Gotta love it. I think we ought to dress you in Moses garb (complete with tablets) and set you outside the 9th floor doors to the IHL conference room . . . .
"

I thought it wasn't "legal" to display the Ten Commandments in a state building

Date: Feb 13, 2005

There are classic red flags waving at Southern Miss. these days. 1. New president fires all academic deans and others and replaces them with ones that owe their jobs to him. 2. New deans follow his directives with one exception, perhaps he is now to be viewed as the whistle blower. 3. continual reorganization resulting in budgetary confusion. 4. other personnel moved around like pieces on a game board resulting in no one knowing who they report to and in some situations what their job entails. 5. new finance VP over research grants (funds) that has apparently a family connection to influence in Jackson where all the elected officials are (check out a former VP's maiden name). 6. high level administrators leaving or being sacrificed on a routine basis - can you name all of them? 7. academic programs moved, changed, etc. frequently so no one really knows who is in charge. 8. FOIA requests, routine in the rest of the U.S., fought, delayed, etc. 9. university legal counsel kept in the dark on most matters. 10. the newest VP of business coming from a for-profit that has caught the attention of the federal government - perhaps bailing out of there when he could. 11. new budget director comes from U of P - another one bailing out? 12. PR person gone or leaving as quickly as she can. 13. state auditor with Southern Miss. connections that is strangely silent regarding Southern Miss. but can authorize his staff to audit a processing plant. 13. business office personnel - where are the former VPs and budget director and others? What can they tell about Southern Miss? 14. college board, typical board of directors for a corporation, that defends a president. Can you see Enron and many other corporation's boards defending current management? 15. accounting transactions in so many accounts in numerous budgets and PeopleSoft is always the reason. 16. A continual collection of power by certain people on campus such as a COO which consolidates budget authority.

There are so many red flags at Southern Miss. and I did not list them all. Can you connect the dots for the news media? You at least have one reporter that is trying. Can you help him connect all the dots? When decisions are made as they appear at Southern Miss. you have to follow the money trail. Foundation can't answer questions about accounts there, or so I hear. Athletics is so hungry for more money and you have to ask why. "Taking back year-end monies" and outsourcing university operations to generate revenues and/or to cover future costs - you have to ask why.

Red Flags that ishould be connected to tell the true story. State auditor is part of the story to be told, so that leaves the federal government to put the pieces together. MS did have a sting operation in the past related to the county supervisors if I remember news coming out of MS.

Just looking in at the board since a friend suggested I would find it interesting. I did and I started seeing all the red flags that so many have posted but no one yet is trying to connect them together for the interim commissioner and public.

But other contacts in the state indicate perhaps you are not the only insitution that has a mess to clean up. Maybe the problem is a system-wide problem and not just Southern Miss. Just hearing rumors out of Memphis regarding another MS institution.

Good luck Southern Miss. I wish you well. During my entire professional career Southern Miss. has had one oustanding reputation as a university and I hope to learn it has regained that reputation. I have worked with numerous Southern Miss. graduates through the years and found them to be some of the best to be associated with professionally and to know on a personal level. They are hurting over what is happening to their university and have told me they are supporting the faculty to do what is needed to give them a reason to once again be proud of their university.

OneCPA

Date: Feb 13, 2005

kick

Date: Feb 13, 2005

kick

Date: Feb 13, 2005

I have read this thread with great intrest after reading some of the other threads. My question is this, how does one go about requesting a federal audit?

My gut instinct tells me that there is something fishy going on with the books. No, I don't have proof (how could I?) but I have suspicions. And I'm sure those of you in the middle of this mess have suspicions. I mentioned on another thread the possiblity of embezzlement, which kinda got shot down, but wouldn't it be worth looking into? A kick back by any other name is still embezzling money.

(Off topic--soylant green was a movie several years back, where when the person reached a certian age they were put to death, and then turned into food for the rest of society--you really want to call the paint that?)

Date: Feb 13, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: Patti
soylant green was a movie several years back, where when the person reached a certian age they were put to death, and then turned into food for the rest of society--you really want to call the paint that?"

Would prefer to call it pretty pastoral green? Or maybe "eye-soothing relaxing green"?

Date: Feb 13, 2005

Ok, I've done hijacked a thread, let me see if I can put it back on track, after this message.

No, not pastoral green, not eye soothing green, but what it is **** green.

And now we return you to your regularly scheduled thread on audits, should there be one, yes. When, the sooner the better.

Date: Feb 13, 2005

If anyone has evidence of wrongdoing you should contact the office for the U.S. Attorney General. You would need to have evidence that could be verified by documents, a paper trail, etc. in the records at Southern Miss. and it could be electronic or paper evidence. You must have evidence in the form that gives the feds a reason to make an inquiry.