Almost $2 million in equipment such as computer parts and digital cameras has turned up missing at Bowie State University, according to a Maryland state audit of the school.
The audit, administered by Maryland’s chief legislative auditor, also found that while the school was losing track of its supplies, it was also neglecting to collect more than $1 million owed on student accounts.
The report, covering January 2004 through April 2007, cited 14 other shortcomings including student Social Security and credit card numbers, which were stored on an inadequately secure computer system.
The computer system controls “were the biggest concerns,” said Bruce Myers, Maryland’s chief legislative auditor. “We find some of these issues in a lot of places but we don’t usually find personal information available.”
In response, the school said it no longer retains credit card information on its system.
Myers also expressed disappointment about the six repeat problem areas first brought to the school’s attention at the time of its 2004 report. State agencies undergo an audit every three years.
Another are of concern involves shoddy reporting methods for students who owe the school money.
“We’re talking about a kid who hasn’t paid his bills in the fall and is allowed to enroll in the spring anyway,” said Bob Page, comptroller for the 11-institution University System of Maryland. “The short-term loss ends up becoming a real loss” when the student leaves school before graduating.
Uncollected bills plague several schools, Page said, adding that the state Board of Regents has sharpened its focus on the bills and BSU.
Underscoring current oversight concerns is a 2005 felony theft of $28,000 in grant funds by a BSU employee. In response the school revised its controls over grant payments. At the time, USM deemed the revisions “generally adequate.”
