Associated Students Inc. is asking student organizations to be more specific in their requests for funding after an audit revealed instances of error in the funding request process.
An audit on ASI showed four instances of unauthorized people requesting or approving expenditures. ASI has since updated some of its business practices. The California State University chancellor’s office conducted the routine triennial audit, which was published Nov. 12.
“[The chancellor’s office is] trying to help auxiliaries by giving them advice on the best practices,” said Richard Haller, ASI executive director. “This audit isn’t done in reaction to anything.”
ASI Treasurer Marilei Denila said ASI has conducted three workshops to update its employees on policies and business practices. This fulfills one of the recommendations made in the audit.
Denila also said that in February, ASI began making student organizations put more detail in Request for Payment forms when asking for reimbursements. The goal is to make the organizations list the expenditures in detail.
“We’re just trying to make sure they understand that you should be buying these things for the right purpose,” Denila said.
According to Denila, two weeks ago ASI updated the forms that its department heads must sign for account access.
Some department heads had to sign 10 forms for 10 different accounts. Now, department heads need to sign only one form for all of their accounts.
“It’s a more efficient way to keep track of who’s in charge of each account,” Denila said.
The forms haven’t been updated for students who have access to an account. Denila explained that most of those students have access to no more than two accounts, and added that ASI may update those forms in the future.
The audit also showed four occurrences where receipts were not provided for travel expenditures. Instead, ASI received credit card statements or e-mail confirmations.
“[The auditors] recommended that we be more stringent in what documents we accept,” Haller said.
Auditors explained to ASI the need for receiving proper documentation for travel expenditures, since a person who orders a flight ticket online could get reimbursed even if they cancel the flight afterward.
Haller said ASI should request boarding passes from employees to ensure that doesn’t happen, something Denila said ASI is now doing.
Denila also said she is working on a contract for student organizations requesting funding. The contract will have the requester agree to the program that the funding will be used for.
If the funding isn’t used for that program, the student organization will have its funding revoked for either that year or the next. Denila said the contract will be implemented next fall.
According to Denila, student organizations may request money for expenditures by sending a Request for Payment form to ASI’s business office for review. The business office then sends it to Denila and ASI Director of Administrative Services Martiz Ware.
If Denila or Ware find problems with the forms — including missing details about the expenditures — they then send it back to the business office, which relays it to the student organization.
“It’s kind of like the honor system and at the same time … I try to catch as much as I can,” Denila said, explaining that she’s only seen minor problems in Request for Payment forms.