By Diana Poist
Published on January 30, 2008
Several departments at Pensacola Junior College cited for irregularities in the state Auditor General’s 2007 operational study released in early January have initiated changes in procedures to insure that these items are corrected.
The study done by Auditor General David Martin found discrepancies in cosmetology department bookkeeping, purchases made from PJC employee-owned businesses, faculty unavailable during scheduled office hours and mileage figures not logged for PJC owned vehicles.
In all instances the inconsistencies have been addressed according to Gean Ann Emond, vice president of business affairs.
Questions about cosmetology department service invoices arose from auditors not being able to match unnumbered invoices with customer appointment book records. The Pensacola and Milton salons generated a combined income of $85,575 last fiscal year. There were no allegations of funds missing, only a need for stricter bookkeeping practices.
“We told them what they had to do,” Emond said. “They are in the process of designing three-number tickets for their clientele. I have a person working with them to come up with a procedure to monitor them.”
In addition, Emond said that her department would also be involved in the monitoring. She was confident the cosmetology department was making the necessary adjustments to correct the problem.
The purchase questioned by auditors and made through an employee-owned company resulted from PJC not being aware the company was owned by a college employee. A quantity of satin neck ribbons, lanyards and portfolios for student use were purchased for $4,849. Once the ownership of the company was discovered there was no further business conducted between the company and PJC. Emond emphasized that the practice is against school policy, and would not be repeated.
Incomplete entries in driver logs for college owned vehicles raised questions regarding the possibility of unauthorized personal use of these cars and vans. Walt Winter, director of plant operations did not feel this was a problem.
“Every vehicle we’ve got has a PJC sticker that big on it,” Winter said, spreading his arms wide. “I have had calls before about somebody out there seeing one of our vehicles parked at a convenience store. The community out there keeps a good eye on what our vehicles are doing.”
The larger problem, according to Winter, was driver logs not being checked frequently to catch driver errors. That has changed.
Winter’s department is directly responsible for about 15 cars and vans, however several other departments and campuses have vehicles assigned to them and those areas are responsible for monitoring driver records for most of the year. The largest mileage discrepancy of 1,348 miles, found by the audit, involved one of those vehicles.
“The way we were doing it before we were relying on people to do right,” Winter said. On the Pensacola campus Kevin Hofer, maintenance supervisor, would spot check logs a couple of times a month to look for omissions or discrepancies. Now, driver logs are checked by office assistant Veronica Turner as soon as the driver turns the paperwork into the office, or first thing in the morning for logs dropped in the overnight box.
“That way we can we can take care of it right at that point,” Winter said.
For PJC’s vehicles assigned to other campuses for use, the paperwork will be checked by provost secretaries at those locations. According to Winter, the closer attention to driver logs should eliminate the problem of missing vehicle use information.
State auditors found a number of faculty members not available during posted office hours. State law and PJC labor contracts require a minimum of 25 classroom-contact hours and posted office hours per week for full-time instructors, with the PJC labor contract requiring 35 hours. Auditors had to make several attempts to contact some instructors; others were out of their offices without posting notices for students trying to find them.
“We have asked the department heads to reiterate to their faculty members that they are to be in their offices during posted hours, and if they have to step away from their offices they are to post a note on the door,” Emond said. “Also, if they are out that day they have to let the department secretary know.”
When asked if she thought those things should be common sense, Emond laughed. “Well, you’d think so,” she said.
