MGB: Auditors recommend UNT pay back $75.6 million

flyonthewall · September 26, 2014

One simply goes to the Hamburger Convention in Vegas, throws back a few cocktails, takes Marion Barber to the cleaner's at poker, and finds hamburger of reasonable quality for a low price that can be purchase in bulk by the roll, then introduces it to the masses at home. A good, sound product, for a reasonable price. Cocktails, poor decisions on college baseball sportsbook, and free money from Dallas Cowboys running backs are just a bonus.

I only bet on irvine because you went there.

KRAM1 · September 26, 2014

As I mentioned earlier....UTD has now reportedly repaid the state some $4.3 million due to a "miscalculation of funds similar to UNT's error".

Yep...much smaller of an amount, but this whole thing is rippling through state universities, and as I pointed out earlier....more to come.

UTD is just the first to report....they collected it over 3 years. They "caught the error". Well, so did UNT.

So, watch for more such announcements in the coming weeks and months.

GrayEagle · September 26, 2014

I find it very difficult to believe that the practice had been in effect since the 70s. That seems to be a CYA response. Al Hurley was impeccable at dotting his i's and crossing his t's and he watched the budget like a hawk. He even refused raises and once when forced to accept the raise donated it back to the scholarship fund.

I'd guess that it started around 2003 which was Jackson's first year as chancellor. I'm not saying that he had anything to do with it but people try to impress a new administration. But, since the traceable amounts began at that time as well, it seems incumbent that the chancellor either resign or negotiate a substantial reduction in the amount owed since it happened on his watch.

It would appear that from this year's budget that we can pay back $3 million a year with a little belt-tightening. That should be the norm and increased only if revenue becomes larger. Don't raise tuition or fees for the students substantially.

untjim1995 · September 26, 2014

http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2014/09/25/audit-proves-unt-manipulated-millions-in-payroll-collections/

Jackson adds that five financial administrators have been replaced and a new central controller is coming on. But even state-mandated reviews missed the discrepancies, he said. “Years, maybe decades ago, we were told that it didn’t conflict with any state law — it’s perhaps in a gray area but it’s something the state’s not going to object to, we have no evidence that anyone in state office ever said it was okay.”

So how big a hit is $75-million? About the same amount as it cost to build the new Apogee football stadium, which was $78-million when completed in 2011. Students are wary the cost will be passed on to them.

I'm surprised that no one commented on this. I realize its the journalist who put this tidbit in the story, but I have zero doubt that this analogy was given to him by Lee Jackson, since it is a comparable dollar level.

I mean, if it weren't for the $78 million dollar stadium we built for football, we wouldn't even have a problem today, right Lee? Jackson and the BOR, who EXTENDED him after this has occurred, (not fired, not suspended, not slapped-on-the wrist---he got an f'ing EXTENSION!!!), you have embarrassed me to the point that I may not give another dime to anything non-athletic related at UNT until Jackson is gone. I don't care if other universities had this happen--they should fire their chancellors, too. This is a joke--and its on all of us, but especially the parents of future students who are gonna feel the pain for this repayment. All the while, the DRC and the NT Daily will rail on how "expensive" the athletic fee is on the student body wihtout any mention of this BS. That way, that pesky little athletic fee that powerhouses in Texas like Lamar, Texas State, and UTSA fully charge while we have it about 1/3 of theirs and will have it sunsetted, will never ever get increased. And that alone will keep Lee Jackson here--he will use that as a prime example of how under his "leadership" that he is personally working to keep the costs of coming to UNT as low as possible, so we can stay highly ranked in the College Values Poll.

Barf.