Suspicion about unauthorized Student Government spending this past week caused investigation into SG account ledgers dating back to July 2007. The Office of Accounting Services met with the SG Finance Committee this past Friday to review several receipts and account records. The SG ledgers came under scrutiny after a student questioned SG expenditures during the Student Senate meeting this past week. As stated in SG bylaws, the Senate must approve legislation to allocate money from the SG initiatives account and surplus account. But according to 2007 account records, the Senate did not pass legislation authorizing spending amounting to more than $1,000. A July 1 account ledger shows SG spent $655.23 using an SG purchase credit card under former SG President Chris Odinet’s administration. Senate Speaker Colorado Robertson said Accounting Services incorrectly billed the SG surplus account when the money should have come from the SG operations account. Receipts show the expenditures were made in April at Office Depot, Target and Hobby Lobby for CDs, executive staff report binding and Agriculture College Council banquet invitations. A Dec. 19 account ledger shows SG spent $1,271.56 from the SG initiatives account for LSU Dining and Chartwells catering services. Receipts show LSU Dining provided food to students during spring 2007 finals week. The snacks included fruit punch, fruit trays, veggie trays, donuts, 150 tea cookies and two gallons of coffee. Robertson said LSU Dining billed SG twice for the services. He said LSU Dining gave an $8,500 donation to the SG sponsorship account effective June 4, 2007, through May 31, 2008. Records reveal the SG sponsorship account footed the $1,271.56 bill through the donation money, but the initiatives account was also billed for the services. Robertson said SG needs a professional business manager to work with Accounting Services and SG to prevent these accounting errors. He said the Office of the Dean of Students is still interviewing people to fill the newly-created position. Hope Rispone, assistant director of Accounting Services, said it was only an accounting error. Rispone said a duplicate invoice was sent to the Office of the Dean of Students who double paid for the services through the wrong account. Rispone agreed with Robertson that SG needs a business manager to supervise the accounts. “A lot of time when things go through Accounting Services, the business manager is in charge of catching errors,” Rispone said. “SG used to have a business manager who was able to look at everything in depth. They are in the process of filling that position.” Sabina Tungaraza, Finance Committee director, said she is in the process of working with Accounting Services to credit the money back to the initiatives account. But Tungaraza said she was not aware of the accounting error before the Senate meeting this past week. “We probably would have caught it eventually, but when, I’m not sure,” she said.
—-Contact Natalie Messina at [email protected]