The audit started more than two weeks ago to investigate the amount of money raised for the University’s comprehensive fundraising campaign, Forever LSU, is incomplete, and no timeline for its release has been set. “The auditors are carefully going over what they were asked to do,” said Charles Zewe, LSU System vice president for communications and external affairs. “And beyond that, we don’t talk about the procedures of auditing and exactly what is examined. But when the auditors get ready to say something, then we’ll see what they say and how they say it.” After the System released a list of 16 questions raised during the evaluation process of former chancellor Sean O’Keefe earlier this month, some speculated the audit is investigating if O’Keefe overstated the amount of money he raised for the University. One issue raised during O’Keefe’s evaluation is if O’Keefe made an “attempt to interfere with an influence the auditing process.” Zewe said although this issue was raised, no inference of wrongdoing should be assumed. “At this point, with a transition in leadership, it is important to know exactly where this campaign stands,” Zewe told The Daily Reveille on Feb. 6. “This is a matter of clarifying what has gone on, what has taken place [and] what are the accurate numbers. That’s the point of this – to clarify where we stand and what has happened.” Zewe could not comment if the audit is investigating whether there is an overstatement of the total dollar value of accounts within Forever LSU, or if it is examining who should claim credit for bringing certain donations to the University. Zewe said the current audit is “more of an inquiry.” He said a normal audit has a formal structure, including allowing the people being audited to comment on the audit’s findings before being made public. He said these procedures will not necessarily apply because of the informal nature of this audit.
—-Contact Nicholas Persac at [email protected]