UTRGV is pending a SACSCOC review of the Statewide Single Audit for Fiscal Year 2017, which is the document the university failed to provide to comply with the agency’s Principles of Accreditation federal requirement 4.7.
In an interview with The Rider, UTRGV President Guy Bailey said the university will remain accredited but it will keep its probationary status until SACSCOC reviews the audit in September.
“The problem is that we have a statewide audit that is done every year and it is not released until February,” Bailey said. “Well, see, SACS met in December, so the statewide audit had not been released. So, what they want to see is that audit and our response to the audit.”
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges is the regional body for the accreditation of degree-granting higher education institutions in the Southern states.
In 2016, SACSCOC placed UTRGV under a yearlong probation for failure to demonstrate compliance with several accreditation standards.
As The Rider reported in Dec. 5, 2017, although UTRGV addressed the 10 accreditation standards it did not meet in 2016, the university remained on probation for failure to comply with a federal requirement about program responsibilities, according to an accreditation official.
Last October, a SACSCOC special committee visited the UTRGV campuses to discuss the school’s probationary status.
In its report, the committee noted that even though UTRGV did not violate federal requirement 4.7, without a current audit, there was no way to determine compliance with program responsibilities under Title IV.
“What we are doing now, the audit is a number of universities in Texas and everybody has some deficiencies, Bailey said. “We have no material weaknesses and the deficiencies in there, we are currently correcting. So, we anticipate that when the SACS review team comes in in September, everything will be fine.”
The audit, conducted by the Texas State Auditor’s Office and released on Feb. 22, is performed to obtain an understanding of internal controls over compliance, assess control risk of noncompliance and perform tests of those controls unless they are deemed ineffective, and to express an opinion on whether the State complied with federal statutes, regulations, and terms and conditions of federal awards that may have direct and material effect on the Student Financial Assistance Cluster, according to the audit.
The university president said none of the deficiencies found on the audit are material weaknesses, which are findings that pertain to issues that are more serious.
“We will address those issues,” Bailey said. “We will have our own auditors take a look at it, make sure everything is in good shape. Then, we will have a private auditing firm … and do further analysis to make sure everything is in good shape.”
He said he is confident SACSCOC will remove UTRGV’s probationary status in December, which is the only time of the year when the accrediting agency can do it.
The State of Texas Compliance with Federal Requirements for the Student Financial Assistance Cluster for the Fiscal Year Ended Aug. 31, 2017, reported five findings for UTRGV classified as significant deficiencies and noncompliance.
One of the findings is Cash Management Reporting.
According to the audit, UTRGV did not have adequate controls for its cash management process. The university’s accounting system inappropriately consolidated expenditures from multiple award years during the invoice process.
The audit recommended that the university:
–draw down funds from the appropriate award year;
–strengthen controls to ensure that it draws down funds from the appropriate award year and does not draw down funds in excess of its needs;
–strengthen the documentation of its review and approval process for drawdowns of federal funds;
–strengthen its policies and procedures for cash management, including its drawdowns of federal funds.
Another finding includes Special Tests and Provisions-Verification, which states that “for 11 (18 percent) of 60 students tested, the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (University) did not accurately verify all required items on the FAFSA; therefore, it did not request updated ISIRs as required. … Specifically, the University did not accurately verify one or more of the following items: adjusted gross income, U.S. income taxes paid, education credits, or household size.”
The Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR) contains “processed student information reported on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), as well as key processing results and National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) financial aid history information.
ISIRs are sent electronically to schools by the Central Processing System, according to www.ifap.ed.gov.
The rest of the findings:
–Special Tests and Provisions-Return of Title IV Funds
–Special Tests and Provisions-Enrollment Reporting
–Special Tests and Provisions-Student Loan Repayments.
A copy of the audit is available at www.sao.texas.gov/reports/main/18-019.pdf#page=2.
Bailey said UTRGV is working to fix the deficiencies reported in the audit.
“We are working with [SACSCOC],” he said. “We talk to them on a regular basis. Our plan of action, we work with them to get their support and, so, I think it’s fine.”
He said students should not be concerned about the probationary status.
“I don’t think there is anything to worry about,” Bailey said. “We are doing a really good job on addressing these issues. We are working closely with SACS and, so, we are confident that we will be able to address them all. … I think we are in really good shape and I feel real confident going forward.”
