Regent wants answers from CCSN leaders

Monday, Oct. 23, 2000 | 11:24 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- A Las Vegas regent wants to call some of the administrators at the Community College of Southern Nevada on the carpet to explain the questionable granting of bonuses and emergency hiring.

Regent Steve Sisolak, who heads the audit committee of the University and Community College System of Nevada, said he wants to schedule a meeting around the first week in December to get more details on the investigation presented to the regents by Chancellor Jane Nichols Friday in Carson City.

Nichols insisted her inquiry was not sweeping illegal acts under the carpet. The examination of the school was designed to look at practices, not personnel.

Sisolak on Sunday called the report "real vanilla" and said the public deserves more specifics. The report names no one in particular as responsible for the practices. Nichols said it revealed procedures the university must tighten.

One major finding was that during a three-year period 53 percent of the professional and academic faculty were hired on an emergency basis, many of whom were given permanent status. "The increasing use of this hiring methods seems inappropriate, especially in light of the high-emergency status by fiscal year 2000," Nichols said.

Nichols said emergency hires should be used only in essential situations.

The investigation found some faculty members received bonuses and noted "There is no provision for a practice of giving bonuses in achieving certain goals." Bonuses given for extra work in addition to the job description were authorized at CCSN. But Nichols said this is different than giving bonuses for meritorious performance.

She said the system should adopt a policy that "bonuses are not appropriate salary practice."

The report also addressed allegations that some employees got significant salary increases in a short period of time. "No breach of UCCSN policy appears to have occurred," Nichols said, "but there was appearance of uneven salary practices." Regent Tom Kirkpatrick said some employees received at much as a 150 percent increase in four years.

Nichols said the big increases "may be due, at least partially, to the fact that administrative responsibilities resulting from some vacant positions were divided up among existing administrators. Some salary increases were equity increases in light of market factors."

An investigation into kickbacks on contracts at CCSN is being conducted by Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa's office, and Nichols said that could take as long as a year.

But Sisolak said another 12 months is unacceptable. "We can't let this go another year," he said.

Many of the allegations addressed by the report turned up no evidence of wrongdoing, Nichols said. The investigation failed to find any evidence of false registration by family members who received financial aid. And she said those who received financial aid appeared eligible.

Internal auditors are still looking into allegations that computers were charged to federal grants and state accounts at the same time and that students were registered in certain classes without their knowledge and when they did not pay their fees, the accounts were turned over to collection agencies.

Sisolak said he doesn't know whether any of the administrators involved in the questionable practice will agree to appear before his committee, but he will talk to Nichols about it.