Senate committee releases UH probe findings

The Senate Special Committee on Accountability released its report Monday resulting from the informational briefings that looked into the oversight, accountability, and transparency of the operational and financial management of the University of Hawaii, including but not limited to the University of Hawaii’s athletics program. 

Some key points of the report include:

•  The committee finds that for reasons that remain unclear, the university started ticket pre-sales to the concert even though proper cancellation insurance had not been procured.  Nobody at the university seemed to have questioned the decision to go forward with ticket sales even though no insurance was in place.
  
• Despite President Greenwood's claims that the University was the victim of a "sophisticated" scam, the committee believes that there were many opportunities for the University to take a step back and to stop the concert prior to wiring the $200,000 deposit.  Regardless of the fact that federal authorities have issued an indictment against two defendants in the scam, the committee believes that proper oversight, due diligence, and communication among university administration and personnel would have presented an adequate number of opportunities to prevent the loss of the $200,000 deposit.
  
• No one had been terminated but UH President assured the committee that there would be consequences.

The committee also made recommendations for the university’s administration and Board of Regents.

Click here for the full report.

"We hope the University will take this committee report into serious consideration and begin the process in becoming more transparent and accountable as they move forward and put this unfortunate event behind them," said Sen. Donna Mercado Kim, chair of the Senate Special Committee on Accountability.   "We would like to see the University move toward its highest potential as the only public, taxpayer supported institution of higher learning in Hawaii."

"The recommendations will be turned over to the new Senate Committee on Higher Education chair and as a member of the committee I will be able to follow up with the progress during the legislative session," Kim added.

The Senate Special Committee on Accountability held two hearings, on Sept. 24 and Oct. 2 in response to public concern over issues regarding the University of Hawaii in the wake of the failed Stevie Wonder concert fundraiser.