MN Daily: Coyle updates Regents on changes to Athletics Dept. spending

per the Daily:

While not completed, spending reforms in the University of Minnesota’s Athletics Department are on track.

Two internal audits from last December this May — spurred by the resignation of former Athletics Director Norwood Teague last year — revealed misspending in the University’s Athletics Department, prompting planned reforms to its spending habits.

Athletics Director Mark Coyle updated the University’s Board of Regents Friday the department’s plans to improve spending. Regents said they were pleased with the progress Coyle has made so far, but more time is needed to fully complete the changes.

“The culture’s starting to change,” Coyle said. “We are going to be accountable to our decisions and how we act.”

http://www.mndaily.com/article/2016/09/mark-coyle-talks-about-athletic-audits

Go Gophers!!

Based on the Daily's short article, the audit process and reports suggest some minor sloppy documentation and a few relatively minor expenses outside of policies. Should be a quick fix and no scandal, but I am sure someone looking for one could dig it up. I would bet the Athletic Department wasn't the only one on campus subsidizing Christmas parties with University funds, either.

This is whats wrong with gopher athletetics care to much about frivolous crap

bemidjigopher said:

This is whats wrong with gopher athletetics care to much about frivolous crap

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Amen to that. All of the expenses mentioned in the article are 4 figures. For a major B1G athletic Dept, that's like me counting my pennies in the change jar.

The time/cost of these audits and all of the meetings discussing the audit results probably far exceeds the money at issue.

bemidjigopher said:

This is whats wrong with gopher athletetics care to much about frivolous crap

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I would guess there is a good chance that the "staff added to oversee audits" will have a higher cost than the frivolous spending

Considering how Mega-Tongue left us, not sure why the indignation at the audits; especially if you couple it with a fund drive.

Mulligan said:

Considering how Mega-Tongue left us, not sure why the indignation at the audits; especially if you couple it with a fund drive.

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No one is being indignant about the audits, per se. We are/I am indignant at the parties that are indignant about the results of the audit, which are minor, if what was reported were the most significant exceptions. What they reported was hardly displaying a "culture" of irresponsible financial management. I'm surprised they didn't get Pitino's rental car gas charge in there.