Ethics inquiry to focus on funds

Student Congress' ethics investigation into Concept of Colors will focus on whether the funding request members presented was justified not on group treasurer Shaniqua McClendon's personal integrity.

The investigation was announced Tuesday after evidence surfaced suggesting that McClendon had intentionally inflated the modeling group's $7"535 funding request for an upcoming fashion show.

Ethics committee chairwoman Charissa Lloyd said she hopes to hold the investigation within the next week. This is the first ethics investigation in about two years.

McClendon and the other Concept of Colors officers will meet with the ethics committee to audit the request.

""This group obviously is going to be looked at as innocent until proven guilty"" Congress Speaker Tim Nichols said.

The controversy began when students in McClendon's business class reported to Congress that she told the class that she had embellished the budget numbers.

McClendon's classmates said she talked about inflating the numbers she presented to the Congress finance committee on Sept. 30 so the group could still get all it needed even if its budget got slashed.

McClendon said she tailored the details of the story on the spot as part of a class assignment but did not lie either to Congress or to her class.

Officials said rumors of student groups inflating their funding requests, which are paid for by student fees, are not new. But this case is the first in which students have brought evidence to Congress.

We never caught anyone ‘red-handed"' and that's what the ethics investigation is looking into with this group Nichols said.

He added that he thinks the investigation will deter other group leaders who might be seeking to pad their funding requests unnecessarily.

Congress representative Michael Betts also is drafting a bill to create a legislative audit budget board to prevent similar occurrences in the future.

Nichols said the board would conduct an annual review to make sure groups had spent the money they received from Congress for the purpose defined in their requests.

Funding use deemed inappropriate would lead to sanctions on future funding for the group in question.

This is just going to make sure the money is being spent the way it was authorized to be spent" Betts said.

Betts said he hopes to gain support and feedback for the bill and to introduce it at the next full Congress meeting in two weeks.

Lloyd said Concept of Colors' request likely will have to be resubmitted to the finance committee, followed by full Congress, after the investigation concludes.

McClendon said the request will not be changed, though group members said lesser-quality, less expensive items could have been requested.

There's no need to change it"" McClendon said. It wasn't inflated in any way.""



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