Western Oregon Journal

Issue date: 10/12/05 Section: Headlines

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Each term, along with tuition and textbooks, students shell out money from their pockets to support campus activities and clubs.

Incidental fees financially support athletics, creative arts, student media, the Werner Center, student clubs and student government, among other things.

The $172 paid from each student each term is collected together to fund these campus organizations and to keep them afloat.

A former Western employee is currently under investigation in the alleged theft of nearly $4,000 of these student-paid funds.

According to an Oregon University System (OUS) Internal Audit Division report, Melody Bywater, former Associated Students of Western Oregon University (ASWOU) office coordinator, "made purchases of at least $3,699.26 with ASWOU funds, which did not have valid business purposes."

These non-valid purchases made by Bywater consisted of four areas, the report said: meal-card charges, bookstore charges, BiMart charges and personal reimbursements.

• Meal Card Charges-OUS concluded that Bywater obtained "an unauthorized WOU food-services meal card to directly bill food charges to the ASWOU accounts." Bywater used the card, according to a student food services employee, to "allow her student workers to purchase refreshments for their personal consumption and to have her lunch purchased from food services and directly billed to the ASWOU accounts." The total amount of charges to the unauthorized card totaled $903.72, the report said. The card, of late, has been revoked.
• Bookstore Charges-Bywater, according to the report, purchased $762.06 in personal items such as gifts to coworkers, candy and clothing to ASWOU accounts.
• BiMart Charges-In similar fashion to Western bookstore purchases, the report concluded that Bywater made $241.23 in purchases of personal items from the Monmouth BiMart.
  
• Personal Reimbursements-"Student Affairs management and ASWOU staff noted that the total amount of personal reimbursements that do not have a valid business purpose total $1,792.25," the report said. According to the report, Bywater used the money for postage, candy, decorations and a number of other unexplained and unallowable expenditures. In addition, this amount included personal reimbursements received by Bywater from the ASWOU accounts for office-wide soda purchases that were sold to students active in student government. "Ms. Bywater was to reimburse the accounts for money collected," the report said, "but never deposited cash into the accounts."

In addition, Student Affairs management and ASWOU staff brought to attention examples of signatures on Western purchasing-related forms that were not those of the individuals represented, the report said.

First suspicion of Bywater's purchasing activity was brought to the attention of the OUS Internal Audit Division by Director of Business Services Darin Silbernagel in April 2005. In correlation with OUS law (which Western, among the six other public universities in the state adhere to), an audit was carried out; it was marked complete in August 2005.

According to ASWOU President Gerry Blakney, Bywater left her position on administrative leave with pay at the end of June.

Blakney said in years previous, there were issues with Bywater "that went further than this."

In addition, Blakney said he "wasn't happy in how she handled students and staff," citing her behavior as unprofessional.

Since her leave, Blakney has hired a new office coordinator, who he said is "already working out better."

Bywater said she had "no comment" on the audit report or of her leave.

However, in an interview with Bywater attended by the Internal Audit Division staff, Western staff and a Services Employee International Union (SEIU) representative, Bywater "acknowledged that she did not have authority to make purchases on behalf of the university," the report said.

Melody Williamson, SEIU campus representative, said "a grievance had been processed at the highest possible level" and the possibility of court action still has potential.

Last week, Williamson said that she and Bywater were waiting for word from the OUS Chancellor's office regarding the matter, and were expecting to hear in approximately seven to 10 days.

"At that point we will know if it will be settled or if we will be going into arbitration."

If the grievance is settled and Bywater retains her old position, Blakney said, "it will be something I have to deal with, but I won't deal with it pleasantly."

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