NEWS
More than $100,000 in travel and entertainment expenditures by MSU trustees in the past year have been defended by the university with claims that officials are following policy, but in some cases, those policies aren’t written, and in others, actions are in direct conflict with what is written.
University spokesman Kent Cassella has said some trustee travel — such as expensive hotel rooms and paying for a spouse’s travel — are subject to exceptions, although there are policies that prohibit those practices.
Despite a report from Detroit ABC affiliate WXYZ that revealed some international trustee travel expenses that were above what university policies normally allow, a review by The State News of a 730-page expense document shows that most of the expenses incurred by trustees are allowed under limits set by the MSU Manual of Business Procedures.
University reimbursement for hotel rooms costing more than established per diem rates and spouse travel expenses — including meals, airfare, ground travel and other incidentals — seem to be the only violations of the Manual of Business Procedures.
But many of the board’s spending practices are neither authorized nor banned by university policy.