Expenses Improper? CSUF to Tell

Cal State Fullerton is investigating whether staff members and administrators last year improperly spent $800 in university funds on wedding and baby showers for two employees, charging the parties as student and staff training.

The investigation comes 13 months after a report from the California state auditor criticized campus officials for the misuse of at least $104,000 for meals, entertainment and flowers for staff.

On Jan. 18, CSUF President Milton A. Gordon appointed a five-person committee to investigate the expenses by the Office of Enrollment Management/University Outreach.

Robert Palmer, vice president for student affairs, said he expected the report this week.

Two checks for $400 each were written to Darlene Trostad, a secretary in the enrollment/outreach office, as advances to pay for food and paper goods for training sessions, according to documents obtained by The Times. The dates such sessions would have been held matched those of a baby shower for Chuck Moore, the director of enrollment management/university outreach, and a wedding shower for his assistant, according to documents.

Trostad declined to comment.

Moore denied that anything improper happened. “My staff knows we don’t do [such things] for people,” he said.

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The enrollment office recruits students to CSUF and sometimes pays for their meals during visits to campus.

The investigation was launched after the Committee for Accountable Management, an unofficial campus watchdog group, requested an audit of the enrollment/outreach office. Committee Chairman Sammy Rodriguez, a graduate student of political science, sent internal campus documents to Gordon.

Gordon said he would not discuss the allegations until an investigation is complete.

The checks to Trostad were written on accounts of the California State University, Fullerton Foundation, a nonprofit campus auxiliary that runs the bookstore and campus food service, and administers research grants. The foundation does not use state money but relies on private funds.

The 1999 audit said entertaining employees from the accounts violates campus and state policies.