San Joaquin Delta College improperly used $11.5-million from a local bond measure to build new athletics facilities and to pay for staff trips to campuses across the country, according to an audit report released today by the California controller.

The community college, located in Stockton, Calif., received $72-million from a bond measure intended to finance repairs to existing campus facilities. But the college spent some of the money building a baseball stadium, a track, and large electronic signs, according to the audit. The college also used the money for staff trips to New York, Las Vegas, and Hawaii to look into a new software system, the audit found.

“Their actions lacked necessary oversight, and could lead to costly litigation,” the state controller, John Chiang, said in a written statement announcing the audit. “I am concerned the example set by Delta College could endanger voter-approved bond funding for future public-works projects.”

In a response to the audit, administrators at the college strongly disputed the findings, saying the expenditures were basic-infrastructure improvements needed to protect campus safety and ensure the gender diversity of the college’s athletics program. —Josh Keller