Washington — Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville broke federal laws on the use of TRIO grant funds and should be required to return at least $761,000 to the government, the Department of Education’s inspector general concluded in an audit released today.

According to the audit, the university did not serve the required minimum Talent Search participants; failed to provide adequate documentation for TRIO personnel costs; used Upward Bound and Upward Bound Math and Science and Talent Search Funds for unallowable and inadequately documented nonpersonnel costs; and failed to maintain adequate TRIO participant records.

The six federal TRIO programs help low-income, first-generation college students, as well as students with disabilities, prepare for and advance through college.

The audit recommends that the Education Department require Southern Illinois to repay $720,522 in Talent Search grants it received from 2005 to 2007, as well as $17,453 in inadequately documented and unallowable TRIO expenses and $22,882 in grant funds spent on participants whose eligibility had not been determined or documented. It recommends that the university provide documentation to support an additional $312,486 in costs or return those to the government as well.

In a response, the university agreed with some but not all of the findings, noting that most of the alleged misconduct involves former employees who are under criminal investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois. It points out that the university notified law-enforcement officials “immediately” after a 2007 internal audit revealed “financial irregularities” in the Talent Search program. The university also “promptly reported” the alleged fraud to the Department of Education, leading to the inspector general’s audit.

Southern Illinois has been in full compliance with the law since the 2007-8 award year, its response says. —Kelly Field