A law-school scandal at Texas Southern University last year involved accusations that a staff member hoarded thousands of university dollars, took an alleged admissions bribe, and helped falsify a transfer student’s application, according to an internal report obtained on Wednesday by The Chronicle.
The scandal appeared to touch off Texas Southern University’s recent leadership crisis — culminating in a vacated presidency, protests against the board, and accreditor questions. This week the president of Dillard University urged prospective presidents not to take the job unless the entire Texas Southern board turned over.
Regents first announced admissions improprieties in November. Then, earlier this year, they accused Austin A. Lane, then the university’s president, of failing to report promptly to the board the allegations against the former assistant dean of law-school admissions. Lane and the board settled last month, ending the president’s contract with no admission of wrongdoing.
The scandal has also caught the eye of the university’s accreditor. In December the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools’ Commission on Colleges asked for more information on Texas Southern’s admissions policies, and representatives of the accreditor are visiting the campus, in Houston, this week. (Last fall the board gave itself the power to fire any employee, which experts described as an overstep and a possible risk to the university’s accreditation. The board repealed part of that power after reporting by The Chronicle was published.)
Investigators raised concerns in October about admissions improprieties, a summary of which The Chronicle obtained on Wednesday. The allegations center on Edward W. René, who had been the assistant dean of admissions and financial aid since January 1999. René was removed from his position in September due to “performance issues,” according to the document.
In the document, the authors stressed that more research was warranted. It is unclear to what extent the concerns have been answered or resolved by the university; when contacted by a Chronicle reporter, a spokesman said the university could not comment because the investigation is ongoing. A message left on a listed phone number for René was not immediately returned on Wednesday, and a phone call and email to the law school’s dean were also not immediately returned.
Here are three takeaways from the document:
1. Investigators had serious questions about how the law school handled its money.
Before René left Texas Southern, the university found $13,456.25 stashed under his desk calendar in his office, in the form of cashier’s checks and money orders, according to the investigation.
More than $95,000, including law-school application fees and seat deposits, seemed to have been improperly deposited into the university’s foundation — outside of Texas Southern’s direct control — and not into a university account.
And, at least in October, investigators believed that an unknown balance, ranging from $14,660 to $31,600, was “unaccounted for.” Investigators said René did not provide a detailed financial report when asked.
A spokesman and the university’s law-school dean did not respond to questions about whether the money held by the foundation had moved to the university’s direct oversight, exactly how much money was unaccounted for, and whether the university had tracked down those funds.
2. The investigation began when someone at the law school found unenrolled students taking classes and attending orientation programs. Investigators believed an alleged bribe and an under-the-table admissions change were partly to blame.
Joan R.M. Bullock, the law school’s dean, found five student “anomalies” upon a closer review of the unenrolled students.
One first-year law student paid $14,000 in cash to René after the then assistant dean promised a $14,000 scholarship and admission, according to the investigation. The student, who did not meet the academic admissions requirements, was removed from the program, according to the report. (Upon his withdrawal, the person asked for the $14,000 back, the investigation found.)
One admitted transfer student had “character and fitness issues” that were not disclosed on his application, according to the findings. Investigators accused René of allowing the student to remove evidence of those issues from his file. The student’s admission was revoked.
In the “character and fitness” section of one version of the law-school application, applicants are asked to reveal prior suspensions, expulsions, probations, arrests, and convictions. “Full disclosure is required,” the application reads, “even though you may have been advised by any source that you are not required to do so.”
Two additional students were not on official class rosters but attended first-year classes, the investigation found, and when they finished their admissions files, they formally enrolled. One person was found to not meet initial academic requirements — a 140 LSAT score and 2.5-or-higher GPA — and subsequently withdrew.
3. The university did not want this document released.
Under state freedom-of-information laws, The Chronicle requested the investigation’s findings on November 19, the day after the board announced that it had “contacted local authorities” after confirming admissions improprieties. The university appealed the request to Texas’ attorney general the following week, seeking to withhold the report.
On February 24 the attorney general’s office ruled in favor of The Chronicle, saying the university had not promptly submitted the requested information for the office’s review. The Chronicle received a copy of that ruling on Wednesday and asked Texas Southern for the file, and the university complied.
The university last week told the Houston Chronicle that it was considering suing the attorney general’s office to prevent the release of similar documents.
