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USF Student Affairs Inquiry Finds No Misconduct

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By ADAM EMERSON, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 6, 2007

TAMPA - A University of South Florida internal investigation report released Wednesday showed problems in the way the student affairs division paid some salaries and in how it recruited some managers. The division's leaders, however, mostly stayed true to policies and procedures, investigators say.

Auditors found a few questionable practices in the student affairs office but determined that most of a former employee's allegations of mismanagement were unfounded or inconclusive.

The university undertook the investigation after James Dragna, the No. 2 leader in student affairs, accused his boss, Jennifer Meningall, of mismanaging money, conducting improper employee searches and mistreating employees.

Dragna fired off the allegations in an e-mail to dozens of USF employees only weeks before his last day on the job in late October. Meningall had decided in July against reappointing Dragna to his post as senior associate vice president of student affairs.

Partial Vindication

In a phone interview, Dragna said the report vindicates him in several respects. Auditors found that Meningall, the vice president of student affairs, used about $1.1 million in a source of state money to pay salaries although it was supposed to go to other purposes.

Investigators also found that student health fees paid one employee's salary even though the worker eventually was reassigned to the College of Education.

Auditors also noted that Meningall did not follow procedure when she recruited some administrators without advertising the open jobs.

Investigators, however, found that many of Dragna's complaints, and subsequently those of others, lacked merit.

Auditors checked reports that Meningall had directed money reserved for vacant police positions and pooled them into her office. Until recently, when another administrator pooled all police and security services under his watch, Meningall had overseen police and had the authority to reallocate the money, investigators determined.

Dragna disagrees with that finding. "It's unethical to do that," he said.

University officials, however, say the auditors' findings show that Meningall committed no misconduct. Accusations that she benefited personally from public dollars, or wasted money she controlled, were unfounded, the investigation concluded.

Legal Action Against Dragna

In a written statement, USF President Judy Genshaft said she has directed university lawyers to explore options for legal action against Dragna.

"I'll support anyone's right to blow the whistle on wrongdoing," Genshaft said. "But I won't tolerate character assassination."

Dragna's labor attorney, Bob McKee, called Genshaft's statement "astounding" and said it would have a chilling effect on other employees who wish to come forward with allegations of misconduct.

McKee also noted that there's one allegation still under review by the university's diversity and equal opportunity office: that Meningall threatened and humiliated employees, and was guilty of discriminatory hiring practices.

Student government leaders have called for an independent investigation of Meningall, not just an internal review of her budget and business practices. They staged a sit-in of about 70 students at the administration building to protest what they say is negligence the administration has shown toward funding its police department.

Meningall would not respond to requests for interviews Wednesday. She said in a statement: "Although no wrongdoing was found by the investigation, I recognize the things that were flagged for improvement and will work to bring them in alignment with standard operating procedures.

"Because of the amount of resources, time, and taxpayer dollars that this has taken during the past two months, my intention is to let the report speak for itself."

Reporter Adam Emerson can be reached at (813) 259-8285 or aemerson@tampatrib.com.

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