Audit criticizes university

Management at Chicago State University got more bad grades Thursday as auditors found lax oversight of money and contracts. But auditors didn't report anything like the cruises and expensive meals that led the university's president to resign earlier this year. Auditor General William Holland's review found repeated problems with the university's handling of contracts. For instance, auditors checked 26 contracts and found 18 of them -- worth more than $2 million -- were signed by officials after the date services began. And the university apparently failed to get competitive bids. The paperwork on five of the contracts they checked showed no sign of competitive bidding. A contract worth $251,000 was awarded to a university employee. Auditors did find some problems with meals and travel expenses. Various expenses, such as $1,489 for four airline tickets, were not accompanied by explanations of their business purposes.