Audit 371237

2025‐001 Significant Deficiency: Working During Scheduled Class Time (U.S. Department of Education, Federal Work Study Program, ALN #84.033) Criteria: In accordance with the 2024-2025 Federal Student Aid Handbook, in general, students are not permitted to work in Federal Work Study positions during scheduled class times. Exceptions are permitted if an individual class is cancelled, if the instructor has excused the student from attending for a particular day, and if the student is receiving credit for employment in an internship, externship, or community work-study experience. Any such exemptions must be documented. Statement of Condition: During the audit, it was noted that a student appears to have been paid for Federal Work Study hours logged and submitted for time the student was scheduled to be in class. The professor confirmed that the student was present for the scheduled class in which this overlap was noted. Questioned Costs: The known monetary error is an over-payment of $11. Extrapolation of the error across all students and pay periods that may have been affected estimates total possible monetary error of $833. Therefore, the monetary impact of this deficiency does not exceed the reporting threshold of $25,000. Perspective Information: The audit included a detailed testing of 4 files for students participating in the Federal Work Study program during the 2024-2025 award year. For the four students tested, auditors vouched class schedules, timecards, and paystubs for two specific pay periods, one in each semester. Of these students for the specific pay periods tested, overlap between submitted work study hours paid and classes scheduled without reasonable exception was identified in one instance. Therefore, we consider the error rate as 1 out of the 4 total participating students, which is 25.00%. Cause and Effect: The student clocked into their Federal Work Study position prior to class, went to class while remaining clocked in, and then returned to the position following class. The University time-clock system has safeguards to prevent a student from initially clocking in to work during their scheduled class time unless over-ridden by a supervisor in the case of early dismissal or canceled class; however, no such safeguard prevents students from clocking in prior to and remaining clocked in during class, which is what occurred here. The student’s work study supervisor did not identify the overlap prior to submission of timecard hours for payment. Recommendation: The University should ensure that proper safeguards, in both software and personnel, are in place to prevent, identify, and remediate such errors to prevent over-payment of federal aid funds. View of Responsible Officials: In response to the deficiency cited above, the Director of Financial Aid and Financial Aid Office Manager (Work Study Coordinator) met with administration and staff to examine our work study policies and procedures and to determine the necessary corrective action. It was determined that additional training was needed for work study supervisors and students to ensure that federal regulations are followed within the work study program. We have also communicated to all department heads the importance of a campus-wide commitment to excellence in our work study program, so they are more fully aware of the procedures necessary to remain compliant with federal regulations.