Finding 2371 (2020-010)

Material Weakness
Requirement
N
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2021
Accepted
2023-11-26
Audit: 4064
Organization: Concordia College (NY)

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: Missing documentation for enrollment status changes and inaccurate reporting of status changes.
  • Impacted Requirements: Enrollment reporting must be accurate and documented within 60 days, with proper review and approval processes in place.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: Establish a system to maintain student records and ensure compliance with enrollment reporting requirements.

Finding Text

2020-010 Special Tests – Enrollment Reporting FALN Number: 84.268 Program or Cluster Name: Federal Direct Student Loan Program (Student Financial Assistance Cluster) Agency: U.S. Department of Education Condition: For six of forty status changes selected for testing, no documentation was provided. For three students, no documentation of the students’ enrollment status change was provided. Twenty status changes were not reported accurately. Seventeen status changes were not reported within 60 days. We did not note any documentation of review or approval of enrollment status changes as part of the enrollment reporting process. Status: Due to the closure of the College, individual student records including individual transaction records were not maintained either digitally or in paper format. As such, we are unable to verify if internal controls over federal student financial assistance disbursements functioned properly and thus are unable to verify the correction of the finding. See current year finding 2021-002.

Corrective Action Plan

Management’s Response: Concordia College ceased academic operations in August 2021 and is in the process of winding down its operations and completing its remaining compliance requirements. Subsequent to the announcement of the closure of the College and following the ceasing of academic operations, virtually all employees left their employ with the College. The significant turnover in personnel, transition to outside consultants, and preparing proper teach out and transition plans for remaining students was a much larger focus than compliance requirements, which led to additional time lapsing between the prior year when findings were discovered to the current report being sent out. Additionally, due to the shutdown of Banner and the time taken to complete the audit, it is difficult for the College to obtain historical student financial information pertaining to the period under audit.

Categories

Reporting Matching / Level of Effort / Earmarking Internal Control / Segregation of Duties Special Tests & Provisions

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 2362 2021-002
    Material Weakness
  • 2363 2020-002
    Material Weakness
  • 2364 2020-003
    Significant Deficiency
  • 2365 2020-004
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 2366 2020-005
    Material Weakness
  • 2367 2020-006
    Significant Deficiency
  • 2368 2020-007
    Significant Deficiency Repeat
  • 2369 2020-008
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 2370 2020-009
    Significant Deficiency
  • 2372 2020-011
    Material Weakness
  • 2373 2020-012
    Material Weakness
  • 2374 2020-013
    Material Weakness
  • 578804 2021-002
    Material Weakness
  • 578805 2020-002
    Material Weakness
  • 578806 2020-003
    Significant Deficiency
  • 578807 2020-004
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 578808 2020-005
    Material Weakness
  • 578809 2020-006
    Significant Deficiency
  • 578810 2020-007
    Significant Deficiency Repeat
  • 578811 2020-008
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 578812 2020-009
    Significant Deficiency
  • 578813 2020-010
    Material Weakness
  • 578814 2020-011
    Material Weakness
  • 578815 2020-012
    Material Weakness
  • 578816 2020-013
    Material Weakness

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
84.268 Federal Direct Student Loans $7.06M
84.063 Federal Pell Grant Program $1.52M
84.007 Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants $40,768
84.379 Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grants (teach Grants) $33,031