State whistles EdCC athletics on cash issues

  • Jennifer Aaby<br>Enterprise writer
  • Monday, March 3, 2008 6:44am

The athletic department at Edmonds Community College did not properly record and monitor all transactions on its financial books from July 2002 to June 2004 according to a report released this month by the state Auditor’s Office.

The department’s records indicate it received $109,296 and $110,054 in 2003 and 2004, respectively. The figures are not reliable, according to the report, because transactions may not have been entered into the accounting system and records have been destroyed.

Cash collections at sporting events were not always properly recorded, the report stated, as the number of tickets sold at 19 of 39 games in the college’s facilities could not be verified. No deposits were made following eight games, and deposits for 10 other games did not reconcile the recorded number of tickets sold, the auditor’s report said.

In addition, the report indicates that multiple athletic department employees who were directly involved in private athletic organizations utilized their connections with the college to use EdCC’s facilities and Web site. In one instance, no fees were collected for the facility’s use and the group operated without a formal contract with the college, according to the report.

Susan Kostick, EdCC’s vice president for college relations and advancement, recognized that mistakes have been made and the college has implemented changes.

“By the time the report was written in 2005, a year later, we already had our new athletic director in place,” Kostick said.

Faimous Harrison took over as athletic director in the fall of 2004, and a number of controls have been implemented to monitor accounts and train employees, she said.

“The college has very stringent rules about training, cash handling and ethics, however, they’re mandatory for full-time employees,” Kostick said.

Most employees of the athletic department are part-time or coaches who receive only a stipend during the sports season, she said.

Harrison has taken the steps to require all athletic department part-time staff and coaches to receive the same training as full-time college employees.

The report said the conduct of the employees mentioned in the report will be referred to the state Executive Ethics Board. Mindy Chambers, the Auditor’s Office spokesperson, identified the individuals being referred as former baseball coaches Don Marbut and Tighe Dickinson, although the referral has yet to be sent, she said.

The Ethics Board is a five-member panel that can choose to investigate ethics complaints. The course of action is decided by the board, which can subsequently hand down fines, impose sanctions and other penalties, or it could drop the matter, Chambers said.

Marbut coached baseball at EdCC through August 2003, and he also served as the athletic director from December 2001 until February 2003 Marbut is now head coach at Washington State University.

Marbut said he is happy there is additional training now in place for coaches and part-time staff.

“They didn’t have an exact procedure, and I think it was loose, to say the least,” Marbut said.

He had not heard from the Executive Ethics Board by The Enterprise deadline, but he said all records were kept properly to his knowledge.

“We’re definitely disputing that,” he said.

Dickinson was the baseball coach after Marbut and is now a volunteer assistant coach at the University of Washington.

Dickinson did not return calls from The Enterprise.

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