Report 2019-113 Recommendation 3 Responses
Report 2019-113: The University of California: Qualified Students Face an Inconsistent and Unfair Admissions System That Has Been Improperly Influenced by Relationships and Monetary Donations (Release Date: September 2020)
Recommendation #3 To: University of California
The Office of the President should immediately require staff involved in making or informing admissions decisions to report all attempts to influence admissions decisions, regardless of source, to their supervisors or to the director of undergraduate admissions.
1-Year Agency Response
The University president required all campuses to implement this recommendation and to document the processes and procedures, via a letter sent in November 2020. The Office of the President reviewed each campus's submissions to ensure the new processes and procedures will address the recommendation. Additionally, the Office of the President worked with the campuses to ensure all responsive policies and procedures are in final form and to clarify and strengthen language regarding potential attempts to influence admissions decisions. All nine campuses have successfully met this recommendation providing procedures and protocols, which are under the purview of local governance, to address attempts of inappropriate influence. Campuses documented this in their Conflict of Interest Policies.
- Completion Date: May 2021
- Response Date: September 2021
California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Fully Implemented
6-Month Agency Response
The University president has required all campuses to implement this recommendation and to document the processes and procedures, via a letter sent in November 2020. The Office of the President has reviewed each campus's submissions to ensure the new processes and procedures will address the recommendation. All nine campuses have successfully met this recommendation providing procedures and protocols to address inappropriate influence. Campuses document this in their Conflict of Interest Policy.
- Completion Date: March 2021
- Response Date: March 2021
California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Partially Implemented
We have reviewed the documentation the Office of the President submitted to substantiate the completion of this recommendation, and found that some campuses have not yet adopted policies which adequately implement our recommendation. For example, some documents were labeled as draft policies and others did not make clear that attempts to influence admissions decisions may include activity beyond the use of a gift as a bribe. We will consider this recommendation fully implemented when the Office of the President provides documentation indicating all campuses now require staff involved in making or informing admissions decisions to report all attempts to influence admissions decisions.
- Auditee did not substantiate its claim of full implementation
- Auditee did not address all aspects of the recommendation
60-Day Agency Response
The University president has issued a letter to the campus chancellors to implement this recommendation immediately and provide documentation of follow-through no later than January 15, 2021.
- Estimated Completion Date: March 2021
- Response Date: November 2020
California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending
The Office of the President provided the letter it sent to the campus chancellors. We will consider this recommendation fully implemented when the Office of the President adopts a formal requirement to report attempts to inappropriately influence admissions decisions.
All Recommendations in 2019-113
Agency responses received are posted verbatim.