At Central State: Prosecutors Resume Investigation; Fund-Raising Drive Benefits Needy Students
WILBERFORCE, Ohio
Prosecutors will resume their investigation
into whether there was any wrongdoing by former officials of Central
State University, which recently emerged from years of financial
troubles.
And in other news concerning the university, a fund-raising drive
has collected more than $25,000 to help keep more than 50 students from
being dropped from the school’s enrollment.
A task force of state and local investigators will review evidence
and determine whether to pursue indictments stemming from the
investigation, Steve Wolaver, assistant Greene County prosecutor, told
The Dayton Daily News last month.
Investigations by the state auditor’s office, state inspector
general, Ohio Ethics Commission, and State Highway patrol found
“examples of incompetence and negligence” at Central State, Wolaver
said. “But whether that translates into criminal conduct remains to be
seen.”
The state Office of Budget and Management took over the finances of
Ohio’s only public, historically Black university in 1997, and a new
administration was later installed.
Prosecutors put their probe on hold pending the outcome of a final
special state audit, which was released last month. The audit found
discrepancies in the books, unauthorized payments, and lack of
financial oversight between 1995 and 1997 at the school.
