A stricter policy adopted by MSU's governing board bans costly hotels, limousines and cash stipends for its eight unpaid members.
Faylene Owen spent more than $26,000 in university money to visit Europe with her husband. (MSU photo)
Trustee trips now need full board approval, Ross Jones says at WXYZ in a follow-up (video below) to his earlier disclosures.
As we first reported in November, trustee Faylene Owen spent more than $26,000 in university money for a 10-day European trip. Owen attended an MSU basketball game, met with students and held alumni dinners. The trip included stays in a $1,300 a night hotel, about $3,000 in limousines and another $3,000 in stipends for her and her husband.
Former Trustee Melanie Foster took a university-sponsored trip to Africa to meet with alumni and potential students. Foster’s trip, which also included her husband, cost about $20,000.
Foster later reimbursed MSU for the cost of her husband’s expenses once she learned we obtained a copy of her bills. . . .
Many trustees were furious about the costs highlighted in our report, prompting a new spending directive.
The investigative reporter also checked University of Michigan documents and found nothing eyebrow-raising.
The records we reviewed showed the biggest single travel expense took place last year when the school’s eight regents had a retreat in California. . . .
Spouses of MSU officials often accompany them on these kinds of trips. But U of M’s spouses stayed home.
