USC, IG Confirm Investigation after Nerve Reporting

By RON AIKEN

We report. They investigate.

UPDATE 5/18: A source confirms to The Nerve that the FBI has been made aware of the allegations leading to the investigation into USC’s IT procurement and UTS department and “stands ready” to assist should the IG ask. — Ron Aiken

Today both the South Carolina Inspector General and the University of South Carolina confirmed a formal investigation into procurement and personnel practices centering around the University Technology Services (UTS) Department brought to light through a series of reports on The Nerve in March.

From USC spokesperson Wes Hickman:

“In March, President Pastides, in consultation with the Board of Trustees, made the decision to ask the state’s Inspector General to conduct an independent and thorough investigation into several personnel and procurement allegations related to OneCarolina and the Division of Information Technology. Let me be clear, the university has no evidence there was any wrongdoing. The IG’s report will allow us to clear the air or take appropriate action if necessary. Furthermore, it will allow us to focus on the most important task at hand, stabilizing the PeopleSoft Finance module without being further distracted by the noise surrounding this issue.”

From Inspector General Patrick Maley:

“I can confirm we are looking into IT procurements at USC based on similar allegations raised in your reporting.”

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Find out what led to the decision in this series of reports:

March 9: USC Program Has Campus in Crisis

March 14: USC Spent Millions for Software It Already Had

March 21: No Accountability, Unethical Practices Cost OneCarolina, USC Millions

March 28: Big Blue-U: Did IBM Deserve A No-Bid, $70M Contract With USC?

Reach Ron at (803) 254-4411. Email him at ron@thenerve.org. Follow him on Twitter @RonAiken and @TheNerveSC.