SPRINGFIELD—Sangamon State University union officials are accusing the SSU administration of mishandling money for their own personal use.

But administrators say the SSU constitution allows them to use school money for out-of-town business.

At a meeting of the House Appropriations Committee II—a group the union wants to help find data on SSU President Durward Long’s spending—union members said Long deliberately was withholding the information.

“We encourage (committee members) to take SSU finances to the Auditor General’s office for further information,” said Ron Ettinger, president of UPI Local 4100.

Michael McNally, field services director for the Illinois Federation of Teachers, accused SSU officials of “taking employees to lunch on state dollars in Springfield. There were no receipts, yet some of the meals were reimbursed anyway.”

However, the SSU administration can spend money on meals if they are on business outside of Springfield, according to the school’s constitution.

Also, Union Grievance Officer Nina Adams said Long used personnel money for his auto and travel expenses.

Long also said every president of a university under the Board of Regents is entitled to an automobile. He said he purchased his own automobile and was then reimbursed with Regents’ approval.

The fight for the apparently hard-to-find information has led the union to the state Comptroller’s office to get what they want to know.

“We’re having a problem getting information on the budget,” Adams said.

Adams said Long would not release union-requested budget documents and also denied the papers existed. However, after staff at the SSU News “dug up the papers,” Long acknowledged them, Adams said. The News is the school’s student newspaper.

Still, Long claims “the documents found by the newspaper are not official documents.”

Long said he “welcomes an investigation” and insists he has been “straightforward with this committee.”

“It’s time to get the wheels in motion,” said Mitch Vogel, president of the University Professionals of Illinois. “I predict we (SSU faculty and staff) will be on strike soon.”

The list of complaints is long, though. Chief Union Negotiator Patricia Langley said school administrators offered them reimbursement money to settle the problem rather than having to face negotiation.

One problem Ettinger mentioned were short-term jobs created with substantial salaries. “No faculty was given a say in the hiring,” he said. “It was a deal cut behind closed doors.”

Extra help from the short-term people cost up to “$218,000 for a few months of work,” Ettinger said.

“We haven’t been able to get answers,” he said. “What are the priorities of Durward Long?”

Long said his priorities are “staff salaries and the improvement and enhancement of all employees.

“I have gone to the Illinois Board of Higher Education to request assistance for the clerical staff,” he said.