Ralph Hall: “this amendment would preclude the U.S. Department of Education from imposing audit deficiencies on Texas College that…”

“this amendment would preclude the U.S. Department of Education from imposing audit deficiencies on Texas College that result from records not maintained or retained by the college administrators for academic years 1990-1991 to the arrival of the current administration at the college in 1994. Although a very diligent effort has been made and is continuing to be made by the staff of the current administration to locate these records, it is to no avail due to failures of previous personnel. There has been an effort made to produce these records, and they are just not available. They produced a number of answers to the questions, inquiries submitted by the Department of Education, I think enough to allow the department some leeway, and we are working with the department at this time in order to work this matter out. Texas College's current application for participation in the title IV student assistance programs is being, I think, needlessly delayed based on the absence of records and assertions that failure to produce such records means the current administration is financially irresponsible and administratively incapable. That is just not the situation. We have Texas College, which is a black college founded in 1894, affiliated with the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. Bishop Gilmore serves as the Episcopal bishop in Texas. We have had a new president, Dr. Strickland, at Texas College since November of 1994.”