NORMAN, Okla. – An internal audit conducted by the University of Oklahoma reveals allegations former Vice President over the Office of University Community Jabar Shumate used his state-issued vehicle illegally.
Shumate was hired to OU as Vice President and Chief of Diversity following the 2015 Sigma Alpha Epsilon scandal, when a video surfaced of the fraternity singing racist chants.
After Shumate resigned earlier this week, he made an announcement that he was forced out of his position and that OU had made false accusations about him. However at the press conference he called, he would not share what these allegations were.
On Thursday, News 4 obtained an internal audit conducted by the school that states its purpose is to “follow up on allegations that the Vice President of University Community, Jabar Shumate, personally used an OU Vehicle.”
The audit shows that OU kept GPS, mileage, and fuel purchase records of Shumate’s state-issued 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe.
According to the audit, between July 1, 2017 and March 29, 2018, Shumate parked the Tahoe overnight at his Norman home. He parked it at a Moore apartment overnight 28 times.
The report also shows records the vehicle was driven to Tulsa last Thanksgiving, Christmas, and just after New Years, stating “These trips appear to be personal in nature and in violation of Oklahoma State Law.”
The audit notes that Oklahoma Statutes forbid both the personal use of a state-issued vehicle, and parking a state-issued vehicle at a person’s residence overnight. It also notes that Shumate voted on this statute when he was a part of the Oklahoma Legislature.
The audit also alleges Shumate used a fuel card for items other than just fuel, and that he accepted reimbursements for driving his personal vehicle to the airport when he in fact used his state-issued vehicle.
On Wednesday, an OU spokesperson said the audit revealed “significant misuse of University assets” and that when confronted with the audit, Shumate resigned.
In a new statement released by Shumate’s attorney on Thursday, Shumate contends he “was never confronted with an audit.” The statement said in part:
“Given the University’s intent to ruin me personally, I am suspect of any information contained within this audit. My duties required me to drive between all three of the University of Oklahoma’s campuses (Norman, OU Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City, and OU Tulsa Campus). My duties also required me to frequently attend events, meetings, and recruitment efforts in the evenings and early in the mornings. The University was well aware of my vehicle usage and therefore sanctioned it.”
In Thursday’s statement, Shumate also double-downed on comments he made about a planned return of the fraternity SAE to the campus. He detailed a meeting with OU’s general counsel at which time Shumate said he was told the Office of University Community would have to vacate the SAE house quickly over the summer so that the fraternity could return.
Click here to view Shumate’s full statement.
An OU spokesperson responded to this with the following statement:
“There are no current plans to reinstate the SAE fraternity at OU as confirmed by the SAE national chapter. If the return of SAE were to be considered in the future there would be extensive university-wide discussions beforehand. The former SAE house currently holds several University Community staff, but because it is not a feasible permanent location for university functions, discussions about future space have been underway for quite some time. The university will continue to reevaluate real estate needs.”
Shumate’s attorney, Lindsey Mulinix-Ewert, fired back with the following statement:
“It is apparent from this most recent statement and the variety of excuses given today that the University will facilitate the return of SAE sometime in the future. OU’s statements today are consistent with Mr. Shumate’s statement that there are wheels in motion and contradicts the University’s previous unequivocal statement from yesterday that “…[t]he SAE fraternity is not reopening at the University of Oklahoma…”. Additionally, it appears the general counsel and the public affairs office do not have their stories straight as OUDAILY reported: “Gollahalli said his conversations with Shumate were about the fact that an SAE corporation still owned part of the house and the university desired to move the office of the university community to a more central location on campus, in case there was ever a time when OU no longer had access to the house.”
OU audit regarding Jabar Shumate
