President Day Orders Audit of SDSU Athletics

SAN DIEGO â€”  San Diego State president Thomas Day has ordered a complete financial audit of the SDSU athletic department to begin this week, according to Steve Cushman, the director of the Aztec Athletic Foundation.

Cushman recommended a full audit be conducted after he was accused by Athletic Director Mary Alice Hill of misappropriating funds. That took place at a meeting between the two at 10 a.m. last Wednesday, when Cushman said he was handed a termination memo stating he had been fired.

“It’s true that Mary did contend that there was a misappropriation of funds on my part,� Cushman said. “I asked for one example, and she didn’t give me one.�

Cushman said he took the letter to the personnel office, and thought that the standard action, considering the allegations, would have been a suspension.

“There was no suspension,� Cushman said. “I’ve been to work every day since. There were two allegations, both were investigated by the business department, and it took five minutes to clear up.�

Cushman was one of three SDSU officials who were reported fired by Hill last week and reinstated hours later.

Cushman would not provide details of the investigation, but answers are hard to find at SDSU because university personnel have been told by Day to refer questions to him. He has thus far refused comment.

When an attempt was made Monday to ask Day about the athletic audit, he failed to return three telephone calls.

Cushman, meanwhile, was talking about Hill’s letter and allegations last week.

“I had absolutely no suspicion that Mary would do that,� he said. “It came as a complete shock and surprise. To even intimate that I may have done that hurt me.�

Hill, currently on a two-week vacation that was ordered by Day, was unavailable for comment. While Hill is on vacation, Cushman said he has been told to report to Bill Erickson, the university’s vice-president for business and financial affairs.

The audit, ordered by Day, was originally scheduled for September. After what transpired last Wednesday, the audit has been moved to this week.

“I think he (Day) is trying to answer why she (Hill) did that,� Cushman said, referring to the firings and her accusations of his misappropriating funds.

In the second part of the two-fold controversy at SDSU, a third freshman basketball recruit was admitted into the university Monday.

Kevin Brown, a 6-foot 8-inch forward from Ottawa Hills High in Grand Rapids, Mich., was granted “special admission,� according to a source in the athletic department. Brown is working in San Diego this summer, but does not have a phone, and could not be reached for comment Monday.

Coach Smokey Gaines and SDSU Vice President for Student Affairs Dan Nowak met Monday morning to discuss the matter of admitting five of his seven freshman basketball recruits.

Darryl Gaines of San Diego (the coach’s son) and Jeff Bobin of Seattle had already been granted “special admissions.�

All of the recruits have at least a 2.0 grade-point average, and thereby qualify under NCAA standards. However, at SDSU, the recruits are considered “special admissions� because they do not meet the school’s higher admissions requirements.

Tracy Dildy of Chicago, Wilbert Frazier of New Haven, Conn., Johnny Scruggs of Silver Springs, Md. and Josh Lowery of Oakland have not yet been admitted. The academic records of some of the players are still incomplete. Nowak would not comment on the matter Monday.