GREENSBORO, N.C. — An online petition is calling for the removal of one of Bennett’s College top leaders. The petition demands that the school oust Vice President of Business and Finance LeRoy Summers Jr. by March 11, saying that Bennett has failed to progress under his financial guidance over the past couple of years.
Bennett College lost its accreditation on Feb. 18 over a lack of sufficient funds, but a federal judge reinstated the college’s accreditation while the college sues its accreditation agency.
Bennett senior and Student Government Association President Alexis Branch started the petition to evoke change in the school’s administration to avoid falling into the same financial pitfalls.
She says Summers has failed to properly manage the school’s money according to the standards of the college’s accrediting board, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
“He also announced to the student body that he was using funds for what he was counting as unrestricted funds,” Branch said. “They were not unrestricted funds. SACS coded them as restricted funds.”
According to Branch, she feels as if the school money was mismanaged.
“He should have to be made aware of the policy. He should have known the policy as our financial expert at our school and known that those funds could not be used as unrestricted dollars,” Branch said.
The school is aware of the online petition and is now conducting an investigation.
“I think that he’s been putting money into accounts to show the public and the accrediting body or even just the students and alums that we are stable when in reality we were not stable,” said Branch.
