By Johnnie Rosario
(Tumon, Guam) A government credit card issued to University of Guam professor Tom Schils was used on October 12, 2017, for a $2,201.70 shopping spree at Ross Dress for Less the Guam Premier Outlets.
The transaction appears in a First Hawaiian Bank credit card statement dated October 28, 2017, for the card issued to Mr. Schils.
Mr. Schils is associate curator and professor of marine biology at UOG. According to the statements, his card has a credit limit of $100,000. Total activity on the October 2017 statement was $4,645.65.
The Ross transaction is just the latest in suspicious spending activity by UOG administrators and faculty that call into question the university's compliance with procurement laws, internal controls, and its general understanding or apathy for the fiscal condition of the government or the economic condition of the people.
Kandit previously brought you stories of Dr. Rachael Leon Guerrero's purchases of FitBit devices at Macy's, and Dr. James Sellman's use of his government-issued credit card to purchase nine spa treatments at the Oceanview Beng Teng Spa at the Lotte Resort Guam.
UOG spokesman Jonas Macapinlac has explained that Ms. Leon Guerrero's FitBit purchases were made at Macy's after she tried to purchase the devices online but was told that FitBit, Inc. stopped shipping to Guam. He has not responded to our questions regarding documents proving the university followed procurement processes on these purchases.
As for "Beng Teng Sellman," Mr. Macapinlac stated in an email to Kandit that UOG found those transactions to be not allowable and has since tightened internal controls.
Mr. Macapinlac told Kandit, when asked whether Mr. Sellman or anyone else had been sanctioned for the illegal use of public money, that it is a personnel matter and not disclosable. We called Mr. Sellman's office (he is the dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences) to inquire whether he was sanctioned. His assistant, named 'Taryn,' hung up on us when we asked her whether she benefitted from one of those spa purchases.
Kandit continues its investigation into UOG's credit card scandal.
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