By Troy Torres
(Tumon, Guam) A University of Guam-issued credit card was used on July 17, 2019 at the Oceanview Beng Teng Spa, Lotte Hotel Guam. The card is issued to Dr. James Sellman, the dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences.
The cost of Beng Teng's services to the government on that day? $450. The phone number listed in the transaction ledger is the mobile phone number for the owner of the spa, who gave us the land line number to the spa's customer service desk to call instead.
According to the spa's website under the "Our Services" menu, a "Signature Massage - 110 min" costs $150. The spa also offers Beng Teng, Dry, and Foot massages at different time intervals and for other prices. They also provide an After Sun Body Wrap and a Paris Treatment Option Menu.
No educational services are listed.
The payment transaction is listed in a Bank of Guam statement received by the UOG Business Office on August 9, 2019. The document is among hundreds of pages of credit card transactions conducted by a select few UOG faculty and staff employees issued government credit cards. The university is largely subsidized by the General Fund through annual legislative appropriation.
Kandit requested credit card statements for the university going back three years via the Freedom of Information Act. The university disclosed the documents yesterday; Kandit continues its review of the transactions. Read our inaugural story on this series here.
According to its website, "At Beng Teng Spa, it is our mission to create a tranquil and healing experience for each guest. Our philosophy is a mixture of Japanese relaxation culture and world-renowned spa therapies. Through our therapist's caring hearts and healing hands, each treatment will bring you to a state of deep relaxation, unwinding your mind, healing your body and freeing your spirit, ultimately uplifting the power of energy within your body."
UOG's mission, according to its website, is "To enlighten, to discover, to serve."
Mr. Sellman, according to his biodata on UOG's website, "has published more than 60 articles in various peer-reviewed books and journals, such as 'Asian Philosophy' and 'Philosophy East and West.' His book 'Timing and Rulership in Master Lü's Spring and Autumn Annals,' was published by State University of New York Press in 2002. He is the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and Professor of Philosophy and Micronesian Studies at the University of Guam. He enjoys cooking and hiking."
Happy ending?
No educational services?????lol
$450 better include a trip to Greece