An internal inquiry shows the English professor improperly used university equipment and staffers.
By JAMIE THOMPSON
Published June 16, 2004
TAMPA - For the third time in three months an English professor at the University of South Florida has been cited for financial irregularities within the department.
Joseph M. Moxley improperly used university equipment and staff members for an outside project and failed to disclose contracts that paid him $34,500, according to an internal investigation released Tuesday.
Moxley, a faculty member since 1984, holds two of the more high-profile positions in the department - coordinator of the graduate program in rhetoric and composition and interim director of composition.
Administrators will decide whether any disciplinary action is required, said USF spokeswoman Michelle Carlyon.
"I was unaware of some of the guidelines," Moxley said Tuesday. "I'm eager to comply."
Moxley used two university servers to help run an online textbook for an outside publisher, which paid him a $20,000 advance and 15 percent royalties for the project, investigators said. He did not receive approval to use university equipment or to pay staff members and students $10,300 to help with the project, investigators said.
Moxley also did not properly secure the servers, which were invaded in September 2003 and used to host gambling sites, investigators said.
Additionally, Moxley did not fill out proper paperwork detailing $34,500 in outside publishing contracts from 2000 to 2003, investigators said.
Moxley said he didn't know about the required paperwork.
Moxley said investigators with the Office of University Audit and Compliance didn't appear to fully understand the situation. University investigators won't discuss their findings, but Carlyon said the report is final and will be sent to administrators for any further action.
Moxley said a donor gave him a financial gift several years ago to support his writing and research. He would not name the donor or the amount of the gift.
He said he used the money to buy two servers, housed at the school.
Moxley said he used the servers for a number of projects, including one that turned into a textbook - College Writing Online. It won the Distinguished Book Award for 2004 from Computers and Composition, a journal in his field, Moxley said.
"I think the fact that this is a significant academic project was underscored by the award," he said.
He said the book was used by USF students.
Even so, he did not receive proper approval for the project, USF said.
Additionally, Moxley paid up to five people, including a teaching assistant and a recent undergraduate, $10,300 provided by the publisher to work on the project, investigators said. That's not allowed unless it is approved by the university, investigators said.
"These people worked on their own time, independent of the university," Moxley said.
USF officials say they are continuing to investigate allegations of problems within the English department, and another report involving Moxley will be released in coming days.
Faculty members have said the department is in "turmoil," with professors hurling allegations at each other in an attempt to take control of the department.
In April, the department chair, Phillip Sipiora, resigned after a report found that he spent $22,834 in university funds on televisions, speakers and other equipment that investigators said he kept at his Tampa home for personal use.
Sipiora said he bought the equipment with funds he earned teaching classes and that he used the equipment to prepare for his film classes at USF.
Another report released in May said English professor Debra Jacobs selected a textbook she co-authored for classes without proper approval and also did not report outside contracts.
- Jamie Thompson can be reached at 727 893-8455. Send e-mail to jjones@sptimes.com
