DURHAM - A recent discovery that two N.C. Central University employees used campus computers to download music, movies, software and pornography revealed both positives and negatives about the institution's internal checks and balances, trustees concluded Tuesday.

In the win column: NCCU's internal process for detecting and ferreting out bad behavior worked. The discovery was prompted by an anonymous e-mail message to Chancellor Charlie Nelms, who discussed it with the university's interim audit director before getting the university system involved.

A state audit ultimately found, among other things, that a database administrator had used campus computers to download about 100 movies, some of them pornographic, for personal use.

The two employees involved have been fired.

"People made a complaint, and we investigated the complaint," Nelms said Tuesday during a Board of Trustees retreat that included a good deal of time spent deconstructing the recent audit findings. "Our system did indeed work."

In the loss column: The investigation revealed a glaring lack of staffing within the university's audit department, where just two of six positions are filled. To properly investigate the computing allegations, the university needed the services of two information technology experts with the UNC system and a forensic computer analyst from UNC-Chapel Hill.

"We have never been able to maintain consistency in the audit department," trustee Eric Michaux said. "The confluence of a lack of staff and audit findings are sometimes at odds with each other."

NCCU has never had an auditor specifically dedicated to monitoring the university's information technology systems. Nelms acknowledged that the university is behind the times with nobody in that role but pledged to hire someone soon as part of a revamping of the audit department.

"The staffing isn't what it needs to be in a number of areas," Nelms said. "The budget is being realigned and we're addressing that."

Though trustees said they were pleased that the computing culprits were caught, Nelms said there is only so much an institution can do to stave off bad behavior. Beefing up the audit department may help to root out malfeasance but not necessarily prevent it.

"No matter how much staff you have, you cannot prevent fraudulent activity," he said. "We will have policies and procedures in place ... to reduce the chances of fraudulent activity."

Trustees peppered university officials with audit questions for much of an hour Tuesday. The computing audit comes about four months after a state audit found that an assistant provost at NCCU, Franklin Carver, had an improper relationship with a student, used a state credit card for personal purchases, and misused more than $36,000 in federal grant funds.

The state auditor conducts annual examinations of all UNC system campuses, and also investigates specific cases as they arise. NCCU's annual audit will begin soon, Nelms said, adding that the university is trying to mend relationships with the state Auditor's Office. They have been strained over time.

"[There was] a perception that we were less than cooperative," Nelms told trustees. "That's not a good relationship to have with anyone. So one of the things we have made clear ... is that we're going to provide all the information and be as forthcoming as we can. We have nothing to hide."

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