LITTLE ROCK — The University of Central Arkansas disciplined an employee this week after an internal investigation revealed that he used campus equipment during working hours to promote a sales-tax proposal in Conway.
UCA President Tom Courtway gave Aaron Knight, an employee in the university advancement office, the option of taking eight hours of unpaid leave or forfeiting eight hours of accrued vacation time, according to a letter dated Monday.
“This letter shall also serve as a letter of caution to you that you are not to use any University equipment for political purposes, nor are you to engage in any political activity on state time for any reason,” Courtway’s letter to Knight said.
Knight admitted to a UCA attorney that he accessed his personal e-mail using university computers during the workday and printed documents at work related to the Feb. 14 sales tax rededication election, according to a summary of the investigation by associate general counsel Katie Henry.
Knight said he sent fewer than 10 tax-related e-mails in a 40-day period, the summary said.
Arkansas Code Annotated 7-1-103 prohibits public employees from “devoting any time or labor during usual office hours” to political campaigns.
“I apologize if I in any way brought negative light to the university. That certainly was not intended,” Knight said Wednesday, adding that he appreciated how the university “professionally and judiciously” investigated the situation.
According to an investigation summary released by UCA, Henry interviewed Knight and UCA Vice President for Advancement Shelley Mehl — who is also a Conway alderman — after staff senate President Dianna Winters complained to Courtway that advancement employees had used office time and equipment and possibly accessed a database of university contacts to promote the tax proposal.
Mehl denied any such activity in the interviews, the investigation summary said.
A review of Mehl and Knight’s e-mails showed neither used their work accounts to promote the campaign, it added.
Henry also found that the advancement database had not been accessed for any work not related to the university, the report said.
The two said they discussed the tax issue once, on a car ride to a board of trustees meeting.
UCA spokesman Jeff Pitchford said in an e-mail that the university would not comment on the investigation.
Voters overwhelmingly supported the quarter-percent sales tax rededication Feb. 14. Rededication of the tax, which has been on the books since 1987, is aimed at ending lingering cash-flow problems and at buying fire, police and sanitation equipment.
A similar but less extensive proposal had failed last May.
Information for this article was contributed by Debra Hale-Shelton of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Arkansas, Pages 7 on 03/22/2012