SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – Utah lawmakers are ordering a review of the University of Utah sports department after leaders canceled a basketball game against rivals Brigham Young University.
The Salt Lake Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/1PSl8lp) that the audit is the first of its kind and was quietly approved earlier this month by the Legislative Audit Subcommittee.
State auditors will probe the department’s “efficiency and effectiveness,” a wide-ranging description that distinguishes it from other assessments of the state’s publicly funded colleges and universities.
House Speaker Greg Hughes says the U’s decision to back out of a contest that’s part of a century-long rivalry makes him wonder. Hughes is a graduate and fan of BYU.
University Athletic Director Chris Hill says he’s committed to transparency. Auditors say they’ll be reviewing the department until the end of the year.