The former director of Creative Communication Services at the University of California, Davis, has been charged with embezzlement of $4,532.68 in public monies obtained through improper travel expense claims. Lois Unger, who oversaw the campus's printing, photographic and audio-visual services units before her recent retirement, is accused of receiving reimbursement from both the university and a professional association for travel expenses. The charge was filed by the Yolo County District Attorney's Office after an internal audit, covering the period Jan. 1, 1991 through June 30, 1997, and a subsequent UC Davis police investigation found Unger had mismanaged university funds. The audit and investigation were initiated after a whistleblower complaint to the Chancellor's Office. Unger allegedly received double reimbursement of $4,532.68 from the university and a professional association; received $20,869 in travel advances for trips never taken; submitted travel advance requests far higher than actual expenses; and frequently submitted expense vouchers without original receipts. She has since made full restitution of the funds to the university. The audit also found that she made purchases considered extravagant and wasteful of university funds. The audit report recommends that internal controls be improved for prevention or earlier detection of such financial irregularities. Tightened controls will be implemented by the Accounting and Financial Services office no later than Sept. 1, including adding a supervisor's signature line on forms claiming lost receipts, not permitting subsistence cash advances to be submitted earlier than three weeks before travel is to begin, and tracking more closely outstanding cash advances. Creative Communication Services' process for authorizing purchases has also been revised to ensure employees selecting and receiving items are not approving invoices for payment. A subsequent university review questioned the initial informal handling of the matter and the granting of an extended loan to repay the improperly obtained travel advances, and concluded that a full audit should have been conducted much sooner. "I hope this incident will heighten the awareness of all university managers about the types of activities that should be construed as a misuse of university resources -- and the importance of referring any such activities to the appropriate authorities," said Jerry Hallee, special assistant to the executive vice chancellor and chair of the campus's Misuse of University Resources Coordinating Committee. A preliminary hearing on the felony charge is expected to be held this month in Yolo County Superior-Municipal Court. Unger, who was placed on administrative leave when the investigation began in February, retired from the university on April 1, after 38 years of service.