UH to investigate slice of stadium funding

University of Houston fans raise "Cougar Paws" as the UH band plays the alma mater before the first quarter of an NCAA football game against Texas-San Antonio at the new TDECU Stadium, Friday, Aug. 29, 2014, in Houston. less University of Houston fans raise "Cougar Paws" as the UH band plays the alma mater before the first quarter of an NCAA football game against Texas-San Antonio at the new TDECU Stadium, Friday, Aug. 29, 2014, in ... more Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 26 Caption Close UH to investigate slice of stadium funding 1 / 26 Back to Gallery

The University of Houston is launching an internal audit into the use of $5 million in funding reserved for academics on its new football stadium, which continues to get more expensive.

The stadium -- which opened this year, but is still being worked on -- was originally expected to cost $105 million. That estimate jumped to $120 million, but costs continue to rise -- now to as much as $128 million, the university has said.

The stadium's growing price tag has cut into funding for renovations to the Hofheinz Pavilion, where basketball games and other events are held. UH still plans to either upgrade the facility or build a new one completely, but is now having to fundraise to cover the costs.

UH will investigate how a slice of the stadium funding was used. The university spent $5 million in Higher Education Assistance Funding, state money that is reserved for academic purposes, to build classrooms for the band in the stadium. UH Chancellor and President Renu Khator said Friday that a "quick administrative review" showed the funding was used appropriately, but she has entered an "anonymous" complaint through an online university complaint system. That complaint will spur the audit.

"I have asked that the issue be treated same as an anonymous yet serious complaint, because we don't want to leave any doubts at all," Khator told the UH board of regents Friday.

The university will also craft a policy for its new partnership with Aramark and Venue Works, private companies that run events in the stadium and Hofheinz Pavilion. Until this year, UH had run events in the venues on its own, so the partnership is new ground.

"There is no framework to supervise it or monitor it or have any kind of oversight over it," Khator said. "A system of accountability needs to be developed to ensure that expectations are being met and that promises are being kept."

Some tension has arisen between UH administration and student leaders over use of the facilities, which students in 2012 overwhelmingly voted to support by way of a $45 a year increase in fees. Under an agreement with administration, student groups are allowed to use each of the facilities once a year without a rental charge. Some groups have been surprised to find a higher cost than expected to use the facilities, after being charged to rent parking lots, the stadium's parking garage and for concessions in the parking area.