2024 State Audit and Recommendations

Implementation of Recommendations in CSA Report 2024-047

CSA Report 2021-047 was released on April 15, 2025. UC is actively working to implement all recommendations to UC, which are summarized below:

• UC’s Repatriation Dashboard should provide more information and clearer details to stakeholders, including counts of potential cultural items, accessions or sites, and details about the counting approach used.
• UCOP should establish a strong system to identify all undiscovered collections. UCOP should direct all campuses to develop detailed schedules for physically reviewing all locations for undiscovered collections, prioritizing areas most likely to house undiscovered collections. UCOP should also ensure such reviews are unfettered, performed by NAGPRA staff and qualified individuals, and assist campuses that report encountering resistance. UC should also amend its systemwide policy directing NAGPRA staff to perform these reviews.
• UCOP should ensure that all collections are being properly cared for. UC’s policy adopts federal standards for collections storage. Noting that these standards currently only apply to ancestral remains and identified cultural items, CSA recommended that UCOP amend systemwide policy to ensure these standards also apply to campus storage areas for potential cultural items. UC should also recall and ensure the return of all outstanding loans.
• UC Santa Barbara (UCSB) should notify tribes of all potential cultural items. UCSB should review all its collections to ensure all potential cultural items are reported to the National NAGPRA Program, NAHC, and potentially culturally affiliated tribes.
• Campus Repatriation Implementation Plans should be updated. UCOP should direct campuses to amend their plans annually and include clear timelines for repatriation and consultation.
• UCOP should establish systemwide performance goals and metrics for its repatriation activities. UCOP should require biannual campus reporting on these goals, assess progress, and remedy areas where UC is not on track to achieve its goals. These goals be assessed and updated annually, and be posted to UC’s public website.
• UCOP should review campus budgets in relation to systemwide performance goals. Where campuses are not meeting performance goals, UCOP should direct campuses to change their budgets if changes in spending would help meet the goals.
• UC should provide adequate support to tribes for expenses related to repatriation. UCOP should study costs that tribes incur and report to the legislature a full list of costs and funding needed.
• UC should acknowledge that NAGPRA no longer allows for the repatriation of ancestral remains or associated funerary objects that have no affiliation with a federally recognized tribe. UCOP should amend its systemwide policy (PDF) accordingly and should specify that in these cases, campuses should consult with non-federally recognized tribes on reinterment of the ancestral remains and associated funerary objects.