More on Slade's spendy ways

More on TSU President Priscilla Slade's spendy ways: It turns out she spent even more of the university's money than we had heard. Receipts and invoices obtained by the Chronicle show that in 2005, Slade spent more than twice the $50,000 allotted her for travel, entertainment and other expenses, including more than $20,000 on club memberships and nearly $9,500 in moving expenses. Among her expenditures last year:

• $5,378 in annual dues for a membership at the Houstonian Club and Spa, plus $2,316 for trips to the club's Trellis Spa and $1,280 for golf and Pilates lessons. She also spent several thousand dollars for a membership to the Houston Club downtown.

• Nearly $5,700 in gifts, including about $800 for gift baskets for TSU regents — most of them birthday presents — and $4,884 at Neiman Marcus for Christmas presents for employees.

• $9,483 in moving expenses from one apartment to another, and then to her new house near Memorial Park.

• More than $20,000 for airfare, plus a renewal of Slade's membership in the Continental Airlines Presidents Club.

We're sure it costs a lot to be president of a university, but come on: Slade's pay (including housing and car allowances) totals roughly $310,000 a year, and we think a person can live pretty comfortably on that. Slade was suspended from her job as president and is under investigation for her spending, which includes $138,159 she charged to the university for landscaping her new house (she said that charge was an accident and reimbursed the school after regents questioned her about the expense) and $86,467 she charged for furnishing the house. According to the Chron, Slade bought a $9,169 bed for herself, a $2,891 guest bed and a $17,807 sofa, among other things. It almost makes Houstonist's cinder block-and-wood plank sofa look shabby!

An internal audit of Slade's spending is nearly complete, and the school's board of regents plans to meet May 5 to vote on whether Slade should keep her job. The Harris County DA is also looking into the expenses.