Make it big

Those who have ever had grants, travel expenses, or the like know that UC accounting systems can be bureaucratic.  But every once in awhile, someone gets away with something big.  The latest such event involves embezzling at UC-Berkeley:

A former UC Berkeley research administrator with a prior embezzlement conviction has been charged with stealing tens of thousands of dollars from the university to help pay for her children's private-school tuition, make catering orders and pay other expenses, authorities said Friday... 

Full story at http://m.sfgate.com/crime/article/Charge-UC-Berkeley-administrator-stole-thousands-5517119.php

So how does it happen that endless time can be spent haggling over a few dollars of lunch expenses while overt stealing - as above - on a larger scale is possible?  The answer has to be that university accounting systems are designed to prevent you from stealing less than $50.