The deadline for submitting projects to Facilities Management and Planning is Feb 25, 2019, for construction projects to be completed prior to the Fall 2019 semester. Projects included with this deadline range from larger renovation work (involving multiple subcontractors) to small room modifications (moving walls, power receptacles, etc.) to simple renewal projects (paint and carpet).
Projects will need to be submitted with funding source and Space Alteration form, refer to link here
As you are aware, the University of Nebraska’s Travel Reimbursement Policy states that reimbursement expense claims must be submitted and approved by the Traveler’s Financial Approver(s) no later than sixty (60) calendar days after the final day on which expenses were incurred. This is a State of Nebraska statutory requirement that cannot be waived.
Effective April 1, 2019, the University of Nebraska Foundation will also adopt this policy for reimbursement claims, requiring that all expenses be submitted to the Foundation no later than sixty (60) days after the final day on which expenses were incurred. This policy supports their fiduciary responsibility to donors and will apply to all executives, officials, and employees of the university submitting requests from donor or discretionary funds at the Foundation.
Please contact Carrie Stithem or Jill Purdy if you have questions.
The Finance Office is preparing to calculate UNK's Unrelated Business Income Tax for the 2017-2018 fiscal year. If your department has had any income from a trade or business (the production of income from the sale of goods or the performance of a service) which is regularly carried on and which is NOT substantially related to the performance of the institution's tax exempt purpose of Education, you may be generating Unrelated Business Income.
Areas of potential exposure include:
Facility Rentals Merchandise Sales Catering and Food Service Advertising Income Sponsorships Camps (not sponsored by UNK) Sales of Services to others outside UNK Concession Income Broadcast Rights
UNK's areas of UBIT exposure are being reported to the IRS along with the other University of Nebraska campuses. No actual taxes are assessed to your department's cost object.
Please respond to Debbie Tvrdy in the Finance Office if you think that you may have an area of exposure within your department's activities. Each potential exposure area will be analyzed separately.
We have received complaints of golf carts and UTVs going the wrong way on streets and driving recklessly, so as a reminder:
Excerpts taken from UNK Parking Regulations, available online at unk.edu:
Service: Any vehicles the University or Vendors/Contractors own and are used for the purpose of maintaining University business. Service vehicles will obey all federal, state and local laws to the exception of driving on the sidewalk. Service Vehicles may drive on the sidewalk when necessary in the course of business. Service vehicles must obey all parking regulations to the exception of yellow zones where they may park when it is necessary in the course of business. Service Vehicles may never block traffic lanes, handicap accessible sidewalks, fire lanes, reserved stalls, or disabled stalls.
Any violation, whether a law violation or a parking violation, will be reported to the department head to whom the vehicle is owned or checked out. After sequential violations the Dean and/or Vice Chancellor will be notified of the situation. UNK Police does have the discretion to cite the driver of the vehicle for any motor vehicle violations. Vehicles parked illegally may also be cited. These charges will go on the account of individual responsible for the vehicle.
Traffic Regulation
Traffic laws, as provided by the Nebraska Revised Statute, shall apply on University property.
Unless otherwise indicated, the maximum speed for motor vehicles on University property is 15 miles per hour.
No person shall operate a motor vehicle at a greater speed than is reasonable and prudent under existing conditions.
Driving on grass or sidewalks is prohibited at all times.
Exceeding the speed limit or otherwise operating a motor vehicle in a reckless manner is grounds for revocation of parking and driving privileges on University of Nebraska Kearney property.
Motor vehicle accidents, which occur on University property, should be reported to UNK Police. Accident reports are available upon request for insurance purposes. Accident reports should be ready 5 (five) business days after the accident has been reported. Anyone other than the driver or registered owner will be charged $2.00 per report.
Motorcycle and motorbikes, including mopeds, shall be operated on motor vehicle thoroughfares.
Traffic Violations and Penalties
The driver of the vehicle shall be responsible for all moving traffic violations. Moving traffic violations or criminal citations are adjudicated through the appropriate court system.
You can designate your Life Insurance Beneficiary Designation via Firefly Employee Self Service (ESS) – Life Insurance Beneficiary Designation. This application allows you to electronically manage your life insurance beneficiaries. To update retirement plan beneficiaries, login to your TIAA and/or Fidelity account.
Allocation of tuition remission credits for the Spring Semester can now be entered and final submission is Friday, February 1, 2019. Allocate credits via Firefly/ESS, under Benefits, click “Employee & Dependent Scholarship”. For employees utilizing KSC forms, please visit the link below.
December Holiday closedown for 2018 begins on Monday, December 24th and concludes on Tuesday, January 1st. Staff will return to work on Wednesday, January 2nd. Spring semester classes begin on January 7th, 2019. Staff can enter their floating holiday requests after November 12th (Veterans Day – the last floating holiday to accrue for 2018). Paid holidays will be December 25th and January 1st. For staff who have been employed for the entire calendar year, you will need to use your 4 accrued floating holidays and one day of personal leave (vacation, compensatory time, etc.) All leave-eligible employees should submit their leave requests through Firefly. If you have questions or you do not have enough leave time to cover this time period, please contact Human Resources at 865-8426.
The University of Nebraska system allows all employees to opt to receive their W-2 through Employee Self Service (Firefly). Please consider opting for the electronic version to save paper and distribution time. Those that choose to receive an electronic W-2 through Firefly will receive their W-2 statement about a week earlier than those who receive paper W-2 forms. Only employees who elect an electronic W-2 will be able to view their W-2 form throughout the year. To enroll, log into Firefly>Employee Self Service>W-2 & W-4 Tax Forms>Enroll for W-2 Online Delivery. Please contact Human Resources at 865-8426 with any questions.
This is also a good time to review your address listed in Employee Self Service (Personal Information>Address & Emergency Contact) to confirm that your contact information is current. The address listed in an employee’s “permanent address” is where all benefit and payroll related information is sent, so it is important that the information is correct.
Please consider donating to the crisis leave program. This program allows any employee who earns vacation leave to donate up to five accumulated vacation days per calendar year. The donated leave goes to a pool of crisis leave hours that are used to help an employee who is experiencing a crisis and does not have sufficient leave to cover their absence period. Donation forms can be accessed through SAPPHIRE or the following link. Please submit completed forms to the Human Resources office.
Be extra vigilant about locking doors and windows when you leave your residence, even for a few minutes.
Don’t display holiday gifts where they can be seen from a window or doorway. Stow gifts before you go away on a vacation.
If you go out for the evening, turn on lights and a radio or television so the residence appears to be occupied.
If you take a vacation away from your home, have some interior lights activated by an automatic timer. Have a neighbor or family member watch your house, shovel new snow, pick up the mail and newspaper and park his or her vehicle in your driveway from time to time.
Be wary of strangers soliciting for charitable donations. They may attempt to take advantage of people’s generosity during the holidays. Ask for identification, how donated funds are used, if contributions are tax deductible, etc. If you aren’t satisfied with the answers, don’t give.
Immediately after the holidays, mark new gifts with an identification number and record new serial numbers.
Test your smoke detectors.
Use only fire resistant ornaments on a holiday tree and make sure electric lights are in good working order. Don’t leave the lights on overnight or when you are away from home.
If you have house guests, advise them of your security precautions and make sure they follow them.
Avoid leaving boxes from purchases (especially TV’s, media players, computers, etc.) out on the curb for trash pickup
Shopping
Shop before dark, if possible. Coordinate shopping trips with a friend. Never park in an un-lit lot or area, no matter how convenient it is.
Lock your packages and gifts in your vehicle’s trunk or out of sight. Keep you vehicle’s doors locked and windows closed.
Avoid carrying large amounts of cash. Pay for purchases with a check, credit card, or debit card when possible.
To discourage purse-snatchers, don’t overburden yourself with packages. Have your purchases delivered whenever practical.
Be extra careful with purses and wallets. Carry a purse under your arm. Keep a wallet in an inside jacket pocket, not a back pocket.
Teach children to go to a store clerk or security guard and ask for help if you become separated. They should never go into a parking lot alone.
Cyber
Before searching for that perfect gift, be sure that all web-connected devices ‒ including PCs, smartphones and tablets ‒ are free from malware and infections by running only the most current versions of software and apps.
One of the most critical things you can do in preparation for the online shopping season is to fortify your online accounts by enabling the strongest authentication tools available. Your usernames and passwords are not enough to protect key accounts like email, banking and social media.
When using a new website for your holiday purchases, read reviews and see if other customers have had positive or negative experiences with the site.
Links in emails, social media posts and text messages are often how cybercriminals try to steal your information or infect your devices.
When making a purchase online, be alert to the kinds of information being collected to complete the transaction. Make sure you think it is necessary for the vendor to request that information. Remember that you only need to fill out required fields at checkout.
If you are out and about, limit the type of business you conduct over open public Wi-Fi connections, including logging in to key accounts such as email and banking. Adjust the security settings on your phone to limit who can access your device. Disable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth when they’re not in use.
Employees and Departments/Groups of Employees can be nominated for different awards. The awards are presented monthly during the Staff Senate meetings.
Please consider nominating a staff member or group who has demonstrated excellence. It’s time to show our colleagues how much we appreciate what they do and why we’re so very proud to be Lopers!!
Discover the UNK difference
Discover the UNK difference
Discover the UNK difference
