Experiential learning. Value. Caring community. At UNK we want to help you make a difference, in a learning environment that's different.
Experiential learning. Value. Caring community. At UNK we want to help you make a difference, in a learning environment that's different.
Experiential learning. Value. Caring community. At UNK we want to help you make a difference, in a learning environment that's different.
In this April 2020 issue:
Allocation of tuition remission credits for Summer and Fall Semester can be entered beginning April 6th. Final submission for Summer is June 5th and for Fall is September 18th. Allocate credits via Firefly/ESS, under ESS Benefits section, click “Employee & Dependent Scholarship”. For more information on Employee and Dependent Scholarship Program, please see the link below.
https://nebraska.edu/faculty-and-staff/resources/employee-dependent-scholarship-program
Facilities would like to extend their appreciation to the campus community for your efforts in advancing UNK’s recycling program. The Loper blue bins (in offices, halls and around campus) continue capturing plastic bottles, paper, etc.
Also, thank you for your focus on directing landfill waste to the small black sidecar container in offices and conference rooms. Your diligence in separating food wrappers, used tissues and wipes increases the value of recycled materials.
Since office waste is removed weekly, we suggest taking organic materials such as apple cores, orange/banana peels, and tuna cans to those containers emptied daily (rest rooms, hallways).
The Finance Office began working remotely on Monday, March 23. They will be available to receive department deposits on Tuesdays and Fridays from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. If the building is locked when you bring your deposit over, please call (308) 865-8524 and we will let you in the building. The Finance Office will continue to receive phone calls and answer emails remotely during normal business hours at (308) 865-8524 or unkfinance@unk.edu.
Our office can set up a simple online emarket site for your department if you need to receive money from customers via the internet to avoid face to face transactions. A 2.75% credit card fee will be assessed to the department.
Refunds of revenue collected due to the cancellation of a UNK event should be processed through the Finance Office. Cash on hand from sales or a petty cash fund should not be used to issue refunds.
Journal entries and other business processes handled through the Finance Office will process faster if submitted by email rather than through campus mail. However, do not send any sensitive information (social security numbers, credit card numbers, driver’s license numbers, etc.) by email or email attachment. Do not hesitate to reach out if you have a question or need assistance and we will work through your specific situation.
The Facilities department will continue to provide services on campus, as needed, for cleaning and maintenance of buildings. Grounds services will also continue with landscape maintenance as needed. If there is a concern in your building or area, please continue to submit a work order or call 865-1800 to report the issue. Facilities personnel will be monitoring the TMA work request system as well as the 865-1800 phone line
The University of Nebraska Foundation is temporarily allowing scanned copies of receipts as supporting documentation for payment requests and accepting scanned signatures on payment and transfer requests. This change does not impact the approvals currently required.
A completed Request for Payment from Foundation Funds with receipts & signatures can be scanned to unkfinance@unk.edu. Do not scan any sensitive information (social security numbers, credit card numbers, driver’s license numbers, etc.). Redact sensitive information as needed before scanning.
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:
https://sapphire.nebraska.edu/ucontent/271c45b5981d44c69f706725765064de_en-US/index.pdf
Please submit completed forms to the Human Resources Office.
As you are filing your 2019 taxes, now is a perfect time to think about your preferred delivery method for your 2020 W-2 form. All UNK employees can now enroll for online delivery of their 2020 W2 tax statement by logging into Firefly>Employee Self Service>W-2 Form>Enroll for W-2 Online Delivery.
Follow the on screen steps to designate your preferred tax statement delivery method. By opting for online W-2 forms, not only will you save paper but you will also have accessibility to your W-2 form at any time through Firefly. The forms are also available online at least a week before the paper forms are sent out to those users who do not designate their W-2 delivery method or who opt for a paper W-2 form.
You do not need to enroll again if you already opted for the online delivery as your selection carries forward each year. If you do not log into Firefly and make an election, you will receive a paper W-2 form by default.
If you have any questions, please contact Payroll at 865-8184.
Loper Dollars make a great gift for a high school graduate who will be attending UNK next fall. Loper Dollars can be used at all campus dining locations, the Nebraskan Welcome Desk, and select copiers and printers. Remember, purchases at campus dining locations using Loper Dollars are discounted 20% automatically! Contact the Finance Office for more information at 8012.
There will be two opportunities for you to attend an Informational Meeting on Fiscal Year-end Procedures. Topics to be covered include budget encumbrances and balances carried forward, accrual adjustments, payroll processing, AP parked document processing, procurement card processing and more. Please contact Scott Olson at 8785 or Carrie Stithem at 8865 if you have questions.
Monday, April 27, 3:00-4:00 PM, Copeland 140 Register
Thursday, April 30, 2:00-3:00 PM, Ockinga Auditorium Register
Training on the financial reports that are available in SAP and Firefly is available upon request. The training can assist departments in managing their budgets and demonstrate how to read and understand financial reports. Please contact Scott Olson at 8785 if you have questions.
Financial Report Training - available upon request Register
Expenditures related to the pandemic should be tracked in SAP by populating the user defined field with COVID19. Include any lost costs, such as nonrefundable flights and conference registrations. Should UNK be eligible for a reimbursement, this will assist staff in pulling together data. The user defined field can be populated at the time of purchase or added/modified at a later date. Contact Scott Olson (ext. 8785) in the Finance Office with questions on how to use the user defined field.
In April, departments will receive an email requesting confirmation of major equipment (cost $5,000 or greater or any licensed vehicles). Please confirm the inventory of equipment by physically inspecting it, verifying the accuracy of the recorded information, and indicating the condition of the asset on the confirmation. If there is major equipment held by the department that is not listed, please add its information to the confirmation. Departments with no major equipment recorded will need to confirm they do not have any.
Departments can complete the confirmations the following two ways:
Please return the completed confirmations by the due date on the confirmation. We recognize these are extraordinary times, and the due date is flexible, if needed. Contact Ross Pierce at piercerl@unk.edu or 8007 with any questions or concerns.
With more employees working remotely and students being loaned computer related equipment, it is important that departments implement some controls to ensure University property is handled appropriately. All equipment being taken off campus by employees or loaned out to students should be tracked in some manner and authorized by the department head who regularly oversees custody of that equipment. At a minimum, a department should track what the piece of equipment is, its serial number, who has it, and if the person is an employee or a student. Departments authorizing equipment to be taken off campus or loaned out will be responsible for ensuring it is eventually returned. Contact Ross Pierce at piercerl@unk.edu or 8007 with any questions or concerns.
Normally, departments are required to record laptop computers and other mobile electronic devices such as iPads, tablets, cell phones, and external hard drives as objects on loan if assigned to an employee or taken/kept off campus. Desktop computers, printers, or fax machines that are taken home or off campus are also required to be recorded on objects on loan. Departments, at their discretion, may include other specific items such as cameras, iPods, research equipment, or other equipment on an employee’s objects on loan.
During this abnormal time, we request departments track temporary assignments of equipment. The items temporarily assigned are not required to be added to an employee’s objects on loan. Confirmations of objects on loan will be sent out in late May or early June in anticipation that these temporary assignments will no longer be necessary, and the equipment will have been returned to campus. If equipment is still assigned at that time, departments will need to add those items to the confirmation so that the Asset Records Manager can update the employee’s objects on loan. Contact Ross Pierce at piercerl@unk.edu or 8007 with any questions or concerns.
Employees can review items assigned to them in SAP objects on loan by navigating to Firefly > Employee Self Service > My Employment > On Loan.
Departments can review information for all employees in their department by running a report in SAP. See instructions at Firefly > Sapphire > Reference Guides > UNK > Finance Office > SAP Objects on Loan Report Instructions.
Personal use of University property by employees is generally prohibited, except where allowed by Board of Regents and UNK policies. University property includes any items purchased with University funds including grants, contracts, awards, gifts, and Foundation funds as well as donated items. For more information, please see the Employee Use of UNK Resources Policy at
https://www.unk.edu/about/compliance/files/employee-use-of-resources-policy.pdf
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!