1. OUF Balances
2. August Budget Amounts
   
3. Research Incentive Accounts
   
4. Equipment Directory
   
5. Reminder for Restricted Accounts
   
6. Update for PO Referral Procedures
   
7. Encumbrance Balances
   
8. Cell Phone Policy
   
9. Email Addresses for Finance Staff
   
10. Change in Close Date for Project Accounting Module
    
11. Sixty (60) Day Rule for Accounting Corrections
    
12. Reminder for Unrestricted Research Accounts
    
13. Previous issues of Business Matters

P-CARD: P-card transactions posted through August 12, 2005 are in your August reports. 

MEETING: The next Campus Financial Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, September 28 at 2:00 p.m. in the Human Resources and Training Center, Room 141-145.

If you cannot make it to the meeting, please visit the web site at: http://www.finance.ohiou.edu/campusfmtg/ for access to information discussed at the meeting.  This information is usually posted by the end of the day on the Friday following the meeting.

OUF BALANCES:  Please remember that OU Foundation account balances are NOT final until the annual audit is complete.  Balances are in 3^rdclose reports are subject to change.  Please use the OU Funds Available View for the most recent account balance.  You will be notified once these account balances are final.  If you have any questions, please contact the Ohio University Foundation accounting office at 593-1882.

AUGUST BUDGET AMOUNTS:  The budget amounts in your August reports should represent your purchase order carryforward budget,and your original budget load is anticipated to take place in September.  You will be notified via email once the carryfoward budget is in the system so you can use the OU Funds Available View to access this information.

RESEARCH INCENTIVE ACCOUNTS:  Research Incentive accounts will be brought up to date in September for FY 2006 activity. This will include your budget allocations for the months of July, August, and September. Carryforward budgets should be loaded as well.

EQUIPMENT INVENTORY:  The annual Equipment Inventory report was sent out August 8, 2005 via campus and electronic mail.  If your department has not received their their report or the name of the contact person needs to be changed please contact our office at 3-1904.  The "CERTIFICATION OF MOVEABLE EQUIPMENT INVENTORY AS OF JUNE 30, 2005. The next quarterly report will be sent out October 7^TH by electronic mail.

This year Equipment Inventory would like to ask for your assistance in identifying room numbers for all equipment that currently has "UNASSIGNED" as its location. The room assignment is critical for the next Indirect Cost Study that Linda Shapiro, Assistant Controller, will be preparing.  If the item is stored in an area without a room number please note on the spreadsheet where it is located, for example: basement of the HDL Center. Vehicles do not need a room number.

REMINDER FOR RESTRICTED ACCOUNTS:  Please do not place expenses on a restricted account while waiting for another restricted account to be set up. If the department is fairly certain of a new award and is waiting for the paperwork,  a pre-award form should be completed so a zero-dollar budget can be established. The form is located at the following web site:  http://www.ohiou.edu/orsp/budget/preaward_form.htm

Otherwise, the expense should be on a research incentive or operating account.

UPDATE FOR PO REFERRAL PROCEDURES:  As mentioned previously, invoices for services, on a Grant Account, will continue to be sent for approval at 100%. Here is an update to the definitions of these invoices:  Eligible invoices are defined as invoices for payments to be made on Project numbers starting with G or UE, AND with natural accounts starting with "18," "19," or "797."

ENCUMBRANCE BALANCES:  If there is a discrepancy between your M100 and M910 reports, it is most likely caused by a commitment reservation that will either disappear from your account (because the req needed deleted) or be turned into a PO. Keep in mind that the M910 report is for approved Purchase Orders. The M100 report shows all commitment reservations of funds. If you have any questions regarding encumbrance discrepancies between your reports, please feel free to contact either Diane Lucas at lucasd1@ohio.edu  or Tanya Bibler at 7-1417 or biblert@ohio.edu

CELL PHONE POLICY :  Effective February 3, 2005 University-owned cellphone users must not renew cell phone contracts, or establish new ones.  Effective February 3, 2007 (two years from the policy effective dated) the University will no longer own cell phones- i.e, payments to cell phone providers will not be made by the University cell phones.  To learn more, see the policy at  http://www.cats.ohiou.edu/policy/55-075.html , and cell phone guidelines at http://www.finance.ohiou.edu/purch/cellphone.htm

E-MAIL ADDRESSES FOR FINANCE STAFF :  Make sure that you are using Oak e-mail addresses for Finance staff because the former Lotus email addresses are no longer valid.

CHANGE IN CLOSE DATE FOR PROJECT ACCOUNTING MODULE:  Due to recent Oracle FMS system upgrades and process changes, the Project Accounting Module will close the last day of the month beginning with August.  This affects all grants, contracts, plant and capital improvement accounts. Any transaction received at the end of the month will be processed during the following month.  Please use PSI (Project Status Inquiry) to review your account during the course of the month for the current status of activity in the project.

SIXTY (60) DAY RULE FOR ACCOUNTING CORRECTIONS: Please note that effective July 1, corrections for transactions over 60 days will not be processed by the Division of Finance.

REMINDER FOR UNRESTRICTED RESEARCH ACCOUNTS:  There is currently an SOP in the Accounting Manual that addresses the funding of unrestricted Research Accounts.  This SOP can be found by clicking the following link:  http://www.finance.ohiou.edu/accounting/research_accounts_fund.htm

You may want to take a few minutes to review the document.   Please note that deposits are not permitted in these accounts.   

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