Academic Personnel Manual

The Academic Personnel Manual (APM) is a good resource for answers to academic personnel questions. The Academic Personnel Manual includes the following sections:

1. General Univ. Policy Regarding Academic Appointees (APM-005 to APM-190)
2. Appointment and Promotion (APM-200 to APM-420)
3. Recruitment (APM-500 to APM-570)
4. IV. Salary Administration (APM-600 to APM-690)
5. Benefits and Privileges (APM-700 to APM-760)

You may view the entire manual at http://www.ucop.edu/acadadv/acadpers/apm

Accounting and Budgetary Information

Diana Marroquin and Josie Ayala are the Budget Analysts. They produce your monthly financial statements to help you manage your budgets and assist you in estimates for contract and grant purposes. Dawn Viebach coordinates all issues related to payroll, including new hire relocations, onboarding, and benefits. She also handles reimbursements, relocations, special purchases. Odie Jasso handles all Academic Student Employees (ASEs).

Accounting Structure

The University uses a series of identifiers that together comprise the Full Accounting Unit (FAU). When charging things on campus, you may be asked to provide an FAU in the below format. FAUs can be obtained for approved university business from Diana or Josie. Example:

Funds

University accounting falls under the special guidelines for fund accounting. Our financial system creates a unique six-digit departmental/program number and a unique five-digit number for each fund source, contract, grant, or gift received. All financial transactions are identified by fund source.

General State Funds

These are state funds and are generally designated as 19900 or 199XX and are often referred to as nineteen nine hundred funds.

Cost Centers

Cost Centers are descriptive codes that generally describe for whom or for what expenditure is being incurred. A unique cost center is assigned to each faculty. There are also cost centers for general administrative costs. The MDU tries to ensure that the FAU for all orders, purchase requests, reimbursements, and other documents contain a cost center to better help track the expense.

Project Codes

Project Codes are descriptive codes that can be created to further describe for whom or for what something is being purchased. For instance, if a faculty member wants to track a separate group of expenses, we can create new project codes as needed.

Various Donor Funds

These are funds from which private contributions and donations have been made. Faculty may request a Various Donors Fund at the time they receive their first gift and it’s clear the fund will receive continuous donations. Currently, the University assesses a 5% fee on all incoming gifts and the Chancellor’s Office takes a small assessment fee as well. Funds should not be accepted as gifts if they obligate the faculty member to provide specific work or research for the donor. Incoming funds that obligate the PI should be considered either a grant or a contract. The FAO or Financial Analyst can help you navigate your donor fund needs.

Sales and Service Funds

These funds are used when you need to bill for products you are selling or an agreement is entered into in which you provide a service for a fee. There are strict requirements for these types of funds and they can take several months to set up. If you need to set up a Sales and Service fund, please contact Diana Marroquin and Josie Ayala.

Extramural Funds

Funds received from agencies outside the University of California from contracts and/or grants are defined as extramural funds. Extramural funds are usually referred to as contract and grant funds or research funds. Research funds may not be charged for personal use even if you intend to reimburse the expense. For example, no one should make personal telephone calls if the line is charged to a grant. We are not allowed to reimburse the expense, and in an audit, you could be found to have misused contract or grant funds. Research and Gant funds must follow the agency-approved purpose.

Transfers and Expenditures

Normally, University accounting policies and fund accounting guidelines prohibit transferring revenue from one fund to another. Therefore, our usual choice for making corrections and adjustments to funds is to transfer expenses. Generally accepted accounting principles dictate that excessive transfers of this type are symptoms of systemic problems. Because of this, we try to post expenses to the correct fund initially, rather than make corrections later. Expenses cannot be transferred 120 days past the expiration date of awards. All transactions have edit checks to ensure the grants have not expired.

Checks for Deposit

Any checks you receive that are made out to UC Regents should be immediately brought to the MDU Business Office for deposit into the designated purpose funds. If a check is going to a foundation-housed fund, the check will need to be made out to the UCR Foundation and not UC Regents, and preferably sent directly to the foundation with a notation in the “note field” for the purpose of the check. Please contact Diana Marroquin or Josie Ayala for more information.

Contract and Grants

Administratively, there are two types of contract and grant activities: Those that involve activities that take place prior to an award being made, and those that take place after. Activities that take place prior to an award include submitting proposals and post-award activities include setting up new funds, tracking financial transactions for ongoing awards, terminating, and reconciling an award that is expired.

Proposal and Budget Preparation

Contract and Grant budget preparation is handled centrally through the Dean’s Office Contract and Grant Unit. When you first decide to submit a proposal, promptly contact your assigned Dean’s Office Contract Analyst. All proposals must be routed through UCR Research and Economic Development (RED) via the Dean’s office. Please do not deliver your proposal directly to RED. Our Budget Analysts along with the Contract Analyst is available to assist you in preparing or reviewing your application budget and justification. Please note that all PIs who are not faculty are required by the Unit to submit their grant proposals with a departmental faculty member listed as Co-PI.

Post-Award Contract and Grandt Administration

The UCR Central Accounting Office will set up a new fund number for your grant when a proposal is awarded. Contact Budget Analyst with questions as to timing or additional processing requirements. When you receive an Award notification directly from an agency, please submit a copy to Diana Marroquin or Josie Ayala.

Monthly Financial Statements

Every month the Budget Analysts provides each faculty with financial statements that may require a signature or email acknowledgment of receipt. These statements provide details of the prior month's expenditures made and the balance remaining for each account. It is extremely important to review statements promptly and report any errors or discrepancies to the Analysts. Prompt correction of errors is especially important for federal contracts and grants, and those with federal flow-through dollars. To avoid disallowances, cost transfers must be processed within 120 days after the date of the original transaction.

Expired Funds

When a fund is approaching the expiration date, it is important that you notify your Budget Analyst so they can move recurring charges (fleet, communications, payroll, etc.), and close out the grant within the appropriate timeline.

No-Cost Extensions

If a PI is unable to complete the research by the deadline given by the agency, the faculty member needs to consult with Analysts to facilitate the grant extension and prepare any required documents for requesting a no-cost extension.

Reimbursements

Francesca Moreira and Geneva Amador process reimbursements in the order received. All reimbursements require various levels of electronic approval. It can take up to three weeks before payments are made. This doesn’t include MDU staff processing times and various level approvals. If proper documentation is not submitted and outlined, expect a further delay. It minimally takes one month for the prior month’s expenditures to show up on monthly financial statements.

US Bank Corporate Credit Card

The University offers faculty and qualifying staff a US Bank Visa corporate card. (See campus policy 900-05.) The card may be used for business-related travel expenses, and you may obtain a cash travel advance of up to $300 through the Campus Cashier’s office. (It is permissible for you to charge personal expenses on the card, but naturally, you will not be reimbursed for these.) Your statement will be sent directly to your home and you are responsible for paying it. The University pays an annual renewal fee. If you are interested in the corporate card, the application for the US Bank is available at https://accounting.ucr.edu/forms/usbankapp.rtf. For any additional questions, please contact your budget analyst.

ADMINISTRATIVE

Computer Support

The Microcomputer Support Group is a support system available on campus providing telephone help desk support, on-site hardware and software diagnostic, repair service, training classes, and more. The on-site support is free to faculty (Academic Computer Support). There is a recharge rate for all others. You might want to check out their web site at https://its.ucr.edu for a more comprehensive list of services. For questions and current recharge rates, give them a call at 2-3555.

Entertainment Expense Reimbursement Requests

In some cases, it is prudent and necessary to host a distinguished visitor for a meal. This is classified as an entertainment expense. A distinguished visitor is defined as a campus guest who will meet with peers to discuss collaborative research and serves the purpose of conducting substantial and bona fide University business. A distinguished visitor may also be a candidate for a position in the department or a seminar speaker. You will need to provide a list of attendees including their names, titles, and relationship to UCR, plus the original itemized receipt(s). Request for this type of reimbursement should be submitted to Francesca Moreira and Geneva Amador and discussed in advance. Entertainment expenses may not be included on a Travel Expense Worksheet (If you pay for another traveler’s meal, it is considered an entertainment expense.) Allowable expenses vary depending on the purpose of the person’s visit to UCR and whether they are being entertained by students or faculty. Please be sure to check with Francesca Moreira or Geneva Amador before your entertainment occurs for policies and procedures. This will help prevent Accounting from rejecting your reimbursement request.

The University has issued guidelines concerning Entertainment Expenses incurred with official University business. The purpose of these guidelines is to clarify Campus Policy Number 200-44.

Alcoholic beverages generally are not allowed and may not be purchased from State General Funds or federal funds. Such expense should be discussed in advance with the Chair and administrative staff. In such cases, expenditures for alcohol should be kept to a reasonable percentage of the total food bill.

Entertainment expenses of the spouse (or equivalent) of a guest or the official host may be permissible as exceptional entertainment, provided such entertainment serves a bona fide University business purpose. Requests for exceptions must be made by the department through Francesca Moreira or Geneva Amador in advance of an event. “After-the-fact” requests may not be approved. Please remember that an itemized receipt is required for all entertainment expenditures.

With respect to entertainment in connection with colloquium and guest speaker events, departments are requested to limit the number of UC faculty/other department personnel/students attending meals between two to four persons. When arranging recruitment-related meals, it’s recommended no more than two-three UC personnel in the case of a junior hire and up to five in the case of a senior hire.

Events

Francesca Moreira and Geneva Amador are the staff contact for all things related to events and can help you plan by providing information on policy, room reservations, catering, budget quotes, etc. to help your event run effectively and smoothly.

General Catalog

The General Catalog is updated annually. This includes new course proposals, changes to existing courses, changes to titles, additions, changes to courses, and new or changes to existing programs. Undergraduate is MDU Enrollment Assistant Agnes Lee and Graduate level is Graduate Student Officer Iselda Salgado.

Key Distribution

Francesca Moreira and Geneva Amador are responsible for maintaining and issuing keys Unit related rooms. Faculty may authorize keys for their assistants to certain areas.

Near Relatives

The employment of near relatives in the same department/Unit may be permitted when such concurrent employment would be in the best interest of the University. For the purpose of this policy, a near relative is defined as a spouse, parent, child, sibling, step-relative, or in-law. A member of the University staff will not participate in the processes of review and decision-making or any matter concerning appointment, promotion, salary, retention, or termination of a near relative. All requests to hire near relatives must receive approval by the Dean’s office prior to the individual’s start date. If you need to hire someone who is a near relative or a near relative of someone else working in the department, please consult with the FAO.

New Employee Benefits

Human Resources offer new employee benefits orientations. All university medical, dental, retirement, and other benefits will be explained and a question and answer period will be provided. New employees will also receive all materials relating to their benefits. Eligible employees have 31 days from their date of hire to sign up for their benefits either online at https://atyourservice.ucop.edu or by phone at 1-800-888-8267. Employees who transfer from another UC campus or employees whose appointments may have changed will need to contact the Benefits Office. It is advisable, if possible, that employees attend this orientation prior to signing up for their benefits so they can make the best choice.

Personal Services or Consulting Agreements

If you are interested in hiring a consultant for services, provide Francesca Moreira or Geneva Amador with the vendor’s company name, address, and phone number. Please provide this information in an email. If your intent is to hire an individual as a consultant, there are additional requirements. You must submit these requests before making any commitments. This is mandatory to ensure the person is eligible for payment.

Personal Vehicles

A permit for on-campus parking is obtained directly through Transportation and Parking Services located at 683 Linden Street, etc. 2-4395. Permits are to be displayed at all times from the vehicle’s rearview mirror and can be moved from one vehicle to another should you drive more than one car but the additional cars should be registered with Parking Services to avoid tickets. You may pay for your permit quarterly or monthly through payroll deduction. Annual permits are renewable each fiscal year. Parking rules and regulations are strictly enforced; please thoroughly read the literature provided with your permit. Carpooling and alternate methods of transportation, such as bicycling or joining a campus vanpool, are encouraged and participation in these programs is rewarded by Parking Services.

Purchasing

Francesca Moreira and Geneva Amador are MDU’s purchasing coordinators and can provide guidance related to your purchasing needs. He works closely with UCR’s Central Purchasing Department, whose main function is to establish contractual agreements with numerous vendors for the purchase of both campus storehouse and non-storehouse supplies and equipment.

When you wish to purchase an item outside of the department purchasing system, it is highly recommended you check with to ensure that it is permissible for you to purchase this, or you may not be eligible for reimbursement. Furniture, certain equipment, some research supplies, personal service contracts, and professional service contracts, must be coordinated through Francesca Moreira or Geneva Amador. Please consider this is a time-intensive process when submitting and waiting on reimbursement payments. Several types of transactions must be routed through central purchasing which is another layer of approval and time processing.

Rental Car Agencies

The University contracts with several rental car agencies from which cars may be rented at a pre-negotiated rate. These rates include collision damage insurance within the United States. Optional insurance is not reimbursable and, if accepted and is at the user’s expense. Collision damage (or liability damage) insurance is required when traveling in Hawaii, Canada, Mexico, and all other foreign locations, and will be reimbursed by the University. As rental car contracts are negotiated annually and expire at the end of each fiscal year, please contact Francesca Moreira or Geneva Amador for a current list of agencies and the University Account Number associated with each agency.

Saftey

Francesca Moreira and Geneva Amador are the MDU Unit's Safety Coordinator. He interacts with the campus Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) Department and can assist you for your safety-related questions or in cases of emergency. There is also a great deal of information at the EH&S website https://ehs.ucr.edu.

Teaching Schedule

Scheduling of classes is performed for the entire year and each designated staff scheduler works with the Chair of each department/program to best meet the needs of the department and faculty within each discipline.

Travel - General Information

Francesca Moreira and Geneva Amador are the primary Travel Coordinator for the MDU. One of her primary responsibilities is to assist in the submission of travel reimbursement requests. With Francesca Moreira and Geneva Amador's guidance, Travelers are responsible for making their own airline and hotel reservations, etc. (see section on Airline Tickets, Registrations, and Deposits).

Advance payments for registration fees and airline tickets can be paid in advance through the purchase requisition process as a direct expense to the fund. If you personally pay these fees in advance they are not reimbursable until you have completed the total trip.

All reimbursement requests for travel expenses are routed through iTravel, UCR’s online travel expense reporting system. When you return from a trip, you may request reimbursement by completing the MDU Travel Expense Report, which is available in the office. Submit the prepared report, original receipts, within 21 days of the end of your trip. If you submit your travel expense information later than 21 days after the end of your trip, please provide a written explanation as to why it is late, and please be aware Accounting is not obligated to process late submissions. Staff will prepare an iTravel reimbursement request from the information and receipts you provide. Once you have reviewed and approved your iTravel reimbursement request, it will be submitted for further approvals with the final approver being the Chair. The request will then be routed to the UCR central accounting for reimbursement. Charging travel expenses to UCR when they are going to be reimbursed by a third party is not allowable.

Airline Tickets, Registrations, Airlines Allowed for Foreign Travel

You must make every effort to travel on domestic carriers when conducting University business, regardless of the cost savings which may be available on a foreign carrier. (This is mandatory if a federal fund source is to be charged.) When non-federal funds are being charged and a foreign carrier is used, a written justification must accompany the expense reimbursement request

Travelers are responsible for making their own travel arrangements. UCR has contracted with Canyon Crest Travel (951)-788-7611 at travel agencies in Riverside that have agreed to provide the best rates available. Arrangements may be made over the telephone. Tell the agent you are with UCR and your department. After you have selected your itinerary, contact Francesca or Geneva with the name and telephone number of the agent handling your reservations. Ask the agent to fax the itinerary to the MDU Unit at (951) 827-2237. Transactors will provide the Travel Agent with a purchase order number. The cost of the tickets will be directly charged to the approved designated fund. Airline tickets and other travel expenses which are to be reimbursed by a third party or another UC campus may not be charged to UCR funds.

Domestic Meals and Incidentals

The maximum cost of meals and incidentals is currently (check with transactors). Please note that this is not a per diem allowance. Travelers are required by policy to claim the actual cost of their meals and incidentals, which may not exceed the cap off (check with transactors) per day. Please note that no reimbursement may be claimed for trips of less than 24 hours. Domestic meal rates apply to the contiguous United States. For states not covered by domestic rates, e.g. Hawaii, inquire with Francesca or Geneva about the federal OCONUS (Outside the Continental United States) rates.

Foreign Lodging

If lodging does not exceed the allowable federal government per diem rate, no receipt is required but it is University policy to use the most economical means.

Travel Reimbursements

All travel is reimbursed in the most economical mode available. You must save and submit your airline ticket receipt, itemized hotel bill, rental car receipt, registration fee receipt, and/or train receipt. ORIGINAL RECEIPTS ARE REQUIRED. If travel was for attendance at a conference, you must provide proof of attendance, i.e., a name badge or program with your name included as a participant. Original receipts are also required for local transportation, meals, and other miscellaneous expenses costing $75 or more. If you do not have your original receipt(s), you must complete a Declaration of Missing Evidence form available from our website.

If you are required to obtain supplies (examples are poster boards, office supplies, faxing, etc.) while on domestic travel relevant to the purposes of the trip, those receipts are to be turned in with your travel reimbursement request and is considered a business expense. Meals purchased for others while on travel status are considered entertainment and must comply with the entertainment policy (see below). If you entertain while on travel status, those expenses must be claimed on an Entertainment form. Again, it is highly recommended to contact Francesca Moreira and Geneva Amador prior to spending personal funds that may not be reimbursed because the policy wasn’t followed.

The University reimbursement rate for personal car usage changes periodically and is based upon IRS guidelines. Currently, the reimbursement rate is (check with transactors) per mile. A personal vehicle license number must be listed and you must certify that you carry appropriate vehicle insurance to be reimbursed for mileage or parking. There is no institutional maximum set for domestic lodging but remember reimbursement is on the most economical means. Original detailed hotel receipt is required.

University Vehicles

Francesca Moreira and Geneva Amador can assist you with your “University” rental car questions and needs or you may contact Fleet Services directly. A variety of vehicles are available for your use through the campus. Vehicles may be rented on a daily or weekly basis or through a monthly lease agreement. Please call them ahead to reserve a vehicle for a temporary rental. Before you go to Fleet Services to pick up your short-term rental, you will need to obtain a work order from the transactors. For long-term leases, you will also need to obtain a lease request from them. This form requires the department Chair’s signature, so please plan ahead to allow for processing.

Visitor Parking

Invited guests or visitors to UCR may park in one of the designated visitor lots only with a guest parking permit. You may request a parking permit for officially invited department guests, such as visiting collaborators, applicants for advertised departmental jobs, prospective graduate students' on-campus visits, and invited speakers. To obtain a parking permit for your visitors for a bonafide UCR business purpose, contact transactors with the guest’s name, account to be charged, and date of visit. He will then process the order. Metered parking lots are also available in certain locations. Please allow a minimum of 24 hours for processing kiosk requests.

Web Page Maintenance

Departmental web pages are maintained and coordinated by Programmer Analyst/Webmaster kelvin.mac@ucr.edu, 2x5085, for changes, corrections, or additions to department web pages, please contact Kelvin.

Conference Rooms

Contact Francesca Moreira and Geneva Amador to schedule departmental rooms under the MDU. Scheduling the room prevents conflicting room usage.

Work Injury Reporting

The University of California's mission is to provide a safe working environment for all employees and to minimize the adverse impact of work-incurred injuries. In this effort, it’s requested that you report work-incurred injuries within 24 hours of the time of the incident. The goal in requiring the timely reporting of incidents is to promote prompt notification of unsafe conditions so immediate and appropriate remediation can take place. It is absolutely essential that you report all work-related injuries immediately.

There are 2 ways to report a work-incurred injury:

1. Incident Report Form – The form can be downloaded via the Human Resources website http://hr.ucr.edu/publicationsanddocuments.html
2. In the event of a work-incurred injury, the employee and supervisor need to fill out an Incident Report form and fax or e-mail it to Labor Relations & Workers’ Compensation Office and provide a copy to the MDU Office. You can also use the UC Telephonic Claim Reporting – 1-877-682-7778 (1-877-6UC-RPRT). Available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This allows the injured employee or supervisor to report a work-incurred injury by calling UC Telephonic Claim Reporting. This service is free and provided by UCOP Risk Services. An incident report form is still required.

The policies and procedures are subject to change.