All posts by Aaron Jaco

Fiscal year-end purchasing guidelines

With the University’s fiscal year-end (June 30, 2017) approaching, below are recommended guidelines for efficient and effective year-end processing of purchases.

Accounting for departmental expenses:

In accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, Drake is required to report transactions in the proper fiscal period. For that reason, expenses are recorded in the period when goods are received and/or services are rendered. In short, items expensed to a FY17 budget will need to be received before June 30, 2017.  Factors such as budget allocation, invoice receipt, or payment issuance would not have an impact on the application of expenses within a fiscal period.

Exceptions to this general rule apply when a benefit of service or receipt of item extends into multiple fiscal years. In such cases, the following guidelines will be applied.

  • Expenses less than $5,000: will be charged against the fiscal year in which the majority of the expense will be incurred. (For example, if a subscription is purchased for $3,000 and covers the period of 7/1/16 through 12/31/17, the expense would be charged to FY17)
  • Expenses greater than or equal to $5,000: will be split into the fiscal years according to the percentage of benefit received during each fiscal period. (For example, if a subscription is purchased for $10,000 that covers a period of 7/1/16 through 6/30/18, $5,000 would be charged to FY17 and $5,000 charged to FY18)

The University’s guidelines for year-end purchases are subject to external audit. As you make purchases during this period leading up to and overlapping our fiscal year end, it is important to note when the goods or services were received so they are expensed according to reporting requirements. If the timing of receipt is not clearly noted on the invoice, it would be beneficial to help call the receipt date to accounting’s attention by clearly marking the appropriate fiscal year for the expense, based on the above guidelines, on the pay request.

Please contact accounting at x2125 or accounting@drake.edu with any questions you might have.

Year-end timeline:

In order to facilitate efficient and effective year-end processing, the following timeline is recommended for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2017.

Deadline Action Additional Information
June 1 Initiate final FY17 purchase orders Please contact Caron Findlay at x2424 or caron.findlay@drake.edu with any questions you have regarding purchase orders.

 

Please contact Monita Jackson at x3918 or itspurchasing@drake.edu for computer order requests.

 

June 15 Complete FY17 purchases with vendor All purchases should be completed by this date in order to allow for settlement of the transaction and receipt of the goods or services by June 30.  

 

Clear outstanding FY17 Travel Advances Please contact accounting at x2125 or accounting@drake.edu with any questions you have regarding outstanding travel advances.

 

June 23 Review FY17 account activity through May All accounts should be reviewed in Banner on a timely basis throughout the fiscal year. Any corrections for July through May activity should be submitted to accounting by this date.

 

Submit all FY17 payment requests All payment requests for FY17 should be submitted to Accounting.

 

June 30 Review and submit all FY17 purchasing card statements All FY17 purchasing card statements should be reviewed and submitted to Accounting with required documentation.

 

July 14 Submit requests for FY17 restricted or endowed spending transfers.

 

All requests for restricted or endowed spending should be submitted to Kathy Veach at kathy.veach@drake.edu.

 

Final review of FY17 account activity At this point, only June transactions should need to be reviewed. It is highly recommended that prior months’ activity be reviewed as stated above in the timeline. Any corrections should be submitted to accounting by this date.

—Heather Travis, Finance and Administration

Improvements coming to self-service password change tool

ITS has been developing a new and improved password change tool for the last few months. Set to launch on April 10, this new tool will make it easier for students, faculty, staff, and all campus constituents to reset their passwords or recover forgotten passwords.

Instead of having to call the Support Center to reset a forgotten password, everyone will be able to reset their own password. The first time anyone uses the new password change tool, they will be asked to answer security questions, provide a personal email address, or enter a personal mobile phone number. If you later forget your password, this information allows you to recover it without Support Center assistance.

The password tool will still be located at password.drake.edu, just with improved functionality and usability. Passwords will continue to expire annually, with email notifications from ITS to inform users of the need to change their passwords.

Strong passwords are the first line of defense to keeping personal and institutional data safe. Want to learn more about how to create them? Try this password game from Carnegie Mellon University.

—Carla Herling, ITS

Upcoming ITS maintenance planned for April 2

ITS is making updates to network infrastructure. As a result, internet access and access to Drake online resources will be unavailable between 5 and 6 a.m. on Sunday, April 2. This upgrade is being made to ensure that our back up services are automated from our data center in Shakopee, Minn.

We appreciate your patience while we perform this necessary work. If you continue to have any issues after the planned maintenance window, please contact the Support Center at 515-271-3001 or supportcenter@drake.edu.

—Carla Herling, ITS

$10 chair massages

Step away from your worries and take a 10-minute vacation with a relaxing chair massage. On April 12 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Olmsted Center Drake Room, and April 13 from 2 to 4 p.m. in Cowles Library Collier Heritage Room, licensed massage therapist Anne Boal will be giving chair massages.

Cost is $10 for a 10-minute chair massage paid directly to Anne Boal at the time of your appointment—correct change cash or check only. One name will be drawn after the event and that person will receive a gift certificate for a free 10-minute chair massage!
Click the link below to register for the day and time of your choice.mYou may register for one or two time slots per online registration form.

April 12 (Olmsted Center Drake Room)

April 13 (Cowles Library Collier Heritage Room)

For additional information or questions, please contact Linda Feiden at linda.feiden@drake.edu.

—Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Take control of your health

The College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences is facilitating three wellness events in April for faculty and staff. You may participate in any or all of these programs.

Bone Density Screening: Monday, April 3, 9 a.m.–noon, Johansen Lab, Harvey Ingham 107. Cost is $5, payable at the time of your screening. The procedure is easy and painless but requires that you place a bare foot in an ultrasound device so dress accordingly. Beside age, you are also at higher risk for osteoporosis—and could benefit from this screening—if you have a poor diet, lack of exercise, a thin frame, are a postmenopausal woman, a heavy consumer of alcohol, or a smoker. Please click HERE to register for an appointment. There are only 13 remaining appointments available so don’t delay! For more information please contact Linda Feiden at linda.feiden@drake.edu.

Medication Review Presentation: Friday, April 7, 11:30 a.m., Harvey Ingham, Room 112. Are you taking multiple prescription and over-the-counter medications? Do you know how each medication reacts with others? This presentation is for those interested in better understanding their medications and the best ways to manage them. After the presentation, interested participants may set up a day and time to meet 1-on-1 with a representative from the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences to go through a review of their medications. To register for this class, please contact Linda Feiden.

Blood Pressure Presentation Followed by Free BP Checks: Monday, April 10, 10 a.m., Cline Hall, Room 127. High blood pressure is known as the “silent killer” because it rarely causes symptoms, yet inflicts serious damage to the body. Left untreated, it can lead to a heart attack, stroke, or other potentially fatal conditions. Find out what your blood pressure numbers mean and ways to reduce your risk. Attendees will have an opportunity after the presentation to have their blood pressure checked. To register for this class please contact Linda Feiden.

—Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Nelson Institute Undergraduate Conference on Global Affairs

Are you interested in global affairs, war crime prosecution, the Fulbright program, global business connections, global research, or experiential learning?  Then please register this week to attend all or parts of the Nelson Conference April 5–8.  More information and conference registration can be found here. If you’ve created a poster, photo book, etc. to share your global experiences at Drake, please contact denise.ganpat@drake.edu.

Lunch this week with leaders at The Harkin Institute

It’s not too late to apply to have lunch at The Harkin Institute with Thomas Ahart, Superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools. This lunch takes place tomorrow: Tuesday, March 21, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Apply here!

The second lunch hosted by The Harkin Institute this week is with Izaah Knox, associate executive director of Urban Dreams. Apply here to join him this Friday, March 24, from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m.

—Erin Austin, The Harkin Institute