Finance and Administration News

New PCard Release Delayed

During the August Business Forum, it was announced that we were anticipating the release of new purchasing cards (PCards) in mid/late October. Given the announcement of the Phase II plans and a large number of faculty and staff working continuing to work remotely to decrease density at our locations, the PCard issuance has been delayed until spring 2021. The current pcard provider, JP Morgan Chase, has extended the current agreement with the University until June 30, 2021.

The Parking Spot Updates

During these uncertain times, most University travel is still suspended, however, there are some exceptions.  As updates are made, we will be certain to inform you so that you are ready when travel is allowed.  The Parking Spot at the John Glenn International Airport in Columbus is a preferred provider offering discounts for both business and personal travel for OHIO employees.

System Access: Oracle E-Business Suite

CFAOs are responsible for approving and monitoring access to Oracle EBIZ responsibilities for users assigned to their planning unit.  In order to make that process easier and more convenient, a new dashboard has been created to assist in this process. The following user roles are to be monitored and adjusted, in accordance with planning unit business needs and personnel changes, by the CFAOs:

Journal Entry Template (JET) - Correction Reminders

60 Day Rule for Corrections

Please remember that correction journal entries are to be uploaded within 60 days of the original transaction date. Correction journals require an original GL Transaction date for GL entries or Grants Expenditure Item Date for Grants entries as well as a 60 Day Correction Reason, if the original transaction’s effective date for GL entries or Expenditure Item Date for Grants entries is more than 60 days prior to the correction. Special circumstances for late entries must be documented in the 60 Day Correction Reason field in JET.  The journal entry will be reversed if it is late and the circumstances are not appropriate for a late entry.

Everyone should be reviewing their accounts on a regular basis to identify corrections in a timely manner.

Authorized Purchases

The Purchasing Department continues to assist the campus community for their purchases of goods and services and would like to remind faculty, staff, and students of best practices and policies that the University have in place.

Reminder: GASB 87 - Lease Accounting

The Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB) is the source of generally accepted accounting principles used by state and local governments in the United States. Ohio University, as a public institution, reports its financial statements using GASB. GASB has recently required the implementation of Statement 87 – Lease Accounting which has required changes in the way the University accounts for lease expenses and lease revenues. As a result of this change the following new object codes have been implemented:

Appalachia Ohio Zero Waste Initiative receives renewal funding from Sugar Bush Foundation

The Appalachia Ohio Zero Waste Initiative (AOZWI) will continue to foster initiatives and activities to contribute to the long term goal of a zero-waste economy during the 2020-21 fiscal year.

OBI Dashboard Updates

The following OBI Dashboard changes were deployed on the evening of July 21.   

Shred-It Update

As we continue to navigate through the new normal of the pandemic, here are some reminders about using Shred-It.

Contract Extension:

OHIO’s confidential shredding agreement through Shred-It has been extended through June 30, 2021.  This new agreement, effective July 1, 2020, will have an increase in price of 2% per pickup and a 7.5% recycling surcharge for University customers.  As the cost of doing business continues to rise, the OHIO Purchasing department continues to work with vendors to negotiate the best possible prices for our campus community.

Message from the Bursar

The Office of the Bursar will remain closed to in-person interactions until further notice due to COVID-19. However, all staff members are working remotely and available for business needs. A few staff members work in the office several days per week to process deposits and mailed payments.  Departments that interact with the Bursar may already be familiar with these processes, but we are sharing this with all customers as we move into our first ever remote fall term opening. These guidelines have been put into place to assist departments with daily processing.