Financial Services Office

FSO Monthly Newsletter Archive
 

The University of Arizona


January, 2006

In this edition:
 

1. UA Annual Report available on the Web
2. Compliance and Internal Control
3. Frequently Asked Questions - Designated Lodging
4. Employee Link: W-2 Forms Available
5. Kuali Project Update
6. Business Community Open Forum
7. Introducing FSO's New Employees
8. FSO Positions Open

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1. UA Annual Report available on the Web

The UA Annual Financial Report for fiscal year ended June 30, 2005 is available as a pdf file for you to view or print at http://www.fso.arizona.edu/fso/annualre/2005finance.pdf.

Previous versions of the Annual Report are available at:
http://www.fso.arizona.edu/fso/annualre/

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2. Compliance and Internal Control

The first step of the new University Compliance Program, established within Financial Services Office, will be to review Purchasing Card transactions. Purchasing Card transactions are one of the several types of transactions that will be reviewed through the Compliance Program. Purchasing card transactions processed between July and December have been selected at random for review and original documentation will be requested from the initiating department.

An effective compliance program relies upon a foundation of a good system of internal control. Internal control means different things to different people. This can create confusion and anxiety. A reference to a breakdown in internal controls is often referred to when a person wants to bring attention to a certain matter or elicit some type of action. It may, in fact, be an overstatement of the condition. In order to respond to a perceived breakdown, one must understand the specifics of the situation and the elements involved in internal control.

Each month we will be focusing on one of the following elements of internal control:


* Control environment
* Risk assessment
* Control activities
* Information and communication
* Monitoring

This month's focus is on Control Activities. "Control activities" is the area that we as employees, managers, and caretakers of the University can directly influence. Control activities include a variety of policies, procedures, practices or processes that are designed to ensure that necessary actions are taken to enforce the policies established by regulators or management.

A definition of Internal Control and detailed information on "Control Activities," including examples, is available via the following link: http://bizcomm.arizona.edu/internalcontrol/

Each month we will be building on the above page to include the other elements of Internal Control.

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3. Frequently Asked Questions - Designated Lodging

Question: If there is designated lodging, but the hotel has no more vacancies and a nearby hotel is selected, is the reimbursement the higher designated lodging rate or the lower rate on the Reimbursement Rate Index?

Answer: The reimbursement would be the cost of the hotel used. If the amount exceeds the allowed per diem, then you will need to attach a memo of explanation.

FSO maintains a database of frequently asked questions. Visit our FAQ page at http://www.fso.arizona.edu/fso/fm/faq.asp to review previously asked questions, search by category or keyword, or ask a question of your own.

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4. Employee Link: W-2 Forms Available

W-2 forms and information for years 2001-2005 are available through Employee Link. Sign on to Employee link at http://emplink.arizona.edu/, click on the Payroll Info button on the left, and then click on the appropriate year under the heading "Form W-2 Wage and Tax Information."

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5. Kuali Project Update

- March 31, 2006 deliverables have been finalized (a subset of Phase I - all of Phase I will be delivered at the end of the 2nd quarter).
- Testing continues
- eDocs: Transfer of Funds and Journal Voucher, Disbursement Voucher and Cash Receipt to start in a few weeks.
- Kuali Research Administration: Budget Document
- Chart of Accounts: New Account and Object Code documents
- Quarterly Kuali Functional Council Face to Face in San Francisco, February 7-9, 2006
- Second Kuali Days scheduled for April 10th and 11th, 2006 in Indianapolis
- Second round of campus updates will be held mid to end of February and March

http://www.kuali.arizona.edu/

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6. Business Community Open Forum

The next Open Forum is scheduled for April 19, 2006; 2:00 - 3:30, Student Union South Ballroom.

Notes and materials from the Forum held on January 25th, Effort Reporting, will be available at the end of the week and a separate notice will be sent out. Additionally, we'll be adding a link to the Biz.Comm website called "Best Practices" where we will include information on how some departments address policy requirements, such as Effort Reporting and the Dual Signature requirement.

http://bizcomm.arizona.edu/bcof.html

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7. Introducing FSO's New Employees

The following employees have joined FSO within the last month. Please welcome

Andrea Bushong - Accountant, Financial Management
Roberta Liakos - Office Specialist, Senior, Operations.

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8. FSO Positions Available - FSO is currently recruiting for the following positions:

Job Title: Accountant, Senior
Department: FSO - Financial Management
Job Number: 34253

Job Title: Administrative Assistant
Department: FSO - Bursar's Office
Job Number: 34255

Job Title: Office Specialist, Senior
Department: FSO - Bursar's Office
Job Number: 34256

Job Title: Program Coordinator
Department: FSO - Operations
Job Number: 34249

To review the postings, go to https://www.uacareertrack.com/, click "Search Postings" on the bar on the left, and search for the specific Job Number.

 


Contact: Kymber Horn