September 2008 - EMPLOYEE
FOCUS
Understanding UH Business Seminar Fall 08
Preparations are underway for the next
installment of Understanding UH Business.
This seven-week seminar kicks off Friday,
October 10th and runs through November 21st.
What is the Understanding UH Business
seminar and why is it important?
Understanding UH Business provides
explanations to the key business
transactions and processes at the
university. Have you ever wondered the
following?
- Why can’t I just use any account as
long as the voucher gets processed?
- What is budget checking and why do
we require it?
- What is a liability? What’s an
asset?
- Why is it important to read a
balance sheet?
- What is the importance of fund
codes?
- Why do so many people have to
approve one transaction?
- Who is Accounts Payable and why do
they tell me what to do?
- What is payroll suspense and how do
I
correct it?
- Office of Contracts & Grants or
Contract Administration? What's the
difference?
- What effect do the transactions I
process have on the annual,
administrative reports, and why are
these reports necessary?
- Why do we have so many mandatory
training classes?
- Why are there so many administrative
rules and processes and who makes all of
these rules any way?
- Why is everyone so concerned with
ethical conduct and fraud at the
university?
If you or your staff members ever wanted
to know the answers to these questions, then Understanding UH
Business will provide a comprehensive and
unique perspective. The class instructors
are experts in their particular departments
and together they help the attendees
understand the global effect of individual
business processes – both internally and
externally.
Who can attend this
class?
Classes begin Friday, October 10th from 9am
to noon and continue each successive Friday
for seven weeks. Attendees must be able to
attend all sessions to participate.
Attendance is open to anyone interested in
developing an understanding of the
university’s business processes. To express
interest and be nominated to attend this
class, fill out the nomination form
here
for yourself and/or your direct reports.
Questions about the curriculum or program
should be directed to the Customer Service
Center at
713-743-3988.
Just Around the Corner - FY09 Mandatory Training
It’s almost that time of year again…Annual
Mandatory Training is fast approaching, and
this year we can’t wait to show off some of
the changes we’ve implemented based the
feedback we received from you last year. The
first noticeable change is that mandatory
training is beginning in October (as opposed
to last year’s September go live date) to
avoid the new year rush.
The next
thing you’ll notice is that all employees
will receive one initial notification email
from the Faculty and Staff listservs to
indicate that the four mandatory-for-all
trainings listed below are available online
(as opposed to multiple emails from
PeopleSoft).
This year the following
trainings must be completed by all
university employees (this includes faculty,
staff, student workers, and temporary
employees paid through the payroll system):
|
COURSE CODE |
NAME |
|
H09001 |
Secure Our Systems |
|
F09002 |
FERPA Training |
|
F09037 |
Code of Ethics |
|
F09024 |
Fraud Awareness |
All full-time faculty, all exempt staff,
and non-exempt staff with purchasing
responsibilities will be required to
complete the F09028 – External Consulting &
Related Party Disclosure form as well.
If you are required to complete any Finance
Role-Based training you will receive an
additional
email from our UHS Training listserv
indicating the additional trainings you are
required to complete depending on your
access and/or job duties.
Please note that due to the volume of
enrollments, the Customer Service Center has
already begun to enroll employees into the
trainings in PeopleSoft. This means
that you may be able to view the trainings
in your PASS Training Summary; however,
these trainings will not be available
through your
UHS Online Training account until
October 1, 2008.
All
mandatory trainings must be completed by
December 31, 2008. Future merit eligibility
and other related privileges or access may
be withheld unless training is completed.
Information on training completion will be
provided on a weekly basis to the
college/division administrators and monthly
to the division vice president. If you have
questions about mandatory training, please
contact the Customer Service Center at
713.743.3988.
Who’s Who on Campus
We’ve got a lot of great people
on campus, and we thought you’d like to get
to know more about them. These individuals
have been selected by their colleagues as
people you should know on campus.
CLICK HERE TO
NOMINATE NOW!
Who:
Mary E. Thompson
Data Entry Supervisor
Years of UH Service:
30 years
Department:
Records Retention
How to Contact Me:
713.743.1319
Where to Find Me:
University Business Park Bldg. 3, Room 171
When to Call Me:
Call me if you need your documents stored or have
any questions on how long to retain
documents. I am the records manager for all
financial records. I do all research of
financial documents. My area stores
documents for all departments within the
University of Houston. We also perform
document destruction. We are a service
available to all departments.
Helpful Hint:
Call me between 7:00AM – 5:00PM to set up a
time to bring your records over. I will need
to give you some info before you come.
What I Like Best About My Job:
The best part of my job is there is no
pressure. I love my job. Helping people keep
good records is very important to me. I have
great bosses. Working with the State of
Texas Records department has taught me a
lot. I think I have the best job at the
University of Houston. This is a job that I
can work at until I’m 80 years old and then
I will be “THE ARCHIVES.”
What
Mary’s Colleagues Say:
Cindy Romero
says "Mary is a real institution here at UH.
She possesses an old-school approach to her
job normally absent from the postmodern
workplace. She embraces concepts such as
pride, loyalty and a sense of duty. She is
the type of person you want guarding over
your records, which is why she and Records
Retention are such a perfect fit for one
another. She is a true individual, as
colorful and full of character as she is
professional."
New HealthSelect ID Cards
It's time for new ID Cards.....
New features on your HealthSelect of Texas
ID card may save time and reduce errors....
Soon you will receive your new HealthSelect
medical ID card from Blue Cross and Blue
Shield of Texas (BCBSTX). This card will
look different than previous cards with a
new format and a magnetic stripe on the
back. Always remember to present this card
when visiting a health care provider.
The medical ID card has been formatted to
make it easier for you and your health care
providers to communicate with BCBSTX.
There's a list of important phone numbers,
including the Blue Care Connection® disease
and condition management and Special
Beginnings® prenatal education programs,
the 24/7 Nurseline call-line, and of course,
customer service.
If you have a doctor's appointment on or
after September 1 and have not yet received
your new medical ID card, you can still use
your old HealthSelect ID card or go into
Blue Access for Members on the HealthSelect
Web site and print a temporary ID card. If
you are new to HealthSelect or unable to
utilize Blue Access for Members, you may
contact Customer Service at (800) 252-8039
to request your ID card.
We hope you
and your health care providers enjoy the
convenience your new card offers.
You will also receive a pharmacy ID card
from Caremark, your new pharmacy benefits
administrator, which should be used when
purchasing prescriptions starting September
1, 2008. If you have any questions about
your pharmacy benefits or new pharmacy ID
card, or If your pharmacy benefit card does
not arrive before you need to have a
prescription filled on or after September 1,
call Caremark Customer Care at (888)
886-8490.
Please contact Cody
Pelletier with questions or comments via
email at
cpelletier@uh.edu
or via phone at 713.743.5915.
UHS
Tax Deferred Annuity (403b) Approved Vendors
AIG Retirement
www.aigretirement.com
200 W. Sam
Houston Pkwy
Suite 1580
Houston, TX
77042
(713) 463-4507
|
Cynthia Brumfield
Central & Victoria
Campuses
 1.800.892.5558 x-89004
Walter Holmes Central Campus
281.728.4286
John Varick Central & Downtown
Campuses
713.478.7439
Donald Zabak
Victoria Campus
713.298.2204
|
|
|
Fidelity Investments
www.fidelity.com
49 North 400 West
Salt Lake City, UT 84101
|
John Matejka
2701 Drexel Drive
Highland Village
Houston, TX 77027
713.703.0422
|
|
|
ING Financial
www.ingretirmentplans.com
49 North 400 West
Salt Lake City, UT 84101
|
Patricia Himelick
8911 Capital of Texas Hwy,
Ste. 2210
Austin, TX 78759
1.800.223.6983
Robert Waddell
17000 El Camino Real,
Suite 105A
Houston, TX 77058
281.486.4000
John Ache
3700 Buffalo Speedway,
Ste. 950
Houston, TX 77098
713.526.8411
Michael Bowden Victoria Campus only
13701 Northwest Blvd,
Suite D-2
Corpus Christi, TX 78410
361.387.6100
|
|
|
Lincoln Financial Group
www.LFG.com
Supervising Office:
1300 S. Clinton Street
Fort Wayne, IN 46802-3506
1 800 454-6265
|
Walter Braly
1300 Post Oak Blvd.
Ste. 1000
Houston, TX 77056
713.552.7951
Brian Messier, CLU, CHFC
1300 Post Oak Blvd,
Ste. 1000
Houston, TX 77056
713.552.7975
brian.messier@lfg.com
www.messierfinancial.com
Eva Elias
7941 Katy Freeway,
#319
Houston, TX 77024
713.984.9464
|
|
|
Met Life Resources
www.metlife.com
1.800.236.8489
|
Randy Gillespie
3801 Kirby Drive,
Ste. 330
Houston, TX 77098
713.526.9115
Richard Schwartz
5231 Kinglet
Houston, TX 77035
713.721.1178
Christopher Moore
P.O. Box 9417
Woodlands, TX 77387 - 9417
281.296.0013
|
|
|
TIAA-CREF
www.tiaa-cref.org
730 Third Avenue
New York, NY
|
Stephen Janak
Central Campus
9 Greenway Plaza,
#100
Houston, TX 77046
1.866.842.2951(work)
832.675.0068 (fax)
Carine Smith
832.681.7417
csmith@tiaa-cref.org
|
For more information
about these Tier 1 Approved
vendors, feel free to
contact Cody Pelletier at
713.743.5915.
TCPA Contract Negotiations
Texas Children’s Pediatric Associates (TCPA),
a subsidiary of Texas Children’s Hospital,
is the nation’s largest group of general
pediatricians with more than 40 locations
and 140 board-certified/board eligible
pediatricians throughout Houston and its
surrounding communities.
Recently,
TCPA clinics notified current patients that
TCPA may be terminating their contract with
Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Texas effective
March of 2009. BCBS and TCPA have plans to
meet and negotiate contract terms over the
next several months in an effort to achieve
an acceptable contract extension.
The University of Houston offers
staff/faculty healthcare benefits through
the Employees Retirement System of Texas
(ERS). Human Resources and ERS are aware of
the significance of the relationships
established between families and their
pediatricians and the importance of
continuity of care for all children. We are
committed to providing a comprehensive and
competitive healthcare plan for our UH
families.
Employees will receive
periodic updates on this matter when
available, and Human Resources will announce
when TCPA and BCBS have reached a decision.
Exit Interview Process
The new Exit Interview Questionnaire is now
available online. Employees parting from the
university are encouraged to visit the
“quick links” section of the
Human
Resources website to complete the
Exit Survey and provide candid comments
about their experiences at the university.
We believe the best way to learn about the
various aspects of the university is to
request feedback from those who have
actually worked here. Data obtained through
the exit interview process will be reviewed
in an effort to better understand the needs
of our employees and identify areas needing
improvement.
Human Resources is
committed to making the University of
Houston a satisfying and enjoyable place for
our employees to work as well as advance
their careers.
Update to P-Card and Travel Card Guidelines
Effective September 4, 2008, a security
background check (criminal history
investigation) will be required for new
P-Card/Travel Card applicants, who have not
had a background check in the past six
months. This is the same background check
conducted on employees applying for security
sensitive positions. Background checks are
not required for existing cardholders or
applicants who have passed a background
check in the past six months.
The purpose of
the background check is to reduce the risk
of fraudulent misuse of university credit
cards by only issuing cards to employees who
pass a criminal history investigation. Of
course, simply because someone passes a
background check, this is no guarantee that he/she
will not commit fraud in the future.
However, we can reduce the risk of fraud by
not issuing university credit cards to
people who have committed a criminal offense
in the past seven years (the period covered
by the background check).
Procedure for Background Check
- In addition to the P-Card or Travel
Card Application, the
prospective cardholder/custodian
completes the
Authorization for Criminal
History Investigation form
located on
the
Human Resources
forms page and submits it along with the
Application to Accounts Payable. (If the
applicant previously completed the
Authorization for Criminal History
Investigation form within the past six
(6) months, he/she should notify AP and
the applicant will not be required to
complete it again. AP will request a
letter from HR with the date and results
of the previous background check.)
- Account Payable faxes the
Authorization for Criminal History
Investigation form to the designated
person in Human Resources.
- Human Resources coordinates with the
UH Department of Public Safety to
conduct the background check.
- Human Resources e-mails a letter to
Accounts Payable indicating if the
applicant passed or failed the
background check. Detailed information
about the applicant’s record will not be
included in the letter.
- If the applicant passed the
background check, Accounts Payable will
proceed to issue the P-Card/Travel Card.
If the applicant failed the background
check, Accounts Payable will send an
e-mail to the college/division
administrator and applicant notifying
them that the P-Card/Travel Card will
not be issued because the applicant did
not pass the background check. The
letter from Human Resources will be
retained by Accounts Payable in their
P-Card/Travel Card application files.
The updated Applications and Guidelines
are on the Finance website:
P-Card:
http://www.uh.edu/finance/pages/AP_Pcard.htm
Travel Card:
http://www.uh.edu/finance/pages/AP_Travel.htm
If you have any questions, please
contact Armand Villacorte
at 713.743.5660 or
amvillacorte@uh.edu for P-Cards or Sandra Silva
at 713.743.5883 or
ssilva@uh.edu for Travel Cards.
Consequences of P-Card and Travel Card Fraud
P-Cards and Travel Cards may only be
used for authorized expenditures that
benefit the university. They may not be used
for personal expenditures or expenditures
that violate university policy.
If a
cardholder accidently uses his/her P-Card or
Travel Card for a non-university or
unauthorized purchase, he/she should
immediately return the item purchased to the
vendor, if possible, for a refund to the
credit card. If that is not possible, he/she
should write a personal check payable to the
University of Houston for the amount of the
purchase and give the check to his/her
department to deposit in the same cost
center and account where the expense will be
posted. In either case, the SDOL Expense
Report signed by the cardholder should
indicate that a purchase was made by mistake
and credited back to the card or refunded by
the cardholder. These incidents should be
reported to Accounts Payable. After three
accidental non-university or unauthorized
purchases, assuming the money is refunded,
the P-Card or Travel Card will be cancelled.
If a cardholder purposely misuses
his/her P-Card or Travel Card, as indicated
by multiple unauthorized transactions in a
short period, an unauthorized transaction
for a large dollar amount, falsifying
documentation of purchases, or not
reimbursing UH for “accidental” purchases,
the unauthorized purchase may be considered
fraud. Purchases suspected to be fraudulent
must be reported in accordance with
SAM
01.C.04, Reporting/Investigating Fraudulent
Acts. In accordance with this policy,
suspected fraud must be reported to law
enforcement for investigation and referral
to the District Attorney. The card will be
suspended or canceled pending the outcome of
the investigation. If it is determined that
fraud has occurred, the employee will likely
be terminated and criminally prosecuted.
In the past six months, three UH System employees have been
terminated and are undergoing criminal
prosecution for
fraudulent purchases with P-Cards or Travel
Cards. Some of them
were reported through the MySafeCampus fraud
hotline (www.mysafecampus.com
or 1.800.716.9007) and others were
discovered by their department or Accounts
Payable during the monthly review of
transactions. For more information about
reporting fraud through
MySafeCampus,
visit the
Fraud and Institutional Compliance
page on the
Finance
website.
University Copy Center
Phishing On Campus Continues
E-mails circulating the campus
requesting personal information did not come
from the University of Houston. These e-mails
purport to originate from the UH, and request that recipients provide
some combination of the following: Address;
ID; Department; Password; Username; Full
Name.
The University of Houston
does not ask for personal information (birth
dates, passwords, Social Security numbers,
etc.) in e-mail messages.
This type of e-mail is a "phishing" message,
and it often appears to come from trusted
sources. The message induces victims to
visit illegitimate web sites, open
attachments, or simply have persons respond
with requested information. Phishers can
then install viruses, steal computer files
and personal information which can lead to
identity theft.
Here are 4 best practices that will
help protect you and your computers:
- Be wary of suspicious e-mail
messages and other electronic
communications from sources you
do not know or recognize.
- Use the latest versions of your
operating system (OS) and applications.
- Have the latest security software
updates (patches) installed. This
includes patches for your OS and
applications.
- Keep your anti-virus software up to
date.
To report spam or suspect
messages, e-mail
support@uh.edu.
For assistance, or more
information, contact the IT Support
Center at 713.743.1411, or email
support@uh.edu , or
check out related IT News Stories:
Protect Your Computer:
http://www.uh.edu/infotech/news/story.php?story_id=877
Phishing Scams:
http://www.uh.edu/infotech/news/story.php?story_id=802
Spam:
http://www.uh.edu/infotech/news/story.php?story_id=884
UH Bookstore
SEPTEMBER
CALENDAR
|
MONDAY
|
TUESDAY
|
WEDNESDAY
|
THURSDAY
|
FRIDAY
|
|
1
HOLIDAY
|
2
Monthly
Payday
Run Leave Accrual
First FY09 Local Checks Printed for All Campuses
|
3
Off Cycle
Payday
9:30
Outstanding Customer Service
Bi-Weekly (B090208) Timesheets
Due in Payroll by Noon
1:30
Basic
Finance
|
4
Run Bi-Weekly (B090208) Trial
|
5
Bi-Weekly (B090208) Corrections Due in Payroll by Noon
Payroll Reallocations
Processed by Noon
First Deadline to Submit 998 GL Journals.
Last day of September P-Card billing cycle
Target Date to Close
August (12)
Accounting Period (Wait for Listserv Announcement)
Deadline to Scan & Upload the
P-Card Signed August Billing Cycle Expense Report to the Finance System
|
8
8:30
New Hire Orientation
Run Bi-Weekly (B090208) Final at 9am
Final FY08 998 Reallocations Due
Begin Entering
September Billing
Cycle P-Card Transactions in SDOL
Deadline to Correct FY08 Liability Balances for
P-Cards and Travel Cards
5:00PM Deadline to Update P-Card & Travel Card September Billing Cycle
Transactions in SDOL for AP Analysis
Finance Sends
CDAs List of Proposed FY09 Telephone,
Postage, and Long Distance Encumbrances. Email Changes to Mike Glisson
by September 23
|
9 |
10
Off Cycle
Payday
9:00
I-9 Training
9:00
Query 8.9
2:00
Voucher Creation and Workflow
Deficit Fund Equity Report Sent to CDAs for Review
Deadline to Submit Accounts Receivable Reconciliation as of August
31 and Write-Off Memos to General Accounting
Deadline to Submit Consumable/Resale Inventory as of August
31 to General Accounting
Last Day of September Travel Card Billing
Cycle
|
11
Biweekly (B091608) PAR's Due in HR
Monthly PAR's Due in HR
Begin Entering September Billing
Cycle Travel Card Transactions in SDOL
Deadline to Scan & Upload the T-Card Signed August Billing Cycle Expense Report to the Finance System
|
12
Bi-Weekly
Payday
9:30
IMPACT:
Diversity Awareness
Payroll Reallocations
Processed by Noon
|
15
8:30
New Hire Orientation
Second and Final Deadline to Submit 998 GL Journals to General
Accounting
|
16
1:30
Basic
Finance
|
17
Off Cycle
Payday
9:00
Essentials of Leadership Part 1
9:30
Travel Forms and Rules
Bi-Weekly (B091608) Timesheets
Due in Payroll by Noon
Results of P-Card and
Travel Card September Billing Cycle SDOL Analysis Distributed
Finance Posts AP Accruals in Period 998, FY08, to Department Cost
Centers
Deadline for CDAs to Notify Mike Glisson
Which Administrators and Unit Heads Will Complete the FY08 Department
Fraud Risk Survey
|
18
Run Bi-Weekly (B091608) Trial
Finance Posts AP Accrual Reversal in Period 1, FY09 |
19
9:00
Essentials of Leadership Part 2
Bi-Weekly (B091608) Corrections Due in Payroll by Noon
Payroll Reallocations
Processed by Noon
|
22
8:30
New Hire Orientation
Run Bi-Weekly (B091608) Final at 9am
5:00PM Deadline to Update P-Card & Travel Card September Billing Cycle
Transactions in SDOL for AP Analysis
Target close for period 998
for department cost centers
|
23 |
24
Off Cycle
Payday
8:30
Coaching Discipline &
Documentation
Run Monthly (M093008) Trial
Monthly (M093008) Corrections
Due by 3pm
October Accounting Period Opens
|
25
Biweekly (B093008) PAR's Due in HR
Run Monthly (M093008) Final at 9am
1:30
Dealing Effectively With Conflict
2:00
Query 8.9
|
26
Bi-Weekly
Payday
Payroll Reallocations
Processed by Noon
Finance Creates Journals to Encumber FY09 Postage, Telephone, and
Long Distance
|
29
8:30
New Hire Orientation
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30
1:30
Essentials of Time
Management, Part 1)
August Billing Cycle
P-Card & Travel Card Compliance Analysis Distributed to CDAs
|
|
|
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