Additional Information

FLASHCard ID
Purchasing Card
Business Meals and Hospitality
Reporting Fraud and Abuse
General Counsel
Records Retention
Public Records Requests
University Travel
Conflicts of Interest
Employee Discounts
Private Business Activities
Outside Employment
Copyrights

FLASHCARD ID

The FLASHCard is Kent State’s official identification (ID) card. The FLASHCard also allows employees to borrow materials from Kent State libraries and access services such as recreational facilities and athletic events. Employees may also deposit money on the FLASHCard and use it as a debit card to purchase goods and services at certain on- and off-campus locations. A list of off-campus vendors that accept the FLASHCash is available at www.kent.edu/FLASHCard.

Kent Campus employees may obtain their FLASHCard Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. in the FLASHCard office; a photo ID is required. Regional Campus employees can obtain the FLASHCard ID at their respective campus. Lost or stolen cards should be reported immediately to the FLASHCard office. Contact the FLASHCard office at (330) 672-2273.

PURCHASING CARD

Purchasing cards (P-cards) are administered through Accounts Payable. All campus departments or divisions are responsible for authorizing and monitoring employees that use p-cards. Purchasing cards may be used for purchases normally totaling less than $2,500 per transaction. These purchases are executed by departments that have chosen to obtain and use p-cards for their typical operational buying. (Policy 3342-7-02.16) No personal purchases are permitted to be made via purchase order, check request, or the university's p-card. In addition, no employee may use the university's name or present him/herself as an agent of the university when making personal purchases. (Policy 3342-5-12.3)

BUSINESS MEALS AND HOSPITALITY

Business meals and hospitality expenses are reimbursable only when involving official university business (e.g., activity with external clientele or prospective employees of the university, authorized conferences and academic ceremonies) or as otherwise specified in Policy 3342-7-02.5. Reimbursable amounts for food and beverages shall be reasonable on an actual cost basis and do not include alcohol. Executive officer approval is required for all business meals and hospitality expenditures.

Transactions that are not consistent with policy require use of a Policy Exception Pre-Approval Form which must be obtained in advance of the expenditure. The individual is responsible for all expenses. Reimbursements are requested through the Expense Reimbursement Workflow available in FlashLine. Additional payment methods allowed are direct vendor payment, such as check requests, and IDC for internal charges. The departmental p-card shall not be used for business meals and hospitality expenditures. (Policy 3342-7-02.5)

Reimbursement of travel expenses is requested through the Expense Reimbursement Workflow available in FlashLine. Approval of the workflow constitutes approval of the itinerary, as well as the accuracy and reasonableness of the request for reimbursement.

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REPORTING FRAUD AND ABUSE

The university has responsibility for the stewardship of university resources and the public and private support that enables it to pursue its mission. It is, therefore, committed to the highest standards of fiscal responsibility to establish an environment that assures institutional assets are properly accounted for and safeguarded from loss, abuse or misuse. Administrative policy for reporting and investigating fraud and fiscal abuse (Policy 3342-7-02.9) communicates reporting methods for actual and suspected fraud or fiscal abuse and the process to be followed for investigating a report. The policy is also intended to protect individuals who engage in good faith disclosure of a suspected violation.

Additionally, the Ohio Auditor of State's office maintains a system for the reporting of fraud, including misuse of public money by any official or office. The system allows all Ohio citizens, including public employees, the opportunity to make anonymous complaints through a toll free number, the Auditor of State's website, or through the United States mail. Kent State Reporting Line 1-800-636-5621 (USA) 800-788340 (Italy) 0800-56-1525 (Switzerland).

Auditor of State

1-866-FRAUD-OH (372-8364)

Ohio Auditor of State Special Investigations Unit

88 East Broad Street

P.O. Box 1140

Columbus, OH 43215

www.ohioauditor.gov

GENERAL COUNSEL

The Office of General Counsel manages the legal affairs of the university. It provides legal counsel, litigation and legal risk management, contract and policy drafting and review, compliance oversight and preventative advice to Kent State University. Visit the General Counsel website at www.kent.edu/generalcounsel to learn more about the office and the services it provides, including material designed to educate the university community about common legal issues.

General Counsel and the office of Internal Audit have compiled a database of several local, state and federal regulations and laws that are applicable to many of the activities conducted by, or in connection with, the university.

The purpose of this site is two-fold. It can be used as a resource by university staff, faculty and students to research the regulatory responsibilities of university departments and personnel. It also provides the concerned user with an opportunity to contact the office or individual whose position/area is most directly related to a given regulation, in order to express concerns or ask questions.

RECORDS RETENTION

It is the duty of each employee to ensure that certain University records in their charge are maintained and/or disposed of properly. Pursuant to University Policy 3342-5-15, the Office of General Counsel has created record retention schedules to assist faculty and staff in managing public records for which they are responsible. The retention schedule can be found at www.kent.edu/generalcounsel/records-retention. This resource will help you identify the type of record that you have; the minimum amount of time you are required to keep the record; and whether the record should eventually be archived or destroyed.

A public record is defined as any document, device or item, regardless of physical form or characteristic, that has been created or received in the course of university business and which serves to document the organization, functions, decisions, procedures, operations or other activities.

Keep in mind that email is no different than any other paper record created during the course of a day. When deciding how long to keep an email, you should follow the same retention schedule as other forms of public record.

Records (including email) received through the course of the day that do not document the university and its functions may be disposed of immediately. These include, but are not limited to, personal correspondence (discussion about non-university issues), non-university publications, listserv material, junk mail/spam, catalogs or commercial ads, journals, books or other library materials, and any attachments that contain documents that were not created by the university, and/or for a university purpose.

If you have any questions regarding when to keep or delete a record, contact the Office of General Counsel at 330-672-2982.

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PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST

All public records requests for Kent State shall be directed to the Office of General Counsel. That includes requests from third parties outside the university, requests from students and student organizations for certain records that your office may hold (of course, students may still make requests in the normal course of their academic pursuits, and staff in the normal course of their duties at the university). General Counsel, (330) 672-2982, email legal@kent.edu.

Policy 3342-5-15.1 outlines the standards for review of the request, along with the procedures for the university’s response. It provides that:

If it is not clear what records are being sought, and if the requestor has provided contact information, General Counsel will contact the requestor for clarification;
Public records are to be made available for inspection during regular business hours, with the exception of university holidays;
Any denial of a public records request must include an explanation, with legal statutory authority.

CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION

University policy 3342-5-04 provides that only "the president, a vice president or the board" may contract on behalf of the university. All others must have a specific "Letter of Delegation" granting the authority to contract on behalf of the university. Engaging in an agreement without the proper signatory authority may expose the employee to incur personal liability for the terms of the agreement.

Contract administration is a process by which an organization tracks its contracting process to ensure that: 1) the appropriate terms have been negotiated on behalf of the university and its interests, 2) the contract undergoes legal review, 3) the contract is signed by a university official with the authority to obligate the university, and 4) after execution, a final copy with the signatures of both contracting parties is recorded and retained in a manner that it can be accessed at a later time. Administrative Policy 3342-5-04.1 provides for the specific protocol for contract administration at the University. All contracts, even click-through contracts found on website that provide access to software or services, require legal review. Failure to follow the contracting policy may leave the faculty or staff member personally liable for any damages or fees accruing from an action involving the contract.

Any questions regarding this process can be directed to the Office of General Counsel or through email at contracts@kent.edu.

UNIVERSITY TRAVEL

All university travel must be authorized and approved by the traveler’s department. There are procedures and rules about university travel and what expenses will/will not be reimbursed. Additional information on Kent State travel procedures is available online. (Policy 3342-7-02.8)

Reimbursable Expenses
The following travel-related expenses may be reimbursed by the university in accordance with Kent State policies and IRS regulations:

Transportation
Air Travel
Car Rental
Parking and Tolls
Lodging
Business-Related Costs (telephone, fax, copying, computer connection)

Travel Agency

Traveline is the university’s preferred vendor for travel needs. Concur is the online booking tool and is the preferred method of contacting Traveline to book travel for the university. Keep in mind that while employees can now make airline reservations through other providers, they are still required to take advantage of the lowest airfare and adhere to the university travel policy. This means the traveler must retain written documentation of having chosen the lowest available fare.

Larry McWilliams, Assistant Manager of Procurement, is the administrator for Cliqbook and can be reached at lmcwilli@kent.edu or 330-672-9196. For more, visit Cliqbook, or call 888-733-874.

EMPLOYEE DISCOUNTS

Human Resources maintains a list of employee discounts offered to Kent State employees. The list is updated periodically and is by no means comprehensive. If you frequent a local business that is not listed, ask that business if they would like to offer a Kent State discount and be listed on the employee discount page.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Procurement 330-672-2276

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

Conflicts of interests arising out of university employment are governed by university policy and Ohio law. State employees are prohibited from using their university positions to advance their private interests, financial or otherwise, their family members, or others with whom they have a relationship that would affect their objectivity.

Employees must follow the rules set forth in Chapter 102 of the ORC regarding maintaining the confidentiality of information and the receipt of compensation from sources other than the university; Chapter 2921 of the ORC, relating to private interest in a public contract; as well as Policy 3342-6-23.

University employees, by virtue of their employment, may not receive special treatments or favors from other university employees or from those individuals or companies that do business with the university. This prohibition includes, but is not limited to: receipt of gifts; payment, pecuniary or otherwise, for service or materials not accounted for through regular university channels and the use of a student's services or labor on the university employee's private property without remuneration. In short, university employees, their family members, or others with whom they have a relationship that would affect their objectivity may not gain any personal advantage, monetary or otherwise, as a result of the employee's position.

In addition, unless prior written approval is granted, no university employee may use university resources, including, but not limited to, supplies, materials, equipment, secretarial or staff time, for personal business matters. Employees also cannot use university contacts or positions to further private business or other external activity by soliciting students or fellow employees, to participate in, subscribe to, or purchase the activity or any of its possible products, services, or results. Contact Procurement at (330) 672-2276.

PRIVATE BUSINESS ACTIVITIES

In limited situations, university employees are permitted to engage in private business activities.

Staff members and/or student employees who create intellectual property owned by the university may hold an ownership interest in a company that licenses the intellectual property from the university. However, staff members may not perform any private business activities during working hours, and these activities must not interfere with the performance of any of the employee’s institutional responsibilities. There must also be a conflict of interest management plan between the staff member, company and university and approved by the vice provost and dean of research and graduate studies. (Policy 3342-3-08.1) Highlights of private business activities include the following:

Staff who wish to perform management activities for newly formed companies commercializing their university research during university working hours may do so only if they take approved leave. Staff who are unable to perform all their institutional duties because of management responsibilities in their private companies are encouraged to consider a reduction of appointment or other approved leave mechanism.
Staff participating in companies continue to be bound by the university policy on patents and copyrights. New inventions and/or discoveries made as a result of a staff member’s research efforts for the company must be disclosed in writing to the Vice Provost and Dean of Research and Graduate Studies. New inventions and/or discoveries developed by the staff member for the company will be owned by the university, unless the invention or discovery is wholly unrelated to the research responsibilities of the staff member.
Private business activities that are not subject to these rules because they are unrelated to a staff member’s scope of employment are nevertheless subject to the policy on conflicts of interest and commitment, the policy on patents and copyrights and the rules of the employing unit.

The guidelines for faculty participation in companies that license intellectual property are different; faculty should reference the appropriate policy. (Policy 3342-10 -05)

OUTSIDE EMPLOYMENT

Employees may be employed in work outside of their regularly scheduled job as long as that additional employment does not interfere with their job responsibilities and work schedule. A leave of absence will not normally be granted to permit an employee to accept “other employment.”(Policy 3342-6-11.10)

Outside employment/enterprises of faculty and academic administrators is governed by policy. Those individuals may not engage in activities that compromise his or her responsibilities to the university. (Policy 3342-6-24)

Prior to accepting continuing remunerative employment, the faculty member or academic administrative officer must have a management plan that is approved by the chairperson, school director or regional campus dean, the appropriate academic dean and the vice president for research. The approval process must be repeated at the start of each academic year.

COPYRIGHTS

The university has no interest in copyright ownership of works except when the work is prepared under contract with the university, when the work is created within the scope of university employment or when the work is created through a direct and significant allocation of university resources to a specified project. In those cases it is the property of the university, unless the university expressly waives its rights.

Accordingly, when a staff member creates a copyrightable work as part of his/her employment, the university owns the work and has the rights and responsibilities associated with copyright ownership. (Policy 3342-5-10)

University ownership of faculty works as it relates to copyrights is governed by the collective bargaining agreement.