Co-Hosted by Research and Cost Accounting and the Office of Sponsored Projects
Research Administrators Forum is a standing meeting for Rice Research Administrators to discuss various topics related to research on campus.
Next meeting: 10:00am-11:30am, Thursday, December 14th 2023
Location: McMurtry Auditorium in Duncan Hall
There is a bug in the Expense work flow that has caused reports submitted in November/December to not proceed to approvers.
Cost Center and Project Managers have received communications listing impacted reports and providing a temporary approval solution. Please see your department administrator for more details.
We apologize for the inconvenience. The iO Support Team is working closely with Oracle to address the issue as soon as possible. Watch the Known Issues Page for updates.
Oracle has made a recent update that allows us to transition to reporting Payroll Accounting Dates/Project Expense Item Dates at the Pay Period End Date as Rice has historically done. This change aligns with the posting date and will make it easier for you to correlate various payroll charges. For more details, see the full article here.
Why is PTO paid on the grant, rather than charged as a fringe benefit?
Rice’s annual fringe benefit agreement with the Federal government addresses the way Rice charges paid absences versus fringe benefits. Excerpts below are from our FY24 agreement.
TREATMENT OF FRINGE BENEFITS:
The fringe benefits are charged using the rate(s) listed in the Fringe Benefits Section of this Agreement. The fringe benefits included in the rate(s) are listed below.
TREATMENT OF PAID ABSENCES:
Vacation, holiday, sick leave pay and other paid absences are included in salaries and wages and are claimed on grants, contracts and other agreements as part of the normal cost for salaries and wages. Separate claims are not made for the cost of these paid absences.
FRINGE BENEFITS:
FICA, Retirement, Disability, Life Insurance, Tuition Remission, Worker’s Compensation, Unemployment Insurance, Health Insurance, Sabbaticals, Parking, Employee Assistance, Child Care, Medical Administration, Flu Shots, Financial Planning, Wellness Program.
The rationale for this treatment is that the fringe benefit rate would be much higher if the costs for paid absences were included.
When an employee is paid on a grant and they leave Rice, does their vacation payout go on the award?
Yes, according to Rice Policy 405 Paid Time Off, III.D., “Payout of PTO at Termination”, the payout of unused PTO to a staff member (other than a postdoctoral research associate as described in IIIA above) with at least six months of continuous benefits-eligible service who terminates from Rice for any reason will be no more than one year’s accumulation based on FTE and years of service (e.g., a maximum of 26 days, or 208 hours, for a full-time staff member with fifteen years of service.) Staff members on research grants are eligible for the payout of unused PTO. However, if the grants from which they are paid do not allow the payout of terminal PTO, principal investigators and departments must identify another appropriate source of funds for the payout.”
Additional background:
The same applies if a person changes employment types, such as staff becomes faculty. In this case, different benefits and policies apply, so the prior assignment is terminated in HR and the person is treated as a new hire. Therefore, accrued PTO is paid out.
Rice’s DS-2 (Cost Accounting Standards Board Disclosure Statement) Part V, 5.1.0 is consistent with Policy 405. Excerpt below:
Method of Charging Leave Costs. Do you charge vacation, sick, holiday and sabbatical leave costs to sponsored agreements on the cash basis of accounting (i.e., when the leave is taken or paid), or on the accrual basis of accounting (when the leave is earned)? (Mark applicable line(s))
A. _X_ Cash
B. ___ Accrual
RCA office hour for the month of September has been cancelled. However, we will still be holding hands-on SPFF training.
SPFF Dashboard Virtual Hands-on Training
Join Teia Wright and the RCA Team for an on-line walk through of the SPFF Dashboard. Follow along on your own dashboard and ask questions along the way as you learn dashboard navigation and best practices for grants management.
If you would like a demo at your department faculty or staff meeting, please email iOEvolution@rice.edu and we will contact you to arrange a time.
Friday, September 29th 10:00 AM – 11:30AM
Zoom Link: https://riceuniversity.zoom.us/j/3133585535?pwd=T3RkenpjRVE4ZWJpUGpqZ3VYOGg1QT09
Meeting ID: 9313 358 5535 Passcode: 556994
The label for Faculty Funds on the various SPFF Dashboard views has been changed from “Default” to “Faculty Fund”. This change allows faculty and administrators to more easily identify this fund.
Based on user requests presented to and approved by the iO Finance and Research Functional Committee, we are making a change to the Faculty Fund Types to facilitate department reconciliation.
Starting on September 15, 2023, the General Ledger Fund Type for Faculty Funds will change from Fund Type 101 to Fund Type 109. This impacts Fund Sources 010000, 010010, 010020, 010030, and 010040. Because this is a General Ledger change, it will not impact Faculty Fund reporting in the Projects module or on the SPFF Dashboard.
Why Are We Making This Change? Currently, both Faculty Funds and other departmental unrestricted designated funds fall within Fund Type 101, making management of both challenging. Adding an independent fund type for Faculty Funds:
Important Details:
What Do You Need to Do?
Finance and RCA are working to make all necessary transitions behind the scenes, but it is important for you review your funds for the following:
We appreciate your cooperation during this system update, which will help streamline your financial processes and reporting. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to Crystal Davis or the finance team.
Thursday, August 24 from 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm
Wednesday, September 6 from 10:00 am – 11:30 am
Registration is required using this link due to limited space. You will receive additional information about the location after registration. If these times don’t work in your schedule, add your name to the Waiting List tab.
If you would like a demo at your department faculty or staff meeting, please email ioEvolution@rice.edu and we will contact you to arrange a time.
Co-Hosted by Research and Cost Accounting and the Office of Sponsored Projects
Wednesday, August 23 at 9:30 am
Farnsworth Pavilion in the RMC
Refreshments served at 9:00 am
Zoom Link: https://riceuniversity.zoom.us/j/97387862692?
Passcode: 665418
The new Faculty/PI SPFF Dashboard and new Administrator SPFF Dashboard will be moved to production starting at 5:00 pm on Thursday, June 1 and will be available on Monday, June 5. In order to ensure sufficient time for the transition and testing, the SPFF dashboard will not be available during this time.
SPFF Dashboard Training
Via Zoom
Thursday, May 18 2:00 – 3 pm
– Intro to Enhanced Sponsored Projects and Faculty Funds Dashboard
In-Person, Hands-on Guided Workshops @ COB 4th floor OIT Office Suite
Friday, May 19 1:00 – 2:30 pm
Monday, May 22 1:00 – 2:30 pm
Monday, May 22 3:00 – 4:30 pm
Tuesday, May 23 1:00 – 2:30 pm
Tuesday, May 23 3:00 – 4:30 pm
Register for an in-person guided workshop using this link.
Hands-on training will be conducted in a Test environment with data as of 5/8/23.
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