Newsletter 2021-2022 Volume 8

News

Monthly Closing Deadlines

The January 2022 period in the general ledger has closed. The current and future month-end processing deadline schedules are located at Monthly Closing Deadlines.

Important Reminder: Name Changes to Activity Numbers

In the past, name changes to activity numbers were rarely approved, however, the Controller’s Office has re-evaluated our position on name changes for activity numbers and will now approve name changes for many requests.  The process remains the same, enter the desired change on an electronic Activity Number & Department Maintenance Request eForm which will be sent for approval electronically.  Changes in Universal Speedtypes can only be processed the Friday through Wednesday of a payroll week to avoid issues with payroll processing.

Please be aware that you will lose the ability to lookup the activity number by name when a name is changed, and any issues caused by changing names will need to be resolved by the Finance Manager in an area.  In addition, if names are changed several times, it may be difficult to track the transactions unless the Speedtype is used.  Keep in mind it is possible to effective date activity numbers, so when viewing the activity number in PantherSoft online you can include history to see previous names. However, it is not possible to put this on most reports and queries, therefore, it may be difficult to track the changes.

Name changes that will not be approved include:

  • A name change when two or more activity numbers are combining. For example, if an activity named “Controller Business” and another activity number named “Controller Finance” wanted to combine to “Controller Business and Finance”.
  • A name change when one activity number is being split into two or more activity numbers. For example, if an activity number was previously named “Controller Business and Finance” and the desire is to separate to an activity number for “Controller Business” and another activity number for “Controller Finance”.
  • In both of the examples above, new activity requests should be submitted and when the new activity number is established, the old activity number should be deactivated.

HR currently allows name changes for departments.  The change in policy for activity numbers is an exception to the normal procedures in the Controller’s Office. Name changes will not be permitted on any Chartfields other than department and activity number.

Foreign Influence Travel Reporting

Effective January 1, 2022, Florida Statute section 1010.36 on Foreign Influence requires us to report specific travel activity. This includes all countries visited (excluding countries you visited temporarily for a connecting flight without exiting the airport) and any payments or honoraria received during a trip. Additional reporting requirements apply for destinations considered a Foreign Country of Concern (Cuba, China, Iran, N. Korea, Russia, Syria, Venezuela). Please be prepared to submit this information prior to your departure in the Travel Authorization Request (TAR) and/or upon your return via the expense report. Our Export Controls office provides additional information on these requirements.   

For questions or concerns, please contact the Chair of the International Travel Committee, Gitta Montoto, at gmontoto@fiu.edu.

Car Rental Reservation Portal

Florida International University uses the State of Florida contract with Avis and Budget for rental vehicles. University employees in need of a rental car for official business will need to use the following website to make their reservations:

STATE OF FLORIDA RESERVATION PORTAL: https://www.carrental.com/abgPartners/sof/

Professional Translation/Interpretation Services

Procurement Services has awarded four contracts under Invitation to Negotiate ITN 2020-00025 to provide translation/interpretation services for Spanish, Haitian/Creole and American Sign Language.  Specifically, these services are currently needed for FIU medical students during clinical rotations and clinical services, but FIU reserves the right to request these services as needed for other projects or assignments that will arise throughout the term of this contract. The awarded suppliers are:

  • Clarivita Language Services
  • Nationwide Interpreter Resource Inc
  • Professional Translating Services LLC
  • Sheri DeLudos & Associates Inc.

 For more information, please click the following link:  https://controller.fiu.edu/departments/procurement/procure/shopping-guide/translation-interpretation/

Reminders & Deadlines

Departmental Card Deadlines

As a reminder, departmental card billing transactions regularly load the first business day of the month; program participants will have 10 days to process this activity in its entirety. This month’s billing statement (dated January 31, 2022) loaded into PantherSoft on February 2, 2022, and must be entirely processed by the end of the business day on February 15, 2022.

Any charges not processed by the closing deadline will be automatically charged to the cardholder’s default accounting on file and will not be eligible for a transfer. Cardholders with three (3) unjustified non-approvals in the same fiscal year will have their card suspended until they complete a retraining session.

Travel

Help us to expedite approving Travel Authorizations, Cash Advances, and Expense Reports. Documents that have not been completely finalized and are older than 90 days will be cancelled or deleted by the Travel Department. A list of pending documents is located here. Information regarding report status abbreviations and how to close or cancel Travel Authorizations and/or Expense Reports can be found here.