College of Science Business Services Policies and Guidelines

These policies should guide hiring and traveling practices for members of the USU Biology, Biochemistry and Chemistry, Computer Science, Geosciences, Mathematics and Statistics, and Physics departments. Refer to the "Forms" section for college-specific business services forms.

Travel Guidelines

Submitting a Travel Authorization or Travel Reimbursement

You will be able to find the requests for travel at https://usu.service-now.com/usu/

Once you are here select ‘Travel’ located under the Applications tab on the left side.

From here you will select either Travel Authorization or Travel Reimbursement. Fill out the form as needed and submit.

Travel Authorization Requirements:

  • All University travel must be supported by properly completing a travel authorization and travel reimbursement, including travel that will not be reimbursed directly to the traveler. The College of Science also requires travel authorizations for travel utilizing only University-owned vehicles.
  • We encourage all travelers to submit their own travel requests including travel authorizations and travel reimbursements. However, we recognize this is not always possible. As such, staff and faculty members are permitted to submit travel requests on behalf of another employee or student. If a travel request is needed for an individual outside the University or additional assistance is needed, please see a member of your department’s Business Services team.
  • Travel authorizations should always be submitted prior to the departure date. However, exceptions can be made under certain circumstances.
  • If traveling in a group, all travelers and their associated travel authorizations, if they have their own, must be listed in the comments.
  • For all students requesting overnight travel, it is required that we have a lodging address listed on their travel authorization form prior to submission.

Travel Reimbursement Requirements:

  • Original, itemized receipts are required for reimbursement of lodging, transportation, registration fees, parking, airfare, baggage, and any other individual expense of $15 or more. An acceptable receipt includes:
    • Name of Vendor
    • Transaction date/time
    • Itemized description of the items purhased
    • Amount paid
    • Form payment
  • Expenses less than $15 without a receipt must be described and explained in the comments section provided on the travel form. Credit card statements, reservation confirmations, or quotes are not acceptable receipts for University reimbursement. If you have lost, or are unable to obtain an appropriate receipt for reimbursement, a substitute receipt form, found at that link or on the travel reimbursement form under ‘Trip Information,’ may be filled out. The form should be attached to the travel reimbursement (TR) in lieu of the lost receipt. However, efforts should be made to obtain a copy of the receipt from the vendor whenever possible.
  • In situations where an individual is conducting business with one or more guests, reasonable meals and entertainment expenses are allowable. Business meals and entertainment must be directly related to University business (see Policy 516 Meals and Entertainment). All meals and entertainment expenses will need to be properly documented including a list of attendees and affiliations with the University as well a clearly stated business purpose of the meeting. This reimbursement may be added to the travel reimbursement form by selecting the “Meals & Entertainment” box.
  • When claiming reimbursement for mileage, the traveler must include an image showing the route they took that also lists the mileage. Mileage should originate at the traveler’s appropriate campus/place of work. For example, when traveling from Logan, milage originates at USU, not personal residences.
  • For timely accounting purposes, travel reimbursement requests should be submitted with adequate documentation within twenty business days of the conclusion of travel. In accordance with IRS regulations, any reimbursement of expenses not substantiated within 60 calendar days from the conclusion of the travel will be treated as wages and therefore as taxable income to that individual.
  • For more information about University travel please see University Policy 515 and Travel Procedures.

Hiring Guidelines

Unified Hiring Form Workflow

All University positions, new hires and rehires, now utilize the Unified Hiring Form (UHF). The workflow of this form is as follows:

  1. First, business services members from each department will submit the UHF in ServiceNow. To do so, they need the new/rehire’s position information and a personal phone number and non-USU email address for the new/rehire. These are collected in order to notify the employees of their responsibilities throughout the hiring process.
    • New/rehires should be informed that the hiring process will be utilizing a non-USU email address so that they can make sure they complete the required paperwork.
  2. After the UHF has been submitted, the new/rehired employee will need to fill out a demographic information form and an ACA form. The UHF will not continue to be processed until this step has been completed.
  3. Once they have done so, the UHF will then be sent to the business services representatives in the Dean’s Office. These employees will verify the A# of the new hire/rehire and enter their position into Banner (and Aggietime, when applicable). These employees also assist in completing a Form I-9, W-4, and Direct Deposit information form with the new/rehires when needed.
  4. After these steps, the UHF has been completed in ServiceNow and needs to be approved in Banner. Approval requests are sent to the Business Manager in the applicable department, the department head, and Human Resources. Depending on the type of position, approval requests may also be sent the Dean, the Student Employment Office, and others. Once the position is fully approved in Banner, the employee should be set and can begin recording hours.

Hiring a Postdoctoral Fellow

Post Docs should be hired under Policy 385/390 or with a search. In special circumstances they may be hired as wage hourly (P10) However, this must have written approval from the DH and Dean PRIOR to offering the position.

POLICY 385/390

In order to bypass the advertisement and search portion a candidate must fall under one of the following:

  • Affirmative Action
  • Institutional Need
  • Employment-at-will. Policy 390
  • Written into Sponsored Program Budget - Must be specifically named

 

If one of the above requirements is met, the next step is to get approval from DH, Dean and Provost Office. The following will need to be provided:

 

Once this has been approved a New Position Request will need to be submitted.

SEARCH

If there is not a candidate in mind or you did not get approval under 385 then you will proceed with a New Position Request.

NEW POSITION REQUEST

Contact your Business Services representative to fill out the CoS New Position Request form. You should anticipate 7-10 business days for a new position number to be created.

Either a PDQ or detailed job description must accompany the New Position Request. If a job description is submitted we must have the following:

  • Position Summary
  • Responsibilities
  • Minimum/Preferred Qualifications

In the job description please keep in mind that we must have a baseline on how the employee will be evaluated and the minimum and preferred qualifications should include education and experience.

Please give a detailed description of funding. If the source is E&G, you must indicate where the funding is coming from - Provost, RCDE, CoS, etc.

P10

*Based upon approval from the College of Science Dean*

No advertising is required. Rate should be broken down in bi-monthly payments and both a start and end date will need to be provided. The employee is required to submit time in AggieTime and will most likely qualify for ACA Insurance.

International Hires

Please contact the Office of Global Engagement, 797-1124, to obtain information regarding J-1 or F-1 Visas and any possible health insurance that may be required.

***Note that the entire process may take up to 8 weeks. This includes advertising time. Please plan accordingly.

In order to start their positions, they will need to complete a form I-9 with business services representatives in the Dean’s Office. To complete this form, they will need one of the following documents:

  • Employment Authorization Document Card (I-776)
  • Foreign passport with both a
    • Form I-94
    • Form I-20 for F-1 employees or Form DS-2019 for J-1 employees

They will also need a Social Security Card. These can take a while to obtain so they can start without one, but they will need to do so as soon as they possibly can. The Office of Global Engagement should be able to help them collect all necessary paperwork.

P-card Requirements and Expectations

All P-card transactions must be supported by an itemized receipt. These receipts can either be signed and scanned into a digital format or sent to the cardholder for approval during the transaction approval process for signing. An acceptable receipt includes:

  • Name of vendor
  • Transaction date/time
  • Itemized description of the items purchased
  • Amount paid
  • Form of payment

When an itemized receipt is not given, a substitute receipt form will need to be filled out and submitted to the proper business services employees.

After the transaction is made, a task will be created in ServiceNow that is used to approve the expense. Those making the transactions should be sure to send the receipts and appropriate index to the business services representative who serves as the Receipt Attacher for their department. This employee attaches the image/file of the receipt, describes the purpose of the expense, and lists the index and account. From here, the form is sent for approval. 

For more information on what expenses are allowable, visit this link P-Card Quick Reference | USU.

Appointment of Opportunity

Policy 385 https://www.usu.edu/policies/385/

To qualify for the Appointment of Opportunity/Policy 385 the candidate must fall into one of the following categories:

  • Dual Career Assistance (DCA)
  • Affirmative Action
  • Institutional Need
  • Temporary Position
  • Employment-at-will. Policy 390
  • Written into Sponsored Program Budget - Must be specifically named

To initiate this process an Appointment of Opportunity Request Form must be filled out. https://hr.usu.edu/files/forms/Appointment_of_Opportunity_Request_Form.pdf

In addition to the form the following must be provided:

  • A job description explaining qualifications for the position
  • A resume/CV of the Appointment of Opportunity Participant
  • Draft offer letter and draft role statement (faculty positions only)
  • If written into a Sponsored Program budget, include a copy of the grant budget sheet listing the individual’s name

Please submit the Appointment of Opportunity Request Form with the applicable documents to the College of Science Business Manager monica.schruhl@usu.edu for review and signature routing in DocuSign.

***Please anticipate up to 7 business days for the process to be completed.