Dear PIs, PDs, and Center Executive Directors:
The safety and health of the campus and all its constituents, including UEI employees, is of utmost importance. Our UEI management team has been diligently working in response to this unprecedented state and national emergency. As with the University, UEI remains open for business albeit with a small group of essential employees physically on campus.
Our initial communication to you on 3/13/2020 focused on grant and contract travel and events because that was first impacted by COVID-19. All of us now are in the midst of moving our work to a virtual environment prompting questions about telecommuting and how expenditures can be processed.
Please see the questions and answers below.
Q: Can I still be reimbursed for expenses I have made or will make even while remotely working?
A: Yes. During this time, we are accepting paperwork, including receipts, in the form of a PDF or JPG attached to an email. You may scan receipts to attach, but we will need the original receipts when you are back on campus. You can put them in an envelope to MS 6111 marked with your administrator’s name. More details below.
Checks will continue to be issued once a week on Thursdays and based on what you select on the form, will be mailed or held for pick-up. Checks can be picked up in UEI Business Services (Suite 3700, Hornet Bookstore) as follows:
- Wednesdays 8:00 am – Noon (for checks issued in prior week)
- Thursdays 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Deadline for submitting paperwork to SPA remains Friday at noon.
Q: How will I submit paperwork such as consultant agreements, check requests, and purchase orders?
A: All SPA Forms are online and you will submit via email to your SPA administrator.
After completing the form here are the ways you can submit requests for services or payments:
- (PREFERRED Method) Print the form, sign with blue ink, scan it in color, email to your SPA analyst.
- Use a certified digital signature such as one Adobe can create.
If you cannot do either of the above, we will accept the following:
- Attach the document to an email. In the email, please specifically state what you are approving. For example: By this email I am approving the attached check request for Jane Doe in the amount of $100 for account 543210.
Q: Is UEI accepting deposits such as cash, checks and credit card payments?
A: Deposits can be brought to UEI’s Business Services Department (BSD) during the following days and times:
- Mondays: 7:30 a.m. – Noon
- Tuesdays: Noon – 4:00 p.m.
- Wednesdays: Noon – 4:00 p.m.
- Thursday: 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
- Fridays: 7:30 a.m. – Noon
BSD is on the third floor of the Hornet Bookstore in Suite 3700. Until you can bring it in, please keep any cash safely locked.
Q: Can my UEI employee – exempt, non-exempt and student assistant – telecommute? And what if I have no work for my student employees.
A: UEI Human Resources sent two emails earlier this afternoon (3/19/20, 4:00 pm) to project supervisors answering these and other questions. UEI Work from Home forms and guidelines have been posted.
If your student will be receiving pay without working, per the email from HR, your sponsor will need to be contacted on how to handle the reimbursement.