Business Services Office

The Business Services Office ensures that the UWRL functions smoothly and efficiently by providing administrative and business support to faculty, staff, and students. Some common Business Services Office functions are explained in greater detail below. Please feel free to contact any business services staff member; they are available to field any question and, if needed, refer or direct work to the proper person.

BSO Staff Directory

P-Card (Purchase Card) Instructions

Training

All P-card holders and delegated users must have P-card training before using a P-card. P-Card training can be found here. 

USU P-Card Training

Delegates

Delegated users need to be listed on a Delegated User Form for each P-card holder before being allowed to make purchases on the P-card. Andrea Carroll or Katie Reynolds can help you add Delegated users to your P-card. 

Checking Out a P-Card

P-cards can be checked out in the Business Services office, UWRL Room 214. A member of the Business Services team can help you check out a P-Card. You will need to know the vendor that the purchase will be made from and the index where the purchase should be charged.

Tax Exemption

USU P-Card purchases are tax exempt if the purchase is made in the state of Utah. If tax is charged, it is the P-card holder’s responsibility to contact the vendor to have the tax removed. If the tax is not or cannot be removed, it cannot be charged to a project and will be moved to an overhead index.

Receipts

Turn in all P-Card receipts to Katie. The preferred method of submitting P-card receipts is uploading to the UWRL P-Card Receipt Box folder using the naming convention First Name_Last Name_Vendor_Amount_Date. If you need access to the Box folder, please let Katie Reynolds or Cathi Allen know. Though less preferable, you may also submit an email or paper copy to Katie. Receipts must include the vendor’s name, the date of purchase, the items purchased, and the purchase total. When uploading or sending receipts, please note the index where the expense should be charged.

If the index is not included with the receipt, it will be charged to the default index on the P-card and routed to the Cardholder with a note to update the index if needed. Please change the index or include a comment that the default index should be charged. Business managers will return the receipt to the Cardholder if the index is not changed or noted.

USU P-Card Policies

Graduate Student Policies

Information for new students, such as hiring, paperwork, and checklists can be found on the New Student Guidebook Pages.

Tuition Waivers

Tuition waivers are not guaranteed but are distributed to as many eligible students as possible. The current minimum requirements are as follows:

1. A 50% time assistantship supporting the student for the minimum required monthly amount for the full semester.
2. Cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 or higher. 
3. Signed Agreement Form.
4. An approved Program of Study (POS) turned in by the second semester.

Waivers will only be used for approved classes on the POS, with a maximum 9 credit-hour limit per semester. All tuition waivers must be requested with Andrea Carroll a minimum of eight weeks before the beginning of the semester. It is the student's responsibility to get their information to Andrea each semester. Start watching for an email asking for the number of credits you are taking for the semester and send it back immediately. The College of Engineering reviews all submitted waiver applications. You will get a document to approve the payments, and your waiver cannot be paid until that is completed by the student.  If changes are made after this, (discouraged unless absolutely necessary), contact Andrea Carroll immediately with the information to get the amounts changed.   

Reminders 

• The request for your credit information will be sent during late July to early August and are due back to Andrea Carroll as soon as possible. The waivers will be issued during the last part of August and into September. 
• Fall semester tuition waivers are issued in August. Major professors should request changes in June/July. 
• Spring semester tuition waivers are issued in December. Major professors should request changes by October/November.
• All tuition waivers are dependent on the availability of sufficient funds. 
• In order to minimize the use of tuition waiver funds, students should schedule research credits to satisfy minimum registration requirements in fall and spring semesters. (There are no out-of-state tuition charges for summer semester).
• All eligible students must apply for residency after one year. 

 Health Insurance

Subsidized health insurance is available for eligible Graduate Students. Andrea Carroll will be able to determine whether a student is eligible or not. Students can waive this benefit if they can prove they have comparable insurance. Eligible students will need to register and keep current with the First Student website for both fall and spring semesters every year.

Student Agreements

• All Graduate Students will be required to sign a Tuition Award Agreement as well as a Health Insurance Agreement to be eligible for either benefit.
• Students who opt to leave the university before a degree is awarded will be responsible for repaying all tuition awards received, since they will not have a USU degree or final Program of Study.
• Any student who elects to transfer degrees will be responsible for repaying any tuition awards received that do not meet eligibility requirements under the new degree program.
• Any student who chooses to leave before a semester is complete will be responsible to pay any remaining insurance premiums due for the remaining months of the semester.

 UWRL Travel Policy

Please review USU's travel policies before your trip:

USU Travel Policies

Travel Authorizations:

Faculty and students must have an approved Travel Authorization prior to travel. Contact Katie Reynolds or Andrea Carroll to set up a TA. You can use the spreadsheet found here: https://usu.app.box.com/file/600150462974. Required information for a TA includes:

• Location (city) of travel
• Dates of travel
• Purpose of travel
• Index(es) to be charged.

When traveling as presenters at a conference, students should apply for available travel grants through the School of Graduate Studies and the College of Engineering when possible.

If students or faculty are traveling internationally or are presenting at a conference, we request that you complete a UWRL Conference/International Travel Reporting form before or after your trip. Please upload your presentation when applicable.

Open TAs can be used for reoccurring same-day, mileage-only travel. They must be closed at the end of each fiscal year and a new TA started if needed.

Please inform the business assistants if you will be traveling with another person or as a group. If expenses are shared, it will need to be noted on your TA.

Travel Reimbursements

• Collect all receipts when possible and submit them to Andrea or Katie within 1 week of returning from your trip if requesting reimbursement.
• Meals can be reimbursed at a per diem rate or based on actual cost. You must have all receipts to request actual cost meal reimbursement. Receipts must be itemized and show the date, location, and payment method. Only one method of meal reimbursement (per diem or actuals) can be used on a single TA.
• UWRL travel cards should be used to pay for student and faculty travel when possible. It is not advisable for faculty to pay for student travel with their personal credit card and request reimbursement after the purchase. Katie and Andrea can help book and pay for travel arrangements. All travel expenses paid for with a Travel Card or P-card (registration only), must reference the TA# when submitting the receipt. Please submit those receipts to Business Services Office Staff.
• Airfare and registration expenses may be reimbursed before the trip.