Finance Committees

Sponsors

• Manali Bettendorf – University Controller and Executive Director of Enterprise Financial Accounting
• Paul Rivers – Chief Information Security Officer

Membership

• Brett Kenney – Interim Chair, Cash Manager, Accounting Services
• DeAhn Baucom – University Cashier, Finance and Budget
• Glenn Morgan – IT Security Specialist, ITS – Information Security
• Mechelle Clayton – Interim Assistant Vice Chancellor, ITS – Enterprise Applications
• Mark Ingram – Infrastructure & Technical Support Manager, University Development Office
• Cynthia O’Daniel – Applications Specialist, ITS – Enterprise Applications
• Brooke O’Neal – Merchant Services Manager, Finance and Budget
• Kim Orr – Head Teller, Office of the University Cashier
• Beau Jimmerson – Chief Procurement Officer
• Tammy Bouchelle – Assistant University Counsel and University Counsel Designee
• Melinda Bakken – Director of Campus Card Services and Person ID, Auxiliary Services
• Wil Steen – Co-chair, Finance Council Subcommittee, Policy & Communications
• Loretta Hester (Advisory Role) – Senior Auditor, Internal Audit

Purpose

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (University) established the Compliant Electronic Receipt Transactions through Innovation and Financial Integrity (CERTIFI) Committee as a partnership between Finance and Operations and Information Technology (Co-sponsors). The CERTIFI Committee monitors laws, requirements and other obligations of the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Security Standards Council, the National Automated Clearing House, the North Carolina Office of the State Controller and the North Carolina State Treasurer.

CERTIFI Committee Charge

On behalf of the University, the CERTIFI Committee is charged with the following responsibilities:

• Act as primary University contract for electronic commerce compliance arising from regulations, contractual obligations and financial controls.
• Monitor and evaluate the University’s electronic commerce (eCommerce) activities.
• Examine requests for new or modified eCommerce activities and provide recommendations.
• Recommend appropriate strategies to manage eCommerce compliance risks.
• Communicate and facilities compliance strategies on behalf of senior management.

The CERTIFI Committee shall:

• Develop standard terms and conditions for University agreements with third-party vendors to ensure the University’s PCI compliance.
• Develop and maintain relevant University Policies and Procedures.
• Evaluate requests from merchants operating under the University Tax ID:
  • to accept electronic payments (e.g. credit card, debit card, etc.) and Automated Clearing House, based on the merchant’s documented plan.
  • for an exemption from the University’s primary payment gateway provider.
  • for an exemption from the State-approved payment processor. The Committee forwards its recommendations to the State for final disposition.
• Prepare annual Attestation of Compliance and Self-Assessment Questionnaires for the State-approved payment processor consistent with requirements of PCI Data Security Standards (DSS) and the University.
• Take action to safeguard the University’s compliance with PCI DSS and other eCommerce related regulations, including suspending a merchant account for failure to comply with University policies, guidelines, practices and procedures.

Exclusions:

• The CERTIFI Committee is not, and shall not be, responsible for activities not conducted under the University’s Tax ID number, including student organizations and affiliated entities as defined by the UNC System.

CERTIFI Committee Membership

The Co-sponsors assign staff from the areas of Finance, ITS Security and ITS Enterprise Applications to perform the work of the CERTIFI Committee, including assigning additional resources as appropriate. The Co-sponsors also appoint a CERTIFI Committee Chair, who appoints advisory Committee members to ensure broad campus representation.

Core Team Roles

Leadership:

• University Cash Manager, Chair
• Senior Director, ITS Audit & Security Services
• IT Security Manager

Team Members:

• Merchant Services Manager
• Enterprise Applications Analyst
• Information Security Specialist

Date: April 23, 2020

Signed by:

Brian T. Smith, Assistant Vice Chancellor and Treasurer, Committee Co-Sponsor
Dennis Schmidt, Chief Information Security Officer, Committee Co-Sponsor

Mid – Late July

• Send email to fee areas with the following information enclosed:
  • Fee form template and instructions – Appendix A.
  • List of SFAS definitions – Appendix B.
  • List of all fees and persons assigned responsibility for the completion of each fee form – Appendix C.
  • List of counts to use in projecting student fee revenues. Data includes regular term and credit hours for summer term. Counts include part-time students only where part-time students are paying the fee – Appendix D.
  • Rate information to use in projecting summer school revenue – Appendix E.
  • Example of fee revenue calculation – Appendix F.
  • Inflationary factors to use in projecting personnel and non- personnel cost increases.
• Hold fee orientation sessions(s) for fee areas as necessary.

August

• Fee forms due to the SFAS Coordinator.
• Hold preparatory meeting with Student Body President/SFAS Co-Chair to review the process and answer questions.

Late August to Early September

• Initial SFAS meeting:
  • Distribute list of SFAS members.
  • Overview of process for new SFAS members.
  • Provide fee instructions from UNC System Office, if pertinent changes.
  • Prioritize the review and approval of fees with no requested adjustment.
  • Prioritize the review and approval of proposed changes in use, justification, or modest inflationary increases, based on SFAC recommendations and justification of increased costs.
  • Distribute and briefly review summary listing of fee requests and individual fee request forms for new academic year.
  • Address outstanding questions.
• Finalize future meeting dates to review/discuss remaining fee requests.

September to Mid-October (as needed)

• Presentations by fee areas.
• SFAS finalizes recommendations.
• SFAS Co-Chairs report fee recommendations to the Tuition & Fee Advisory Taskforce (TFAT)

Late October

• TFAT considers student fee recommendations from SFAS in preparing its tuition and fee proposal to the Chancellor.

Early November

• Final proposal revised, if necessary, to reflect Chancellor input.
• Chancellor approves tuition and fee proposals.

November

• VC F&O, as TFAT Co-Chair, presents fee recommendations to Finance and Infrastructure Committee of BOT and full BOT, as deemed appropriate.
• Feedback obtained from BOT members; proposals revised as necessary to reflect BOT input.
• UNC-CH BOT approves fee proposals for submission to UNC System Office.

November – December

• BOT approved proposals submitted to UNC System Office for review.
• Miscellaneous Charges reported to UNC System Office, these charges only require the approval of the Chancellor and the President.

January – February

• Proposals presented to UNC BOG for initial review.
• Campuses present proposals during Tuition and Fee Workshop.
• Campuses respond to questions and inquiries related to proposals.

March

• BOG approves tuition and fee proposals.

April – June

• Campuses prepare implementation of new rates.

Entering Data and Formulas

Fee amounts must be entered in dollars and cents. The financial activity should be entered in whole dollars. To ensure accuracy and integrity of reporting, formulas must not be changed.

Chartfields #

In the upper right-hand corner of the template, just outside the print area is the account number field. The preparer should enter the chartfield numbers in University’s financial system where the fee activity is recorded.

Fee Name

Insert the official name of the fee. If the fee was in place in the previous year, the fee name must match the name listed on Appendix C. If a new fee, insert the requested name for the new fee.

Requested Annual Fee

Insert the new total annual fee requested for the upcoming academic year. This amount must equal the annual fee for the most recent year plus the annual increase requested for the new academic year.

Annual Increase Requested

Insert the requested annual increase for the upcoming academic year. This is the increase amount the subcommittee will consider during its discussions.

Previous Fees

Insert the approved annual fees for the previous four years.

Actual Financial Activity for Two Previous Years

Insert the actual revenues and disbursements for those fiscal years for which “Actuals” is indicated in the column above the fiscal year. Where the fiscal activity for the student fee is in a separate account, the amounts should agree with the University’s financial system. If the funds are co-mingled with other funds that support different program activities, these numbers should still be traceable to the accounts in the University’s financial system where the student fee funds are recorded. For example, a spreadsheet should be maintained for the global account that shows the activity related to fees in one column and the activity related to non-fee activities in a second column with the total of the two agreeing with balances in University’s financial system. If this is a new fee, all lines will be zero.

Projected Financial Activity for Current Year

Insert the projected revenues and disbursement for those fiscal years for which “Projected” is indicated in the column above the fiscal year. Use the best estimate of actual revenues to be collected. Records must be maintained to support the financial projections. If this is a new fee, all lines will be zero.

Projected Financial Activity for New Academic Year – Without Requested Increase

Insert the projected revenues and disbursements for next fiscal year assuming the fee is not approved. The current year’s projected revenues may serve as the best estimate of the projected revenues that may result if the fee increase is not approved in the new academic year. If expenses are not expected to vary significantly (e.g. the preparer does not expect a significant increase in the personnel expense line for the coming year), this column may list the expenses projected in the current year. If the program area believes disbursements will increase significantly (e.g. a considerable personnel cost increase), the preparer should consider reflecting those costs in the appropriate expense lines so subcommittee members can see the impact on the unit should the fee request not be approved. If this is a new fee, all lines will be zero unless “Other Revenues” are used to support the program activities and the unit is now requesting that student fees support existing activities.

Projected Financial Activity for New Academic Year – With Requested Increase

Insert the projected revenues and disbursements for next fiscal year assuming the fee is approved. See “Revenues” for assistance in calculating the revenue amounts for this column. In the disbursement section, the preparer should include the effect of inflation on its existing costs, the costs of expanding the current level of services to new students, and the costs of new program activities, if any.

Beginning and Ending Fund Balance

The “Beginning Fund Balance” figure in any column must agree with the “Ending Fund Balance” figure for the previous column. Formulas built into the template will automatically calculate the fund balance amounts once the initial fund balance, revenues and disbursements are entered in their respective fields. Do not override these formulas.

Revenues

The “Fee Revenue” line represents funds generated solely from the student fee. Non-fee revenues supporting the program activities, if any, should be entered on the “Other Revenues” line. The revenue section should only include revenues supporting the program activities described on the fee form.

The “Fee Revenue” amount for the next fiscal year under the column labeled “With Requested Increase” must equal the “Requested Annual Fee” amount at the top of the page divided by two, multiplied times the “Fall and Spring Counts”, plus the “Summer Credit Hours” multiplied times the summer rate.

Counts Used in Revenue Projections – Regular Term

The student count is the number for fall and spring as listed on Appendix D for the respective fee area. If this is a new fee, please contact the Director of Student Accounts and University Receivables at 919-962-1368 for the correct count.

Counts and Rates Used in Revenue Projections – Summer Term

The student count is the number for summer school as listed on Appendix E for the respective fee area. The summer school rate is the figure provided by the Cashier’s Office on Appendix E. If this is a new fee, please contact the Director of Student Accounts and University Receivables at 919-962-1368 for the correct count and rate.

Disbursements

Personnel

All expenses related to personnel compensation, including: EHRA and SHRA salaries, SPA longevity, overtime, premium payments, student employee wages, temporary employee wages, fringe benefits, contracted services. The personnel line cannot include faculty and administrative salaries and benefits.

Supplies and Materials

Non-personnel expenses for cleaning supplies, food products, repair and motor vehicle supplies, office supplies, paper products, and purchases for resale.

Current Services

Non-personnel expenses for travel, communication, utilities, printing services, repairs and maintenance, freight and express charges, advertising, and data processing.

Fixed Charges

Non-personnel expenses for rental contracts, maintenance contracts, and insurance.

Capital Outlay

Expenses for non-consumable equipment, including office equipment, electronic data processing equipment, and motor vehicles.

Student Financial Aid

Expenses for scholarships, grants and other financial aid.

Other

Funds classified as transfers, reserves and non-operating expenses.

# Positions Currently Funded

Insert the number of positions currently funded by the fee. If positions are not paid for from fee revenues, enter a zero. Please remember faculty and administrative salaries and benefits cannot be funded from student fees. These counts should only reflect positions providing direct program activities.

Explanation/Description of Fee and Justification for Increase

Insert description of existing or proposed fee and a justification for the requested fee increase, if any. Please do not alter the rows or column on the Fee Form template. If you required additional space for your justification, please attach a separate Word document. The narrative must be sufficient to
provide an ongoing history of the fee’s purpose and changes to the fee over time. The narrative must fully describe the program activities that will be supported by the new student fee or increases to the existing student fee. Where more than one program activity will be supported by a new fee or fee
increase a breakdown of the fee amounts supporting the various program activities should be provided as practicable. For example, if approved, a $20.00 increase to an existing fee will be expensed as follows – $12.00 on “Program A” and $8.00 on “Program B”.

Accounting for Fees

Fees are to be recorded in separate revenue accounts unless the SFAS determines that circumstances warrant otherwise. If multiple fees are recorded in one revenue account, the unit must maintain internal records tracking the revenues and expenses of each student fee.

Debt Service Fees

Student auxiliary services do not receive state appropriated support for either operating or capital needs. The auxiliaries are self-supporting operations with the primary source of revenue being student fees in most cases. As a result, major improvements in facilities, whether in the form of new buildings, additions to buildings, or renovations, must be financed from accumulated operating fund balances or through the issuance of debt.

The initiative to enlarge or improve facilities usually becomes obvious when the demand for service and the need for space exceed the capability of the staff and the capacity of the existing facilities. In these cases, the program area proposes the facility need and the need for a debt service fee if accumulated operating fund balances are insufficient. The student body does not control debt services fees through referendums, however on occasion the initiative to enlarge or improve facilities has come from a need expressed by the student body through a special student referendum (e.g. student recreation center).

The program administrators along with Facilities Planning and Construction consult with student leaders to define the project. Once the project is defined and a preliminary estimate is available, the Finance Division estimates the necessary debt service fee. A student fee request is submitted by the Finance Division to the Student Fee Advisory Subcommittee, and from there to the Tuition and Fee Advisory Taskforce and the Chancellor.

Once the fee is approved by the Chancellor, Facilities Planning and Construction is then responsible for taking the project through the prescribed process for capital improvements. Among other items, this involves obtaining approval from the Board of Trustees, General Administration, the Board of Governors, and the Legislature. While the facility is being designed, the University Finance Division works on the structure of the financing to obtain the construction funds at the lowest possible cost. All available fund sources are examined in order to minimize the amount raised from student fees.

Once established, the debt service fees are usually fixed for the duration of the loan. When the respective debts are retired, the debt service fees are eliminated.

Education and Technology Fee

It is the policy of the UNC-Chapel Hill’s SFAS that the Education and Technology fee should be the same for students in both Academic Affairs and Health Affairs.

Fee Request Deadline

Fee requests will not be accepted past the required deadline except under extenuating circumstances and as approved by the SFAS.

Fee Requests Required

A fee request form is required regardless of whether the requesting unit is seeking approval of the same fee, an increase or decrease to the fee, or the elimination of the fee, unless General Administration has stipulated otherwise.

Inflationary Adjustment

At a minimum, fee increases submitted for approval by the Board of Trustees must cover the rate of inflation, unless the specific fee type does not warrant such an increase (e.g. debt service and application fees).

SFAS Recommendations

The SFAS reaches its decisions by consensus rather than by vote. Fee requests that cannot be reached through consensus are referred to the senior administration for discussion among the appropriate parties.

Special Fees

In November 1998, the BOG established the tuition and fees policy, which allowed the establishment of campus-initiated tuition increases to replace the need for revenue to support general academic purses from special fees. Because of this new flexibility, the BOG does not anticipate requests for new Special Fees or increases to existing Special Fees. If a campus proposes a new Special Fee or an increase to an existing Special Fee, that proposal must be fully justified, and increased scrutiny from the SFAS and the BOG is anticipated. This essentially placed a moratorium on school-based special fees. In October 2011, this moratorium was lifted.

Student Involvement

Campus units should receive documented student input prior to forwarding the unit’s fee request to the SFAS.

Student Referendum

Certain student fees were originally requested by the student body. If these fees are changed, the proposed increase or decrease is submitted to the SFAS either after or contingent upon approval of the student body by referendum. A list of the student fees that requires approval by student referendum follows:

• Student Government Student Activities Fee
• Safety and Security
• Senior Class Enrichment Fee
• Student Endowed Library Fund (SELF)
• Sonja Stone Scholarship Fund

Summer Session Fees

In general, it shall be the policy of the SFAS to set the summer fee at 1/3 of the semester fee. The department receiving the fee shall make every attempt to provide the same level or an equivalent level of service as that provided during the academic year. When a summer fee supports a student service which is demonstrably different than the service provided during the academic year, the service department may propose an alternative fee based on the actual expenses associated with the delivery of that service. The SFAS will maintain the authority to make such a proposal as well.

Unallowable Program Costs

Fees cannot be used to defray the costs of general academic and administrative operations of campuses including academic programs and faculty and administrative salaries and benefits. Examples of unallowable expenses are instructor salaries, classroom supplies, a dean’s office, development staff, legal counsel, facilities operations and central business offices.

Debt service fees may not include components for operations and maintenance but shall reflect the cost of servicing the debt at the coverage levels. Indebtedness fees expire when the related debt is retired.