Despite the decreased level of student activity on campus, many offices prepare for the busiest months of the year.
For staff members, the summer months require collective and focused efforts. The illusion that work load lessens over the summer is just that, an illusion.
Here are a few of the activities occurring within the Division of Business Affairs in the upcoming months:
Teaching, Learning, and Technology
Teaching, Learning, and Technology will host two one-week long sessions of the Faculty Technology Institute. Theme of this year’s FTI is Teaching the #Tech Generation. A write-up about the FTI can be found here.
Student Computing Support
Student Computing Support has a full schedule this summer with orientation sessions and other computer-related tasks.
The office will replace approximately 25 computers in Addlestone and move 30 computers and 3 printers to the third floor to accommodate facility maintenance. The remaining 220 computers and 3 printers will be moved to a secure area for storage while Addlestone maintenance is in progress. After the work on the floors is finished, all 250 computers must be moved back into their proper location.
In addition to computer maintenance, multiple orientation sessions will be held for incoming freshman. The office will review the student section of the IT web site for accuracy and completeness and review/update the Student Computing Support blog.
The office is working to implement wireless printing for students from their personal laptops.
Also, all lab computers will be reimaged twice – at the beginning of the summer and again at the end of the summer.
Controller’s Office
The summer is the busiest time for the Controller’s Office. The heavy workload with Accounts Payable begins in the middle of June and runs through early July, where they process a large volume of payments for the end of the fiscal year. Accounts Payable is also busy in August, since several departments make purchases at the beginning of the academic year. From mid-June through mid-October, the Controller’s Office is heavily involved in the formal closing of the fiscal year in the financial system, the financial state audit, and the preparation of the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report which is due to the State in mid-October. This effort involves virtually all of the staff in the office, and several staff members work extra hours in order to accomplish this large task.
Business & Auxiliary Services
As usual, Business and Auxiliary Services will be keeping busy this summer.
A new Chick-fil-A will be opening in the old Cougar Card space in Berry Hall. The Quiznos spot in the Stern Center will be converted into a new Burger Studio. Food service locations must be open and ready to go when the students arrive for the fall semester, so these projects on a very tight timeline. Price comparisons for all retail locations are also reviewed during the summer months.
The office handles all insurance renewals – which are due by June 30 – so they are busy updating records, contacting departments to ensure that they have the most up-to-date information on number of personnel to be scheduled, individually scheduled items of value, auto insurance renewals, and of course updates to all building and content values. They also handle all lease renewals, including campus rental properties.
Business and Auxiliary Services is directly responsible for certain year-end financial transactions, so they participate fully in the Controller’s Office’s schedule of financial activities. They allocate rent to campus groups – for example, food service locations pay rent to Residence Life for City Bistro, Fresh Food Company, and Craig Hall. They are responsible for their own accruals, reconciling non-student receivables, and booking prepaids, to name a few. Since auxiliaries are required to fund themselves, Business and Auxiliary Services actively participates in the close process to ensure our accounts are properly stated. They are also responsible for setting up new purchase orders (POs) and all lease payment authorizations. All budgets for the upcoming fiscal year are submitted in May and June.
Business and Auxiliary Services is responsible for the Spoleto contract with the College each year, and they are the primary liaison between the College and Spoleto for all campus venues. The performers and production staff stay in campus housing. Spoleto uses the Simons Center, the recital hall, and the Cistern Yard. They coordinate all things Spoleto. At Festival’s end, Business and Auxiliary Services puts together the campus-wide invoice and works to receive payment no later than August 15.
Parking Services is in full swing selling summer permits to students as well as accepting applications for fall parking for students and parking for the upcoming academic year for faculty and staff. Assignments are made over the summer and all payments must be finalized by late July. The office hangtags and decals are mailed in early August to all permit holders. Parking also handles summer conference parking and participates in all orientation sessions over the summer. Any maintenance work for lots or garages is typically handled during the summer.
Cougar Card Services office will participate in all orientation sessions as well as carding all incoming freshmen (typically over 2000 students). The office will also ensure that student board plans are downloaded into Blackboard properly and that the student bills for meal plans are correct.
Mail Services partners with Residence Life to make mail box assignments and distribute keys to all students who will be living on campus for the upcoming year. This is a monumental task.
The Sottile Theatre is fully utilized by the Spoleto Festival every year. This year, Spoleto loaded into the Theatre on April 30 to prepare for three different shows – an opera, the Festival Orchestra’s performances, and a cabaret circus. With the Gaillard going down for renovations this fall the Sottile Theatre is fully booked.
The Copy Center stays its rocking self, working on orientation materials and course packs.
Environmental Health and Safety
Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) will engage in hazardous waste cleanup from the semester in the School of Science and Mathematics and also at the Grice Marine Lab Complex. In addition waste cleanups, EHS will conduct safety inspections for facilities in order to identify and correct obvious health and safety issues. Guidance documents will be created and preparations made for the hurricane program.
Human Resources
Human Resources processes add pay appointments for all faculty teaching during Maymester, summer sessions, etc. Additionally, they hire adjuncts and temporary workers for various projects – Upward Bound, REACH, Teacher Education, etc. Many employees are not renewed for visiting appointments or choose this time of year to retire. Human Resources is responsible for their termination paperwork/data entry and exit interviews for benefits.
The office processes many temporary hires for summer. Departments such as Physical Plant and Residence Life typically hire for summer projects.
Following the completion of staff evaluations in April, the office is swamped with position description updates and reclassifications. They have had nearly 100 updates or reclassifications requests since late March.
The office also runs a few recruitments during the summer as well. Many academic departments wait until summer to handle these matters. For them, the summer is a slow time. During this time, the Office also works with new faculty members who have signed contracts for the fall.
Human Resources is also preparing new contracts and blanket purchase orders due to the fiscal year end.
The training area is busy collaborating with Information Technology to provide live training and on-line tutorials on new applications – such as Outlook 2010.