Section 117 of the Higher Education Act requires schools to submit reports about gifts and contracts that are $250,000 or greater from any foreign source. In the recent past, this was done through OSF and the E-App two times a year (January and July), with information collected by Accounting Services. Recent congressional concerns about foreign influence in schools has resulted in a new reporting tool that requires significantly more information reported, including student tuition paid for by embassies and foreign quasi-government agencies.
In addition, copies of the contracts and donations must be supplied as supporting documentation. You can imagine the volume this represents for an institution of our size and diversity. The new reporting tool appears to have been designed without end user input. For example, thousands of data elements cannot be uploaded in a spreadsheet, but rather, it must be uploaded individually. The Controller's Office has taken the lead on the data and its submission. To our knowledge, there is no pending legal action by school(s) to address this significant expansion of federal oversight or the administrative burden this new tool represents.
Unfortunately, data entry in the new reporting tool will be frustrating as it was poorly designed. The tool requires more data elements but has no ability for multiple uploads. To better understand how this system works, see the grocery store analogy below.
You’ve been given a shopping list with various items, such as meat, baked goods, dairy products, and beverages. Typically, you’d go through the aisles at your grocery store to get all of your meat, all of your bakery, and so on, until you can check out with a full cart.
However, with this system, there is institutional information that has four categories, just like the shopping list. But first, you can only go to the meat department and take one item, then you can go to the bakery and take one item, and so on, until you have to check out with no more than four items total in your cart.
Then, in order to get the rest of your items, you have to go back to the store with a new shopping cat, and like the first time, get no more than one item from each department. Even when you have nothing left on your list from a department, you still have to go through that aisle in order to get the last item on your list.
For a small college with one or two gifts, this system is perfectly designed since they would only need to check out once or twice. However, for a large school with hundreds, if not thousands of discrete entries, due to different transaction dates, etc., this process is a lot more complicated and tedious.
Thursday, July 16, 2020
Thursday, July 2, 2020
Update from Sue
ASR staff are the best! As many of you have heard, one of our staff members is out on an unexpected leave, and in response, staff have offered their assistance and are making adjustments to their schedules for this unit, even with looming deadlines. This is just overwhelming and heartfelt for the directors and me. We truly have staff that care about each other and our University community.
As I mention in your new employee orientation, I want everyone to be a leader in their position, and I can see this over and over again as we prepare for the fall opening. All of you play an important role, and I appreciate the help and support. We continue working towards making ASR and the University even better for our students, faculty, and staff.
Thank you.
As I mention in your new employee orientation, I want everyone to be a leader in their position, and I can see this over and over again as we prepare for the fall opening. All of you play an important role, and I appreciate the help and support. We continue working towards making ASR and the University even better for our students, faculty, and staff.
Thank you.
Fall communications planning
The ASR Communication team is working with many stakeholders on the fall 2020 communication plan. We have already updated the OCM website and sent messages to schedulers.
We are currently working on the following items:
We are currently working on the following items:
- Update language on both the One Stop and ASR websites
- Send a message to advisors
- Update MyU to help students understand schedule changes
- Create a slide deck as a placeholder for staff who are presenting externally on fall planning
- Share a fall planning 2020 talking points document with advisors and other stakeholders
Mental Wellness Q&A
This section is devoted to answering general questions related to mental wellness in the workplace. Please continue to submit questions using this form.
This insightful Q&A related to Minority Mental Health Awareness comes from Magellan Health Insights with Diane J. Felder, M.D., the medical director for Magellan Healthcare of Texas. Below is one of the questions asked of Dr. Felder surrounding barriers that minorities face when it comes to mental health.
Q: What are the barriers to minorities receiving high quality mental health treatment?
A: “Members of minorities are less likely to seek treatment, both for their physical and mental health. However, when minorities do reach out for assistance, they are less likely to receive consistent, high-quality treatment.
There are many contributing factors to these barriers. The high costs of care can be a deterrent. Most minority groups in the U.S. have higher than average rates of poverty. Members of minorities are more likely to lack insurance coverage, and may only seek emergency care, which costs more and is less effective than sustained treatment. Medications or diagnostic procedures may be viewed as too expensive. Or, reliable transportation for follow up care may not be available.
There are also what are called the social determinants of health (SDOH). These include factors such as consistent transportation, the availability of healthy food and safe and affordable housing, access to education, public safety and environmentally safe living and working conditions. Minority populations are more frequently negatively impacted by the SDoH. For example, these members are more likely to be homeless or move frequently, which interferes with maintaining consistent treatment. They may lack adequate nutrition and are at greater risk for having associated medical conditions like hypertension or diabetes.
Further, the stigma around mental illness, while improving, is still a deterrent to seeking treatment – for everyone. Some cultures may see it as taboo to request help or to be seen as someone who needs help.
When minority patients do seek treatment, there may be no one available who speaks their language. In some clinical settings I’ve been in, it might take a week to arrange for an interpreter or a therapist who was proficient in the patient’s language. They may not have a primary care physician to help with screening for mental health conditions or provide follow-up care. In addition, the community clinics where minority members are more likely to receive care may be understaffed, overcrowded and have long wait times. Understaffing may lead to inadequate screening or even misdiagnosis. And, frankly, the clinic also may not be in a place where the member feels safe traveling so they may hesitate to go in the first place or return for continued treatment.”
This insightful Q&A related to Minority Mental Health Awareness comes from Magellan Health Insights with Diane J. Felder, M.D., the medical director for Magellan Healthcare of Texas. Below is one of the questions asked of Dr. Felder surrounding barriers that minorities face when it comes to mental health.
Q: What are the barriers to minorities receiving high quality mental health treatment?
A: “Members of minorities are less likely to seek treatment, both for their physical and mental health. However, when minorities do reach out for assistance, they are less likely to receive consistent, high-quality treatment.
There are many contributing factors to these barriers. The high costs of care can be a deterrent. Most minority groups in the U.S. have higher than average rates of poverty. Members of minorities are more likely to lack insurance coverage, and may only seek emergency care, which costs more and is less effective than sustained treatment. Medications or diagnostic procedures may be viewed as too expensive. Or, reliable transportation for follow up care may not be available.
There are also what are called the social determinants of health (SDOH). These include factors such as consistent transportation, the availability of healthy food and safe and affordable housing, access to education, public safety and environmentally safe living and working conditions. Minority populations are more frequently negatively impacted by the SDoH. For example, these members are more likely to be homeless or move frequently, which interferes with maintaining consistent treatment. They may lack adequate nutrition and are at greater risk for having associated medical conditions like hypertension or diabetes.
Further, the stigma around mental illness, while improving, is still a deterrent to seeking treatment – for everyone. Some cultures may see it as taboo to request help or to be seen as someone who needs help.
When minority patients do seek treatment, there may be no one available who speaks their language. In some clinical settings I’ve been in, it might take a week to arrange for an interpreter or a therapist who was proficient in the patient’s language. They may not have a primary care physician to help with screening for mental health conditions or provide follow-up care. In addition, the community clinics where minority members are more likely to receive care may be understaffed, overcrowded and have long wait times. Understaffing may lead to inadequate screening or even misdiagnosis. And, frankly, the clinic also may not be in a place where the member feels safe traveling so they may hesitate to go in the first place or return for continued treatment.”
Thursday, June 18, 2020
Update from Sue
With the Regents meeting last week and the messages from the President and Provost, we are able to turn our attention to implementing plans for the fall term. While we won’t need to change the campus calendar for Twin Cities/Rochester, the work is wide-ranging for fall. ASR staff are updating the calendars for Morris and Crookston in PeopleSoft, analyzing how fees might work for students in fall term, and undertaking a huge project to create a class schedule that accommodates 6 foot social distancing where feasible on the Twin Cities campus.
Although we are working primarily on fall term plans, it’s important that we start planning ahead for spring term as early as we can. I’m talking to executives about spring now and ideally students will know more about what to expect for spring when registration opens this November.
I’m so grateful for all that you are doing, especially when we are facing furloughs and other challenges. I wish we could gather in person to celebrate you all.
Please take some time tomorrow to learn or reflect on Juneteenth.
Thank you!
Although we are working primarily on fall term plans, it’s important that we start planning ahead for spring term as early as we can. I’m talking to executives about spring now and ideally students will know more about what to expect for spring when registration opens this November.
I’m so grateful for all that you are doing, especially when we are facing furloughs and other challenges. I wish we could gather in person to celebrate you all.
Please take some time tomorrow to learn or reflect on Juneteenth.
Thank you!
HR updates
The Board of Regents has approved a temporary pay reduction and furlough program for most University employees. Labor Represented and Civil Service employees will receive unpaid furloughs with a bank of hours, which will occur in two six-month segments starting on July 1, so the hours can be taken in both the first and second half of the fiscal year. Faculty and P&A staff will have a temporary pay cut and receive an equivalent number of days off, which are only available during the pay-reduction period.
Employees who earn less than $60,000, graduate students, professionals in training (including postdoctoral associates and residents), H-1B and E-3 visa holders, faculty with a phased retirement agreement, and faculty on a sabbatical will be exempt from this program. In addition, the $2 extra per hour for essential staff on campus will end on June 21.
Further guidance, training materials, and additional resources for supervisors and employees will be made available from OHR in the near future. Additionally, MHSST-HR (Morrill Hall Shared Services Team) will share more details in the coming days.
If you have any questions about the temporary pay reduction and furlough program, you are welcome to contact Mary Stein (stein094@umn.edu).
Employees who earn less than $60,000, graduate students, professionals in training (including postdoctoral associates and residents), H-1B and E-3 visa holders, faculty with a phased retirement agreement, and faculty on a sabbatical will be exempt from this program. In addition, the $2 extra per hour for essential staff on campus will end on June 21.
Further guidance, training materials, and additional resources for supervisors and employees will be made available from OHR in the near future. Additionally, MHSST-HR (Morrill Hall Shared Services Team) will share more details in the coming days.
If you have any questions about the temporary pay reduction and furlough program, you are welcome to contact Mary Stein (stein094@umn.edu).
ASR Operations Team
At the direction of the ASR Directors, a new committee was created in spring 2020. The Academic Support Resources Operations Project Committee (ASROPC) was formed to:
The focus this summer is on re-opening for fall and the many changes ASR will be making in PeopleSoft to make this happen. Members of the group may be reaching out to you to support the re-opening efforts.
- Facilitate effective planning of projects in consideration of operational activities across ASR
- Promote operational effectiveness and efficiency in project execution
- Share responsibility for the decisions made together
- Provide guidance pertaining to our processes, applications, and technology
- Keep compliance at the forefront of decisions and prioritization
- Provide transparency around project work
The focus this summer is on re-opening for fall and the many changes ASR will be making in PeopleSoft to make this happen. Members of the group may be reaching out to you to support the re-opening efforts.
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