| Post-Award Policies and Procedures Faculty and Staff at McNeese State University must comply with the rules and regulations described in the most recent version of the Faculty and Staff Handbook. In addition to the Faculty and Staff Handbook, the Office of Research Services and Sponsored Programs has developed the following set of Grant Writing Policies and Procedures in order to better serve all faculty and staff at the University.
ALL GRANT PROPOSALS AND CONTRACTS MUST BE SUBMITTED THROUGH THE OFFICE OF RESEARCH SERVICES AND SPONSORED PROGRAMS (RSSP). RSSP IS RESPONSIBLE FOR OBTAINING AUTHORIZED SIGNATURES AND CERTIFICATIONS FOR SUBMISSIONS ON BEHALF OF MCNEESE STATE UNIVERSITY.
Overhead/Indirect Money Distribution
If overhead (indirect) monies are received from the granting agency, a portion (up to 50%) of these funds may be distributed to the principal investigator (non salary), department and college. Distribution of these funds is at the discretion of the VP of Academic Affairs. In the event that overhead funds are distributed, the following distribution schedule will be observed:
Salaries and Salary Supplements Paid from Grant Funds
All grants funded through state and federal agencies must comply with regulations published by the federal Office of Management and Budget in "Principles for Determining Costs Applicable to Grants, Contracts, and Other Agreements with Educational Institutions "(Circular A-21).
Under this policy, "no one may be compensated for more than 100% of their time."
"In no event will charges to sponsored agreements, irrespective of the basis of computation, exceed the proportionate share of the base salary for that period. This principle applies to all members of the faculty at an institution. Since intra-university consulting is assumed to be undertaken as a university obligation requiring no compensation in addition to full-time base salary, the principle also applies to faculty members who function as consultants or otherwise contribute to a sponsored agreement conducted by another faculty member of the same institution." OMB Circular A-21, Section J, subpart 3 (d) (1)
Exception: Grant activities performed during the summer months. "Sponsored agreements during the summer months or other period not included in the base salary period will be determined for each faculty member at a rate not in excess of the base salary divided by the period to which the base salary relates." OMB Circular A-21, Section J, subpart 3 (d)(2)(a). For McNeese State University, summer salaries are limited to a maximum of 2/9 (two ninths) of the base salary.
Payroll
Students - All student workers must comply with the rules of the Student Employment Office. For further information concerning student employment CLICK HERE. It is important for the student to check with Personnel to see if they need to fill out paperwork before reporting to work. Personnel MUST have the proper forms filled out for the student to be paid. Please see policy concerning student labor for additional info.
Student workers MUST have a Work Assignment Card BEFORE beginning work. Students should not be allowed to work without a Work Assignment Card. Work Assignment Cards can be picked up at the Student Employment Office in Smith Hall Room 106.
To download the form used to hire undergraduate students CLICK HERE.
To download the form used to hire graduate students CLICK HERE.
Faculty – A “Supplemental Pay Authorization” form must be filled out by the PI for payment of services performed by McNeese faculty or staff. To download the “Supplemental Pay Authorization” form CLICK HERE.
Travel
Current policy and procedure concerning travel regulations must be followed. Updated regulations are available through the Administrative Accounting Department, Delores Fontenot - Travel ext. 5101, or
CLICK HERE. Requests for travel should be received in the Accounting Department at least 1 week prior to the scheduled date of departure.
Travel advances are generally allowed only for student travel and must be picked up in person at the Cashiers Office.
Airfare - The State of Louisiana currently contracts with a travel agency to provide travel-related services. It is mandatory that all airline reservations be made through the state's contractor. State Contractor’s contact information can be found
HERE. If a lower rate can be obtained than the contractor can provide, a travel exception approval must be secured from the state travel office in Baton Rouge prior to travel. Additional information can be obtained by contacting Delores Fontenot - Travel ext. 5101 at the Administrative Accounting Office.
There are 2 methods of acquiring payment for airfare. Remember in either case you must use the travel contract agent for the state.
Remember you must use the state contractor for travel, whom is presently Navigant. The quickest and easiest method for airfare purchase is either to apply for a university credit card or utilize your own credit card. If you chose to utilize your own credit card you will be allowed to turn in a travel expense as soon as you have the receipt from the state contractor. This way you should have your travel check back to you before your credit card statement is due.
It is imperative that airfare to be purchased by the university be done in a timely manner. From the time an itinerary is forwarded to the PI, in most cases there is less than 24 hours to get the ticket paid for. This requires, Research Services Administrative Coordinator, Research Services Director, Research Services Grant Accountant, Accounting person, and Director or Assistant Director of Purchasing to all be available to do their part. That means that 5 people must be available to complete the transaction within a short time period. If you would like to expedite matters and alleviate the need of you resubmitting the information, it is best if you choose to have the university pay for the ticket that you check to make sure these people will be available on the day of your purchase and that you immediately bring the completed purchase requisition and itinerary over to Research Services. If the transaction is not completed before the designated date and time located on the itinerary you must start the process over as Purchasing cannot complete the transaction.
Lodging and vehicle rentals - State travelers have the option of booking all in-state hotel/motel reservations themselves or they may elect to use the contracted travel agencies. Please check travel website HERE for limitations on state rates. Out-of-state lodging and vehicle rentals are to be handled through the contracted travel agencies. Some additional restrictions apply to the rental of vehicles.
Mileage Reimbursement - The current maximum mileage (odometer reading required) reimbursement allowed by the state is $0.40 per mile, but can be restricted to less by the grant. However, state rates are subject to change. The most current rates are available at the LA Office of State Travel (see below). All MSU related travel must comply with the Louisiana Office of State Travel
regulations. For additional information contact the Office of Research Services and Sponsored Programs or download the current Louisiana Travel Guide or a Pocket Travel Guide from the LA Office of State Travel web page.
University Vehicle - Telephone reservations for the use of a vehicle will be made on a tentative basis only. A Request for University Transportation must be approved by the Department Head, Dean, and Director of Research Services and accountant before the vehicle can be picked up. If a scheduled trip cannot be made, the Physical Plant should be notified at least 12 hours in advance in order to make the car available to others needing it. Failure to notify the Physical Plant may result in a charge of $10 to the requesting department's travel budget. Failure to return a vehicle at the end of the scheduled period, without reasonable cause, will result in a charge of $10 per day or portion of a day the vehicle is overdue. Users of vehicles are expected to exercise reasonable care and maintain the auto in neat conditions. Cold drink cans, bottles, paper cups, paper plates, etc. should be removed from the vehicle before it is returned to the car pool. Failure to do so may result in a clean-up charge. Departments or individuals who abuse the privilege of using a University vehicle may be denied the use of a car in the future. All drivers of state vehicles must attend a Louisiana safe driver course and thereafter must attend a refresher course at least once every four years unless their class of license requires other training or testing. Employees may operate only those vehicles for which they are licensed.
Request for Travel – A “Request for Travel” form must be completed and turned in at Research Services at least seven days prior to travel. All travel charged to grants must be approved by the Department Head, Dean, and Research Services Director and accountant prior to travel. Submitting a formal request for travel protects you as a McNeese employee should problems or injuries arise during your travel. To download the “Travel Request” form
CLICK HERE.
A Travel Expense Form must be filed with Research Services upon completion of travel unless the only expense incurred is the usage of a University automobile. All claims for reimbursement for travel shall be submitted on a
Travel Expense Form, and shall include all details provided for on the form. All original receipts for lodging, taxi, rental vehicles, parking, tolls, airfare, etc. must be attached. Odometer readings must be included for mileage reimbursement. If travel is for a conference or convention, a program agenda must be attached. Claims should be submitted within the month following travel. A reimbursement check will be mailed to you for all expenses incurred during the trip that are covered by the grant.
Purchase Orders
No one may purchase supplies, materials, equipment, or services worth more than $100 (including tax) without a purchase order. Single orders of $100 (including tax) or less can be reimbursed through petty cash. The University will assume no other obligation except by purchase order. Purchasing policies and procedures apply uniformly to all funds administered by the University. Employees making purchases which exceed $100 (including tax) without a purchase order may be required to personally pay for the purchase.
Anyone who wants to purchase item(s) exceeding $100 (including tax) must enter a purchase requisition. (In the Vendor field, enter the name of the person being reimbursed.)
For vendors not accepting MSU Purchase Orders - Purchases made in this manner MUST have PRIOR approval from the Director of Purchasing. Approval can be verbal and should be noted on the Purchase Requisition form. Please include date of approval. You must be sure that funds are available for the purchase. The monthly recaps along with your record of expenditures should be referred to.
Unauthorized Purchases - If item/items were purchased above $100 (including tax) without prior approval of the Director of Purchasing you run the risk of not being reimbursed this money.
Bookstore and Warehouse – To open a bookstore credit line or order copy paper download the Bookstore Credit Line and Warehouse Interdepartmental form.
Petty Cash
Purchases $100 (including tax) and under are considered Petty Cash Purchases. Petty cash is to be used solely for emergency purchases of a non-recurring nature. IN NO INSTANCE should the amount of the purchase exceed $100 (including tax) per vendor per day. An original receipt listing the items purchased and the name of the purchaser should be attached to a “Petty Cash Voucher” must be submitted to the Research Services Office for approval. Once approved, reimbursement can be picked up at the cashier's office in Smith Hall. To download the “Petty Cash Voucher” CLICK HERE.
Professional Service
All work required by outside vendors must be approved PRIOR to start date. PIs must fill out a “Professional Services Contract” describing the work to be done and submit it to the Vice President of Business Affairs for approval. It is necessary to obtain contractor’s signature and tax ID number. Once approved by the Office of Business Affairs a copy of the executed contract will be forwarded to the PI. The work is not authorized until all required signatures are on the form. To download the Professional Services Contract CLICK HERE.
Upon completion of the work the PI must fill out a “Professional Services Check Request” form, attach a copy of the signed contract and deliver it to Research Services. Once approved, the contractor will receive payment by mail. To download the Professional Services Check Request form CLICK HERE.
Animal Use Protocol
All research conducted at McNeese State University using animals must have Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) approval before it is initiated.
For more information on the 2006-07 IACUC members, please contact the Office of Research Services and Sponsored Programs.
For more information on the MSU IACUC, CLICK HERE. To download the request for approval to conduct research on animals form CLICK HERE.
Human Research Policy
All research conducted at McNeese State University using human participants must have Human Subject Institutional Review Board (HSIRB) approval before it is initiated.
The 2005-06 HSIRB members are:
Dr. Peggy Wolfe, College of Nursing, Chair
Dr. Dan Denson, Burton College of Education
Dr. Bill Dees, College of Science
Dr. Dena Matzenbacher, Burton College of Education
Dr. Ruth Brewer, College of Nursing
Mr. Thomas Baril, College of Liberal Arts
Rev. Alan Truille, Campus Ministry
Specific guidelines and approval forms for such research can be found at the Human Subjects Research web page or obtained from the Office of Research Services and Sponsored Programs
Scientific Misconduct Policy
McNeese has adopted a document entitled General Standards of Professional Ethics as Related to Research at McNeese State University as its policy relating to scientific misconduct. It defines "misconduct" as fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, or other practices that seriously deviate from those that are commonly accepted within the research community for proposing, conducting, or reporting research. It does not include honest errors or honest differences in interpretation or judgments of data.
For additional information, click on the following URLs:
Copyright Policy
The administration of McNeese State University supports strict compliance with the provisions of the United States Copyright Law. For more information refer to the Faculty and Staff Handbook.
Intellectual Property and Shared Royalties Policy
The University of Louisiana System recognizes the need for and desirability of encouraging the broad utilization of the results of academic research by bringing innovative findings to practical application. The primary purpose of this Intellectual Property Policy is to provide the necessary protections and incentives to encourage both the discovery and development of new knowledge and its transfer for the public benefit; a secondary purpose is to enhance the generation of revenue for the home institutions and the creators. To download a copy of the entire MSU policy on intellectual property CLICK HERE.
For additional information, click on the following URL:
Patents
Patents and royalties resulting from work conducted by McNeese faculty shall be the property of McNeese State University and the inventor shall receive an appropriate share of any royalties generated. A copy of the entire policy may be obtained from the Board of Supervisors for the University of Louisiana System's Policy Manual or from the office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
For additional information, click on the following URLs:
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