Elizabeth City State University

Accounting Procedures

Trust Funds - Exempt

Certain trust funds may be exempted from selected travel and/or purchasing regulations. The following statement outlines general guidelines and procedures for the exemptions.

General Guidelines/Applicable Policies

Exemptions From Travel Regulations - Travel regulations may be waived to allow exemption from the maximum expenses allowable per day for in-state and out-of-state travel, from the maximum registration fee allowable, and from the prohibition on claiming reimbursement for subsistence within thirty-five miles of the duty station.

Exemptions From Purchasing Regulations - The exemption from purchasing regulations means that purchases may be made without advance requisitioning through the University Purchasing Department for competitive procurement and/or the approval of the State Purchase and Contract Division. However, accounts exempt from purchasing regulations may take advantage of state contracts or obtain procurement assistance from the Purchasing Department by requisitioning their needs in advance, following the procedures outlined in the Purchasing procedures.

Criteria For Exempting Trust Funds - To be exempt from both travel and purchasing procedures, trust funds must meet one of the following criteria:

• Funds are held by ECSU for students, faculty, staff, or organizations at their request, i.e., agency funds.

• Source of funding is from gifts, foundations, agency or discretionary funds.

• Funds are not restricted to a particular purpose, such as scholarships, which would preclude travel expenditures.

Procedures

The University Controller's Office reviews each request to establish a new account for the appropriate exempt status. If exempt status is granted, that decision will be stated in the documentation returned to the department. If exempt status is not granted or, if the department feels other accounts should be considered exempt, the account custodian may send the University Controller a written request that the decision be reconsidered. The request should state why the account should be exempt and specifically identify which criteria it meets to qualify for exemption. The University Controller will review the request and submit his/her recommendation to the Vice Chancellor for Business and Finance for approval before the request is approved or denied.

A list of exempt accounts will be reviewed at least annually by the University Controller's Office to determine if the status of any of the accounts has changed. Accounts which have become inactive or no longer meet the criteria for exemption will be dropped from the listing.