HBC September 2019 News Bulletin

Looking ahead…

With the end of the calendar year approaching, keep in mind the following:

• If you have not done so yet, take the time to complete and submit your KU Annual Conflict of Interest (COI) Certification for fiscal year 2020 by using the link in the e-mail you received from ecompliance@ku.edu.   The deadline to submit this form is SEPTEMBER 30, 2019.  More information is available on the Office of Research website.
• State Employee Health Plan (SEHP) information sessions are currently being offered until October 21, 2019.  You can either view an online Open Enrollment Presentation Video (presentation downloadable in PDF or Power Point) or attend an in-person presentation on October 16, at 10:00 am or at 1:00 pm at the KU Union, Alderson Room.  SEHP open enrollment booklets are also available online.  SEHP Open Enrollment is from October 1 to 31, 2019.
• Take the time to review your goals in the Talent Development System  and complete any KU required training in preparation of end of year evaluations.

Equipment Award Competition Results

An HBC Equipment Award competition for two brand new 24 CU FT Nor-Lake scientific flammable storage freezers, took place during September.  Congratulations to the two award recipients, Laird Forrest, professor of pharmaceutical chemistry and Shyam Sathyamoorthi,  assistant professor of medicinal chemistry.  We thank all who participated in this competition.

Equipment Disposition – What to keep in mind

An equipment inventory of assets,with original value of $5,000 or more, is kept by KU in accordance to the Federal Uniform Guidance and Kansas Statutes.  When a piece of equipment needs to be disposed of, please keep in mind the following:

• Before disposing of an asset, it is required to fill out a disposition of asset form, and only an equipment coordinator can fill out that form.  Each department has a designated individual in that role.  To dispose of an asset, you should first contact the equipment coordinator of the custodian department to which the asset belongs.  If you are unsure about the custodian department, please contact either our equipment coordinator or your department coordinator.  To find out the name of your department equipment coordinator, you can contact your department administrative office. The equipment coordinator for the HBC is André Faucher. 
• Please have handy the following information when contacting him:
  • Asset number or tag number
  • A short description of the asset
  • The condition of the asset (working, not working, obsolete)
• The equipment coordinator will discuss with you how the asset can be disposed of.  He will first try to find if another HBC participant can use that asset before considering selling it to KU Surplus.  Whether working or not, pieces of equipment can also be used as trade-in to get newer equipment.  EWaste recycling or trash should always be considered as a last resort choice.
• Once the disposition of asset form is filled, the equipment coordinator will submit it to Central Property Accounting.  The equipment cannot be disposed of or used for parts until the request is approved.

Moreover, to help in maintaining correct inventory information, you should always immediately contact the equipment coordinator in case an asset:

• is moving to another location
• is changing custodian
• is returned to the vendor after purchase and delivery

The equipment coordinator will take the necessary steps to have the inventory information updated, which will facilitate the annual inventory review.