Financial Procedures

Financial Requests for Student/Staff

In order to request reimbursements or payments, you must fill out a Financial Request Form. This authorizes us to take money out of your group’s account in the form of a check. You must then submit an original ITEMIZED RECEIPT or INVOICE or else the request cannot be processed. It must also be signed by the authorized representative (i.e. the Financial Contact) for your group. Before submitting the form, please ensure that the requested amount of money is available in your SBC, Income, or Department SmartKey accounts, which your group’s Financial Contact can do via his/her E-Portfolio. If you are being reimbursed as a student, it would be beneficial to account payable office if they could just mail your payment to your campus mailbox.

The financial request form and receipts/invoices must be submitted on or before noon on WEDNESDAY in order to have a check available normally within 7 business days. Holidays will affect the check run, so if you submit your form on or around a holiday you will receive a check normally within 14 days. If the form is not filled out properly or submitted with the necessary receipts/invoices, your reimbursement and/or payment will be delayed.

Also, never pay an individual or 3rd party vendor with cash or a personal check. In cooperation with the IRS, students and employees are not allowed to pay an individual or company that is not Incorporated for services or rental fees. Because this is an IRS policy, which must be adhered to by the University, we will not be able to reimburse you in this case.

Finally, all outside vendors (i.e. non-Wesleyan students or personnel) must submit a W-9 Tax Form prior to receiving payment. This information is required by the IRS, and contains the individual’s (or company’s) Social Security Number/Federal Tax ID number, mailing address, and any additional financial information. This requirement may delay any outgoing payments by three to five business days in addition to the seven business days required to process check payments. Please take this information into consideration when fulfilling any contract or invoice payments.

Financial Requests for Honoraria

If you need a check for a speaker or performer, you will need the following items:
 
 Original copy of a contract, the home address(es), and either the social security number(s) of the person(s) being paid or the federal ID number of the organization the person(s) are working with
Note: This is in compliance with IRS regulations pertaining to Wesleyan as a non-profit organization. We cannot process a check without this information. Please submit your request at least four to six weeks before it is needed.

Financial requests cannot be submitted for student bands, DJs or speakers. They must be paid through student payroll on a white timesheet (i.e. each band member’s name, Wes ID number, and amount paid must be submitted before or after the event). Faculty and Staff must also be paid on timesheets (available at the WSA Office). You can obtain timesheets from the WSA Administrator.

Financial Request for Travel Expenses

To request reimbursement for travel expenses you must do the following:

 

  1. Fill out a Financial Request Form, have your Financial Contact, Treasurer or authorized representative of your group sign the completed form, and  attach  a printed copy of the Mapquest directions (including the total mileage) to.

  2. Before submitting the form, please ensure that the requested amount of money is available in your SmartKey accounts, or verify that you actually received alternative funds from a department contribution by contacting the WSA Administrator.

***Never pay an individual or 3rd party vendor with cash or a personal check. Students and employees are not allowed to pay individuals or a company that is not Incorporated for services rendered or rental fees. This is an IRS policy that must be adhered to by the University, in which case we will not be able to reimburse you.

Wesleyan Contract

If you need a Wesleyan Contract drawn up for your honorarium, please complete the Contract Information Form and submit the Financial Request Form to the WSA Administrator or Student Activities Director. Both forms are available on the WSA website or in WSA main office. If you are hiring individuals who fit at least one of the following criteria, we will need them to provide the following information. See below.

  • U.S. citizen: must provide a Social Security Number and home address from which federal taxes are received.

  • Permanent Resident: must complete a W-9 form and provide a copy of their Resident Alien/Green Card and social security number.

  • Non U.S Citizens: must complete a Foreign National Information Form (FNIF) and submit a copy of their passport and visa.

  • Note: The WSA Administrator or Student Activities Director will provide the proper forms, assuming that they produce a Wesleyan contract for your honorarium. Please schedule an appointment with either the WSA Administrator or the Student Activities Director at least four to six weeks before your event.

Cash/Check Deposits

All of your student group’s income must be deposited into its group account, even if the group plans to spend the money soon after. It is to the group’s advantage to deposit money into their account – the acquisition of income through fundraising and other independent means shows the SBC that your group has made efforts to raise money outside of relying on SBC allocations.

You should complete a deposit slip and bring any deposits to the WSA office. Please expect to spend 10 to 15 minutes in the WSA office so you can be present while the deposit is counted by the WSA Administrator or his/her office staff.

DEPOSITS MUST BE DONE MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY BETWEEN 9 AM AND 4 PM — AT NO TIME SHOULD CASH OR CHECKS BE LEFT UNDER THE WSA OFFICE DOOR, NOR SHOULD CASH BE KEPT IN YOUR ROOM!

 After the designated hours, cash can be taken to the Public Safety office for temporary deposit in a safe. The supervisor in charge will place the deposit into a bank bag; lock the bag and give you the key. You must bring the key to the WSA Administrator the next day, so s/he can retrieve the funds to make the official deposit during WSA office hours.

YOU WILL BE HELD PERSONALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY CASH OR CHECKS LOST BECAUSE YOU DID NOT FOLLOW THESE PROCEDURES. IF YOU LOSE THE KEY, YOU WILL BE CHARGED $10 DOLLAR FEE TO REPLACE IT.

Purchase Orders

This form acts as a legal promise between a student group and a vendor or company that promises payment that are required by many film, sound, and lighting companies.
                            To obtain a form please do the following:

  1. See WSA administrator at the WSA Office

  2.  Submit a copy of the purchase order to the vendor/company, and should forward you a bill at a later date

  3. Complete a Financial Request Form once you receive the bill.

Bills

Bills must be mailed directly to the following address:

Wesleyan Student Assembly
190 High Street
Middletown, CT 06459

Please include your group’s name, the contact person and telephone/cell phone number on the bill/invoice. A Financial Request Form must be submitted with the bill/invoice in order to be processed.
                      DO NOT ask stores to send bills to you at your campus address.

Direct Billing

We ask that a group treasurer, referred to as the Financial Contact, review the group’s accounts periodically because expenses can be charged to your group, of which you may not be aware.

Certain expenses are “hidden” (i.e. your group will be billed without your explicit request). Such billing is referred to as “interdepartmental charges” and is carried out by Public Safety, the Audio Visual Department, and Wes Station (for postage), as well as Physical Plant and the CFA staff when you use their services. They perform an electronic financial transaction that can automatically debit your group account.

Transfer Requests

All types of transfers must be signed by the authorized group representative (the Financial Contact) and approved by the SBC. To complete a transfer request you must do the following:

  1. Complete the Transfer Request form;

  2. Place form in the SBC mailbox

  3. Notify your SBC contact person that you are making a transfer request to move funds.

**Please note that this does not guarantee that your transfer request will be approved. When transfers take place, no actual check or cash is transferred. It will take the WSA Office 2 to 3 business days to process an approved request. The amounts are just credited/debited to and from accounts electronically. Forms for transfer requests are available at the WSA Office or on the WSA website. 

There are three kinds of transfers you can make:

  1. Between WSA groups;

  2. Between a WSA group and another university department or office;

  3. Within your group, from one sub-account to another.

WSA Credit Card

Student groups have access to the WSA commercial credit card. They must have money in their SmartKey accounts or must verify that they have acquired alternative sources of funding through the department contribution process before making use of the credit card. Verifications of contributions can be made by contacting the WSA administrator. Please contact the WSA Administrator to make an appointment to use the commercial credit card at least 24 hours ahead of time. It will take approximately 15 to 30 minutes depending on the transaction, so please allow time in your schedule for this type of appointment.

General Financial Information

Electronic Dollars

The Student Activities Fee (SAF) is managed through an electronic system where funds are moved between Smartkeys electronically. For example, if your student group requests money from the Student Budget Committee (SBC) and your request is approved, the SBC will submit a list of financial requests electronically to the WSA Administrator, who then enters the data into a budget management system. The information is then uploaded into OrgSync, which all financial contacts (treasurers) have full access to if their group is active.

How are funds maintained?

Once you have registered a student organization and it becomes active, three Smartkey Numbers are automatically assigned to your group.

Your funds are maintained through these Smartkeys Numbers, which can be used to charge bills, reserve most Wesleyan facilities, rent University audiovisual equipment, make a payment to vendors and honoraria, in addition to a gamut of other services here at Wesleyan. While you should guard your Smartkey number carefully, the WSA Administrator or the administrative team will be able to provide your group's Smartkey numbers, if they have been misplaced.

What is a SmartKey Number?

A ten-digit account number used by the University to keep track of financial transactions. Your student organization is identified by the Smartkey number and is utilized to record all expenses and revenue, so your group can keep track of your expenditures.
The ten digits are broken into three parts: fund identifier, department identifier, and group identifier:

  1. The first three digits indicate the source of funds. There are three sources of funds: SBC, Income and Department.

  2. The following four digits refer to the Department. It indicates that your student organization is part of the WSA administrative department.

  3. The last three digits are the assigned group numbers used to identify the student organization 's name.

Once your student group is registered and active, it will automatically be assigned three Smartkey numbers:

  1. SBC,

  2. Income

  3. Department .

Note: The Student Budget Committee (SBC) shares the same smartkey with the Concert Committee (CC).

Three Types of SmartKeys

Student organizations are automatically assigned three types of Smartkeys: SBC, Income and Department. All student groups can receive money from three primary sources. They can request an SBC allocation for SAF funds; they can generate revenue, which is automatically put into an Income Smartkey or obtain funds from an administrative or academic department, which are put into the Department Smartkey. Each Smartkey starts with a different 3-digit prefix, 4-digit department number and a three digit group number which identifies the organization. For example, if the student group, Wesleyan Flower is assigned the group number "123", the Smartkey Numbers will be as follows.

  • Department Smartkey: 1001113123

  • SBC Smartkey: 1101113123

  • Income Smartkey: 1111113123

 

The Department Smartkey prefix is 100, the SBC Smartkey prefix is 110 and the Income Smartkey prefix is 111.
                          Note: the last seven digits are always the same.

What is an Account Code?

An account code is five digits that’s used to categorize income and expenses by type. They are also used for generic expense classifications such as supplies, membership dues, travel, etc.

You can find a list of account codes on the back of the Financial Request Form or online. Both forms can be found on WSA Office website or in the office located in Usdan 104. Please click here for a list of full account codes.

How Funds are Managed

Financial Contact Responsibilities

All student groups have a treasurer or financial contact that will oversee all financial transactions for the group. They are responsible for managing the group 's finances and should know what events are being sponsored by the organization, what items are needed for each event, and which member of the group is responsible for various events and/or activities.

The following is a list of the primary responsibilities of the financial contact:

  • Review the student group financial data through the Checkbook link in OrgSync.

  • Keep track of the external and interdepartmental expenses.

  • Complete and sign all financial request forms and timesheets for the group.

  • Adhere to all notices regarding deadlines, policy and procedures, and other important information. Relay all pertinent material to members in their group.


How Funds are Obtained or Generated

SBC OR CC BUDGET REQUESTS

You can submit a Student Budget Committee (SBC) or Concert Committee (CC) Budget Request through your student portfolio. Once it's approved, the amount is transferred as electronic dollars into your student group's 1101113xxx SBC  or  CC Smartkey under specific account codes.

INCOME

You can have income from the previous year, commonly known as a "carry forward," transferred into the new fiscal year Income Smartkey.

*Normally the University allows the balance of a student group's 1111113xxx INCOME Smartkey from the previous year to be used by the group the following year. It's placed in account code 72004.Your student organization can generate income during the current school year.

This income is reflected in the student group's 1111113xxx INCOME Smartkey under account code 70360 after the group's treasurer submits a Deposit Form to the WSA Administrative Office. Account codes in Income Smartkeys all begin with the number seven. For example, if you are making a deposit, the account code would be 70360.

CAMPUS DEPARTMENT FUNDING

You can ask a chair or department head of an administrative or academic department to co-sponsor your event during the current school year.

Department Contribution

You can request funds through alternative sources (other than the SBC or CC) by contacting and requesting support from other departments on campus. Contact the department that will most likely support your request and ask them complete an open docs journal transfer to your Department-funded Smartkey.

It is important that you provide the department with the following information when you make your request, so that they can properly complete the online journal.

Required information that student should provide departments:

  • Name of Student Group:
  • Student Group Smartkey Number:
  • Name of Event:
  • Purpose of Event:
  • Event Start Date:
  • Event End Date:
  • Student Name:
  • Student Email Address:
  • Student Cellphone: 

OrgSync

An electronic group management system that keeps track of your members, events and student group finances online. In order to access the Checkbook your group must be officially registered by the Communications Committee (CoCo). Your group should also assign one currently enrolled undergraduate as the Financial Contact person; this person will be able to access your student group's Smartkey(s) through the e-portfolio system by following the instructions below:

  1. Log into your student portfolio

  2. Select "My Student Portfolio"

  3. Go to "Student Life"

  4. Select "OrgSync"

  5. Select the "Treasury" link, then select "Checkbooks"

  6. Review your budget allocations here

WSA Forms

The WSA Office has a variety of forms to assist student group leaders with acquiring funds for payment and/or reimbursements. These forms are separate from SBC forms and can be found here.