F.A.Q.s
What if I need to reserve a room for my event/workshop/etc.? Use the R25 System for room reservations. More information is available on the Scheduling Page.
Who do I contact to order food for an event/workshop? You can view catering guidelines here; the online catering form here; or contact Bon Appetit catering. When submitting your request through Bon Appetit, please put your grant’s sub-code in the “Name of Event” box. This will ensure it is charged to the correct grant.
How do I submit a request for data regarding my proposal? Data requests can be made using this form.
Is there a logo or specific wording that should be included in promotional materials? Yes, the To Include is To Excel logo (contact Marina Edlund, if needed) as well as the following wording should be on all promotional materials (invitations, posters, etc):
Sponsored by: To Include is To Excel
with funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
How do I submit expenses?
Each “To Include is To Excel” project is issued a “project number”. This project number doubles as the sub-code when charging expenses related to your project allowing us to more easily track expenses by project.
When coding an expense to your project the following format is used 10-41195-XXXXX –99-1234.
“10-41195” indicates the company and unit to be charged, 41195 is the To Include is To Excel unit number.
“XXXXX” specifies the account to be used and is dependent upon what is purchased, e.g., supplies, mileage, etc. You must determine the correct account, if using a St. Olaf Visa card the system automatically inserts a recommended account based on the supplier but can be changed if need be. You can find frequently used accounts listed here.
“99-1234” designates the project to which the charge applies; “1234” is your project number. When coding transactions on your St. Olaf Visa statement under “Activity” enter “99” and under “Category” enter your four digit project number.
Reminder: All St. Olaf Policies apply. For expenditures see either Business Office Policy Cheat Sheet for a brief overview or Business Office Policies and Procedures for the full text. You are responsible for staying within your budgeted amount. If applicable, any stipend for the project leader(s) will be paid after the final report has been submitted and accepted. Stipend requests can now be submitted online.
When completing the stipend form the amount you enter is the amount you will receive. The unit is charged that amount plus 9%. For example, if you allotted $100 for stipends on your budget, you would need to put $91.74 ($100/1.09) on the stipend form. Another other way to think about it is when budgeting for stipends, you add 8 percent to the total amount of stipends to cover the payroll expenses [ie; if you want a St. Olaf faculty member to receive a $100 stipend, you would budget/ask for $109].
If you’ve incurred an expense on your personal credit card, you may code to the above account information, using the Out-Of-Pocket expense category in the Wells Fargo reconciliation program.
What expenses can be charged? All St.Olaf policies must be followed.
For example, meals are only reimbursed when:
- 1) Travel includes an overnight stay or continuous travel status for twelve hours or more
- 2) Entertainment of non-College employees
- 3) Attendance at a conference when a meal is not included
Food for meetings between St.Olaf employees is not allowed unless pre-approved.
Also see STO Policy Reminders and STO Travel Policy.
An Accounts Payable form is NOT needed when St. Olaf has been provided with itemized invoices.
Honorarium/Stipend and Incentive Guidelines
- Faculty Honorariums are allowed. Use the STO Stipend & Honorarium Request Form signed by Associate Provost or Provost. When figuring the total cost of the stipends you must add 9% of the amount to cover the college’s portion of FICA, Medicare & workers compensation taxes (for example; a stipend of $100 should be budgeted at $109, otherwise, the payout would be $91.74).
- Exempt Staff Honorariums are not eligible for stipends.
- Hourly staff must be paid hourly. A separate time card must be set up. Overtime rules apply and all benefits apply in proportion to overall compensation for that pay period. Talk to the Student and Staff Employment Specialist in HR before the work is performed.
- Students must be paid hourly. A separate time card must be set up. Talk to Student and Staff Employment Specialist in HR before the work is performed.
Participation Incentives for Students or Non-Employees: Per the St. Olaf Policy on Gifts/Prizes for students or Non-employees “A gift, prize or award to a student or non-employee that is not related to student work employment services (e.g. student organization prizes, survey incentives, etc.), should not exceed $25 in value and should be issued as Ole$ or tangible property gifts (e.g. T-shirt, mug, St. Olaf logo items, etc.) Ole$ are to be used for students instead of gift cards for tax tracking purposes.”
*If any of the students are athletes please check with the St. Olaf Athletic Director to ensure compliance with NCAA rules.
For College staff or employee gifts: College funds are not to be used for the purchase of gift cards or certificates of any amount, as they may create a taxable event for the employee (TAM-108577-04).
Can I submit a stipend/honorarium request on my own behalf? No. Grantees who are receiving a stipend/honorarium will do so once their report is complete. It will need to go through Marina Edlund.
Please contact Greta Anderson andersog@stolaf.edu or at ext. 3604 for any accounting questions or if you would like to know the balance for your project.
Anderson, Carlsen, Edlund, & Thompson, January 2020