Material and Transportation Fees

Background

Material and Transportation (M&T) fees are charged to students for courses under circumstances in which the student will own the end product of his or her work when using such materials. The transportation charge is usually imposed for courses requiring field trips. Material fees are not intended to supplement a department’s OTPS budget. A student charged a material fee should benefit from additional material that is not part of a regular course offering. Material fees are also charged in situations where a college purchase will save students time and money if they were required to purchase the same items on their own.

M&T fees must be approved every two years by the University’s Board of Trustees, or if the fee changes, whichever occurs first. These fees must be collected by the Bursar.

Procedures for Requesting M&T Fees

Please contact the Office of the Vice President for Finance and Administration for review as to need, justification and support of the requested fee charge prior to submission to Central Office for approval and inclusion in the University/Chancellor’s Report.  Decisions on requests for M&T fees may require an extended period of time and academic departments should submit the completed forms well in advance of the due dates for submission to Central Office for Board approval.

Fees may only be used for courses and purposes approved by the Board.

Fiscal Management and Accountability

The policies and procedures governing the fiscal management of the funds generated by the fees are based upon Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and sound business practices. Once M&T fees are approved by the Board, an M&T account by academic department is established to record deposits and expenditures, and ensure accountability for these funds. A signature card must be signed by the responsible departmental personnel, and any changes in the status of authorized signatories must be reported immediately to the Accounting Office.

Purchase requisitions, purchase orders and payment requests (including supporting documentation) are required to purchase material and pay for M&T costs. Receipts must accompany the payment requests. The course number must always be indicated on the forms. Departments are responsible for keeping departmental records of receipt and disposition of funds used for M&T purposes. On a monthly basis, the Accounting Office will provide departments with financial reports of receipt and expenditure information for review and reconciliation with each department’s own records. Any discrepancies must be immediately reported to and resolved with the Accounting Office. Departments are permitted to carry over a small or minimal balance from year to year, but are prohibited from accumulating a substantial amount of unspent funds.

M&T funds will be subject to periodic audits by the University Office of Internal Audit and Management Services.