8.01 Equipment Use/University Property
Equipment Use
State law forbids the lending of university-owned property to individuals
or organizations not connected with the university. Faculty members who
wish to use university equipment for off-campus lectures, classes, or research
projects may make arrangements through their department heads or the Director
of Business Services.
University Property
General Policy
University property shall be made available for reassignment within the
university for the benefit of the university as a whole, if it is not being
adequately utilized in its currently assigned department.
Definition
University property is defined as any item of tangible personal property
which is possessed by a university department, whether operable or inoperable,
purchased or donated. This includes taggable and non-taggable equipment,
library materials, operating supplies and materials, and materials declared
"scrap." Departments do not "own" property since ownership
of all property resides with the university (State of Iowa), regardless
of how the property was obtained or the source of funds utilized.
It is the responsibility of the Controller's Office to determine if title
has passed to the university on all donated property and the Administrator
of Grants and Contracts on property purchased with Federal funds.
Purchased Property
University property, i.e., equipment, materials, supplies, etcetera, must
be purchased as provided for under current purchasing procedures contained
in the UNI Policies and Procedures Manual and the UNI Operations Handbook.
Property purchased from UNI Foundation accounts must be in accordance with
established guidelines. Property purchased with Federal funds must follow
applicable regulations.
Donated Property
Property received through donations must be reported to the UNI Foundation,
which is responsible for obtaining a fair market value for the item, for
recording and acknowledging the gift and for transferring the gift to the
university. Art works may be placed on loan to the university. The Controller's
Office is responsible for reviewing fair market value appraisals, for recording
donated materials on the university's financial statements, and for tagging
and recording the item in the university's fixed asset system.
Use
University property may be used only for university-related purposes, whether
the property is physically located on or off-campus. Violations of this
policy may result in university disciplinary action.
Use, Off-Campus
1. Equipment may not be removed from the campus until a university property
tag has been affixed and written authorization obtained.
2. Off-campus use of university property may be authorized after completion
of an Authorization Form for Off-Campus Use of University Property (see
attached) and filing the form with the Equipment Inventory Control Clerk
in the Controller's Office. The individual checking out university property
is responsible for completing the form, obtaining the approval of a university
official as defined below, and for obtaining the signature of the Equipment
Inventory Control Clerk.
3. Approval must be given by the department head, dean of the college or
administrative officer. The form must be acknowledged by the Equipment Inventory
Control Clerk before the property can be removed from the campus. The Equipment
Inventory Control Clerk is responsible for maintaining a file of Authorization
Forms and will request updated authorizations at appropriate intervals.
4. Off-campus use of university property may be authorized for a period
of up to twelve months. Subsequent periods not to exceed twelve months must
be authorized by completing a new authorization form. Approval may be revoked
at any time at the discretion of the individual giving the approval, the
supervisor of that individual, or a university official.
5. Persons approved to use university property off-campus will be responsible
for property damage due to misuse or neglect and for adequate insurance
coverage on the property.
6. Departments such as Music or the Library may be exempted from using the
authorization form or may arrange other procedures with written authorization
of the university Controller.
7. Individuals that have checked out university property for off campus
use may be required to return the property to campus for any physical inventory.
Surplus Property
Accumulating "surplus" property in departmental storage areas
is strongly discouraged.
Department heads may declare property as excess to their department. Departments
are encouraged to attempt to transfer that property within their college
or division on a no cost basis prior to declaring it "surplus".
Transfers shall be reported to the Controller's Office.
Departments are encouraged to "trade in" property on similar items
of new property when possible and to dispose of other "surplus"
property by making it available to other university departments.
When new buildings or building renovation projects include new furnishings,
fixtures and equipment, property being removed or replaced shall come under
control of Campus Planning for reassignment or release to the Equipment
Inventory Control Clerk. No funds shall be due the department receiving
the new property.
Trade-Ins of Surplus Property
If a department is replacing an item with an identical or like item, trade-in
should be considered. The Purchasing Department is responsible for the purchase
of new equipment and will review disposal alternatives. New purchases should
be bid with and without a trade-in to determine the value or marketability
of a like item. If the item has good marketability, the value can be determined
by Purchasing and the owning department and then compared to the trade-in
value, prior to any decision on its disposition. Purchasing will explore
alternatives and make recommendations.
Disposal of Surplus Property
Departments/colleges are prohibited from conducting their own sales of surplus
property and from placing "sale" advertisements,
1. Departments shall notify the Inventory Control Clerk in the Controller's
Office of items being declared "surplus" by furnishing the description
of the property, its UNI property tag number, condition, color or finish,
approximate age, location, and other descriptive information.
2. The Inventory Control Clerk will notify Campus Planning of any surplus
furniture. Campus Planning may reserve furniture for use in renovation projects
or release it to the Inventory Control Clerk.
3. Surplus property released to the Inventory Clerk will be matched with
existing requests. If there are no existing requests, the Inventory Clerk
will periodically advertise items and their approximate values in appropriate
campus publications for purchase by other university departments. If a transfer
is arranged, net receipts will be deposited to the Sale of Equipment account
and credited to the department which released the property for reallocation
except in the case of Residence System, Maucker Union and UNI-Dome sales
where funds shall be deposited to their restricted accounts.
4. If the property has value but is not needed by another campus department,
the Inventory Clerk will ask the Physical Plant to move the property to
an appropriate storage area. When a sufficient amount of property is accumulated,
the Inventory Clerk will ask the Purchasing Department to advertise a public
auction in appropriate publications. The net proceeds of the sale will be
deposited to the Sale of Equipment account for general university credit
and use. In the case of the Residence System, Maucker Union, or UNI-Dome,
net proceeds will be deposited to their restricted accounts.
Alternate Methods of Disposal of Surplus Property
The Purchasing Department and Inventory Control Clerk are responsible for
assisting departments in identifying disposal alternative (i.e. Trade-ins,
used components or parts, scrap, etc.), establishing relative values and
recommending economically appropriate actions. The Purchasing Director must
authorize any alternate method of disposal of university property.
Disposal of Scrap Material
The Purchasing Director is responsible for the sale of scrap material such
as waste paper, non-precious metals, automobile batteries, and salvaged
building materials. Normally at least two competitive quotes will be obtained.
Net proceeds shall accrue to the department operating the salvage operation.
Disposal of Library Materials
The library periodically eliminates duplicate, antiquated, or donated material
inappropriate for the collection. The Inventory Clerk is responsible for
coordinating disposal of library materials by a sale or other appropriated
disposition. Net proceeds shall accrue to the library.
Annual Equipment Inventory
According to Section 17.30 of the 1989 Code of Iowa, ". . .the State
Board of Regents. . . (is) responsible for keeping a written, detailed,
up-to-date inventory of all real and personal property belonging to the
state and under their charge, control and management." A general university
audit is conducted annually by the Auditor of State.
Department heads are responsible for conducting an annual inventory of al]
taggable equipment. The individual making the physical inventory should
identify items that are missing or were sold, traded-in, discarded, or transferred
to other departments. Periodic internal audits are conducted by the Operations
Auditor.
See also: University Services, Controller's
Office.
Vice President for Administration and Finance Approved, 1/91
President's Bulletin, No. 146, 4/10/91
UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA
Authorization Form for Off-Campus Use of University Property
Department _________________________________________________________
Property Tag ________ Description _____________________________________
Property Tag ________ Description _____________________________________
Property Tag ________ Description _____________________________________
Property Tag ________ Description _____________________________________
Date of Check Out ____________________________________________________
Date Property to be Returned ____________________________________________
Justification For Using Property Off-Campus: (Additional Space on Reverse
Side)
Specific location at which property will be used:
Signature of person using the property off campus:
_____________________________________ Date: ________________
Signature of person authorizing the use of property off campus:
_____________________________________ Date: ________________
Signature of Equipment Inventory Control Clerk:
_____________________________________ Date: ________________ | 
