Purchase College - Business Office - Procedure Manual - Telecommunications Procedures Manual

Off-campus calling access is an optional service for students living on campus. Prior to the beginning of each semester, a package of information regarding the telephone service on campus is mailed to each student, and is also available at any time at the Telecommunications Office. The Telecommunications Office receives a list of students who have paid a housing deposit from the Admissions Office. Letters are sent to those students who appear on the Admissions list. The packets are mailed to these students beginning the first week of July and once a week there after, based on additional weekly reports received from the Admissions Office.

The student information package contains the following:

New student or returning student letter for resident students.
Terms and Conditions for telephone service.
Resident Student Telephone Service Application & Contract.

Initial Deposit

Each student must submit a completed contract and pay a $30.00 deposit, cash, check, money order, or travelers check only (credit cards are not accepted for initial deposit). Summer session, and special programs must pay $50.00 deposit. If the student is a summer student who has paid $50.00 deposit, and then becomes a full time student in the fall, $20.00 of the initial $50.00 deposit is applied to that students account in September. Then, the student will have the normal $30.00 deposit on file. When the $20.00 is applied, the transaction is represented on the contract.

When a student pays a deposit, it is written on a deposit sheet and later entered into the in-house database. The deposit is not entered into the telemanagement system. A copy of the deposit sheet is included in the daily journal and the original is kept in the blue binder marked "Refunds."

The deposit is refundable at any time. The student must notify the Telecommunications Office in writing of their request to terminate his or her service and to refund the initial deposit. The Telecommunications Office will use the deposit to cover any outstanding balance. A refund check is issued for the difference. If no balance is owed, a check for $30.00 will be issued to the student. If there is a balance remaining, a bill will be issued.

Signing contract for PIN

Once a contract is completed and deposit paid, the student must wait 24 hours for a PIN number to be established. The student is instructed to return to the Telecommunications Office the following day, to pick up his/her PIN. In order to pick up the PIN, the student must show his/her student I.D. or valid, picture driver's license. The PIN is a personal and confidential 7 PIN that must be used each time a call is made off campus. The student is issued a card bearing the PIN. The student must sign that he or she received the PIN and accepts full responsibility for its use.

Establishing individual account and assigning PIN

A random PIN, generated by the telemanagement system, is assigned by the Telecommunications Office. In the telemanagement system, the student's social security number is used in account file maintenance to open an account. The PIN number is entered into the data base after the account is built. The PIN is then activated in the telephone system database. The PIN is also written on the student's contract.

Changing PIN

If a student wishes to change his/her PIN, for any reason, the student must request this change in writing. The old PIN is then terminated immediately in the telephone system database. The date that the PIN is terminated is stamped on the contract.

The student is issued a new PIN the following day. The procedure followed for picking up a PIN remains the same every time a student receives a PIN. A $10.00 fee will be charged for new PIN beginning with the individual's third reported loss, or request to change PIN. The source code for the $10.00 fee is 0060 (OTHER).

Forgotten PIN

If a student forgets his/her PIN, he or she may come to the Telecommunications Office and receive a new card containing the PIN. The student must sign that he or she has received the PIN and accepts full responsibility for its use.

Lost / Stolen PIN

When a student reports a PIN lost, or stolen, the PIN is immediately terminated. The student must come into the office and fill out form, as soon as possible. However, the PIN may be terminated at students request, by phone. The student may then receive a new PIN.

The student is responsible for payment of all call charges on his/her bill up until the time that the PIN is reported lost or stolen to the Telecommunications Office. In the event that the PIN was stolen, the student is instructed to file a report with Public Safety. The Telecommunications Office will provide Public Safety with any information they feel necessary in their investigation. The student is instructed that he or she is still responsible for the bill.

Termination of PIN

Students must notify the Telecommunications Office in person, or in writing of their intent to have their PIN terminated. The PIN is terminated immediately, unless specified otherwise, by the student, in writing. Every month, any account that has been terminated will have the $30.00 (or $50.00 if summer student) deposit will be applied to the account. If there is money remaining after applying the deposit to the account, it will be refunded.

If the deposit does not cover the total bill, a bill is sent to the student for the balance. The student is flagged for registration and transcripts.

Refunds

Refunds are processed monthly. The refund report is generated using the in-house database. A copy of the refund report and a disk is sent to Accounts Payable for processing. Once the refund checks are received by the Telecommunications Office, they are mailed home if the student has left campus. If the student is still residing on campus, a notice is sent to the student's box. The student must come to the Telecommunications Office, with their ID and sign for their check.

Request to terminate/renew service

The students' May telephone bills are mailed out the first week of June. These bills are mailed to the students' home address. A letter is included in the May billing asking the student if they would like to keep their PIN, because they are returning, or terminate their PIN if they would like their deposit back, or are not returning. The student returns the letter to the Telecommunications Office and their request is processed in a batch at the end of the month.

If a student informed the Telecommunications Office that they wish to renew their contract for the following year, a renewal package will be sent to that student during the month of July. There is no charge for renewing a contract, as long as, the account is not delinquent. If the account is delinquent, the student must pay the balance and pay a reactivation charge.

STUDENT BILLING

Billing

Student bills are sent to campus mailboxes the first week of each month, except for December's bill, mailed in January, and May's bill, mailed in June. These two months, bills are sent to the student's permanent home address, unless they are PREP, or have provided an alternative address.

Bills are run as close to the first of the month, as possible. Bills are due fifteen days after the billing date. A return envelope is sent with each bill. Students may mail their payment, or pay in person. Cash payments and credit card payments must be made in person. Cash payments and credit card payments are not accepted after 4:00 p..m.

Student bills are printed on the blue and white telephone invoices sheets. When printing the first batch of bills, it is important to put "Y" when asked whether or not to clear. It is also important that prior to the printing of the bills, the due date is changed in the Remittance Maintenance option [15] from Alexis. Furthermore, under the Tenant Billing Cycle option [19], one must input "N" into the printed and the updated columns for the appropriate month. +

Deactivation

If the outstanding balance is $100.00, or more, the PIN is deactivated on the due date at 5:00. All other accounts with outstanding balances are deactivated one week after the bill is due. The PINs are deactivated by using the Man Machine to change the class of service to 42 for those authorization PINs being deactivated.

Reactivation

The $10.00 reactivation fee not charged until the first day of the next month. No reactivation fee is charged for accounts with balances less than $5.00. All PINs are reactivated by 5:00 on the day that the reactivation fee is paid. The category code for a reactivation fee is 0050.

The reactivation fee is not charged unless the student wishes to reactivate his/her PIN. If the student terminates his/her PIN without paying the reactivation fee, if he or she chooses to reactivate his/her PIN at a later time, the $10.00 fee will be added to the initial deposit fee. It is at the discretion of the Telecommunications Office to grant any waivers of the reactivation fee.

Delinquent account follow up procedure

If a student is currently residing on campus and has a delinquent account with the Telecommunications Office, a past due notice will be sent to his or her campus mailbox. If the student is no longer on campus, the Telecommunications Office will send a minimum of three notices to the student's home address. A flag will be placed on the student's records and will not be released until the bill is paid in full.

If a student's bill is $100.00 or more, and the Telecommunications Office has sent the student at least three past due notices, and payment arrangements were not made, the Telecommunications Office will send the bill to the Attorney General's Office for collection. The flag on the student's records will not be cleared until the Telecommunications Office receives notification from the Attorney General's Office indicating that payment was received.

Flags

Flags are placed on the records/registration of students with delinquent telephone bills twice a year, prior to registration. An appointment is made with the Registrars Office to go to the Registrars Office to enter the Telecommunications flags, or after notifying the Registrars Office, the flags may be entered using a computer in the Telecommunications Office. Once the bill is cleared, the flag may be released at the Telecommunications Office, and/or a flag clearance is given to the student to give to the Registrars Office. However, if a student pays to clear a flag by check, the office should wait a month for the payment to clear before allowing the student to send a transcript.

Credits (Billing Disputes)

In order to receive a credit student must indicate the call in question on his/her telephone bill. The Telecommunications Office will make a copy of the bill. The bill will be checked against the bill from the long distance carrier. It is important to subtract the established discount (12%) from the total of the assumed credit. This is the credit which is to be applied to the account.

Credit will be issued under Misc. Credits, at the end of each month. Adjustment to the account should be made once the next bill has been printed and posted.

For international calls of a minute or less, credit can be immediately given; for calls over that time period must be checked against the bill of the carrier to assess whether or not the call was completed. If the monthly International or Domestic Bills shows that an uncompleted call was in fact completed, the amount of credit should be added back to the account. This is done by a minus figure entry to the proper invoice.

Bounced Checks

If the student bounces a check, the bounced check is returned to the Telecommunications Office from Student Accounts. The Telecommunications Office will put the amount of the bounced check, plus a $10.00 bounced check fee on the student's account. The following procedure should be followed:

Run an aged trial balance to determine which invoice the check was originally for.
Do a negative payment for that invoice, noting the check # in comment section.
Under invoice entry add $10.00 bounced check fee. The source code for bounced checks is 0020.
If this is the second bounced check, do an adjustment to the existing invoice 0020 for $10.00.

Deactivate student PIN. If payment is received by the due date on the bounced check notice, the additional $10.00 reactivation fee may be waived, at the discretion of the Telecommunications Office.

The student must pay the amount due in cash, bank check, travelers check, credit card, or money order, a personal check is not acceptable. For a one year period, the student will not be able to pay using a personal check.

If the student realizes that he or she has bounced a check before the Telecommunications Office receives notification, the student can rectify the situation without penalties.

Collection of Payments

Students may pay their bill in person, or use the return envelope to mail their payment to the Telecommunications Office. Students must pay in person, when paying with cash, or credit card.

Cash Payments
A receipt is written for every cash transaction that takes place. Receipt contains the following information: date, the student's name, his or her social security number, the amount of payment, a comment section for an invoice number, and an office signature. The payment is entered in the telemanagement system using the following notation CASH ###### (reference the cash receipt number).
Check Payments
Students may pay by check at any time during the day. The student's social security number must appear on the check. The Telecommunications Office will not accept any postdated checks. The Telecommunications Office does not accept third party checks, unless the check is issued by the college. The Telecommunications Office will under no circumstance give cash back for checks made out for more than the amount of the bill. All overpayments will be credited to the account. The overpayment will be applied to subsequent charges on that account. All checks are entered into the data base using the following notation: PC ###, so that the actual check number is noted on the account. Personal checks are not accepted from students who have bounced a check in the previous year.

Daily collection and deposit (IFR)

Payment from students and other agencies will be entered into the telemanagement system daily. Payments collected until 4:00 p.m., will be processed for deposit on the same day. Using the telemanagement system, a cash journal listing all of the payments entered that day is printed. The cash, checks, and credit card payments are counted and matched with the cash journal. The deposit is then written on an IFR, one slip for cash and checks and a separate slip for credit cards. The credit card machine is closed out at 4:00 p.m. and in order to close out, the amount of money charged to credit cards must be entered in the credit card machine. A two-part verification showing the dollar amount is then printed by the credit card machine. One part of the credit card verification is attached to the cash journal and the second part is attached to the IFR. All checks are endorsed using the Telecommunications Office COA, (900875), on the back of the check. The IFRs, cash, and endorsed checks, is then hand delivered to the Student Accounts Office. The Student Accounts Office counts the cash and totals the checks to verify that the amount is correct. Then the Student Accounts Office initials the IFRs and returns the pink copy to the Telecommunications Office.

The Telecommunications Office packages all receipts, the cash journal, credit card verification, and IFR slips together for record keeping. Then a tally is made for each invoice number showing the total dollar amount collected for that invoice. The information is entered into the database. A copy of the daily journal should be kept in the black bin behind the Man Machine.

Phone damage

During the semester, if it is determined that a student is responsible for damaging the telephone equipment, the Telecommunications Office will charge the student for the damaged equipment. The charge is put on the billing system as source code 0060.

Phone damage assessment (dorm damage)

After the spring semester ends, all student phone lines are checked by the campus technician for damage assessment. Damage charges by extension/room are forwarded to the Residence Life Office. The Resident Life Office then adds the appropriate charges to the individual dorm damage charges for billing. Dorm damages are then billed and collected through the Student Accounts Office. Students may appeal the bill in writing and the Telecommunications Office will make a decision regarding the students' appeal.

A copy of the phone damage listing is forwarded to the business office, where the accounting office transfers the money collected for phone damage to the Telecommunications Office.

ADDITIONAL SERVICES

Fax service

The Telecommunications Office offers fax service for all students. Based on where the fax is going, the student pays an initial fee and then a per page charge. Payment is expected at the time service is provided. Payment for fax service is noted as 0070 in the Telemanagement System.

Voice mail

Voice mail is offered to all students living on campus at no additional charge. Each student is assigned an individual, personal, voice mail box. Students who are not in single rooms are listed on a menu for the extension(s) for their dorm room or apartment. Each student must come to the Telecommunications Office to receive his or her voice mail box number and initial password. The initial password is used once by the student to initialize the individual mailbox. The student then changes the initial password to a confidential password. There is a $10.00 fee to rebuild a mailbox if the student forgets his or her password, (this is at the discretion of the Telecom. Office). Once all of the students in a dorm room or apartment have initialized the individual mailboxes, the Telecommunications Office will set up the menu associated with the extension(s) for that dorm room or apartment.

In order to set up the menu boxes, the Telecommunications Office makes a list of the people assigned to an extension and their mail box numbers. Then, the Telecommunications Office records those names on the menu for that extension. If a dorm room or apartment has more than one extension, the same menu is assigned to any additional extensions.

Once a student leaves the campus, they are no longer entitled to voice mail services. The Telecommunications Office will notify students of the date that their mail box will be deleted. Notification is done through voice mail.

DEPARTMENT PAYMENT PROCEDURES (01)

Description

Departments and Divisions of Purchase College, include all administrative office and other offices except those that fall under the Agency category.

Billing

Division/Department telephone statements are run the first week of each month. These bills are printed on doubled-sheet paper without remittance pages and are sent to the proper division/department. Prior to printing, all calling card and labor charges should be entered into the Account Service Charge Maintenance [17]. (To do this, last year's record for the same month must be purge in Service Charge Purge [14].) In addition, all entries are to changed to "N" in the Tenant Billing Cycles [19] for the appropriate month before printing.

Calling Cards

Employees of the divisions/departments on campus may request a long distance calling card to use from off campus for official business. Permission to issue a calling card must come from the division/department head. Charges associated with these calls are part of the campus telephone bills which are received directly from the Purchase's long distance and local carriers. The charges for these calls are itemized by calling card account number. Using the telemanagement database, the Telecommunications Office adds these charges to the proper department/division account. These charges appear on the summary page of the bill, listed as Calling Card Charges. A detailed copy showing the itemization calls is forwarded with the bill. It is the responsibility of the department/division to inform the Telecommunications Office of theft, lost cards, or any calling card that requires cancellation.

Installation, service, and equipment

Any orders for moves, adds, and changes to the department/division telephone service that are billable are added to the Division/Department phone bill the end of each month.

Reimbursement for personal calls

Payments made for personal telephone calls is based on an honor system. Employees who use a division or department telephone for making personal calls are expected to reimburse the campus for those calls. Any money received for personal calls is not entered into the telemanagement database. Instead money for reimbursement is recorded on a separate worksheet in Lotus.

The departments/divisions receive telephone statements the first week of each month. Employees working for that department/division must examine the telephone statement for their personal calls. The employee writes a check payable to Purchase College, SUNY and forwards the check to the Telecommunications Office for processing. If the Telecommunications Office receives cash for reimbursement of a personal call, a cash receipt is written for the exact amount received. The amount of cash and the receipt number are entered into the lotus database.

The Telecommunications Office deposits all Division/Department reimbursement checks biweekly. The Telecommunications Office uses Lotus to create a detailed report listing all reimbursement checks, the amount of reimbursement and the department/ division to be reimbursed on a report created for each deposit. Copies of the checks along with cash receipts and other related documents are attached and kept on file for our records. A monthly report is generated to get the reimbursement total for the month. This information is used to create a quarterly report. The quarterly report, containing the total dollar amount to be reimbursed to each department, is forwarded to the accounting office.

ADDITIONAL SERVICES

Voice mail

All Divisions and Departments have voice mail. There is no additional charge for this service. A representative from each Department/Division will meet with Telecommunications to determine the voice mail requirements for that Department/Division. The Telecommunications Office will then implement and create a voice mail set up to meet the requirements of each Division/Department.

AGENCIES USING CAMPUS TELEPHONE SYSTEM (03)

Description

These agencies consist of those persons or organizations who rent space from the campus, or are not a division or department. Examples include Columbia University, Whitson's Food Services, The Students' Union, residence life staff residing on campus, the Knicks, and Children's Center.

Billing

Agency telephone statements are run the first week of each month. The bills are sent to the proper office. The bill includes a detail record of all calls, a summary page showing the break down of local, long distance, calling card, and basic service charges. A remittance page showing the total amount due, any past due amount, and the due date are included with the monthly statement.

Payment

Bills are due fifteen days after the billing date. A return envelope is sent with each bill. Renters may mail their payment, or pay in person. Cash payments and credit card payments must be made in person. Cash payments and credit card payments are not accepted after 4:00 p..m. Money received for Agency telephone bills is entered into the telemanagement database.

Cash Payments
A receipt is written for every cash transaction that takes place. Receipt contains the following information: date, name of account, account number, amount of payment, comment section for an invoice number, and office signature. The payment is entered in the telemanagement database using the following notation CASH ###### (reference the cash receipt number).
Check Payments
Renters may pay by check at any time during the day. The Agency's account number must appear on the check. The Telecommunications Office will not accept any postdated checks. The Telecommunications Office does not accept third party checks, unless the check is issued by the college. The Telecommunications Office will under no circumstance give cash back for checks made out for more than the amount of the bill. All overpayments will be credited to the account. The overpayment will be applied to subsequent charges on that account. All checks are entered into the data base using the following notation: pc ###, so that the actual check number is noted on the account. It the right of the Telecommunications Office not to accept checks from Agencies who have previously bounced checks. If the Telecommunications Office deems it necessary to refuse payment in the form of a personal check, the renter may pay with cash, bank check, money order or credit card.

Credit Card calls

Agencies on campus may request a long distance calling card to use while they are off campus. These charges associated with these calls are part of the campus telephone bills which are received directly from the Purchase's long distance and local carriers. The charges for these calls are itemized by calling card account number. Using the Alexis data base, the Telecommunications Office adds these charges to the proper Agency's account. These charges appear on the summary page of the Agency's bill, listed as Calling Card Charges. A detailed copy showing the itemization from the carrier is forwarded with the bill. It is the responsibility of the renter to inform the Telecommunications Office of theft, lost card or any other reason requiring cancellation of the calling card.

Basic service charges

Basic service charges are assessed to each Agency account, unless the charge is waived by the campus, for example: Residence life staff living on campus. The basic service charge is included in the monthly telephone statement. The amount of the basic service charge is based on the number and type of phones listed on the account.

Past due accounts

Past due notices are sent out after the bill was due. Payment is expected by the date indicated on the past due notice. It is the right of the Telecommunications Office to temporarily disconnect telephone service of delinquent accounts until the bill is paid in full, or arrangements have been made to make payment. If the Telecommunications Office deems necessary, a $10.00 reactivation fee will be assessed to the account.

ADDITIONAL SERVICES

Voice mail

All Agencies on campus are entitled to voice mail services offered by the campus. There is an additional charge of $5.00 per month, per mailbox for this service. A representative from each Agency will meet with Telecommunications to determine the voice mail requirements for that Agency. The Telecommunications Office will then implement and create a voice mail set up to meet the requirements of each Agency.

TECHNICAL SERVICE

Moves, adds and changes (MACs)

Initial installation for fax, modem, and voice lines, installation of telephone equipment and any changes to the telephones or lines, is provided by the Telecommunications Office. The department must notify the Telecommunications Office of their request in writing. The request must be signed by the Division/Department head. MACs are processed in a first come, first serve basis.

Service problems

Telephone or line troubles must be reported directly to the Telecommunications Office. Information regarding the trouble will be passed to the Campus technician. Priority will be given to any system problem. Otherwise, repairs will be completed in a first come, first serve basis. Normally the repair service will be scheduled within one business day.

GENERAL BILLING INFORMATION

The telephone switch sends the CDR (Call Detail Record) information to the telemanagement system. Calls are identified by the telemanagement system based on the PIN number and/or extension number used to place the call. The calls are costed on line.

The tariff database is updated quarterly. This information is received on a disk from an independent company subscribed to by the Telecommunications Office. It is then loaded into the telemanagement system.

The students are billed NYNEX rates for local calls. A 12% discount is given for all long distance calls.

REPORTS MAINTAINED

X Daily Cash Journal
X Monthly Cash Journal
X Monthly Billing Summary
X Monthly Tax Report
X Monthly New Account's Report
X Accounts Receivable Report
X Monthly Credit Report
X Refund Report
X Personal Call Reimbursement Report

Office of TelecommunicationsProcedure Manual

Office of Telecommunications
Procedure Manual