Mandel School Supply Policy

Supplies

All Employees

1. The Mandel School provides basic office supplies for all employees. Please see the list below. These items are paid for by the School and not an individual department or grant budget. These items are referred to as “standard.”
2. Individual departments or grant projects may provide specialty items (e.g., desk organizers, calculators, special binders, OR a special quantity of a “standard” supply) with the approval of the department head or PI. These items are paid for by the individual department or grant budget. These items are referred to as “non-standard.”
3. For grant purchases: all items must be allowable per University policies, the specific grant’s budget and any other applicable terms and conditions.
4. Please see the contacts below for:  
   1. Questions about this policy.
   2. In advance of any special or unusual purchase (e.g., need to have items at a different location or unusual quantity).
   3. Assistance in determining what is a “standard” or “non-standard” supply. This distinction is important as it determines how the item is paid for.

Additional Guidelines for Remote Employees

While it is always preferable to order any supply through the University’s Procurement system, we need to accommodate MSASS remote employees. A remote employee is one that does not have an assigned space in a Mandel School facility. This does not include employees who may have a hybrid work schedule which permits them to work from another location on select days. An on-campus employee is one that does have an assigned space in a Mandel School facility, regardless of work schedule.

1. Remote employees who visit campus: These individuals can pre-order standard supplies and pick them up at their next visit. Non-standard supplies can also be ordered. See “All Employees” section for contacts.
2. Remote employees who do not visit campus: These individuals can purchase standard office supplies from a local retailer and be reimbursed. They can also be reimbursed for non-standard supplies (department or grant funded) with the approval of the department head or PI. Each remote employee will be permitted to spend up to $75 per fiscal year (for standard supplies). This limit will be reviewed on an annual basis. Please be aware that a reimbursement may be denied if the purchase does not follow these guidelines. Please contact either Rachel Blake, Madhurima Mallik-Banerjee, Tyler Nelson or your Center Administrator prior to submitting for reimbursement.
3. Please note the following guidelines for all purchases:
   1. For those within the State of Ohio: local sales tax will only be reimbursed when the total purchase is below $75 (including sales tax). Purchases at $75 or above can be reimbursed, but the employee will not receive the sales tax portion. This rule has been set by the University’s Office of Procurement and is in response to the University’s tax exempt status in Ohio. Please note it is not permissible to submit separate receipts for similar items from the same time period to circumvent the $75 limit (even from different stores).
   2. For those outside the State of Ohio: Local sales tax will be reimbursed regardless of total purchase price.

Standard Office Supplies

• 3 Tab File Folders
• Binder Clips
• Black Pens
• Blue Pens
• Copier Paper - White
• Dry Erase Erasers
• Dry Erase Markers
• Flip Chart Paper
• Hanging File Folders
• Hi-liters
• Paper Clips
• Pencils
• Post-it Notes – 3 inch squares (please note that other sizes, specific colors, “pop-up”, etc. are not standard)
• Rubber Bands
• Sharpie Markers
• Staplers
• Staples
• Tape dispensers
• Transparent Tape
• Writing Pads (large & small)

Equipment/Furniture  

All Employees

1. The Mandel School provides basic computer equipment for all employees, regardless of location. This includes a laptop or desktop computer, monitor, keyboard, and mouse. These items are paid for by the School and not an individual department budget.
   1. Printers and toner/ink:
      • On-campus employees:  All on-campus employees have access to high-volume printers/copiers/scanners.  Printers and toner/ink will not be purchased or reimbursed with any funds.  
      • Remote employees:  OSA discretionary speedtypes¹ or grant funding can be used to provide printers² and toner/ink.  This expense is not subject to the $75 reimbursement supply limit above because this does not involve School funds (although State of Ohio tax rules still apply).  Printers purchased with OSA or grant funds will not be maintained by the School (e.g., replacement toner must also be purchased using an OSA or grant speedtype).  If a printer needs to be returned to campus, that cost will also be covered by an OSA or grant speedtype. 
2. Individual departments or grant projects may provide additional equipment (not furniture or printers) for on-campus employees (e.g., a second monitor) with the approval of the department head or PI. These items are paid for by the individual department or grant budget. Additional equipment (not furniture) can be purchased for remote employees if the funding source is OSA discretionary^1,2 or grant funds (not School funds).
3. For grant purchases: all items must be allowable per University policies, the specific grant’s budget and any other applicable terms and conditions.
4. Faculty who wish to purchase equipment for use in their home office, may do so using start-up or OSA discretionary^1,2 funding. Operating accounts and endowments cannot be used.  Printers purchased with either start-up or discretionary funding must be maintained with those funds (e.g., replacement toner).  
5. Furniture cannot be purchased with any source of funding at the Mandel School (regardless of location). The only exception is when an employee has an official accommodation in place as approved by the University’s Office of Inclusion, Diversity and Equal Opportunity (OIDEO). Please contact Joanie Berger, Director of Human Resources, if you have any questions about this process.

¹ “OSA discretionary speedtype” is a speedtype funded with external funds received by a PI (faculty member or researcher).
² The University maintains a Personal Use of University Property Policy.  Any items purchased with University funds (OSAs included) are University property and subject to it.  Please be aware that reasonable and incidental personal use of University resources is permitted only if certain criteria are satisfied.  Further, the employee and supervisor is responsible for keeping the incidental use to a minimum.  Supervisors are expected to monitor activities periodically for abuses.