Administration & Finance Annual Report 2016 – 2017
Annual Report 2017-2016 1
Table of Contents
Human Resources & Payroll …………………………………………………..…………………..…………………………….3
Budget Office ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….25
Fiscal Affairs ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………..27
Emergency Services ………………………………………………………………………..………………………………………33
Police Department …………………………………………………………………………….……………………….…………..41
Parking and Transportation Services ……………………..………………….…………………………………………….60
Facilities Management …………………………………………………………………..……………………………………….65
Annual Report 2016-2017 2
Human Resources & Payroll Annual Report 2016-2017
The following report provides an overview of key activities and initiatives completed by the Office of Human Resources & Payroll (HR/PR) during the period of July 1, 2016 – June 30, 2017 as well as a review of 2016-2017 goals/initiatives and a summary of key goals/initiatives identified for FY 2017-2018. In addition, this report provides a snapshot of the University workforce during this period. A primary focus of HR/PR has been to align current and future goals and initiatives to the WCU Vision 2020 Strategic Plan (2020 Plan). Specifically, Strategic Direction #4 (Invest in Our People) and #5 (Invest in Our Core Resources) form the framework for completed and ongoing initiatives.
I. Office of Human Resources & Payroll Departmental Overview
Mission:
In support of Western Carolina University’s vision and mission, it is the mission of the Office of Human Resources and Payroll to effectively partner with the institution in meeting its goals through a highly skilled, creative, and diverse workforce.
Primary Role of the Department:
The Office of Human Resources and Payroll has responsibility for the administration of all human resource and payroll functions for faculty and staff at Western Carolina University. The office organizationally reports directly to the Vice Chancellor for Administration & Finance and the Associate Vice Chancellor works regularly with all members of the Chancellor's senior leadership and their respective divisions. Primary areas of responsibility include recruitment and selection; benefits administration; performance management program oversight; employee relations and employee services programming; classification and compensation; salary administration; administration of University Payroll; personnel records management; retirement counseling and guidance; workforce training and professional development; leave administration; Affirmative Action program implementation and administration; unemployment insurance administration; education assistance including tuition waiver and tuition reimbursement; and general personnel policy interpretation and administration.
Annual Report 2016-2017 3
Annual Report 2017-2016 4
II. WCU Workforce
HR/PR services are provided for 1504 permanent full time WCU employees (increase of 28 since 2016 and 47 since 2015) and 87 employees at the North Carolina Arboretum. In addition to the permanent workforce, WCU employed an additional 1,800 temporary employees including hourly, adjunct faculty, students, and graduate assistants during the academic year.
- Workforce Profile:
2017 2016 2015 2013 2010 2008 Total Workforce 1504 1476 1457 1406 1396 1434 Senior Administrators 91 (6.1%) 93 (6.3%) 77 (5.3%) 72 (5%) 86 (6.2%) 89 (6.2%) EHRA Non-Faculty 212 (14.1%) 209 (14.2%) 212 (14.6%) 183 (13%) 139 (10%) 145 (10.1%) Faculty 531 (35.3%) 521 (35.3%) 516 (35.5%) 491 (35%) 517 (37%) 522 (36.4%) SHRA Staff 670 (44.5%) 653 (44.2%) 652 (44.8%) 660 (47%) 654 (46.9%) 678 (47.3%)
• WCU’s permanent workforce has grown 1.9% since 2016 and 7.0% since 2013. Total growth since 2008 is 4.9%. • The average employee age is 45.6 and the average length of service is 9.1 years. This is relatively unchanged since 2010. • Senior Administrators – 48.9 years old with 10.1 years of service and 35% have a terminal degree • EHRA Non-Faculty – 39.1 years old with 6.9 years of service and 67% have a Master’s degree or higher • SHRA Staff – 44.9 years old with 9.4 years of service and 40% have a bachelor’s degree or higher • Faculty – 48.6 years old with 9.3 years of service and 82% have a terminal degree • 8.6% of the WCU workforce is eligible to retire now (2.3% increase from 2016) • 40% of the WCU workforce is age 50 or greater • 18% of the workforce has been at WCU less than 2 years (35 decrease from 2016) • The average age of this group is 37.7
• Workforce Distribution by Division:
Non-Faculty 2017 2016 2015 2013 Administration & Finance 30.1% 30.8% 29.7% 31% Academic Affairs 30.1% 30.3% 31.2% 29% Chancellor’s Division 10.5% 12.1% 11.9% 11% CIO/Information Technology 8.0% 8.1% 7.9% 8% Advancement 1.7% n/a n/a n/a Student Affairs 19.6% 18.7% 19.4% 21%
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• Workforce Distribution by Occupational Category:
Occupational Category 2017 2016 2015 2013 (Non-Faculty) Professional 44% 45% 42.5% 43% Administrative Support 16.3% 18.1% 17.8% 18% Skilled Trades 8.5% 8% 8.7% 9% Technical 12.4% 11.9% 13.2% 12% Services/Labor 18.8% 17% 17.8% 18%
• Demographic Distribution (By Percentage of Workforce):
Minority Minority
Representation (Total % 4 Representation (% By Race) of Workforce) 3 10 2 8 6 1 4 0 2 Black Hispanic Asian Native Two or American More 0 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2008 2000 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2008 2000
Female Representation (Total % Workforce Distribution (by Age) of Workforce) 0.9% 2017
2016 24.30% 26.50% 2015
2014
2013
2008 48.30%
2000
45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 70+ 55-69 36-54 20-35
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• Actual vs. Expected Workforce Demographic Availability: Minority Female Veteran Disability 2016 Actual Expected 2016 Expected 2016 Actual Expected 2016 Actual Expected Availability Actual Availability Availability Availability Faculty 8.9% 18.9% 50.5% 45.9% 1.7% 7.0% 2.6% 7.0% Staff 7.9% 13.6% 50.4% 49.6% 2.6% 7.0% 2.8% 7.0% Total 8.3% 15.4% 50.4% 50.1% 2.3% 7.0% 2.7% 7.0% • Availability by College: Minority Female Veteran Disability 2017 2016 Actual Expected 2017 2016 Expected 2017 2016 Expected 2017 2016 Expected Actual Availability Actual Actual Availability Actual Actual Availability Actual Actual Availability Engineering 32.0% 25.9% 30.9% 12.0% 11.5% 17.0% 8.0% 7.7% 7.0% 4.0% 3.9% 7.0% & Tech Arts & 9.5% 8.8% 19.3% 44.3% 42.9% 43.5% 0.5% 0.5% 7.0% 1.9% 1.0% 7.0% Sciences Business 14.8% 11.9% 23.2% 37.7% 35.5% 37.9% 6.6% 5.1% 7.0% 3.3% 1.7% 7.0% Educ & Allied 3.5% 8.0% 20.0% 62.1% 60.2% 69.0% 1.2% 1.1% 7.0% 3.5% 4.6% 7.0% Prof. Fine & Perf 3.5% 0.0% 15.9% 35.1% 30.4% 54.3% 0.0% 0.0% 7.0% 3.5% 1.8% 7.0% Arts H&H Sciences 5.5% 4.7% 20.4% 82.4% 78.8% 71.5% 1.1% 12% 7.0% 2.2% 3.5% 7.0% Hunter 6.3% 20.0% 13.8% 81.3% 93.3% 49.4% 0.0% 0.0% 7.0% 18.8% 13.3% 7.0% Library
• Availability by Job Category: Minority Female Veteran Disability 2017 2016 Expected 2017 2016 Expected 2017 2016 Expected 2017 2016 Expected Actual Actual Availability Actual Actual Availability Actual Actual Availability Actual Actual Availability Executive 7.4% 9.4% 19.4% 33.3% 32.1% 41.2% 1.9% 1.9% 7.0% 1.9% 0.0% 7.0% Athletics 19.1% 19.1% 21.7% 23.8% 23.8% 45.1% 0.0% 0.0% 7.0% 0.0% 0.0% 7.0% Professional 11.4% 11.3% 23.1% 57.1% 60.3% 62.0% 1.6% 1.3% 7.0% 2.8% 4.4% 7.0% Technicians/Paraprof. 7.4% 6.9% 17.6% 31.4% 31.0% 38.7% 4.1% 3.5% 7.0% 2.5% 1.7% 7.0% Office Support 3.8% 6.3% 6.4% 96.2% 95.0% 81.3% 0.0% 0.6% 7.0% 3.8% 3.1% 7.0% Skilled Craft Workers 2.4% 2.6% 5.7% 7.2% 3.9% 7.3% 6.0% 5.1% 7.0% 2.4% 1.3% 7.0% Safety & Security 9.7% 14.8% 11.3% 19.4% 14.8% 23.7% 6.5% 7.4% 7.0% 3.2% 0.0% 7.0% Other Auxiliary 5.3% 3.5% 14.4% 43.7% 43.0% 46.1% 4.6% 4.2% 7.0% 1.3% 2.8% 7.0% Services
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• Retirement Projections (Total and by Job Category):
Percentage of Workforce Eligible to Retire Within 5 years 2017 2016 2015 2013 2010 Total Workforce 21.3% 20.9% 21.4% 22% 20% Senior Administrators 18.7% 21.5% 25% 28% 23% EHRA Non-Faculty 10.4% 12.4% 13.7% 14% 10% Faculty 22.8% 25.3% 25.9% 27% 22% SHRA Staff 17.5% 19.9% 20.7% 20% 20%
Percentage of Workforce Eligible to Retire Within 10 years 2017 2016 2015 2013 2010 Total Workforce 40.6% 35% 36% 37% 36.9% Senior Administrators 40.7% 41.9% 46% 51% 47% EHRA Non-Faculty 15.6% 18.9% 30% 33% 33% Faculty 36.2% 38% 40% 41% 38.5% SHRA Staff 33.3% 36% 36% 35% 36%
• Workforce Turnover Rates Including Retirements Retirements Voluntary (Excluding Retirements) Involuntary 2017 2016 2015 2017 2016 2015 2017 2016 2015 2017 2016 2015 Total Workforce* 12.8% 13.9% 11.3% 2.9% 3.4% 2.1% 7.2% 7.2% 7.0% 2.6% 3.5% 2.1% EHRA Non-Faculty 18.2% 17.1% 11.3% 2.0% 1.7% 1.4% 12.9% 10.8% 8.2% 3.3% 4.6% 1.7% Faculty 11.1% 12.9% 9.7% 2.8% 3.7% 2.1% 4.3% 3.9% 4.3% 3.9% 5.3% 3.3% SHRA Staff 11.7% 13.6% 12.4% 3.4% 4.0% 2.3% 7.0% 8.3% 8.6% 1.2% 1.3% 1.5%
• Turnover Rate by Race and Gender Total Retirements Voluntary (Excluding Retirements) Involuntary 2017 2016 2015 2017 2016 2015 2017 2016 2015 2017 2016 2015 Minority Total 19.3% 17.2% 19.4% 2.4% 0.8% 2.1% 14.5% 12.1% 7.0% 2.4% 4.3% 2.1% Asian 12.9% 9.5% 11.8% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 9.7% 6.3% 11.8% 3.2% 3.2% 0.0% Black 25.6% 31.6% 28.1% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 23.1% 23.7% 25.0% 2.5% 7.9% 3.1% Hispanic 17.4% 17.6% 23.1% 8.7% 5.9% 0.0% 4.3% 5.9% 7.7% 4.4% 5.9% 15.4% Native American 57.1% 8.4% 27.3% 14.3% 0.0% 0.0% 42.9% 4.2% 18.2% 0.0% 4.2% 9.1% White 12.5% 13.7% 10.5% 2.8% 3.6% 2.9% 6.7% 6.8% 5.4% 2.9% 3.3% 2.2% Other 8.3% 8.0% 5.6% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 8.3% 8.0% 5.6% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Female 12.4% 12.9% 11.6% 3.2% 8.9% 8.6% 6.6% 3.6% 9.8% 2.7% 9.3% 1.8%
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III. Employment Activity for 2016-2017
• Total Hires (New & Promotional) – Permanent Positions: 299 (21.1% increase over FY 2015-2016 and 53.9% over FY 2013-2014) • Average Age: 37.5 • Minority Representation: 10.4% • Average Salary: $46,223 • Female Representation: 46.8% • Total Hires – Temporary/Adjunct: 435 (6.6% increase over FY 2015-2016) • Total Hires (All) – 734 (12.1% increase over FY 2015-2016 and 20.3% over FY 2014-2015) • Total Qualified Applications: 8,369 (+62% from previous year)
New Hires (Full-Time/Permanent) Total Minority Female New Hires 225 12.0% 49.5% Total Offers 235 12.4% 54.3%
Total Qualified/Seriously Considered/Interviewed Applicants By Race Qualified Seriously Interviewed White 5,474 65.4% 1095 73.3% 725 76.1% Black 629 7.5% 99 6.6% 41 4.3% Hispanic 257 3.1% 37 2.5% 23 2.4% Asian 663 7.9% 48 3.2% 16 1.7% American Indian 149 1.8% 26 1.7% 20 2.1% Two or More 146 1.7% 25 1.7% 13 1.4% Unknown 1,051 12.6% 164 11.0% 115 12.0% Total 8,369 (+62%) 100% 1494 (+37%) 100% 953 (+79%) 100% Total Minority 1,844 (+82%) 22% (+2.5%) 235 (+27%) 15.7% (-1.2%) 113 (+59%) 11.9% (-1.4%) By Gender Male 4,678 55.9% 633 49.1% 391 46.3% Female 3,691 44.1% 657 50.9% 425 53.7% Disabled 369 4.4% 45 3.0% 23 2.4%
Qualified Veteran 230 2.7% 37 2.5% 21 2.2%
• Total Recruitment Activity: Total Searches (By Year)
461 443 455
342 276 232
2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012
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The following metrics demonstrate the average amount of time to process a hire from the initiation of a job posting to the actual step of an Approval for Offer and then an Acceptance of Offer. This includes time in HR and time in Budget, the two final stages of the recruitment process. Preliminary Performance Standards have been established as follows to test reasonable response times:
Postings to Offer Accepted Faculty Staff EHRA Staff Less than 120 days Less than 60 days Less than 90 days 120-180 days 60-90 days 90-120 days 180+ days 90+ days 120+ days
Hiring Proposals Days to Approved for Offer - From Receipt in HR 5 Business Days or Less
6-8 Business Days
8+ Business Days
Hiring Proposals Days to Approved for Offer - From Initiation 7 Business Days or Less
8-10 Business Days
10+ Business Days
Hiring Proposals
Position Average of Average BD in Average BD to % of time in HR & % of time in HR Type BD* in HR HR & Budget Approved for Offer Budget FY16 FY17 FY16 FY17 FY16 FY17 FY16 FY17 FY16 FY17 SHRA 6.00 2.48 7.32 3.28 9.56 4.79 62.76% 51.77% 76.57% 68.48% EHRA 4.37 4.36 5.10 5.86 5.93 7.11 45.71% 61.32% 86.00% 82.42% Faculty 5.68 1.95 9.33 2.84 11.89 6.17 59.41% 31.60% 78.47% 46.03% *Business Days
Posting To Offer Accepted (Includes Individual department search time, HR and Budget)
Position Type Average Calendar Days to Offer Accepted % Decrease in Time to FY 16 FY17 Offer Accepted SHRA 74.85 50.86 32.05% EHRA 128 62 54.61% Faculty 120.86 85.07 29.61%
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IV. Compensation/Salary Administration
As part of the 2020 Plan, the University has made a commitment to improve and enhance salary and total compensation packages in order to attract, reward, and retain the highest quality employees (Goal 4.1). Annually, University leadership in conjunction with the University Salary Committee strategically reviews campus salaries to ensure employee compensation is equitable and in line with appropriate market comparisons.
• Total Salary Increase Actions for FY 2016-2017
SHRA EHRANon-Faculty Faculty Total Total Salary Adjustments 90 73 57 220 Total Increase amount $471,610 $608,368 $398,229 $1,478,207 • In addition to the salary adjustments indicated above, eligible employees received a 1.5% permanent increase to base salary as part of the 2017 Legislative Increase process.
• Salary Increase Actions (Comparison by Year)
Salary Increase Actions by Year Total Salary Increase Dollars by 2200 Year 1,968 $4,000,000 $3,705,500
1700 $3,500,000 $2,919,872 $3,000,000 1,173 1200 $2,500,000 $1,872,213 $2,000,000 $1,478,207 $1,586,475 700 $1,500,000 481 390 314 $1,000,000 197 220 $472,062 $500,000 200 57 92 73 101 90 $0 Faculty EHRA NF SHRA Total Actions 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 -300
2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012
*2017 figures do not include the 1.5% Legislative Increase ($1.2 million)
• Total Compensation
On average, the non-salary portion of a WCU employee’s total compensation package is more than 47% of total base salary. For example, for an employee with a base salary of $50,000, the University provides approximately $23,750 additional compensation for the cost of the fringe benefits (contributions towards the retirement program, health insurance, and FICA plus the value of accrued leave and holidays).
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V. Payroll and Related Services
HR/PR provides core university business functions at the most fundamental of levels that are essential to the overall success of the University. HR/PR has targeted its operational initiatives to align to the 2020 Plan of improving the effectiveness and efficiency of campus business processes to ensure continuous improvement and to realize financial savings (Goal 5.3). In this regard, HR/PR has implemented several electronic processes designed to eliminate more costly and less efficient paper processes. These initiatives include:
• Providing W-2’s electronically: This initiative eliminates the paper, postage, and time associated with the previous paper process and allows employees quicker access to their information. In January 2017, 4,555 W-2’s were issued of which 47.8% were electronic (+9.3% over the previous year). A continuing goal is to increase the number of electronic W-2’s.
Additionally, HR/PR provided the following payroll services during FY 16-17:
• 38 payrolls were run (to include all monthly and bi-weekly) • 23,949 monthly direct deposit actions were processed and provided for the University workforce with an average of 1,996 each month. Direct deposits were 99.32% for the year with only 163 paper checks issued to permanent employees for FY 16-17. The annual permanent payroll totaled $98,789,062.85 or $8,232,421.90 each monthly period (4.9% increase over FY 2015-2016). • 19,209 bi-weekly direct deposit actions were processed (2.5% decrease over FY 2015-2016) and provided for the temporary and student workforce with an average of 739 individuals on a biweekly basis. An average of 624 students and 124 temporary employees were processed each bi-weekly payroll. Direct deposits were 98.86% for the year with only 221 paper checks issued to temporary and student employees. The annual biweekly payroll totaled $4,584,813.83 or $176,338.99 each biweekly period. • Each month, Human Resources/Payroll is responsible for completing metrics established by the UNC Shared Services Center (SSC) to measure payroll accuracy and effectiveness. For FY 16-17, all target goals and key performance indicators (KPI’s – shown below) were met for both the bi-weekly and monthly payrolls.
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Annual Report 2016-2017 13
VI. HR Systems and Related Business Processes
HR/PR has targeted its operational initiatives to align to the 2020 Plan of improving the effectiveness and efficiency of campus business processes to ensure continuous improvement and to realize financial savings (Goal 5.3). Specifically, during FY16-17 HR/PR continued the implementation and upgrading of key business processes designed to either update older, less efficient technology or to transition paper processes into an electronic format. A summary of these activities are provided below.
• Online Employment System Implementation: WCU has partnered with People Admin since 2007 to provide an online Employment Services portal. This portal services WCU Applicant tracking (to include the University Jobs board and online application process), position management, university onboarding, and performance management processes. For FY16-17, the University has implemented several enhancements that have resulted in streamlining multiple workflow processes to recognize efficiencies and cost savings. Key enhancements include: o The introduction of a mobile-friendly applicant portal/job site to attract job candidates to WCU. Recently WCU participated in a BETA test of mobile-friendly version for internal users that is now implemented, allowing hiring managers/supervisors to access/approve items easily from their mobile device. o Development and implementation of an upgraded online Performance Management program that includes the implementation of the new University of North Carolina SHRA Employee Annual Performance Appraisal that was rolled out in Fall 2016. o During Spring 2017, a formal, automated Employee Onboarding portal for new employees was launched. o Implementation of a Business Analytics module to allow for automated reporting of metrics and process review. o A key HR staff member completed the Certified Administrative training program with PeopleAdmin. Having someone with this credential on campus gives WCU the benefit of expertise and added functionality to maintain the system for optimum use.
• Enhanced Electronic Scanning and Storage Capabilities: The upgrade to the current Onbase Electronic document imaging software and scanning system has provided HR/PR with additional functionality to enhance electronic storage and scanning capabilities and make the process more efficient. Key efforts in this area for FY 16-17 include: o To facilitate the transition to an all-electronic storage medium, an internal working group was formed within the department last spring and was charged with 1. Defining what constitutes a “Personnel file” including identifying all items moving to an electronic format; 2. Obtaining approval from the State Department of Cultural Resources to implement electronic retention of Personnel Files in On-base; and 3. Development of a written process for records retention practices– including filing/scanning protocols – for all personnel documents. Team recommendations were implemented in Spring 2017. o During Spring 2017 a staff member completed the OnBase System Administrator’s training in June to allow for the development of effective maintenance strategies and resources for utilizing OnBase as the primary system for personnel file retention.
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o Transition of existing paper forms/manual processes to an online/automated process. HR/PR has collaborated with IT SharePoint staff to create new online versions of several forms for campus use that will move the data into an electronic format that again recognizes efficiency in accuracy/speed of document storage/retrieval.
• Law Logix Electronic I-9/E-Verify: HR/PR received funding in FY13-14 to purchase and implement an electronic system for I-9 and E-Verify employment verification submission for faculty, staff and students. The new online process has successfully eliminated the previous hardcopy, paper process and has allowed for centralization of I-9 functions across the university. The new system continues to reduce the risk of documentation and/or form completion error and has helped to ensure federal compliance regarding employment eligibility verification. Implementation was successfully completed during FY15. For FY 16-17 the institution is began implementing an Interface between Banner and LawLogix to maintain the status of employees and replace the manual updates that currently take place.
• University of North Carolina Human Resources (UNCHR) DataMart: HR/PR continues to collaborate with staff from Information Technology and the Office of Institutional Research on further enhancements to the UNC system’s data warehouse known as DataMart. The UNC GA Personnel Data File (PDF) (used for Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) reporting) is now generated from the DataMart in an effort to centralize and maximize reporting accuracy and efficiency. During the past year, HR/PR has continued involvement in implementing additional changes required by the University of North Carolina that have allowed the University system to pull comparison data from all of the system-wide schools. These additional changes include submitting SHRA performance evaluation scores, CIP codes for CUPA reporting, and termination codes for all terminating employees. WCU is working on adding these changes and has also worked with other UNC schools and UNC GA in sharing expertise and knowledge of coding and data maintained in the Banner HR/PR System.
• UNC Shared Services Lead: WCU continues to take an active lead role with the UNC GA Shared Services Center on annual initiatives and maintenance of the Banner HR/Payroll module. Because of the high skill and experience level of our staff, we continue to test and give feedback on the development of numerous interfaces that are managed from the system i.e. for retirement/benefits/taxes and any changes to the validation tables to be in compliance with Federal and State changes.
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VII. Professional Development and Training
A primary tenet of the 2020 Plan is to provide professional development opportunities for faculty and staff (Goal 4.2). With this understanding, HR/PR delivered professional development services to 308 participants. These efforts included coordination, management, and direct facilitation of workshops, seminars, new employee orientation sessions, and other programmatic activities. Key offerings included:
• HR/PR partnered with the University Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provider to deliver a series of Personal Development workshops onsite for the third consecutive year with 47 participants. The fall 2017 curriculum is under development. • During the first three quarters of FY 2015-16 year Western Carolina University twice hosted the State of North Carolina Equal Employment Opportunity Institute (EEOI). A total of 26 Managers and Supervisors participated in this State mandated compliance training. In the interest of promoting external relationships, these Institutes were extended to other State agencies in the area. As part of these offerings, WCU launched a newly revised EEOI (now EEODF) program in conjunction with the Office of State Human Resources, creating a blended on-line and in-class training format. • Our partnership with the University of North Carolina at Asheville continues, and Appalachian State has joined us in these collaborative meetings. The sharing of experience and best practices continues to be invaluable to all three institutions. • WCU Works was launched in the Fall semester of 2016. This required the creation of several new workshops, which have all been completed. For the pilot project of two years, three tracks were created: Leadership, Supervision, and Job and Personal Effectiveness. Enrollment was capped at 60 employees and that cap was reached. • Implementation of People Admin 7.0 performance management module, including multiple training sessions for supervisors and employees. • COMPASS (Competencies for Achieving Supervisory Success) was developed during this academic year and will be launched in July of 2017. This program will be a mandatory 18 hour program for new supervisors, consisting of on-line and in-classroom learning. The Executive Council has agreed to make this training mandatory for new supervisors, with a look-back of twelve months. The creation of this program is in conformity with the results of the Staff Senate survey of two years ago. • A breakdown of Professional Development activities is as follows: • Performance Management Topics: 276 (5 Separate Titles) • Orientation: 117 • EEODF: 26 • Personal Effectiveness Topics: 97 (5 Choices, Crucial Conversations, Myers-Briggs, Diversity) • Campus Safety and Active Shooter: 90 • CompPsych Topics: 42 (7 Separate Titles) • HR Informational Topics: 113 • Supervisor/Managerial Topics: 68 (6 Separate Topics)
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VIII. Work-Life Programs, Employee Relations and Related Services
The 2020 Plan Goal 4.3 commits us to design and provide programming and services that create a work- life environment to enhance employees’ personal and professional lives. During FY 2016-17, key initiatives, programs and services provided included:
• Western Carolina University celebrated its 18th annual Employee Appreciation Day and Service Recognition awards on September 1, 2016. The event, held in the main arena and concourse areas of the Ramsey Center, included a buffet lunch, and a Benefits/Wellness Fair, as well as music and door prizes. Over 1,100 employees attended the event.
• Our partnership with ComPysch to provide Employee Assistance services (EAP) to the University continues to be successful. The range of services includes traditional EAP, financial, health, wellness, and legal resource and referral services. The annualized rate of utilization is 27%, which, by industry standards, is a robust utilization rate.
• In this fiscal year, the exit protocol developed for employees separating from employment with Western Carolina University continued. A total of 67 employees participated in this process. The exit protocol includes an appointment with the Director of Employee Relations, Training & Development to fill out a brief survey on the employee’s employment experience and level of satisfaction, the filling out of a separation checklist to ensure that all University property is returned to University control, and an appointment with the Human Resources Benefits Consultant to ensure a smooth transition of any benefits involved.
• The work of the onboarding task force, including representatives of Human Resources, the Provost’s office, Faculty Senate, Staff Senate, Coulter Faculty Commons, and Communications and Public Relations has completed its work, and we are awaiting the implementation of the onboarding module in People Admin to complete all facets of onboarding. In June of this year, we completed an update of the New Employee Guidebook and that Guidebook is now in circulation.
• The front-end component of new employee onboarding, the new employee orientation program, continues to be refined. Due to the generosity of Student Affairs in sharing lunch vouchers for the dining hall, we continue to take new employees to lunch on the day of orientation; a definite enhancement in their orientation experience.
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IX. Benefits Administration
Benefit Administration continues to be an evolving and complex function. The implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been a significant challenge. While much of the data for reporting under ACA is completed electronically, a significant amount of time and resources are required to review and confirm accurate data. When errors were identified, those errors required manual correction.
The High Deducible Health Plan (HDHP) continues to be offered to temporary employees measured as eligible or immediately eligible upon hire. Measurement of employees requires careful monitoring of hiring paperwork, proper recording of the employee, and report analysis. Very few employees offered the plan have accepted it. As of July 2017, only four employees have active coverage on the HDHP.
During FY 16-17 the State Health Plan announced that the Consumer Directed Health Plan (CDHP) will not be offered in 2018. This will affect over 250 employees at WCU. HRA funds associated with this plan will be active for claims incurred during 2017. The Benefits Office has communicated the non- continuation of the CDHP in the Reporter and in campus meetings. The State Health Plan has sent email to those who currently have the CDHP as well as sent letters to home mailing addresses.
For Benefit Year 2018, the Enhanced 80/20 and the Traditional 70/30 will continue to be offered. For the first time, neither option will have a premium free option for employee only coverage. Open Enrollment is scheduled for October 2017 and will be an active enrollment. Each enrolled employee will be transitioned to the 70/30 and action will be required to select the 80/20. The three premium credits associated with enrollment have been reduced to only the Tobacco Use Attestation. The attestation will be worth $60. Employee only premium, when completing the Tobacco Attestation, will be $25 for the 70/30 and $50 for the 80/20. Family premiums for 2018 will be frozen at the 2017 amount and there are no planned changes to deductibles, coinsurance, or prescription coverage for either plan.
As of June 30, 2016, WCU has 1,452 active employee enrolled in the three plans. This number is recently reduced from approximately 1,500 resulting from the end of fixed term contracts and normal separation activity during June. Enrollment numbers will increase steadily with July and August hiring, which is traditionally the highest hiring and enrollment numbers each year.
A summary of benefits related activity is below.
• Ongoing Affordable Care Act compliance associated with appropriate offer of coverage to eligible temporary employees as well as record keeping and reporting. The UNC System contracted with Group Associates to generate all required forms for the 2016 tax year associated with Health Insurance coverage. 1,864 forms were generated for WCU employees. Each employee received a Form 1095 C to retain with their 2016 tax records. The IRS also received a Form 1095 for each insurance eligible employee.
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• Open Enrollment is scheduled for October, 2017. The State Health Plan is planning another active enrollment. In response to this, the Benefits Office will develop another comprehensive communications and assistance plan to aid the campus with enrollment. • NC Flex has recently completed the bid process which will result in some vendor changes. The Vision plan will change vendors for 2018. The Flexible Spending Accounts will remain with the P&A Group, which was awarded the bid for those two plans. NC Flex will also be adding an Accident Plan for 2018. Details of the plan have not yet been shared with the campuses. Each August, HR/PR actively participates in New Faculty Orientation. A presentation is provided along with assistance with enrolling in all University benefits. This is the highest volume enrollments of the year.
• In partnership with Training and Development, the Benefits Office conducts monthly new employee orientation sessions related to benefit options. These sessions are conducted in an electronic classroom in order to assist new employees with electronic benefit enrollment. This past fiscal year, 225 new permanent employees have been hired. Additionally, the Benefits Office is actively using new and different means to deliver benefits information during these sessions. New employees have provided good feedback on Benefits Orientation, the use of video materials, and enrollment assistance during the sessions.
• 52 Retirements were processed during FY 2016/2017 (18% decrease from FY 2015/2016). 103 employees received retirement counseling with many of those counseled requesting multiple retirement estimates to best choose a retirement effective date (18% increase from FY 2015/2016).
• Short Term Disability has remained a small segment of the employee population. There are currently two employees receiving benefits with six being the largest number receiving short-term benefits during this fiscal year.
• Special Leave related to FMLA, Shared Leave, Military Deployment, etc. continues to be steady. HR Payroll has transitioned FMLA to a new position hired during the late part of 2016, and Shared Leave has been moved to the position that accounts for all employee leave. This has provided additional time for the new Benefits Manager to take on additional elements of the position and become an expert in state benefits.
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X. Diversity Programming
A specific initiative of the 2020 Plan is to increase diversity among faculty and staff (Initiative 4.3.5). HR/PR is committed to partnering with University leadership to continuously identify ways to enhance the overall diversity of the University workforce. In FY 16-17 HR/PR led the following efforts:
• Efforts to Enhance Campus Awareness: During 2016 fall and 2017 spring semester, HR/PR provided overviews of WCU’s current workforce diversity profile to multiple University leadership groups. These presentations were once again well received will be updated and provided on an ongoing basis.
• Targeted search committee training: Specific mandatory training designed to communicate the importance of a diverse workforce as well as provide search specific demographic data was provided to each search committee at the beginning of each search. EEO reports are provided to all Search Committee Chairs, with additional language that has prompted more dialogue with HR on current diversity within departments and strategies to diversify going forward as positions are searched.
• Campus Diversity Training Programs: HR/PR coordinated a series of training sessions focused upon Diversity and Inclusion in the workforce. These sessions have been offered on a quarterly basis throughout 2016-2017.
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XI. Review of FY 16-17 Goals
Goal/Initiative (In priority order) Status
• Initiative #1: Online Employment System (People Admin 7.0) continued phased implementation to include:
o Performance Management module release and Complete training (Fall 2016)
o Onboarding module release and training (Spring Pilot implementation launched April 2017. Full 2017) campus rollout is scheduled for Fall 2017.
o Full implementation of People Admin Business In Progress: Initial release is in place and Analytics module. This tool will greatly expand operational. The vendor will continue to work current available employment related metrics with the University to expand functionality over and will enhance the ability to analyze the the remainder of the 2017 calendar year effectiveness of HR/PR business processes (Spring 2017)
o System Enhancements, identification and Ongoing maximization of efficiencies in workflows, end user education and training Additional Comments: Phase 3 (Online Performance Management module) implementation was finalized in October 2016. Performance appraisals for the 16-17 plan year for SHRA and EHRA NF employees are being/will be completed in the new module. Phase 4 (Employee Onboarding) implementation has been rolled out as a “Pilot” to key campus constituents with full rollout scheduled for Fall 2017.
• Initiative #2: Implementation of HR/PR Standards of Complete Performance to formally establish service level expectations that can be readily measured and clearly communicated to internal staff and external customers (August 2016)
Additional Comments: WCU HR/Payroll has developed formal Standards of Performance for work units within the Department (Employment, Benefits, etc.). In addition to establishing internal standards/expectations, the SOP’s are being shared with our key external constituents to fully communicate our commitment to meeting the needs of the campus.
• Initiative #3: Facilitation of campus wide implementation Delayed – Proposed changes are currently being of new Federal FLSA (overtime) regulations (December reviewed in the Federal Courts 2016). Additional Comments: Implementation plan has been completed and communicated to campus. Actual implementation is currently on hold as a result of federal court injunction.
• Initiative #4: Participation in Elucian/Banner HR Business Complete Process Assessment
Mid-year summary for Initiative #4: HR/Payroll participated in a Business Process Assessment with Elucian Consultants during Fall 2016. The final report has been issued and WCU HR/Payroll will use assessment feedback to continue to maximize current system capabilities and enhance efficiencies of business processes.
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Goal/Initiative (In priority order) Status • Initiative #5: Through collaboration with key campus In Progress constituents, introduce a University-wide Onboarding program designed to tie together mission critical aspects of successful and engaged employment (Spring 2017)
• Initiative #6: Transition of Banner HRIS system to new “Go Live” has been pushed back to December Banner XE Platform (January 2017) 2017
• Initiative #7: Formal migration of WCU HR/Payroll Complete: “Go Live” for both the internal and Internet and Intranet sites to most current platforms. This external sites occurred in April 2017. initiative will include collaboration with WCU Marketing and IT Services to: 1) Ensure external facing sites fully reflect the WCU “Brand” and are presented in a professional and useful format; 2) Migrate current intranet presence (WCU HUB) to the “WCUWorks” platform and utilize available IT resources and infrastructure to automate manual workflows (examples include Voluntary Shared Leave Requests, Supervisor Change Forms, etc.) (Fall 2016 through Spring 2017).
• Initiative #8: In conjunction with strategic campus-wide Complete: The “WCU Works” program was partnerships, introduce a formal Professional formally launched in January 2017 Development program for supervisory staff (Winter 2017)
• Initiative #9: Ongoing succession planning to ensure On Schedule: During Fall 2016, the HR/Payroll future HR/PR stability in talent and expertise management team completed an assessment of current staff to determine current and future career growth opportunities. This assessment has been critical in helping shape reorganization decisions that have been designed to enhance service delivery to the campus, maximize existing skill sets and interests, and identify development needs to meet current and future demands.
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XII. Key FY 16-17 Accomplishments
1) WCU HR sponsored a current staff member (Alicia Estes) to become a Certified PeopleAdmin Systems Administrator. Having an in-house certified Administrator will reduce WCU’s reliance on our 3rd party vendor, will greatly reduce time and costs associated with vendor ticketing requests, and will provide the capacity to maximize our Talent Management system capabilities. Additionally, the certification has already resulted in HR/Payroll significantly expanding system reporting capabilities.
2) Successful launch of TM (Performance Mgmt., Onboarding, Analytics).
3) Process redesign of TM recruitment workflows to increase efficiency and usability.
4) Successfully completed the HR reorganization to best align resources to areas of greatest need/service gaps. Specifically, the reorg has enhanced the recruitment and business systems areas to include a service model that is focused on providing front-line, on-going support to University hiring managers.
5) Process redesign and reorganization has recognized efficiencies in recruitment business processes. Specifically:
• Reduced time to offer (time from request to hire to officially approved for offer) by 52% from FY 2016. • Reduced time to hire (from point of posting to position filled) by 44% from FY 2016.
6) UNC System Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) for Payroll Services have been within the green (optimal) range for each month of FY 2017.
7) Successful transition of key paper workflows to electronic Sharepoint based processes (Voluntary Shared Leave, Extra Comp, Tuition Waiver/Reimbursement, Faculty Salary Adjustments). The switch to online workflows has resulted in increased user satisfaction, reduction in errors/incomplete requests, and expedited the approval process.
8) Received formal approval from the State of NC in February 2017 to implement the first University- wide electronic records retention and imaging policy and procedures for personnel file management. Approval of this policy has resulted in HR being able to begin transitioning away from paper storage mediums for personnel files. Once fully launched WCU HR/Payroll will recognize significant space, time, and cost savings.
9) Successful roll out of the “WCU Works” Professional Development Certification program. The WCU Works program was launched in January 2017 with an initial cohort of 60 faculty and staff.
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XIII. Continued Priorities for FY 17-18 (and beyond)
The following overarching priorities will guide all HR/PR goals, initiatives, and decision-making processes:
Strategic Broader HR/Payroll Goals that Guide Yearly Strategic Initiatives
1) Build and enhance a culture of service – this should be incorporated into everything that we do. 2) Fully develop seamless HR function that focuses on “Talent Management and Development” that leads to attracting, engaging, and retaining key, diverse talent. 3) HR is perceived as providing progressive and consistent workforce solution that enhance overall institutional effectiveness.
Strategic Goals/Initiatives
#1: Banner 9.0 Implementation (December 2017)
#2: Full Launch of “COMPASS” mandatory supervisory training (July 2017)
#3: Partner with UNC- General Administration to deliver system-wide employee engagement survey (January 2018)
#4: Expand the roll-out of the new online employee “Onboarding” program to WCU faculty (Fall 2017)
#5: Automation of employee account activation (joint project with IT) (Spring 2018)
#6: Alignment and integration of back-end internal business processes (Banner, Talent Management, OnBase, UNC Datamart) (Phased through 17-18)
#7: Complete transition of all HR/Payroll paper storage retention processes to electronic records retention (July 2017)
#8: Continued transition of essential manual/paper business processes to automated, SharePoint based workflows (Phased through 17-18)
#9: Identification of efficient and sustainable methods for capturing key human capital metrics as defined within the UNC Strategic Plan (Employee Turnover, Retention, Succession Planning, Investment in Professional Development) (Ongoing)
#10: Talent Management (PA 7.0) System Enhancements to include identification and maximization of efficiencies in workflows, improved usability for end users, full utilization of reporting metrics to drive business decision-making (Ongoing)
#11: Ongoing succession planning to ensure future HR/PR stability in talent and expertise and to strategically prepare for expected retirements within the next 1-3 years (Ongoing)
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Budget Office Annual Report 2016-2017
I. Budget Office Overview
Mission: Prudent financial management that fosters institutional effectiveness and student success.
Primary Role of the Department: The Budget Office is responsible for the management of the university’s state budget. In FY17, the university’s $138 million state budget included approximately $89 million in state appropriation and $49 million in tuition receipts. The Budget Office is responsible for loading these budgets in the university’s financial system and for providing decision makers with accurate and timely data to inform planning and assessment activities. In addition, the Budget Office develops the university’s biennium budget; coordinates the university’s annual budget hearing process; coordinates the tuition and fee request process in conjunction with Student Affairs; and reports budget data to state agencies on the university’s behalf.
The Budget Office also serves as the university’s position control thereby ensuring personnel funds are spent within the parameters set by university and state policies. Position control is an integral part of each hiring or job change action processed by WCU.
Organizational Structure:
Vice Chancellor Administration and Finance Mike Byers
Director of Budgets, Financial Planning and Analysis Greg Hodges
Position Control Budget Analyst Specialist Ann Green Irene Welch
Administrative Support Stormy DeLucia
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II. Notable Accomplishments in Fiscal Year 2016-17 • Develop a process to make budget data available to the campus on July 1st – Historically, transactional budget data has not been made available to the campus community until late fall. As a result, units have relied on data sources other than the system of record to maintain their state budgets. These “shadow” databases often prove inaccurate thus creating university risk. Further, WCU has invested significant time and resources into data reporting solutions that rely on budget data for accuracy. At the end of FY17, and beginning of FY18, the Budget Office successfully implemented a new process making state budget data available to accountable officers and designees on July 1st.
• Develop financial models – Auxiliary operations have extremely complex financials - often including line items such as repairs and renovations, capital improvements, auxiliary assessments, and debt service - in addition to normal operating expenses. A long-range planning tool is necessary for these types of enterprises to be successful. In FY17, the Budget Office collaborated with the CFO and the leadership teams in Residential Living and Parking and Transportation to develop a sophisticated financial model that predicts program finances on a 10-year horizon. The model gives units the capability to evaluate debt capacity and rate requirements.
III. Goals for Fiscal Year 2017-18 • Develop budgets for all fund types – Currently, budgets only exist for state funds and a handful of non-state funds. To improve university financial reporting for internal decision-making, the Budget Office will work towards establishing budgets for non-state funds.
• Financial system improvements – The Budget Office is currently working with Systems and Procedures to activate Banner Finance Self-Service and a feature called non-sufficient fund checking. The Self-Service module will give end users the capability to move money around within their own fund structure without having to seek Budget Office approval via our current paper based process. Likewise, the non-sufficient fund-checking feature will automatically regulate overspending in real-time in place of delayed audits.
• Develop financial reports for internal decision-making – In FY2018, the Budget Office will begin deploying a series of financial reports that will replace the transactional database forms found in Banner INB. The reports will allow present users with multi-dimensional information as opposed to raw data found in the Banner forms. Non-data entry users will be able to eliminate their reliance on using Banner forms for data retrieval.
• Develop standard operating procedures – The Budget Office will work to capture all of its processes through a standard operating procedures template. The SoPs will contain flow charts and other supporting documentation to facilitate knowledge transfer.
• University succession preparation – In collaboration with HR, the Budget Office will develop a policy and procedure that allows managers to apply for financial assistance to hire new employees prior to the separation of the incumbent. Under this new procedure, the incumbent will train their replacement and complete knowledge transfer prior to separating from WCU. Succession preparation will greatly enhance the university’s current recruitment strategies and ensure business continuity.
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Office of Fiscal Affairs Annual Report 2016-2017
The Office of Fiscal Affairs consists of the Controller’s Office, Systems and Procedures, Purchasing and Accounts Payable. In addition to managing day-to-day financial functions, Fiscal Affairs staff offer training in areas related to procurement, P-Card, payment, processing of financial data, review and reconciliation of funds, Banner Finance, and new systems. In this light during 2017, Fiscal Affairs started a Business Officers Forum on campus. The general idea is for Administration and Finance process areas to meet with campus Business Officers periodically to share new processes and ideas, while obtaining feedback on items of concern to the Business Officers.
Here is an overview of each of the areas of the Office of Fiscal Affairs and accomplishments of each area this fiscal year.
Controller’s Office
The Controller’s office is responsible for general accounting, student accounts, cashiering, travel reimbursement and financial reporting. The Controller’s Office must follow regulations of UNC General Administration, the State of North Carolina, the Federal government, and the Governmental Accounting Standards Board. Here are some of the functions, achievements, and statistics from the Controller’s office during the 2016-2017 fiscal year.
I. Bursar (Student Accounts) and Cashiering Services
The Bursar’s Office is responsible for billing students for tuition, fees and other charges incurred, and collecting the same. Activity includes processing receipts by cash, credit card, check and financial aid, and processing refunds of excess payments or excess financial aid received. For fiscal year 16-17 approximately $80.6 million (unaudited) in gross tuition and fees were collected by the Bursar’s Office. The Bursar’s Office uses Banner Cashiering to process student payments. Students can log in through a portal any time the system is available to view all activity on their financial account. The Bursar answers questions for students and assists them with any processing problems. WCU also offers a payment plan through TMS (Tuition Management Systems) at a nominal cost to the students. This payment plan allows students to spread the cost of their education over the several months in the semester. TMS bills students, collects funds and submits payment to WCU. The Bursar writes off uncollectible student accounts annually. For 2017, the write-off was $15,965 (unaudited).
During the 2016-2017, the Bursar’s Office participated in a program review conducted by a reviewer from a sister institution. The review was favorable with some positive suggestions for process improvements. Most of the process improvements were student customer focused in terms of making the student’s access to information about the student’s account more readily available on the University’s webpage. The Bursar has made progress toward implementing the suggested process changes.
During the 2016 legislative session, two new programs were implemented that impact tuition at the University. The first program is Fixed Tuition, which allows a student’s tuition component of charges to remain fixed throughout the student’s enrollment period at the University. The Bursar has worked
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extensively with the WCU IT Department and UNC General Administration to implement the Fixed Tuition program and has successfully billed for the Fall, 2017 semester. The Bursar was a presenter at the Spring 2017 UNC Financial Services Conference on implementing the fixed tuition program. The second tuition program is NC Promise. This program reduces the in-state student’s tuition component to $500 per semester and the out of state student’s tuition component to $2,500 per semester starting in the Fall, 2018. The Bursar has been working with the IT Department and UNC General Administration on an implementation process for NC Promise.
II. Accounting Services
Accounting services maintains the chart of accounts, the processing of journal entries, the reconciling to bank, state, and other agency records, while also maintaining of records for Electric Resale and many University affiliated organizations. Affiliated organizations include the University Foundation, the R&D Corporation, Highlands Biological Foundation, Forest Stewards and the North Carolina Arboretum Society. The Controller’s Office adds new fund, organization, account and program codes as needed to keep the chart of accounts current. As of June, 2017, there were 3510 active funds in the accounting system. The office processes all journal entries to distribute charges between funds, allocate earnings and charges to funds, and make corrections. For the fiscal year, there were 3,982 journal entries processed. At year-end, journal entries are also processed to record accrual entries for financial reporting. For the year ended June 30, 2016, the Controller’s Office prepared 215 journal entries to generate the University’s financial statements during the summer of 2016.
The Controller’s office staff also answers questions about appropriate charges and reviews charges to ensure appropriate use of funds, compliance with university spending guidelines, and compliance with grant spending guidelines for grant funds.
The Controller’s office staff reconciles bank statements, accounts with state and federal agencies and processes requests for funds from state and federal agencies as needed. During FY2017, allotment requests were processed with the Office of State Treasurer and state and federal funds were requested to support student financial aid programs and grants.
The Controller’s office staff maintains records for the Electric Resale department. Electric Resale is a University owned power utility company that provides electricity service to the Cullowhee area. The electricity is purchased from Duke Energy and resold to the University customers. The utility maintains its lines, bills customers monthly, and follows the rules and regulations of the North Carolina Utilities Commission. As of June, 2017, Electric Resale had 3,330 active customer accounts.
III. Reporting Services
Reporting services includes providing reports to state, federal, university and other agencies, providing reports and information to University departments, and providing other information as requested.
Controller’s Office staff prepares monthly, quarterly and annual reports for Office of State Controller, Office of the State Auditors, bond agencies, UNC Office of Compliance and Audit Services and other interested parties, including completing Fiscal Research requests. Fiscal Affairs staff work with bond rating agencies, financial advisors and other in preparation for bond issues and to timely complete reporting requirements related to bond issues.
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The University must report key performance indicators to the UNC Office of Compliance and Audit Services in six areas: general accounting, contracts and grants, student accounts, student financial aid, capital assets, and payroll. The University has received predominately high ratings on the quarterly reports issued by the UNC Office of Compliance and Audit Services for these indicators in the 2017 year.
Controller’s Office staff complete the annual reports required for the Office of State Controller to complete the North Carolina CAFR (Comprehensive Annual Financial Report) and for the Office of State Auditor to prepare the WCU audit report. Other annual reporting requirements include the Federal Financial Assistance report and the financial portion of the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) report. For the 2016 reporting year, the University and all affiliated organizations received clean audit opinions.
• At June 30, 2016 WCU’s Net Position: $424,192,604
Work is underway to complete the annual report and calculate the FY 2017 Net Position.
The Controller’s Office implemented an accounting system to account for the activity of Noble Hall. Noble Hall is the newest dormitory on campus with 421 beds and retail space. The building is owned by the Collegiate Housing Foundation (CHF), and sits on land owned by the WCU Endowment. The arrangement is part of a service concession agreement as defined by governmental accounting standards. The dormitory is operated by the University pursuant to a management agreement between the University and CHF.
IV. Travel
The Controller’s office is responsible for travel reimbursement. The travel auditor reviews all requests for travel reimbursement to ensure the request has adequate supporting documentation and that the expenses are allowable by the University travel policy. Employee ACH direct deposit travel reimbursement continues to be a popular option for employees to timely receive reimbursement. During the year, a travel P-Card program was implemented for employee use. More information about the travel P-Card is discussed under Procurement and Accounts Payable below.
V. Other Services
Other services include providing information to state, federal, university and other agencies as requested and providing training to University departments. The Controller’s office is responsible for designing, implementing and reviewing the internal control system of the University financial systems. The internal control system is designed to protect the assets of the University. For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2016, no deficiencies in internal control were reported by the University auditors. Processes are continually be improved to review access to financial systems and to evaluate the security needed for each position in Fiscal Affairs.
VI. Staffing and Training
Accounting requirements have become more stringent over the past two decades. It takes a significant amount of training to get an accountant’s skill set to the level necessary to understand college and university accounting.
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In considering a succession plan for high level accounting positions, the Controller was able to fill positions with quality candidates. Some position switches were made between Fiscal Affairs areas to capitalize on skill sets and to increase back up for key processes in case of a prolonged absence or an employee departure.
All Fiscal Affairs employees are encouraged to attend relevant training. All Fiscal Affairs employees attended customer service training this year. Other training opportunities attended by various employees include the UNC Financial Services Conference, national ERP and purchasing conferences, accounting updates, Six Sigma training, and the WCU Leadership Academy.
VII. Systems and Procedures
The Systems and Procedures department manages the finance module of the University’s enterprise system. This department is responsible for assigning security classes to all users in the finance area, and working with the IT department to resolve issues that arise within the finance module. Systems and Procedures takes the lead on business processes improvement implementations. Systems and Procedures is also responsible for ensuring a clean transmittal of monthly expenditure data to the Office of the State Controller and the annual transmission of financial data files to the Office of the State Auditor.
During the year, the Systems group hired two employees who were formerly employees of the Controller’s Office. They each have a strong understanding of the accounting principles involved in the University’s accounting processes, and they are capable of translating that skill set into the systems aspect of financial operations.
The University has tested and is going live with an electronic workflow product for travel accounting called Chrome River. The product is designed to reduce the use of paper, and to provide a tracking mechanism for employee travel reimbursement. In conjunction with the IT Department, the Systems group has taken the lead on testing and implementing Chrome River. Throughout the balance of 2017, the Systems group will be responsible for training campus on the use of Chrome River.
As the University transitions its ERP system to a new level platform, the Systems group will be conducting employee training with IT. The ERP upgrade has system improvements.
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VIII. Procurement and Accounts Payable
A. Procurement Services
The Purchasing Office manages the procurement activities for the University. The Purchasing Office assists the departments with special procurement needs, issues P-Cards, issues purchase orders, issues requests for proposals and manages bids for items required to be bid. In addition, the Purchasing Office is responsible for disposing of surplus property in accordance with state guidelines. Here are some transactional highlights for the year ending June 30, 2017:
10,729 Purchase Orders Processed
The total spend on the P-Cards for FY2017 was $1,423,011.87
There were 8,768 P-Card transactions for FY2017
As of June 30, 2017 WCU has 203 active P-Cards
$26,408 in revenue from the sale of surplus property realized
Through the use of an electronic procurement system called SCIQuest (CataMart), the purchasing system interfaces with the University accounting system. CataMart allows University requestors to enter requisitions any time in a cart format similar to mainstream electronic order processing systems. The system also allows for electronic receiving and approval, which saves processing time and electronically stores supporting documentation. The Purchasing Office also utilizes the bid system and other services of the State Purchasing Office when needed. WCU’s Purchasing Office is responsible for ensuring compliance with state, federal and University procurement guidelines. The Purchasing Office rolled out a P-Card for travel. This option is for employees who travel frequently. It allows the University to realize rebates from the travel expenses incurred for airline fares, lodging, registrations and rental cars, while reducing the amount employees must advance for travel expenses.
B. Accounts Payable
The Accounts Payable Office is responsible for managing payments of invoices for goods and services purchased by the University. The Accounts Payable Office ensures proper documentation exists to support a disbursement before the payment request is entered into the accounting system.
The Accounts Payable Office uses the settlement, e-invoicing, module of the SCIQuest for invoice processing. The Settlement module streamlines and automates the receiving and invoicing processes. It also provides a link between purchase orders, receipts and invoices for the users’ convenience.
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Summary
The Office of Fiscal Affairs is dedicated to excellent customer service to internal and external customers. The 34 dedicated employees of the office produce quality work as reflected by clean audit opinions, serving as mentors to sister institution departments, and serving on various committees across campus.
Goals for Fiscal Year 2017-2018
• Leverage the Business Officers Forum to engage the internal customers at the university to obtain valuable feedback for all areas of Administration and Finance to use in determining processes that need improvement. The goal is to find out what processes could be improved to provide more timely information to departments to enable the departments to work more efficiently and to make better business decisions.
• Develop a succession plan around non-traditional accounting positions.
• Analyze workflows within the Student Accounts section of Fiscal Affairs. Many processes are still manual processes. As enrollment grows, more demands will be placed on the Student Accounts employees.
• Develop a reporting system for the lab school. The lab school will be required to report its expenditure data to the Department of Public Instruction. The data is captured in Banner but must be transmitted to DPI in another format.
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Emergency Services Annual Report 2016-2017
Emergency Services Department Overview
The Western Carolina University (WCU) Department of Emergency Services (DES) is responsible for creating, enhancing, and maintaining institution‐wide programs and projects that promote safety and comprehensive all-hazards prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. These programs and projects include planning, training, and exercises for all emergencies and disasters that could affect WCU. The Department of Emergency Services works in close‐partnership with other WCU public safety departments, such as University Police, University EMS, and University Safety and Risk Management to promote a safe and disaster resilient institution.
Emergency Management
The WCU Department of Emergency Services develops and maintains the University’s Emergency Operations Plan (EOP), and directs the all-hazards planning, training, and exercises for WCU. The EOP guides strategic organizational behavior before, during, and after a significant emergency or disaster affecting WCU. This document serves as the foundational guide for WCU emergency and disaster mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery efforts. In addition, the WCU DES coordinates emergency training, simulations, and exercises necessary to prepare University staff, faculty, and other public safety stakeholders to carry out their roles in the University’s Emergency Operations Plan (EOP).
In the event of a large-scale emergency or disaster affecting the University, the WCU DES will activate and manage the University’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC). The EOC becomes the command and coordination point for all University public safety activities. Furthermore, the WCU DES serves as the coordination point for federal disaster assistance, WCU recovery efforts, and prevention / mitigation programs to reduce the effects of future disasters. In addition, the WCU DES serves as the liaison to City, County, regional, state, federal, volunteer, faith-based, and private partners in order to prepare for, effectively respond to, and efficiently recover from significant emergency and disaster events at WCU. These partnerships are enhanced through mutual aid agreements and memorandum of understanding. These partnerships are key to the success of WCU’s integrated approach to safety, security, and emergency management on campus and in the surrounding community.
The WCU DES also coordinates with the WCU Police Department to provide facility threat and vulnerability assessments and Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) services as explained in the Western Carolina University Master Plan in Chapter 8 (Safety and Security).
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Emergency Communications Center (ECC)
The Department of Emergency Services (DES) oversees the administration, planning, and training for the campus Emergency Communications Center (ECC). The ECC is responsible for answering emergency and non‐ emergency calls for service, dispatching these calls, initiating Police and EMS responses, and coordinating with the Jackson County 911 Center for fire department and advanced life support EMS services. In addition to traditional emergency and non‐emergency calls for the service, the ECC receives calls from elevator phones, outdoor emergency call boxes; residence hall emergency calls boxes, and dispatches appropriate resources for each. The ECC also provides call taking and dispatching services to a number of other campus departments, consistently prioritizing different levels of communications. Aside from WCU PD and EMS, the Emergency Communications Center processes after hours calls for service for: Counseling and Psychological Services, Parking Services, Facilities, and Cat Tran.
The ECC also provides call taking and dispatching services to a number of other campus departments, consistently prioritizing different levels of communications. Aside from WCU PD and EMS, the ECC processes after hours calls for service for Counselling and Psychological Services, Parking Services, Facilities, and Cat Tran. The WCU Emergency Communications Center (ECC) provides a wide variety of both emergency and non‐emergency communications services to the campus, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.
The WCU ECC is the only University to receive accreditation for be an Emergency Medical Dispatch Center of Excellence through the International Academy of Emergency Dispatchers.
Public Safety Systems Support
The WCU DES oversees the administration, planning, and maintenance of various public safety technologies at WCU. These technologies include the campus-wide CCTV system, emergency notification systems (outdoor siren, texting, computer desktop emergency pop‐up, etc.), emergency callboxes, the campus wide two‐way radio system, and computer aided dispatch (CAD) and public safety records management systems.
The elements above are divided into two departmental units: Emergency Management and Emergency Communications Center / Public Safety Support Services. We can be contacted at 828-227-7301 (non- emergency) or 828-227-8911 (emergency). For additional information on the Department of Emergency Services, please visit the Emergency Services webpage at http://www.wcu.edu/discover/campus- services-and-operations/emergency-services/index.aspx
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The following is the Organizational Chart for the WCU Department of Emergency Services:
The following table summarizes the responsibilities for each element of the Department of Emergency Services:
Emergency Management
• All Hazards Planning
o Emergency Operations o Continuity of Operations o Special Event Contingency Planning o Departmental / Building Emergency Action Planning o Hazard Mitigation o Sheltering and Points of Distribution • Departmental and organizational hazard mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery coordination • Emergency Operations Center Management • Emergency Preparedness and Response Drills and Exercises • Local, Regional, State, and Federal Coordination • All Hazards Preparedness and Response Training • Outreach and Education • Field Operations / Crisis Management
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Emergency Communications Center / Public Safety Support Systems • Campus Dispatch (Police and EMS) • University - County Dispatch Coordination (Law Enforcement, Fire, and EMS) • Emergency Notification System Management, Maintenance, and Operations (text and computer pop up) • Field Operations / Crisis Management • After Hours Access Control System Administration (Limited) • Campus Camera System Management, Maintenance, and Monitoring • Outdoor Warning System Design, Maintenance, and Administration • Management and Operations of Criminal Justice and Campus Information Systems • Radio and Dispatch Systems Design, Management, and Maintenance • After-hours campus information and Student Crisis Call-Out Notification • Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) and Records Management System Administration • Clery Software Module Administration and Maintenance • LiveSafe Safety App
During the 2016-2017 fiscal year, the WCU DES completed many activities and projects that have better prepared the campus community and visitors for emergencies and disasters. Emergency Services personnel coordinate regularly with local, regional, and state partners to improve plans, collaborate on projects, sponsor training and exercise opportunities that enhance skills and strengthen relationships. We are fortunate to have this extensive network of expert professionals to enhance campus preparedness, mitigate crisis and disaster impacts, and plan for recovery, if and when, an emergency or disaster happens.
Emergency Notifications to the Campus Community
For any emergency or dangerous situation on campus that may cause an immediate threat to the health and safety of students and/or employees, all members of the WCU campus community are asked to immediately notify the University Police Department and Public Safety Department by calling 828.227.8911.
The WCU DES, Police Department, and the Department of Public Relations hold joint responsibility for issuing emergency notifications to the campus community. If the University Police Department or Department of Emergency Services determines that a “significant emergency or dangerous situation involving an immediate threat to the health or safety of the students or employees” exists then the WCU Alert system is activated and an emergency notification is sent out to the campus community.
In an emergency, WCU Public Safety offices use multiple methods of communication and notification systems to keep the campus community informed. Notifications provide the community with information
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about the nature of the emergency, evacuation and/ or sheltering instructions, direction on what actions you should be taking, and the all-clear when the situation has been resolved.
The following systems make-up the WCU Alert System:
• RAVE
o RAVE allows students, faculty, staff, and parents to receive voice, text, and email message in case of emergency. o Register for WCU Alerts today: https://www.getrave.com/login/wcu
• Outdoor Siren System
o The outdoor siren system alert means there is an emergency on campus, a potentially dangerous condition or an impending threat (i.e. severe weather, hazardous materials spill, or a person with a gun). o When the siren sounds, everyone on the WCU campus should take shelter indoors immediately. Close all windows and doors, if possible, and remain sheltered until an "all clear" is given. Check the University Emergency Information Web Page for updates. http://news- prod.wcu.edu/
• Alertus Computer Pop‐up Emergency Notification
o The Alertus computer desktop emergency notification system allows WCU Public Safety to send emergency notifications and updates directly to staff, faculty, and classroom computers during an emergency. • Campus Email
o This system will send an email to the entire campus community – every student, faculty or staff member through their WCU mailbox.
• Emergency Information Web Page
o In the event of an emergency, this page will provide the most current information on the nature of the emergency and the university's response to the situation. http://news- prod.wcu.edu/emergency-information/
• Blue Light Phones
o Western Carolina University has blue light emergency phones throughout the University campus. Emergency phones provide direct voice communications to the Emergency Communications Center (ECC).
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Emergency Services Department Highlights for 2016-17 Administrative • Completed Administrative Program Review for the Department of Emergency Services in May 2017. Emergency Management • Completed 100% of the Building Emergency Action Plans for all buildings at Western Carolina University, to include the WCU instructional sit at Biltmore Park and the Cherokee Center. • Distributed over 1300 emergency procedures flip charts and posters that have been posted in buildings, classrooms, and offices across campus. • Contracted, on retainer, a third party call center to supplement WCU capacity to handle large amounts of phone calls during a crisis. • Drafted new Western Carolina University All Hazards Emergency Operations Plan. Plan is currently under review by all WCU emergency management stakeholders and is expected to be finalized in early 2017-18.
• Worked with WCU Marketing and Information Technologies to update the Emergency Services web page with current information for students, staff, faculty, and visitors. • Integrated Rave and Alertus Emergency Notification Systems into one system. This allows for more efficient notification using multiple programs rather than separately logging into each program to transmit notifications.
• In June 2017, participated in a full-scale protest exercise with the North Carolina National Guard on the WCU main campus. This exercise tested unified command and control, security, communications, and coordination aspects of emergency plans and protocols for all agencies
involved.
Emergency Communications Center / Public Safety Support Systems • Completed certification and achieved accreditation as an Emergency Medical Dispatch Center of Excellence by the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch. Western Carolina University is the first university anywhere in the world to receive this accreditation. • Coordinated multiple replacements, upgrades, and new projects related to the campus camera systems, blue phones, and radio systems. This includes installation of cameras at E.J. Whitmire field, Noble Hall, Brown building, and the Courtyard Dining Hall. All projects were completed to either maintain or enhance safety and security at WCU. • Upgraded servers and software for the campus Outdoor Warning System (OWS). This allows for easier activation of the OWS through a new user interface.
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• Replaced Emergency Communications Center countertops with professional dispatch consoles. This was needed to enhance ergonomics, and overall work environment for Telecommunications. • Replaced dispatch voice recorder with new system. Old system was out of warranty and tedious to use. The new system allows for better efficiency in searching voice recorders and record/playback capability.
Emergency Services Department Statistical Information In 2016-17, the overall calls into the Emergency Communications Center (ECC) have shown significant increases in all categories. The following are the highlights of the 2016-17 ECC statistics when compared to the same information from 2015-16: • 18% increase in total police, medical, fire response calls • 516.9% increase in Police area and building checks put in CAD (this increase is correlated to University Police beginning their reporting area and building checks to the Emergency Communication Center at the end of 2015-16). • 9.3% increase in medical, mental health, and welfare check calls • 131% increase in fire alarms These statistics, when compared to last year, are indicating an increase in call volume in the ECC, and therefore additional effort required by the Emergency Communications Center. Last year’s statistics indicated a year similar to the previous year. Previous years indicated an increasing trend. This year appears to be picking that trend back up, with last year being an anomaly.
Departmental Goals
• Complete revision of Western Carolina University Emergency Operations Plans no later than August 31, 2017. • Conduct mini-tabletop exercises with Emergency Operations Plan stakeholders by September 2017. • Draft and propose a program that allows for the users of the campus camera systems (Departments) to pay for their portion of maintenance on these systems on an annual basis. The goal for completion of this is no later than June 30, 2018. • Begin review of Continuity of Operations Plans of all campus departments. Target is to have at least 50% reviewed and complete by the end of the 2017-18 academic year. • Identify new EOC space that will be sufficient for incident coordination no later than December 2017.
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Police Department Annual Report 2016-2017
We all share the responsibility and the goal of providing an atmosphere where Western Carolina University students, faculty, and staff can pursue their college experience and careers in a safe and secure environment. Our most important partnership is with our campus community. A truly safe campus can only be achieved through the cooperation of our campus community. It is up to each one of us to help foster a secure and supportive environment at Western Carolina University; an environment where individuals can feel safe to visit, learn, work, and live.
I would be remiss if I did not mention how proud I am of the officers of our department. Each year as I summarize our accomplishments, I cannot help but be amazed at the sheer volume of services that these men and women provide 24/7/365. It is through their commitment, personal sacrifice, and determination that we are able to achieve the exceptional service level that our community enjoys. Western Carolina University is truly fortunate for their service.
The following report contains statistical data and other relevant information about the Western Carolina University Police Department. We are hopeful that you find it helpful. While the Western Carolina University statistics illustrate a low crime rate, it is important for everyone to remember that we are not immune from criminal activity. As a community we are all responsible for and to each other to keep our campus community safe.
Sincerely, Ernie Hudson Earnest Hudson Chief of Police
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Our Mission As members of the WCU Police Department our mission is to provide professional community-oriented police service. We are committed to creating and maintaining an active community partnership and assisting the community in identifying and solving problems to improve the quality of lives on our campus. We are dedicated to protecting life, property, and maintaining order while assuring fair and equal treatment to everyone. We respect the cultural and ethnic diversity of our University.
Our Values We are capable, caring people doing important and satisfying work for the citizens of our community. Therefore, we respect, care about, trust and support each other. We enjoy our work and take pride in our accomplishments. We are disciplined and reliable. We keep our perspective and sense of humor. We balance our professional and personal lives. We involve our community in decisions that we make. We have a positive, can do attitude. We cultivate our best characteristics: initiative, enthusiasm, creativity, patience, competence, and judgment. We do nothing to discredit or dishonor ourselves or our department.
Our Vision The WCU Police Department is a proactive police agency dedicated to excellence through quality community service. We insure quality community service through accountability to each other and the citizens, who are the source of our authority. We maintain the quality professionalism of employees through training, development, and education for personal and professional growth with a constant emphasis on innovation and improvement.
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WCU Police
The Western Carolina University Police Department (WCUPD) is comprised of twenty (24) professionally trained and certified police officers authorized under N.C.G.S. 17C and N.C.G.S. 116‐40.5. Officer receive the same state mandated initial training as officers working in municipal and county law enforcement. The initial training program consists of a minimum of 700 hours of training that is coordinated through a regional police academy. Upon completion of the basic training curriculum, candidates are required to pass a state administered examination to become certified through the Department of Justice as a police officer in North Carolina.
WCUPD Officers are authorized to carry firearms, enforce laws and make arrests on University property and adjacent roadways. University Police Officers work closely with the Sylva Police Department, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and the North Carolina Highway Patrol to enhance the safety and protection of members of the university community and the surrounding area. Mutual Aid agreements are in place to facilitate assistance to each department. University Police Officers also work closely with the Department of Student Community Ethics and the staff of Residential Living when addressing violations of the Student Code of Conduct.
The WCUPD is a full‐service agency that is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year. The WCUPD works toward building partnerships with the university community to provide a safe environment. The police department is divided into distinct sections which are Administration, Operations, Support Services/ Investigations, and Clery Coordination.
• The Administration Section primarily consists of the Chief of Police and the Assistant Chief of Police. The Administration Section is responsible for the direction, management, and policies of the Department. The Chief and Assistant Chief are considered to be “on call” at all times and are expected to respond to campus during crisis situations. The Chief and Assistant Chief are standing members on several committees and teams including the Behavioral Assessment Team and the Student Concern Response Team. The Chief and Assistant Chief act as the primary Incident Commanders for law enforcement emergencies and most campus special events.
• The Operations Section is comprised of uniformed patrol officers who are responsible for campus patrol and responding to calls for police services. Patrol operations consist of vehicle patrol, foot patrol and bicycle patrol depending upon the need for special coverage and current areas of concern. Patrol officers are also expected to conduct preliminary investigations into criminal acts that are reported to them or suspicious activity that they observe. They also enforce traffic laws, the Student Code of Conduct, and certain University policies. Members of the Patrol Section also participate in a wide variety of community outreach programs, staff well over 100 athletic & special events each year, and take part in a number of University initiatives. When fully staffed, the Patrol Section consists of 1 Lieutenant, 4 Sergeants, and 10 patrol officers. Patrol shifts are scheduled in twelve-hour increments and work a rotating day off schedule.
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• The Support Services Section is comprised of 1 Lieutenant, 1 Sergeant and 1 Investigator. This section is responsible for conducting follow up investigations on all criminal incidents that occur within the university’s jurisdiction. This section also has responsibility for Victim Services, evidence room management, community outreach programming, and records maintenance. In addition to these duties, the Support Services Section must comply with several mandated statistical recording requirements including the FBI Uniform Crime Report and maintaining Clery statistics compiled by the police department. These officers participate in all special events.
• The Clery Coordinator position was created in 2013 as the responsibility for compliance with the Campus Safety and Security Act and was moved from the Student Affairs Division to the WCU Police Department. This is a campus wide coordinating position. The position was filled in 2014.
WCU Officers at 2016 Move-In Briefing
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Chief of Police Ernie Hudson 3007
Assistant Chief of Clery Compliance Police Bruce Barker Steve Lillard 3061 141029
Patrol Lieutenant Patrol Lieutenant Jerry Adams 3823 Matin Anthony 3062
Support Services Patrol Sgt. James Patrol Sgt. Patrol Sgt. Patrol Sgt. Chris Sgt. Jacob Deal Moralez Thomas Robbie Carter 3070 Holcombe 3250 3066 3254 Walawender 3063
Investigator Police Officer Police Officer Police Officer David Police Officer Brittany Thompson Jordan Beck Jeff Brookshire Southards 3072 Rich Ganung 3067 3257 114780 3256
Police Officer Police Officer Police Officer Police Officer Kyle Aaron Henson Patricia Norton Brandon Flesch Kilby 3065 4217 3255 124212
Police Officer Police Officer Zach Open 170115 Charles Reavis Open 170116 Stiles 3071 170714
Police Officer Jon Open 170117 Passow 3260 Annual Report 2016-2017 45
Police Education and Training
The State of North Carolina requires all law enforcement officers to attend annual in-service training consisting of a variety of subjects each year. These courses account for approximately 24 hours of classroom and field training. From 2014-2017 full time WCU Police Officers attended a total of 1440 hours of state mandated in-service training. In the same time period officers attended over 5000 hours of additional training. WCUPD officers typically receive at least twice the amount of annual training as our counterparts in the region. This emphasis on education and training is intentional. The demands on Campus Police officers have drastically changed from the traditional “security” type function that was typical 40 years ago. Our primary service recipients require a significant amount of additional services and capabilities from law enforcement than the expectations for our counterparts in a city or county.
This training encompasses a whole host of law enforcement related topics in a campus environment such as: Sexual Assault Response and Investigation, Mental Health First Aid, Active Shooter Response, Title IX Investigations, DWI Detection, Crisis Intervention, Field Training Officer Certification, Supervision & Leadership, and Interview & Interrogation, to name a few. This averages over 80 hours of additional training each year for officers, approximately 3 times the amount required by the state.
New officers receive 16 weeks of Field Training where they work directly under the supervision of a Field Training Officer who is with them at all times. The officers are evaluated on a daily basis and after successful completion of the program, are released to full duty in a one person vehicle. The Field Training and Evaluation Program is designed to produce police officers who can perform at the level of a competent solo officer as established by the standards of the Western Carolina University Police Department.
WCU Officers receive training on administering Officers training on active shooter response. Naloxene (NARCAN).
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Sgt. Robbie Carter recieves his diploma from the Officers attending 2016 Annual In-Service NC Law Enforcement Leadership Academy.
Officers practice active shooter drills. Officers working through accuracy drills.
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Operations (Patrol Section) As with any law enforcement agency the patrol section of the department is the backbone of our department. These officers are the front line in both the proactive and reactive efforts of the department.
WCU PD Service Call Statistical Data
WCU Police Statistics July 1, 2016 – June 30, 2017
Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) Calls for Service 17,368
Arrests 39 Incident Reports 575 Operations Reports 474 State Traffic Citations 119 Campus Traffic Citations 111 University Judicial Citations 246 Parking Tickets 224 Special Event Hours 1,718 Bike/Foot Patrol Hours 552.5 Area Checks 5,968 Traffic Stops 565 Dorm Walking Patrols 2,033 Academic/Other Bldg. Walking Patrols 1,447 Accident Investigations 114
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Special Events
Western Carolina University prides itself on being an engaged campus with the regional community. As such, we host hundreds of athletic events, community events, concerts, meetings, and conferences each year. As enrollment and outreach efforts continue to grow there is an increasing demand for WCUPD to provide law enforcement services during these events. Depending on the size and scope of the event, the planning and organization process of a single event can take several weeks. To meet this demand WCUPD often must utilize all of the officers within the department. WCU Police typically staff between 75 and 100 special events each year.
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Event Date Total Overtime Hours Student Move In 8/19/16-8/21/16 230 Mountain Heritage Day 9/24/2016 96.5 Milo Speaking Event 10/12/2016 59 Tournament of Champions 10/22/2016 38 Homecoming Parade 10/27/2016 16 Red Jumpsuit Apparatus 10/27/2016 25 Concert All Home Football Games 9/10/2016-11/5/2016 586 All Men's Home Basketball 11/13/2016-2/27/2017 142 Games All Women's Home Basketball 11/16/2016-2/25/2017 86.5 Games Winter Graduation 12/17/2016 94 All Home Baseball Games 2/24/17-5/16/2017 87.5 Spring Football Scrimmage 3/18/2017 6.5 Valley of the Lilies 5K 4/1/2017 9 Wale Concert 3/20/2017 35 Spring Graduation 5/5/2017-5/6/2017 168.5 Area High School Graduations 6/1, 8, 9, & 10/2017 39
Total Hours: 1,718.50
*Total does not include On Duty Officers or Administrative Officers. Jurisdiction, Mutual Aid, and regional Public Safety Agencies
The WCU Police Department jurisdiction encompasses all areas owned or leased by the University along with all of the roads and highways contiguous to our campus. WCUPD has mutual aid agreements with the Jackson County Sheriff Department, Sylva Police Department, and all the other universities within the UNC system. These agreements allow the departments to assist the partner agencies when requested with manpower and/or equipment. Law enforcement resources from all agencies within Jackson County total approximately 60-75 officers. There is not a large urban public safety presence in Western North Carolina that can be drawn upon. As such, WCUPD has worked to be in a position to be able to respond to all types of emergencies with little or no outside assistance.
Investigations
The ability to actively investigate criminal case reports is a core responsibility of our department. While prevention is best, WCU is not immune to the types of crimes that occur throughout other communities. These instances require well trained and experienced officers to bring these cases to a successful conclusion. Almost half of the arrests made on our campus are made through follow up investigations of reported crimes. These cases range from drug dealing, vehicle burglaries, vandalisms, to assaults. Of the arrests in these cases, 50% of the suspects are not affiliated with the University.
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Victim Services
In 2012 the Western Carolina University Police Department was the first UNC system police department to sponsor an officer to attend a certification course to provide Victim Assistance Services to the Campus Community. This was in response to a serious need for victims to receive accurate information regarding services, University policies & resources, criminal justice processes, and other pertinent information. To a victim, the width and breadth of available services, processes etc. can be overwhelming. Misinformation can easily confuse and actually re-victimize a person who has experienced a serious crime. Victims of serious crimes meet with the Victim Services officer and are given a comprehensive list of services, resources, options and an explanation of processes.
Clery Compliance
In 1990, Congress enacted the Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act, which amended the Higher Education Act (HEA) of 1965. This act was named in memory of Jeanne Clery who was tortured, raped, and murdered in her dorm room at Lehigh University in 1986 and generally referred to as the Clery Act. The Clery Act requires all postsecondary institutions participating in HEA’s (Higher Education Act) Title IV student financial assistance programs to disclose campus crime statistics and security information. The Clery Act requires Western Carolina University to:
• Collect, classify and count crime reports and crime statistics • Issue campus alerts to provide the campus community with information necessary to make informed decisions about their health and safety • Publish an annual security report containing safety- and security-related policy statements and crime statistics and distribute it to all current students and employees. • Submit crime statistics to the Department of Education each year in the fall and participate in a Web-based data collection to disclose crime statistics by type, location and year • Maintain a daily crime log of alleged criminal incidents that is open to the public • Disclose missing student notification procedures that pertain to students residing in those facilities • Keep a fire log that is open to public inspection. • Publish an annual fire safety report containing policy statements as well as fire statistics associated with each on-campus student housing facility • Submit fire statistics to the Department of Education each fall in the Web-based data collection.
The Clery Act Statute is approximately 4 pages long. The Department of Education Guidebook and accompanying guidance detailing requirements is almost 300 pages long and contains approximately118 separate mandates that must be fulfilled each year.
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Clery Compliance Statistical Data Table 1
Clery Defined Data 7/1/2016-5/31/2017
Criminal Offenses
a. Murder/Non-negligent 0 manslaughter
b. Negligent manslaughter 0
c. Sex offenses*
Rape (except Statutory Rape) 4
Fondling 1
d. Sex offenses-Non forcible
Incest 0
Statutory Rape 0
e. Robbery 0
f. Aggravated assault 1
g. Burglary 10
h. Motor vehicle theft 0
i. Arson 1
Table 2 New VAWA (Violence Against Women 7/1/2016-5/31/2017 Act) Offenses
Dating Violence 1
Domestic Violence 0
Stalking 6
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Clery Compliance Statistical Data Continued Table 3 Arrests (Clery Defined) 7/1/2016-5/31/2017
Weapons 2
Drugs 26
Liquor 10
Table 4 Referrals 7/1/2016-5/31/2017
Weapons 0
Drugs 85
Liquor 82
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Community Outreach and Programming
WCUPD provides a significant amount of training and educational outreach to our campus community on a regular basis. For 2016-2017 there were over 200 programs with an attendance of over 7,600. WCU Officers give presentations throughout the school year to students, faculty, and staff on a wide range of topics. These include alcohol, drug, safety tips, active shooter, sexual assault prevention, and a whole host of safety related topics. In recognition of his efforts to significantly increase the programming outreach of the department, Sgt. Jacob Deal was awarded the 2017 UNC Officer of the Year for Outstanding Service.
Sgt. Jacob Deal receives the Officer of the Year Master Police Officer Ganung and Officer Stiles Award for Outstanding Service from UNC conduct a drug and alcohol awareness program. President Spellings.
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Program: Presentations: Attendance: Sexual Assault Component: Alcohol Risk Awareness 14 224 1 Alcohol & Drug Risk 10 598 3 Awareness Crime Prevention & Services 47 1314 34 Run, Hide, Fight 13 347 0 R.A.D. Express 15 233 15 R.A.D. Class 26 424 26 Sexual Assault Risk Awareness 9 299 9 Dating/Domestic Violence & 3 31 3 Stalking Campus Safety Training 13 347 0 Other 57 3815 22 Total 201 7632 113
Residence Halls Classroom Other 41 91 69
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2016-2017 Accomplishments
• WCU Police Department provided approximately 90 presentations during the 2015-2016 Academic year. The goal for the 2016-2017 Academic year was to increase these programming presentations by 10%. We surpassed this goal with 142 program presentations of which 127 contained a sexual assault prevention component. • WCU Police sponsored Assistant Chief Steve Lillard, a current general instructor, to the ALERRT train-the-trainer class so that the department can continue to provide re-training and full courses to current and new police department employees. This training allows the department to exceed the standards that have been set by General Administration regarding the training levels of each officer. • We have completed the implementation of body and in-car camera systems. These systems are synched to each other. WCU was one of the first Universities within the UNC system to institute the use of body cameras. • The department completed patrol rifle training for new officers. The state certified course is 8 hours. WCU PD applied for state certification on a 24 hour rifle course that was approved and implemented. Other area departments have expressed a desire to adopt this training as well. • Project Lazarus-Naloxene (Narcan): We recently completed training officers in the administration of NARCAN when confronted with an opioid overdose. Opioid overdoses have skyrocketed across the country. • WCU PD & Emergency Services completed the transition to the Run, Hide, Fight adaptation within the Campus Safety Program. This program is sanctioned by the Department of Homeland Security. • ALERTT-Rapid Deployment: After gaining a certified instructor the department completed all current officers within the ALERTT training program. • The department sponsored Sgt. Robbie Carter for attendance at the Western Carolina Law Enforcement Leadership Academy which was completed in the spring of 2017. • Clery Coordinator Bruce Barker attended the WCU Leadership Academy. • Sgt. Jacob Deal was nominated and received the first UNC Officer of the Year Award for outstanding service as a result of our programming efforts. • Implemented a new training recording software, Quartermaster, for more efficient and effective tracking of training records. • Rewrote and updated our annual Bias training to include Transgender community relationship component. • Experienced a 10% increase in population on campus without reduction in service and without an increase in staffing. • Officer Kyle Kilby was certified as a Verbal Judo Instructor. • Four Supervisors (Sgt.’s) attended an advanced level supervisor course.
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Goals for 2017-2018
The Western Carolina University Police Department sets a series of goals each academic year. The majority of these goals each year typically represent operational aspects of the department to continually increase the quality of the services we provide. • Complete the recruitment, selection, hiring, and training of 4 new officers. This effort represents a 20% increase in the number of officers over the 2010 authorized level. While our on campus population continues to increase, these officers represent efforts to meet the demands of this increase. We feel a strong sense of responsibility to hire and train employees who will perform at a very high level to meet the expectations of the community. • Complete a comprehensive law enforcement accreditation study. Accreditation for law enforcement has been recognized as a tool to adopt the best business practices within law enforcement. Approximately half of our UNC sister institutions have already been accredited. Within this process is a program review every 3 years. There are costs associated with this effort and the study will include a business case related to adoption of an accreditation effort. • Establish a vigorous bike patrol program. Walking patrols and similar activities are strategies directed to enhance Community and Police partnerships. Bicycle patrols are another means to employ face to face opportunities to establish relationships prior to a particular issue. Efforts are underway to train at least one officer per shift to perform this duty. • Familiarize all officers with the WCU trail system and implement regular patrols. As there is more and more interest displayed in expanding use of the trail there is also an increased likelihood of either injuries or persons becoming lost. Officers need to be familiar with the trail system so they can respond in a timely manner. • Complete BETA testing of Clery Reporting Module during the fall 2017. WCU has been a leader in Clery compliance efforts and it was natural for us to be included in the BETA testing. • Fully implement Clery Reporting Module in Jan. 2018. • Continue efforts to stabilize, retain and recruit. The department has gained some ground in stabilizing the work force. Salary, available training, development opportunities are utilized to keep employees motivated and engaged. Continue succession efforts at all ranks. PD’s are generational in many respects. Preparing each level of rank to attain the next level provides stability and consistency to the department. • Have all supervisors perform Incident Command duties during one large special event in the fall. Assuming “Command” during a large scale emergency is not necessarily a natural behavior, but rather is learned through training and experience. While senior officers of the department are typically the Incident Commanders during large scale events, we are always looking for ways to enhance the skills of our first line supervisors. Under the supervision of a senior member of the department, first line supervisors will be given the opportunity to test their skills in managing a large scheduled event on campus. This will in turn help to prepare these officers for this responsibility during emergencies. • Send another officer to NC LE Instructor School. We have 3 LE certified instructors. We want to expand this by at least one this year. A basic instructor course is two weeks long and represents a pretty substantial investment. However, in house instructors allow us to be more flexible with making sure our officers receive training without undo disruption of services. • Continue efforts to complete identified “department” mandated training. Continue efforts to complete “department” mandated training including: verbal judo, ALERRT, Rifle, Bike Patrol, Taser recertification. Aside from the state mandated annual in-service, WCUPD works very hard to update officers with additional in house training that we find necessary to our environment.
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• Training topics are often chosen as a result of national, state, and local issues in which we wish to have officers prepared. • Institute a Blackboard training module targeted to officers as an enhanced Campus Security Authority (CSA) training. Officers receive additional CSA Training “For Law Enforcement”. This is in addition to the typical CSA training. Officers besides having a designation as a CSA are often the recipients of referrals or reports from campus CSA’s. As such their position is unique in their response in follow up.
Challenges/Concerns
Mental Health Crisis Response
It is well known that the demand for mental health services on college campuses has risen significantly in the last several years. Depending on the source or study, estimates range from 10-30% of today’s students seek counseling assistance. WCU Police are often called upon to intervene in the mental health crisis of a student. These crisis situations often occur outside of the normal business day and typically involve suicidal efforts or thoughts. In these instances, officers will often seek an Involuntary Commitment Order from a Magistrate that allows the student to be taken into custody and transported to the hospital for further evaluation. In the 2016-2017 academic year approximately 60 students were involved in this type of intervention.
Free Speech, Demonstrations, Protests
The issues regarding free speech, demonstrations, protests, and controversial speakers continues on a national level. Western Carolina University has experienced some of these issues as well. WCU PD remains committed to protecting the rights of individuals to express their views. Absent specific conduct such as property damage, physical assault, disruption of lawful assemblies, or specific targeted threats, University Police uphold the ability of the community to engage in free speech.
Sexual Assault Prevention, Response & Investigation
The serious issue of sexual assaults on college campuses requires a concerted effort both within the University system and the Criminal Justice system. Federal mandates place considerable responsibilities on colleges and universities to provide programming, code of conduct policies, and hearing processes that have very different rules and procedures in comparison to the criminal justice system. Much of our programming effort is targeted to the prevention of sexual assault. Reports of this type of crime are very high priority, immediately investigated, and all cases are referred to the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office for review.
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Active Shooter/Threats
Mass shootings continue to be a significant concern for law enforcement. Campus law enforcement is very aware that the tactic of choosing “soft” targets for these attacks is becoming more prevalent. The nature of Universities is that large amounts of people are concentrated in a relatively small area. Prevention through early identification of potential threats is an important component in the response to these types of threats. WCUPD is no exception to this and continues efforts to provide the training, weapons, and protective equipment necessary should this type of incident occur.
Substance Abuse
The abuse of alcohol and drugs is very much an ongoing concern. Nationally, the instances of alcohol poisoning as a result of binge drinking continue to rise, often with fatal results. Estimates range from 50% to 80% of sexual assaults that occur involve alcohol. Drugs, especially opioids, have seen a critical rise and overdoses are occurring at an alarming rate. Fatalities have reached critical levels in some parts of the country and much of this is attributed to the introduction of Fentanyl into the production of opioids. Fentanyl is 50-100 times more potent than morphine and many recent deaths are attributed to its presence. Even accidental exposure through inhaling or absorption through the skin have resulted in severe overdose reactions, including officers who have handled the drug. WCU PD officers recently received instruction on administering an antidote (NARCAN) and are currently carrying it while on duty.
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Parking and Transportation Annual Report 2016-2017
WCU Parking and Transportation is comprised of three distinct sections, Parking Operations which administers the parking permit process, Parking Enforcement which is tasked with enforcing the rules/regulations and provide traffic control on campus and Cat-Tran which transports visitors, students and faculty/staff safely to their destinations on campus. This year Parking Operations has re-designated parking lots to use the lots we currently have more efficiently. We have added Cat-Tran stops to these lots and created ‘express’ routes for quicker turnaround times. To adapt to the growth of our campus community, Parking Operations re-designated faculty/staff and student lots. These updates reflect the goals set forth in the master plan of moving newly constructed parking lots to the campuses parameter to create a pedestrian friendly campus core. Parking Operations is adding a new enforcement applications (T2) that will be more efficient and user friendly for our officers as well as students. T2 will allow students to view their violations, appeal tickets and register their vehicles through their own personal parking portal.
Along with these additions, Parking Operations works closely with the University Police department to ensure public safety for all campus athletic events, art festivals, music events, construction and move-in. We hire an additional 20-30-part time officers each fall to help us meet the ever growing needs of our students and campus community.
Parking Staff 2016-2017
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Cat-Tran Shuttle Service
Cat-Tran provides on campus transportation to students, faculty/staff and visitors on Western Carolina University’s campus. There are currently 25 Cat-Tran stops on campus that run daily. Two evening shuttles provide transportation every 15 minutes until 2:30am for student safety and convenience. Cat- Tran also provides transportation for WCU special events each year. During the WCU 2016-2017 academic year, more than 432,328 people took advantage of the services provided by Cat-Tran and safely reached their destination without incident. Cat-Tran also provided service for 79 special events held at WCU with 14,016 passengers.
Cat-Tran vehicles are equipped with two-way radios, handicapped lifts and a GPS system (Nextbus) to provide safe and efficient services to all our passengers. The Nextbus application allows passengers to check Cat-Tran schedules on their smart phone remotely, the application was visited over 1,000,000 times on WCU’s campus during the 2016-2017 academic year. Cat-Tran is constantly adapting to the changing environment at WCU and we strive to provide a professional, on-time service to passengers. Cat-Tran has adopted a new ‘hub’ which will be located in front of Scott Dorm with the 2017-2018 academic year to assist with the construction on campus. Looking to the future we are purchasing additional buses and adjusting established routes for the 2017-2018 academic year to ensure students are transported on campus in an efficient manner.
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Cat-Tran Ridership
Year Passengers 2011 252,399 2012 313,503 2013 370,495 2014 333,000 2015 327,396 2016 424,636
Cat Tran Passengers 450000 400000 350000 300000
250000
200000
150000 100000 50000 0 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Permits
Permit Type Permits Sold Faculty/Staff 1378 Aramark 90 Commuters 2964 Resident 1910 Freshman 1234
Enforcement
Tickets Issued 4232 Tickets Waived 1651 Wheel Locks 592 Tows 37
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Parking and Transportation Accomplishments 2016-2017 • Freshman parking lot #73 was completed and available for use for the 2016-2017 school year.
• Re-designation of student parking lots to assist campus with becoming pedestrian friendly. • Installation of meter lots in Reid lot #30 and two meter lots in Noble lot #75 for short term parking at the new businesses. • Update parking enforcement so that it is user friendly for everyone (T2). • Continuous updates on Parking and Transportation Website. • Explored use of social media to be more involved with students in hopes of reaching them with updates, announcements and changes (Facebook and Instagram). • Purchased two new buses for 2016-2017 academic year. • Addition of a “commuter express route” to accommodate the re-designation of parking lots. • Expanded use of student drives for Cat-Tran. • Created a parking committee that will meet twice a year. • Worked with NC DOT in designing a traffic solution for the congested intersection at University Way and Centennial Drive. • Establish a new Cat-Tran Hub located in front of Scott Residence Hall due to the construction of Memorial Drive and Natural Science building.
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Parking and Transportation Accomplishments 2016-2017 Continued
• Participated in ‘Cat Bash’ in hopes of becoming more involved with students. “Dunk a Parking Officer” was a huge success. • Assisted the WCU Band with construction of their new practice field in the South Baseball lot.
• Relocated Cat-Tran office to Scott Hall so that the office is closer to the Hub. • Re-designation of Norton Road to faculty/staff and the top tier of Baptist 4-tier.
Parking and Transportation Goals for 2017-2018
• Update Move-In plan that will include student and guest parking permits that are only valid for the weekend of move-in and have lot attendants during the first week of classes to diffuse congested parking lots. • Research and demo LPR (License Plate Recognition) for enforcement and permitting. • Add additional parking lots above Harrill Dorm and the grass area where the band used to practice. • Addition of meter located at the welcome center that will be used to issue guest/visitor permits. • Addition of Blackboard training updates for both Parking and Transportation employees. • Update GPS and passenger counters in Cat-Tran shuttles. • Additional of 25-30 spaces to Memorial Drive. • Establish a tailgating shuttle for sporting events (HHS to Ramsey).
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Facilities Management Annual Report 2016-2017
The first impression of any university is how it looks and feels. Through proactive support, Facilities Management strives to maintain a positive and lasting impression, from the exterior landscape to the building interiors. We are proud of our people and our organization. Our number one goal is to provide the best possible support to the students, faculty, staff and visitors to our campus. Facilities Management is comprised of five key areas: 1) Planning, Design and Construction; 2) Operations and Maintenance; 3) Safety & Risk Management; 4) Sustainability and Energy Management; and 5) Ramsey Regional Activities Center. The following is a summary of activities and achievements for Facilities Management during FY 2016-2017. These actions are in addition to the continued standard operation, maintenance, planning, design, construction and safety of the university campus:
Planning Design & Construction
• Developed more detailed Design Guidelines for design and construction projects. • Instituted Departmental website highlighting current and future Capital projects. • Established quarterly meeting with Provost and Deans to provide update on current and planned projects involving the colleges.
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Performed project design, construction and/or closeout of Appropriated, Non-appropriated (Self- Liquidating), Repair & Renovation and other internally funded capital projects. The projects include:
1. New Stem Building (in design). 2. Upper Campus Residence Hall (in design). 3. Highlands Biological Station Cottage Renovations (in design). 4. Highlands Biological Station Outdoor Teaching Facility (in design). 5. Highlands Biological Station Aquatics Lab (in design). 6. WWOO Radio Site (in design). 7. Ramsey Center Curtain-wall Repair/Replacement (in design). 8. Memorial Drive relocation and Utility Infrastructure (in construction). 9. Brown Building Renovation and Addition (in construction). 10. Madison Hall Roof Replacement (in construction). 11. HFR Administration Building renovations and relocations (on-going design & construction). 12. Chick-Fil-A relocation (in design). 13. IT Generator project (bid phase). 14. Hinds University Center Roof Replacement (complete). 15. Parking Lot #73 (Old Faculty Apartments) (complete). 16. Ramsey Center Roof replacement (complete). 17. United Methodist Church Lot Improvements (complete). 18. Reid Career Services Center (complete). 19. Telecommunications Hut #1 (complete). 20. Noble Hall construction and retail build-out (complete). 21. Environmental Assessments for STEM and Upper Campus Residence Hall (complete). 22. Emergency Temporary Steam Plant Boiler Replacement (complete). 23. Solar Hammock Lounge (EGG) (complete). 24. Hinds University Steam Line Replacement (complete). 25. Belk Building renovations - rooms 180/181,183,185, 294 (complete). 26. Forsyth building classroom refresh – rooms 116, 235, and 313 (complete). 27. Bird Building Nurse Station Renovation (complete). 28. Hunter Library Special Collections Refresh (complete). 29. Exterior trash enclosures at Bird and Hunter Library (complete). 30. Hunter Library window replacement (complete). 31. Re-roof and gutter replacements – University Club, Episcopal House, and Cherokee Center (complete). 32. Campus Recreation Center Weight Area Refresh (complete). 33. Reid Classroom Refresh – rooms 108, 109, and 110 (complete). 34. Reid parking lot EV charging station (complete). 35. Old Student Union 1st floor lab renovation (complete).
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Operations & Maintenance
• Warehouse barcoding initiative completed resulting in the elimination of over 10,000 paper issue tickets per year, improved real-time inventory levels, and saved approximately 2.5 weeks of work per FTE (4) in one year. • Completed application process to become an 811 Utility Notification member. • To comply with North Carolina Underground Storage Tank (UST) regulations, performed install of two over-fill flappers, fill box retro kits and drop tubes. • Updated the landscaping at the main entrance to campus. • Began a comprehensive deep root fertilization and compaction reduction program for trees on campus. • Provided opportunity for our 6th University Participation (UP) student to work and receive useful job skills as part of their experience/education at WCU. This year and last year, this student worked with the greenhouse staff. (Note: In the past students have also worked in the mechanic shop as car washers.) • Revised Housekeeping Inspection Report to align with new Performance Management rating guidelines (Not Meeting/Meeting/Exceeding) and APPA cleaning standards. • Developed an Inspection Report form for following up and inspecting Scrub Team work and duties. • Re-worked the supply ordering and delivery process to campus janitorial closets. Housekeeping staff developed an Excel spreadsheet to compile supply requests into one order for submission to the Warehouse. Warehouse staff pull supplies and stage the orders for pick up by the Day Shift staff. Scrub Team members make deliveries to the janitor closets on 2nd shift. This revised system is more effective and efficient for the Housekeeping staff for ordering and delivering supplies. • Water Treatment Plant received a Turbidity Optimization Award on May 23, 2017 from NC Water Resources for meeting turbidity goals for the year of 2015. • Through external consultant, performed detailed study of Cullowhee Dam viability and possible replacement. • Completed intake sluice gate replacement, traveling screen inspection and pump well/river intake inspection and cleanout at Cullowhee Dam. • Completed SCADA/Turbidimeter equipment upgrade at the Water Treatment Plant to provide more accurate measurement of turbidities, flows, tank levels and chlorine residuals. • Electric Resale received a Municipal Electric “No Lost Workdays” safety award for the eighth consecutive year. • Facility Management received 7,999 work requests including projects and chargeable work orders and created 6,097 preventive maintenance work orders for 2016-2017. The shops completed 7,681 work requests and completed 5,869 preventive maintenance work orders.
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Safety and Rick Management
• Completed design and integration of outdated or non-existent campus building evacuation plans. Evacuation plans incorporated into Facility Coordinator Building Emergency Action Plans (BEAP’s). • In conjunction with locksmith shop, started installing new locking door hardware for approximately 150 campus classrooms, (buildings completed include Forsyth, Stillwell, Killian, and Center for Applied Tech. This provides the faculty member the ability to secure the classroom door in the event of an active shooter. Since campus evacuation plans were done in-house (Safety Office) this provided funding to support Emergency Management and Facility Coordinator concerns on security of classrooms • Through Vivid Learning Systems, provided a mechanism to distribute, track, and provide records of required safety trainings to existing and newly hired campus employees. • Established a campus automated external defibrillator (AED) policy to provide a standard in AED inspection, maintenance, and training of employees. Working on implementing the plan requirements for each department. • Updated the Campus Spills Prevention, Control, and Countermeasures (SPCC) plan. This is an EPA Requirement. Working to secure funding and a vendor to provide inspection testing of Number 6 fuel oil tanks. • Established a Laboratory Safety Officer position to manage and assist with the different areas of campus lab safety and assist with design of the new STEM Project. • Switched insurance carriers and negotiated a lower premium on the private workers’ compensation policy. A cost savings of $41,000.
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Office of Sustainability and Energy Management (OSEM)
Energy Management:
• Re-tuning project of air handlers at Health and Human Science Building has saved almost 400,000 kWh/yr., reduced usage an additional 15%, and avoided $31,000 in electrical charges. The project had a simple payback of approximately 1 year (a 95% return on investment). • Worked with staff at Fine and Performing Arts Center to improve the main theatre air handler schedule. Along with reduced schedule and replacement of faulty temperature sensor (driving air handler during unoccupied hours) realized an energy savings of 191,515 kWh/yr. with an avoided cost of $12,640 (at $0.066 per kWh). • Recovered $64,193 in House Bill 1292 carry forward utility savings from FY14/15. • Submitted $103,034 in documented energy savings for House Bill 1292 for FY15/16. • Worked with Computer Science students on their Capstone project that used steam plant data to create a linear regression model that could be used to predict future consumption based on weather. • Organized a hands-on test, adjustment, and balancing (TAB) training for HVAC shop that provided training opportunity while performing necessary TAB work at Hinds University Center. Resulted in improved airflow and reduction of unnecessary load on air handlers. • Worked with HVAC staff to identify failed valve on water-cooled walk-in freezer at Hinds University Center. Water usage has been reduced 73% and is on track to reduce water costs at the UC by approximately $10,000 a year. • To prepare for complex ventilation and controls systems associated with STEM project, attended Laboratory Ventilation training with Exposure Controls Technology (nationally renowned, instructor is contributor to ANSI standards). • Campus-wide upgrade of steam condensate meters to ultra-sonic meters featured in Flow Control magazine (September, 2016).
Sustainability:
• Created new design standards for sustainability, energy management, and recycling for STEM project. • Facilitated campus wide transportation survey. Received over 2,000 responses. • Instructed LEAD 152 Go Green, LLC (Fall 2015) and ES 350 Energy, Economy and Environment (Spring 2016) classes. • Provided information table at New Faculty Orientation, First Year and Transfer Orientation, and Open House.
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• Conducted educational outreach presentations: three - various WCU undergraduate courses, one - local K-12 Schools (Hazelwood Elementary School), one – WCU Summer Science Camp, IT Divisional Meeting. • Mentored two Capstone projects: Environmental Science 495 (campus recycling) and Computer Science (steam plant data analysis). • Facilitated and advised Sustainable Energy Initiative (SEI) program and SEI Student Committee (recognized student organization). Completed 2016-17 funded projects: Phase I Tree Camus Survey projects: two internships, solar electric vehicle charging station, and first year student recycling bin program. • Advised Eco CATS (recognized student organization) • Selected 2017-18 SEI projects: Phase II Tree Campus Survey, two internships, Cullowhee Creek Corridor Improvements, Solar Picnic Table, and Edible Fruit Trees. • Served on Committees: Land of Sky Regional Council Clean Vehicles Coalition, HESA Advisory Council and LEAD: WNC Steering Committee. • Presented at 2016 Appalachian Energy Summit, Waste Reduction Partners Quarterly Meeting, 2016 LEAD: WNC, WCU campus wide Forum “The State of Sustainability”, WCU Foundation Board, and Jackson County School Board and Principles, and 2017 Southeast Campus Sustainability Network Annual Meeting. • Facilitated Campus Engagement Programs: Battle of the Plug Energy Competition, Earth Month - Earth & Wellness Celebration, SEI Workshops & TED talks. • Nominated for Last Lecture Award.
Recycling:
• Facilitated tailgate recycling for all home football games with OSEM interns and student volunteers. • Distributed recycling totes to first year students. • Created new campus wide design standard for three-stream recycling stations. Stations have been implemented in Stillwell, Killian, University Center, Center for Career and Professional Development, and portions of Reid Gym and Forsyth. • Outlined strategic action plan for recycling to align with Administrative Program Reviews. • Organized participation in America Recycles Day and initiated participation in Recyclemania. • Utilized software to track recycling and waste data to benchmark and track progress. • Engaged Eco Cats and S.E.I. student groups to promote and participate in recycling events. • Initiated Adopt-A-Game recycling at home basketball games by collaborating with the athletics department. • Utilized dedicated recycling vehicle to increase weekly collection of recyclables. • Utilized results of ES 495 three-stream bin and waste audit study to expand program by facilitating the purchasing and installation of 18 new units, a total of 54 bins in 5 buildings. • Assisted Jackson County (Heather Baker, County Attorney, and Chad Parker, Public Works Director) with refresh and expansion of county recycling program. • Investigated direct sale of waste cardboard to Jackson Paper instead of using 3rd party hauler. Study is on-going.
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Ramsey Regional Activity Center (RRAC)
• Hosted over 800 university, regional, athletic and competition events, including, but not limited to: o Four Western Carolina University Commencements; o Board of visitors meeting; o The annual Employee Appreciation luncheon; o The Smokey mountain Quilt Competition and Show in conjunction with Mountain Heritage Day; o Three record setting Open Houses; o Two Career fairs; o The annual two day Regional Science Fair; o The annual Regional Foreign Language Competition; o Regional Math Competition; o Arts and Craft show in June and November; o Two national touring artist concerts; o Undergraduate Expo; o Four High School graduations; o Numerous Athletic competitions; o Numerous local and regional meetings and conferences. • Shay Ragsdale, a student employee and building manager, received the following honors – Student Worker of the Year presented by WCU Career Services, Top Honors at the National EMS Convention, and the State of North Carolina Bryan Belcher Award; • Upgraded two positions to reflect the current mission and role of the Ramey Center; • Acquired state of the art LED video board; • Purchased a new basketball floor; • Staff attended national conferences; staff fully trained on operation of state of the art lighting systems.
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Goals for Fiscal Year 2017-2018
All Areas:
• Create Facilities Management service and vehicle rental pamphlet/information guide for distribution to campus through new employee (faculty and staff) on-boarding process and orientation. (2020 Vision, Strategic Direction #5, Goal 5.3).
Planning Design and Construction:
• Manage project design and perform construction management for the new STEM Building (including Memorial Drive Infrastructure). Estimated start of construction March 2018 with an expected occupancy of June 2021. (2020 Vision, Strategic Direction #5, Goal 5.5). • Manage project design and perform construction management for the new 600+ bed upper campus residence hall. Estimated start of construction April 2018 with an expected occupancy of July 2019. (2020 Vision, Strategic Direction #5, Goal 5.5). • Advertise and select designer for new Parking Deck and support office building; manage project design and progress into bid and construction management. (2020 Vision, Strategic Direction #5, Goal 5.5). • Advertise and select designer for new 400+ bed lower campus residence hall to replace Scott and Walker halls; manage project design and progress into bid and construction management. (2020 Vision, Strategic Direction #5, Goal 5.5).
Operations and Maintenance:
• Obtain compliance with newly enacted State and Local Government Plumbing and Heating Technician license requirements per Session Law 2016-105, House Bill 742 and June 7, 2017 notification from NC State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating & Fire Sprinkler Contractors. (2020 Vision, Strategic Direction #5, Goal 5.5). • Complete renovations at Smoky Mountain High School (SMHS) to accommodate start-up of Catamount School year in August 2017. (2020 Vision, Strategic Direction #5, Goal 5.5).
Safety and Risk Management:
• Update campus Safety and Health Manuals, along with internal departmental safety manuals. (2020 Vision, Strategic Direction #5. Goal 5.5).
Sustainability and Energy Management:
• Complete upgrade of all steam condensate meters to ultrasonic meters and where feasible begin integration with building automation system in order to see real time usage. (2020 Vision, Strategic Direction #5. Goal 5.3).
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