Responses to Concerns

Those concerns shared via the web-based comment form are reported below to allow the campus community an opportunity to view those issues already raised, status, and responses provided.

Date Received Category Description of Concern Identified Status Response
1/10/22 Facilities, Infrastructure Dissatisfaction with Moodle.   Under Review

 
2/24/22 Communication Ability to create a shared online space for collaborations involving entities outside of LSU.   Under Review

 

Responses to Concerns Over Time


Date Received Category Description of Concern Identified Status Response
7/19/21 Communication Assistance with visa process for a new hire and obtaining sensitive documents like passports, etc to complete the process.  Complete HRM has current solution and information was shared with respondent.
9/17/21 Facilities, Infrastructure Difficulty finding available B permit parking spaces on campus. Complete There had been a delay in reassigning unused C permit spots, resulting in a backlog on the waitlist.  Parking and Transportation recently moved 250 individuals into unused C permits.  APIC confirmed with respondent that this step eased the B permit issue.  P&T is actively looking for other ways to open up additional B permit spots.
10/13/21 Travel Can no longer log into Shorts Travel website using LSU email.  Complete Shorts Travel is no longer the State's travel platform.  The new platform (Christopherson's Business Travel) was shared with respondent.  https://www.lsu.edu/administration/ofa/oas/acctpay/travel.php 

Date Received Category  Description of Concern Identified Status Response
1/11/2020 Policies, procedures and processes Leave policies for staff traveling to conferences related to their work as students Complete Per current university policy, since the conference travel is not directly related to their work as staff, annual leave is deemed the appropriate leave designation.
1/11/2020 Policies, procedures and processes Efficiency of PMO process Complete The PMO process for software approval involves three compliance reviews: accessibility, security, and data governance.  The average turnaround time is 10.6 days to complete all three reviews, which is an improvement from when the process was first rolled out.  PMO is looking for ways to further streamline the process and make it less burdensome for users.
2/5/2020 Campus events Campus event calendaring solution Complete There were over 5,000 events registered on the new campus calendar in its first year.  While the calendar allows for users and event planners to view all campus events in a single location, it does not automatically prevent scheduling conflicts.  
9/25/2020 Communication Solution for sharing large project files. Complete ITS informed the committee that MS OneDrive and MS Stream are the solutions that everyone at LSU now has access to and best meet the needs described in the submission.  It was further stated that MS OneDrive has improved usability in recent years. The ITS Help Desk can assist with specific question on these solutions.
10/06/20 Campus events Process for student organizations to pay Facility Services for event charges. Complete Facilities confirmed that they can not accept direct payments without additional resources/costs. Procedure for setting up student org accounts was reviewed and found to be sufficient for current purposes without creating a burden on the student organizations.

 

Date Received Category Description of Concern Identified Status Response
1/17/2019 Safety Bike exchange and bike lanes Complete LSU is developing a campus mobility plan that includes a bike exchange program and enhanced bike lanes on campus.
2/8/2019 Policies, procedures and processes Availability of Mac support Complete Colleges are supported by TSP's and different colleges may offer varying levels of support.  ITS typically recommends PCs for most applications because they are typically less expensive, and to ensure compatibility with all enterprise software.  ITS does have one Apple certified support tech who can help troubleshoot issues.  Likewise, FTC supports both Macs and PCs.  The committee agreed that adding a reminder to News & Notes on FTC services may be helpful for others looking for Mac support.
2/11/2019 Policies, procedures and processes Challenges related to substantiation of the the Benny's Mastercard for the healthcare flexible spending account Complete Health care reimbursement accounts have rules established by the IRS and there were issues with how the previous vendor was verifying expenses.  HRM clarified information on its website and added contact information so that employees can find assistance for any future issues.
2/19/2019 Campus Mobility Remote work policy Complete HRM is currently drafting a remote work policy that should be finalized soon.
3/13/2019 Communication Improvements to GROK articles Complete ITS agreed with committee discussion and suggestion to continue to improve readability of GROK articles.
6/14/2019 Communication Phone system issue Complete Technical issue has been resolved.
11/8/2019 Policies, procedures and processes Enterprise solution for appointment management Complete Enrollment Management is currently implementing a new system that has appointment management capabilities that will be available to all colleges and departments.  
12/16/2019 Policies, procedures and processes Ease of use of new America-To-Go catering system Complete The solution is intended to streamline the process for placing catering orders.  Users can use a single platform to place orders from any approved catering vendor.  It also is intended to reduce the administrative burden on central Procurement since America-To-Go ensures that all catering vendors on their platform have the necessary insurance, paperwork, etc.  As a new solution, Procurement is monitoring closely and will be doing regular business reviews with America-To-Go to work through feedback received from the campus community.

Date Received Category Description of Concern Identified Status Response
4/4/2018 Communication Transparency on  Complete Information provided on fee schedules and glossary from Budget & Planning's website.
4/17/2018 Facilities, Infrastructure Alarm in 54 Allen Hall Complete Facilities addressed the alarm issue and identified steps to mitigate the risk of reoccurence.  They will also be putting instructions next to the telephone on what to do if the alarm should sound during class again, including appropriate contacts.
6/4/2018 Communication Duplication of mailing lists Complete While some duplication of mailing lists is appropriate, coordination ensures that LSU's message is consistent and strategic.  ITS is currently working on a Business Intelligence environment that would serve as a central repository for information, which should facilitate more coordinated mailing lists.
9/7/2018 Policies, procedures and processes Middleton Library Print Desk rules Complete The Middleton Library Print Desk is not operated as a service center because it receives subsidies from the general operating budget.  This keeps prices low, but it can not be used with grant funding because it is not self-supporting.
9/23/2018 Facilities, Infrastructure Inconsistencies in pricing at Vet Med dining Complete Concern was shared with LSU Dining who communicated the importance of consistent pricing and offerings to the subcontractor. The subcontractor was new to campus and the inconsistencies were attributed to learning a new location/system.  LSU Dining will be checking back over the course of the semester to ensure that the issue has been adequately resolved. 
10/11/2018 Communication Workday processes for hiring and soliciting applications for faculty positions Complete Workday is not always open to customization, but some of the specific concerns raised are being considered for future Workday releases.  
10/24/2018 Policies, procedures and processes Process for disputing LaCarte charges Complete PM 78 was revised to ensure consistency between policy and practice. 

 

Date Received Category Description of Concern Identified Status Response
9/17/2017 Policies, Procedures & Processes Complexity of vendor registration that vendors and guests to the university receiving honoraria must complete / suggestion for streamlining.  Complete Procurement made significant changes to the website to be more welcoming and intuitive. Additional feedback to help with further improvements is welcome.
10/12/2017 Policies, procedures and processes Clarification of Apple institutional pricing quotes and the CDW-G punch-out in Workday Complete Apple is now available in the CDW-G catalog in Workday. Most off-the-shelf Apple products (iPads, Apple TVs, Apple Care, and Apple-branded accessories) are aggressively priced at or below Apple institutional prices. CDW-G is in the process of negotiating with Apple to sell custom configurations at institutional pricing. In the interim, departments may obtain a quote from Apple and submit a non-catalog requisition for custom configuration purchases. 
11/7/2017 Travel Incorrect instructions on the Shorts website for applying unused airline ticket.   Complete Upgrades to the instructions were made by Shorts to ensure accuracy.
11/9/2017 Campus Mobility Improve mobility behind Lockett Hall Complete While current access is sufficient, this area is on the list for mobility improvements.  Facilities is bringing in a consultant to help further identify needs and strategies to address them.  
11/9/2017 Campus Events Management and coordination of campus events and meetings Complete Strategic Communications has identified the need for a new system to for campus events and implementation will begin in early 2019. 
11/14/2017 Campus Mobility Suggestion for smaller buses used on some routes Complete Mobility recommendations are  part of the recently adopted campus master plan, and Facilities is bringing in a consultant in the coming months to discuss issues.

 

Date Received Category Description of Concern Identified Status Response
9/13/2015 Policies, Procedures & Processes Leave requests via paper / suggestion of electronic process Complete The implementation of Workday (effective July 1, 2016) will resolve this issue. Upon implementation, leave requests and approvals will be electronic. There is flexibility to make changes as needed and to easily review what has been submitted/approved. In addition, the amount of leave available to use is included on the request screen.
9/13/2015 Policies, Procedures & Processes International travel, routinely high risk paper forms / suggestion of electronic process Complete The implementation of Workday (effective July 1, 2016) will address this concern. Upon implementation, travel-related approvals will be routed electronically. Some forms will still need to be attached within Workday, but there will no longer be a need to route paper forms for signatures.
9/15/2015 Policies, Procedures & Processes Travel and special meals authorization/signatures via paper-based system suggestion of electronic routing Complete The implementation of Workday (effective July 1, 2016) will address this concern as it pertains to travel. Upon implementation, travel-related approvals will be routed electronically. Some forms will still need to be attached within Workday, but there will no longer be a need to route paper forms for signatures. At this time, it is anticipated that the special meal forms (AS-499) will still need to be completed and routed manually.
9/16/2015 Policies, Procedures & Processes GeauxShop - lower prices available elsewhere Complete The University looks to achieve the best pricing on an overall contract. Procurement reviews the pricing for an entire market basket of items and determines best price.  It is true that we could sometime find a lower price on a given item, but we look to develop pricing for a catalogue of items.  The average cost to create a traditional purchase order is about $87.00 per transaction.  With an e-commerce platform like GeauxShop, the cost to do the same transaction is less than $20.00 (these are Industry averages). Upon implementation of Workday in July 2016, a new e-commerce platform will be replacing GeauxShop. APIC will continue to explore opportunities to enhance processes and to reduce the administrative burden placed on faculty for these types of transactions.
9/21/2015 Policies, Procedures & Processes Numerous forms for financial processes / suggestion of an integrated electronic system (OnBase by Hyland) Complete Workday will offer enhanced functionality reducing the use of paper forms in many HR and Finance areas. However, at this point in time, it is too early to know the full impact. This concern will remain "in progress" until a determination can be made.
9/22/2015 Policies, Procedures & Processes Hotel allowances and unsafe lodging options when conference hotel is already booked Complete There is some recourse when a conference hotel no longer has room availability. Per PM-13, in the event that a designated conference hotel(s) have no room availability, the traveler's supervisor (or designee) may approve to pay actual hotel cost not to exceed the conference lodging rates for the other hotels in the immediate vicinity of the conference hotel. LSU utilizes the lodging allowances set by the State of Louisiana. In addition, a traveler’s supervisor (or his/her designee) or the person with fiscal responsibility unless the Campus and/or Department requires a higher level of approval has the authority to approve actual routine lodging provisions, on a case-by-case basis not to exceed 50% over PM-13 current listed rates. (Note: This authority for increase is for lodging only and not for any other area of PM-13). Each case must be fully documented as to necessity (i.e., proximity to meeting place) and cost effectiveness of alternative options.
10/2/2015 Policies, Procedures & Processes Travel - allow extra night stay if it results in overall travel savings (particularly international conference travel) Complete If the traveler stays at the business destination once the business travel ends, it is considered personal days and the traveler is responsible for any additional costs. In those situations in which an extra night stay may result in overall costs savings, the proposed plan may be reviewed by AP & Travel on an individual basis.
10/2/2015 Policies, Procedures & Processes Purchases - Purpose of AS-150 form? Complete The Form AS150 "PayPal/Third Party Processor Transaction Documentation & Approval" was created as a result of the 2009 Internal Audit of the LaCarte Card Program.  It was determined that there was an inherent risk in purchases made on eBay or other websites in which PayPal is used to process payments.  The auditors deemed it was difficult to determine if purchases made on the sites were for a legitimate business purpose and from a legitimate and appropriate vendor. During the transition to Workday, the implementation team is exploring if functionality is available to meet audit requirements without the need for a form.
10/15/2015 Policies, Procedures & Processes Parking - Requirement for new employees and students to physically pickup a parking permit Complete The current software system doesn't allow for online permits to be processed. In the future, Parking & Transportation Services will be transitioning to a separate parking management software program that will provide the option to print a temporary permit and have the permanent permit sent directly from our contracted printing provider. 
10/15/2015 Policies, Procedures & Processes Technology in the Classroom - Support Complete The ITS multimedia team provides support on computer and audio visual equipment for all general purpose classrooms on the Baton Rouge campus. [For a list of these 188 classrooms, see https://grok.lsu.edu/categories.aspx?parentcategoryid=1576] Most of the general purpose rooms have a phone that automatically rings to the team for support. If not, support for the general purpose classrooms is available at 578-7622.
 10/21/15 Safety Excessive traffic barricades Complete Parking and Transportation Services is working with Facility Services to find different types of barricades for use when reserving spots so as to reduce potential for damaging vehicles.
10/23/15 Policies, Procedures & Processes Travel documentation can be redundant and should be a one-way process (e.g., too much back-and-forth) Complete The transition to Workday will help streamline some of this process, particularly as related to initial signature approvals which will route electronically. While there are required elements for travel processing, including reimbursements, efforts are made to be as efficient as possible and processes reviewed for improvements.
 10/30/15 Policies, Procedures & Processes Lack of visitor parking (voiced by a parent) Complete Visitors have the option to park in Student Parking around the campus for a $10.00/day cost. A visitor permit is available at our Visitor’s Center on the corner of Highland and Dalrymple Monday – Friday from 7:00am – 5:30pm. The LSU Union Square Parking garage (located on East Campus Dr across Highland from the Union) has over 300 parking spaces. In addition, we do offer several other metered parking locations around the campus. All these are metered at $1.50/hour.
11/6/15 Policies, Procedures & Processes Procurement - Vendor registration in PRO is complex & Inquiry regarding future use of electronic or scanned signatures Complete The vendor registration process will be changing with the implementation of Workday.  In addition, Procurement is working to: (1)  incorporate electronic signatures and faxed or scanned copies and (2) looking at other ways to further streamline the process for vendors providing specialty services (Performers, artists, speakers, etc.).


Administrative process concerns must be submitted via the comment form. Please direct any questions to apic@lsu.edu.