Policies & Procedures

Policies Governing Student Organizations

Financial Policies & Procedures

The Student Activities Office works in unison the Student Government Association (SGA) in order to provide financial guidance to student clubs and organizations. To that end, the following are the Financial Policies and Procedures for WPI Student Clubs and Organizations.

How to Process Financial Paperwork

If you know which forms you need in order to process your organization’s financial paperwork you can download them from the Information for Student Organizations page of the Accounting Web site.

Once the treasurer has reached the Accounting Web site, they should:

1. Complete the correct form
2. Print it
3. Obtain the appropriate signatures
4. Submit all corresponding paperwork (See below to find out what forms should accompany each request) to the Student Activities Office (SAO).

If you’re a new treasurer or you have any questions, please come by the Student Activities Office for assistance.

In addition, please review the Treasurer’s Workshop on Financial Forms (900kb PPT) to learn how to process the financial paperwork for student clubs and organizations.

The following is a list of all the areas covered in the above Treasurer’s Workshop. You can also read below to find out how to process each request.

Check Requests

In order to pay an invoice for services provided or items purchased, a Check Request must be completed. If you are paying an individual for services provided by individuals who are not employees or students at WPI, the Check Request must include the individual's Social Security or Tax ID Number and a complete mailing address. This form is available on the Information for Student Organizations page of the Accounting Web site. The original invoice must be attached with a paperclip to the completed paperwork and submitted to SAO.

Expense Reimbursement Forms

The Expense Reimbursement Form is used to reimburse individuals for authorized out of pocket expenses associated with an organizations activities. These forms are available on the Information for Student Organizations page of the Accounting Web site. Attach the original receipts with a paperclip to the Expense Reimbursement Form and submit to SAO.

Interdepartmental Transfers

The Inter-Departmental Transfer Form (IDT) is used internally at WPI to transfer money between on-campus accounts for services rendered or supplies purchased from other departments or organizations. This form is available on the Information for Student Organizations page of the Accounting Web site. The form should be completed by the organization being owed the funds.

Complete all appropriate sections of the IDT, and forward the IDT to the organization/department being billed. If your organization is being billed, make sure that the bill is accurate, complete your account number, sign the IDT and submit the completed form to SAO.

Completed Paperwork

What does one do with the Completed Paperwork?

Once you have completed a Check Request or Expense Reimbursement Form, you need to obtain the appropriate signatures, including an officer's signature. All completed financial paperwork may be submitted to the Student Activities Office. All SAO financial paperwork is processed every Friday.

How long does it take to process paperwork?

Checks are run twice weekly and are mailed out on Wednesday and Friday afternoons. Unless specifically requested by you or the vendor, checks are issued 30 days from the invoice date. If unusual circumstances arise and a check is needed immediately, special processing must be requested through the SAO staff.

Additional Financial Issues

Purchase Orders

A Purchase Order (P.O.) is used to obtaining services or goods prior to paying for them. The P.O. constitutes a contract between the student organization and the vendor; it does not pay for the goods/services, it only guarantees that the student organization will pay when given an invoice. Your organizations treasurer should process the invoice for payment using a check request.

Student organizations may obtain a P.O. in the Student Activities Office. Completed forms are then given to a member of the SAO staff. The SAO staff will check the organization's account for adequate funds, and then sign-off on the form for your use. SAO will retain a copy of the P.O. for record purposes.

Organization Budget Account Numbers

Each recognized student organization may have a WPI account for their use. These accounts may be used to pay internal charges, such as Plant Services bills, Chartwells or Lens and Lights charges. Your WPI account may also be used to pay any bills from external vendors. A typical student account looks like this:

FUND - 83500
Organization - 72810

Whenever an account is designated on a Check Request, Expense Reimbursement Form, Purchase Order or other financial documents, the treasurer must sign the document. The signature of the responsible person authorizes the Business Office to charge the account. Paperwork lacking the required signature will be returned to your organization's box in SAO.

Expenditure Classification 

The account code designates the type of expense for which you are making. Use the most appropriate account number even if there is no budget associated with that line item. This will help your organization request their budget allocation for the next fiscal year. All organizations should only use the account codes listed below.

Account Codes:
Campus Police	71971
Competition Costs	7647
Copying	7152
Equipment	7181
Equipment Rental	7185
Food	7222
Lens & Lights	71973
Other (description required)	7731
Plant Services	71972
Postage	7131
Programming	7646
Fundraised/Rollover	7649
Safety	7651
Supplies	7111
Telephone	7191
Travel	7311

 

Organization Budget Reports 

The organization treasurer may request a printout of their budget from the Student Activities Office. This report outlines an organization's expenditures and deposits. Organization treasurers should use the report to check the accuracy of their personal records. Discrepancies should be addressed with the Student Activities Office and/or the Accounting Office.

File Copies of Your Organization's Bills 

A copy of all student organizations' financial paperwork is kept on file in SAO. This allows the SAO staff to be aware of the status of all charges accrued to any organizations account. SAO encourages organizations to maintain their own files, as well, for future reference.