Glossary of Terms Used in UB Policies

Look up key words used in UB policies to see definitions and links to their associated policies.

 

Word or Phrase Definition
Abuser

A person who perpetrates a pattern of coercive tactics which can include physical, psychological, sexual, economic, and emotional abuse against an adult intimate partner, with the goal of establishing and maintaining power and control over the victim.

 

In Policy:

Domestic Violence and the Workplace

Academic Adjustments

Modifications to academic requirements made to ensure that requirements do not discriminate or have the effect of discriminating, on the basis of disability, against a qualified applicant or student with a disability. Academic requirements that are essential to the instruction being pursued by the student or to any directly related licensing requirement will not be subject to modification. Modifications may include changes in the length of time permitted for the completion of degree requirements, substitution of specific courses required for the completion of degree requirements, and adaptation of the manner in which specific courses are conducted.

 

In Policy:

Reasonable Accommodation

Academic Department or Unit

Department or unit devoted to a particular academic discipline or operational area.

 

In Policy:

Consensual Relationships

Academic Good Standing

A student making acceptable progress toward a degree and eligible to register for and pursue academic coursework at the university for the current semester.

 

In Policy:

• Student Employment

Academic Year Appointment 

Nine month faculty obligation.

 

In Policy:

Institutional Base Salary for Sponsored Projects

Accommodation Memorandum

Documentation from Accessibility Resources (AR) that outlines the accommodations, academic adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids recommended to enable an employee or student to work or complete an academic program.   

 

In Policy:

Reasonable Accommodation

Accountability

The obligations of an individual or group of individuals to account for its activities, accept responsibility for them, and disclose the results in a transparent manner.

 

In Policy:

• Sponsorship and Advertising

Acknowledgement

Statement or sign of recognition of sponsorship support. A typical acknowledgement may include sponsor logo placement or sponsor information in materials associated with a university event or activity being supported by the sponsor.

 

In Policy:

Sponsorship and Advertising

Administrative Proposal

The Administrative Proposal is one portion of the overall proposal that generally includes the application cover page, budget, budget justification, institutional resources section, curriculum vitae or bio-sketches of all key personnel, current and pending support, and any other business or administrative materials required by the sponsor. The administrative portion of the proposal encompasses all content excluding the technical portion. Specific requirements may vary with each sponsor.

 

In Policy:

Proposal Submission

Administrative Site

Courses sites added to UBLearns for departmental or administrative use that are not affiliated with classes offered by registration number.

 

In Policy:

UBLearns Data Management

Advertising

Paid service purchased by a non-university entity that includes messages that contain qualitative or comparative language, price information, an endorsement, or an inducement to purchase, sell, or use the non-university advertiser’s products or services.

 

In Policy:

• Sponsorship and Advertising

Affiliate

For purposes of this policy, affiliates include The Research Foundation for The State University of New York, State University Construction Fund, all campus auxiliary service corporations, and all campus foundations.

 

In Policy:

Royalty Distribution

Affiliated Business Entity

An entity that may be physically located at the university, but is legally separate (e.g., corporation).

 

In Policy:

Social Security Number

Affirmative Action

Proactive steps to further the employment of women, minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans; aggressive steps that go beyond compliance with equal opportunity laws.

 

In Policy:

Recruitment

Affirmative Action Plan

A federally mandated report that is used as a management tool designed to ensure equal employment opportunity. A central premise underlying affirmative action is that, absent discrimination, over time an employer’s workforce generally will reflect the gender, racial, and ethnic profile of the labor pools from which the employer recruits and selects. 

 

In Policies:

•  Recruitment

•  Recruitment Exceptions

Aisle

That portion of an exit access that leads to a corridor.

 

In Policy:

Corridor Use

Allocable

The amount of expense for goods or services which can be charged (or allocated) to a particular unit, activity, or function because the goods or services provide a commensurate benefit to that unit, activity, or function.

 

In Policy:

Allowable Use of Funds

Allowable

An expense is allowable when it is permissible to charge it to a particular source of funds. Expenses may be deemed allowable by law or regulation; by external parties such as donors or sponsors; or by university policy.

 

In Policy:

Allowable Use of Funds

Also Receives (Instance 1)

Compensation used when the work to be performed by the employee is:  1) less than one year; 2) substantially different and in addition to an individual's professional work obligation; and 3) performed during an employee's normal work shift

 

In Policy:

Gifts, Prizes, and Awards

Also Receives (Instance 2)

An approved annualized dollar amount (or portion thereof) that can be paid in addition to the base annual salary on a temporary basis, for additional duties beyond and in addition to, the ordinary and customary duties normally associated with an individual's primary assignment.

 

In Policy:

Institutional Base Salary for Sponsored Projects

Alternative Arrangements

The shifting of responsibility for academic, employment, or other decisions in order to eliminate the appearance of impropriety that can result from nepotism. This may include, but is not limited to, recusal from an evaluative process and/or an alternative means of reporting, assessment, and evaluation. Alternative arrangements must be in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, policies, and collective bargaining agreements.

 

In Policy:

Nepotism

Annual Salary

Amount determined by the university to compensate an individual for his/her professional obligation based on grade, title, and experience. Annual salary is based on a full-time equivalent and adjusted proportionately for part-time effort. For academic year faculty, annual salary is the salary paid for the 9 month academic year appointment, which is normally paid out over 10 months. For calendar year faculty, annual salary is the salary paid for the 12 month calendar year period.

 

In Policy:

Institutional Base Salary for Sponsored Projects

Annual Security and Fire Safety Report

The annual report containing required disclosures that include campus security policies, Clery Act crime statistics for the previous three years, campus fire safety policies, and fire statistics for on-campus student housing facilities for the previous three years.

 

In Policy:

Clery and Campus SaVE Act Compliance

Approval Authority

Permission to approve transactions for execution. This approval attests to the accuracy, validity, and appropriateness of the transaction within the university’s program objectives and budgetary authorizations. Transaction approval may be performed electronically in accordance with system requirements or manually with a handwritten signature.

 

In Policy:

Approval Authority

Approver

An individual with the authority to approve a business expense or transaction.

 

In Policy:

Allowable Use of Funds

Archival Record

Records that the university must keep permanently to meet fiscal, legal, or administrative needs, or because they contain historically significant information. What makes a record worthy of permanent retention and special management is the continuing importance of the information it contains.

 

In Policy:

Record Retention and Disposition

Armored Car Service

Service operated by a security firm to transport cash deposits from the university to a financial institution.

In Policy:

Safeguarding Cash and Cash Equivalents

Assembling

The gathering of people in or upon university premises including but not limited to meetings, protests, demonstrations, rallies, vigils, marches, and picketing.

In Policy:

• Assembling

Asset

Property costing $5,000 or more that may be used repeatedly without any material impairment of physical condition and which have a probable life expectancy of one or more years, including machinery, vehicles, and apparatus. Cost includes the price less any discounts, plus all freight and installation charges; cost does not include warranty, training, maintenance, or trade-in costs. Assets for this purpose do not include fixed building equipment such as heating, ventilating, plumbing, and electrical equipment.

 

In Policy:

Managing University Assets

Assigned Area of Control

Any space that is formally assigned to a department, individual, principal investigator, or project manager as a result of the university’s space planning and assignment process and is not readily accessible to the university community and the public.

 

In Policy:

Placement of Experiments in Common Areas

Athletics Representative (Booster)

Person or entity that has participated in or has been a member of an organization promoting the university’s athletics program.

 

In Policy:

• Name, Image and Likeness Activities

Attendance

Includes, but is not limited to, attendance in person; attendance via correspondence, videoconference, satellite, internet, or other telecommunication technology used by students who are not physically present in the classroom; and participation in a work-study program.

 

In Policy:

Access to Student Information Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

Authorized Adult

University personnel assigned to teach or otherwise perform work in a program as part of their official job duties, or a representative of a group that has obtained permission to use campus facilities from a university department or employee authorized to grant such permission.

 

In Policy:

Child Protection

Auxiliary Aids

Actions taken or materials provided to ensure that qualified students with disabilities can receive the benefits of the educational program, regardless of impaired sensory, manual, or speaking skills. Auxiliary aids may include audio or described taped texts, sign or oral interpreters, captioning or other effective methods of making orally delivered materials available to students with hearing impairments, readers for students with visual impairments, classroom equipment adapted for use by students with manual impairments, and other similar services and actions. Auxiliary aids do not include personal services or equipment, such as attendants, readers for personal use, or individually prescribed devices unrelated to the course of study.

 

In Policy:

Reasonable Accommodation

Award

Cash or noncash items given for exemplary performance or productivity and given in recognition of an accomplishment, achievement, or activity that is tied to a vital business reason.

 

In Policy:

Gifts, Prizes, and Awards

Word or Phrase Definition
Abuser

A person who perpetrates a pattern of coercive tactics which can include physical, psychological, sexual, economic, and emotional abuse against an adult intimate partner, with the goal of establishing and maintaining power and control over the victim.

 

In Policy:

Domestic Violence and the Workplace

Academic Adjustments

Modifications to academic requirements made to ensure that requirements do not discriminate or have the effect of discriminating, on the basis of disability, against a qualified applicant or student with a disability. Academic requirements that are essential to the instruction being pursued by the student or to any directly related licensing requirement will not be subject to modification. Modifications may include changes in the length of time permitted for the completion of degree requirements, substitution of specific courses required for the completion of degree requirements, and adaptation of the manner in which specific courses are conducted.

 

In Policy:

Reasonable Accommodation

Academic Department or Unit

In Policy:

• Consensual Relationships

Academic Year Appointment 

Nine month faculty obligation.

 

In Policy:

Institutional Base Salary for Sponsored Projects

Accommodation Memorandum

Documentation from Accessibility Resources (AR) that outlines the accommodations, academic adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids recommended to enable an employee or student to work or complete an academic program.   

 

In Policy:

Reasonable Accommodation

Account

Electronic data associated with an individual’s UBITName.

 

In Policy:

Accessing Accounts of Deceased or Incapacitated Individuals

Administrative Proposal

The Administrative Proposal is one portion of the overall proposal that generally includes the application cover page, budget, budget justification, institutional resources section, curriculum vitae or bio-sketches of all key personnel, current and pending support, and any other business or administrative materials required by the sponsor. The administrative portion of the proposal encompasses all content excluding the technical portion. Specific requirements may vary with each sponsor.

 

In Policy:

Proposal Submission

Administrative Site

Courses sites added to UBLearns for departmental or administrative use that are not affiliated with classes offered by registration number.

 

In Policy:

UBLearns Data Management

Affirmative Action

Proactive steps to further the employment of women, minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans; aggressive steps that go beyond compliance with equal opportunity laws.

 

In Policy:

Recruitment

Affirmative Action Plan

A federally mandated report that is used as a management tool designed to ensure equal employment opportunity. A central premise underlying affirmative action is that, absent discrimination, over time an employer’s workforce generally will reflect the gender, racial, and ethnic profile of the labor pools from which the employer recruits and selects. 

 

In Policies:

•  Recruitment

•  Recruitment Exceptions

Aisle

That portion of an exit access that leads to a corridor.

 

In Policy:

Corridor Use

Also Receives

An approved annualized dollar amount (or portion thereof) that can be paid in addition to the base annual salary on a temporary basis, for additional duties beyond and in addition to, the ordinary and customary duties normally associated with an individual's primary assignment.

 

In Policy:

Institutional Base Salary for Sponsored Projects

Alternative Arrangements

The shifting of responsibility for academic, employment, or other decisions in order to eliminate the appearance of impropriety that can result from nepotism. This may include, but is not limited to, recusal from an evaluative process and/or an alternative means of reporting, assessment, and evaluation. Alternative arrangements must be in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, policies, and collective bargaining agreements.

 

In Policy:

Nepotism

Annual Salary

Amount determined by the university to compensate an individual for his/her professional obligation based on grade, title, and experience. Annual salary is based on a full-time equivalent and adjusted proportionately for part-time effort. For academic year faculty, annual salary is the salary paid for the 9 month academic year appointment, which is normally paid out over 10 months. For calendar year faculty, annual salary is the salary paid for the 12 month calendar year period.

 

In Policy:

Institutional Base Salary for Sponsored Projects

Annual Security and Fire Safety Report

The annual report containing required disclosures that include campus security policies, Clery Act crime statistics for the previous three years, campus fire safety policies, and fire statistics for on-campus student housing facilities for the previous three years.

 

In Policy:

Clery and Campus SaVE Act Compliance

Approval Authority

Permission to approve transactions for execution. This approval attests to the accuracy, validity, and appropriateness of the transaction within the university’s program objectives and budgetary authorizations. Transaction approval may be performed electronically in accordance with system requirements or manually with a handwritten signature.

 

In Policy:

Approval Authority

Archival Record

Records that the university must keep permanently to meet fiscal, legal, or administrative needs, or because they contain historically significant information. What makes a record worthy of permanent retention and special management is the continuing importance of the information it contains.

 

In Policy:

Record Retention and Disposition

Assigned Area of Control

Any space that is formally assigned to a department, individual, principal investigator, or project manager as a result of the university’s space planning and assignment process and is not readily accessible to the university community and the public.

 

In Policy:

Placement of Experiments in Common Areas

Attendance

Includes, but is not limited to, attendance in person; attendance via correspondence, videoconference, satellite, internet, or other telecommunication technology used by students who are not physically present in the classroom; and participation in a work-study program.

 

In Policy:

Access to Student Information Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

Authorized Adult

University personnel assigned to teach or otherwise perform work in a program as part of their official job duties, or a representative of a group that has obtained permission to use campus facilities from a university department or employee authorized to grant such permission.

 

In Policy:

Child Protection

Auxiliary Aids

Actions taken or materials provided to ensure that qualified students with disabilities can receive the benefits of the educational program, regardless of impaired sensory, manual, or speaking skills. Auxiliary aids may include audio or described taped texts, sign or oral interpreters, captioning or other effective methods of making orally delivered materials available to students with hearing impairments, readers for students with visual impairments, classroom equipment adapted for use by students with manual impairments, and other similar services and actions. Auxiliary aids do not include personal services or equipment, such as attendants, readers for personal use, or individually prescribed devices unrelated to the course of study.

 

In Policy:

Reasonable Accommodation