Resources for Your Research

Hiring Field/Lab Technicians

Work with your advisor/supervisor to determine if you are allowed to hire field/lab technicians. You will need permission from your advisor/supervisor as well as an account number in which to pay the technicians. The Department put together a checklist to help you be sure all the necessary paperwork has been submitted 鈥� Employee Hiring Checklist 2024 (PDF).

When hiring a technician you need to determine the appropriate Job Classification and Pay Scale. These can be found on the Office of Student Employment website as seen on the checklist. Once you have the proper Job Classification, you can advertise that your job is available by posting flyers, having Molly-Jean Langlais-Parker send an email to department undergrads and other departments on campus, and/or by post the job opening on CareerLink through the Office of Student Employment website.

Not every student at the University of 海角社区 is eligible to be a student employee and not every student employee has to be a University of 海角社区 student!聽 To be considered a student employee, the student must be: 1) enrolled or accepted in a degree-granting or certificate program and 2) enrolled at least half-time – 6 credits for undergraduates, 3 credits, or 1 thesis credit for graduates.聽 Non-University of 海角社区 students can qualify for employment through the Office of Student Employment, they must verify at least half-time enrollment at an institution.聽 If a student does not meet the requirements, you must hire them through the temporary employee process.

1. Student Employee – Molly-Jean Langlais-Parker

If you determine that the applicant can be hired as a student, there are forms that need to be completed. A form is required for every student.聽 You can obtain a printed copy from Molly-Jean Langlais-Parker.聽 A Safety Worksheet (PDF) will need to be completed as well which you can download here or obtain from Katherine Goodine.聽 Return the safety worksheet to Katherine and she will work with the employee on the safety requirements.聽 Please review the checklist to be sure that the other required forms are filled out. Please see Molly if you have specific questions.

2. Temporary Employees – Rena Carey

Please Note:聽 All temporary employees have to be approved by the President of the University so please plan 4-6 weeks out

If you cannot find a student employee that can work for you, you can hire hourly paid staff through the temporary employee system. This process uses a different list of Job Descriptions and a higher Pay Scale. You will be charged a small benefit rate (7.8% for FY2025). If you need to pursue this venue, please work with Rena Carey on processing the required paperwork. You will need to complete a Critical Hire Exception Form, an ORC Hiring Requisition, provide G/L backup showing the position has funding, and a Medical Assessment Checklist.

Insurance Coverage (Vehicle and Other)

1. Health Insurance

If you are receiving a stipend as a Research Assistant, Teaching Assistant, Fellow, or Trainee you are automatically enrolled (unless proof of comparable medical insurance is provided) in the . A minimum of fifty percent of the annual insurance premium will be paid by your assistantship during the period that you are appointed. You may make arrangement with the Bursar鈥檚 Office to pay the insurance premium through payroll deduction. Dependent coverage is also available for an additional charge. Graduate students not supported under any financial aid through the University are eligible for the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) coverage at their own expense. Check the Graduate School website for more information.

2. Workers’ Compensation

All University employees on official business are covered under provisions of the Workmen鈥檚 Compensation Act. Volunteer laborers and those graduate students on fellowships, scholarships, or self-supported have no coverage – they must provide their own. This also includes those participating in student activities. Any graduate student having an accident of any type should notify her/his supervisor immediately and fill out and return proper paperwork to the Payroll and Accounting Office.

3. Auto Liability Coverage

The University System Auto Liability Policy covers all vehicles owned by, or leased to, the University of 海角社区 System. If any accident occurs, immediately notify your supervisor, Graduate Advisor and the Administrative Assistant. Collision coverage is required on vehicles leased to the University. The premium for collision coverage will be paid by the project account responsible for the lease of the vehicle. Collision costs are covered by the Motor Pool for any vehicle signed out from them. These guidelines are valid regardless of the user鈥檚 status (staff, graduate teaching assistant, graduate research assistant, student volunteer).

The University provides no physical damage insurance coverage and no liability insurance coverage for personal cars. If a traveler uses his/her personal car for university-related business, that person鈥檚 own insurance on the vehicle is responsible for any insurance claims, and the traveler is personally responsible for any deductibles.

Ordering Field Equipment, Supplies, and Services

Any orders of equipment, supplies, local hotel rooms, or services must be initiated by using the REQUEST FORM.聽 The form must include a chartfield combination, must include shipping and handling costs (even if $0), and must be approved by the supervisor before the purchase is made. The approval is made by the supervisor signing the request form but in the rare case where the supervisor is not available, approval may be via email or the supervisor may call in verbal approval directly to Katherine Goodine.

Please fill out your name, employee identification number, phone number, and shipping information. If this is not filled out, it may come back to you. Please include item numbers or part numbers if needed.聽 This information is important or we wouldn鈥檛 ask you to submit it.

The completed form should be submitted to Katherine Goodine. Be sure to indicate the type of request you are making.

1. Purchase Orders (PO)

You must find out if the company you want to purchase items from will . If they will, you must find out if they have received a Purchase Order in the past three (3) years, if not you must collect a completed W-9 form and you must work with Katherine to request that the company be set up as a University of 海角社区 System vendor. This could take 3-5 days to process so please plan accordingly.聽 See sample email below.

Upon receipt of the merchandise, the packing slip should be compared with goods received and the packing slip forwarded to Katherine for further processing. If there is no packing slip, you must still let Katherine know you received the package or the vendor will not get paid. A quick email or a note on scratch paper will suffice.

If you are purchasing a service from an individual or company, please work directly with Katherine on setting up a contract with the vendor.聽 It is still your responsibility to contact the company and find out if they will accept a University of 海角社区 Purchase Order; however, only the Procurement Services Office can sign contracts on behalf of the University.

2. Credit Card Orders

Orders will only be made on a website that has secure online ordering and the credit card holder may decline to order if the website looks suspicious or has a very 鈥渦nprofessional鈥� name.

All orders requesting use of a credit card must be approved by Katherine鈥檚 supervisor 鈥� Rena Carey 鈥� in writing. Feel free to put request forms signed by the supervisor directly in Rena鈥檚 mailbox for a signature.

Upon receipt of the merchandise, the packing slip should be compared with goods received and the packing slip forwarded to Katherine for further processing. If there is no packing slip, you must still let Katherine know you received the package or the vendor will not get paid. A quick email or a note on scratch paper will suffice.

3. Interdepartmental Order (IDO)

An IDO is used for purchasing supplies, equipment, or for paying certain fees on campus 鈥� software and computer supplies from Computer Connections, dry ice from Chemistry Department, pay Cutler Health for cardiopulmonary resuscitation(CPR)/First Aid training, printing to the plotter, etc. Please include item numbers or part numbers if needed. Make sure a receipt is issued and returned to Katherine Goodine.

4. Petty Cash/Check Request

This is for emergency purposes only and is used to reimburse you for supplies or equipment you purchased with your own money and your supervisor agreed to reimburse you. You should make every effort to pursue the PO or credit card option to make the purchase. Receipts must accompany this request. The University will not reimburse for sales tax.

All non-travel reimbursements will need to be submitted through the Concur travel reimbursement system as a non-travel related reimbursement and you must upload copies of all receipts. Directions can be found – the last bulleted item in the How to Guides. Please get the full chartfield combination from your supervisor.

Rooms for Meetings

The only rooms that the office staff can schedule in Nutting Hall are Room 106, Room 204, and Room 218. Work with Molly, Katherine, or Rena.

If you still need to find a meeting room, please contact Classroom Scheduling at 581.1299 or um.scheduling@maine.edu.

Safety Training Guidelines

University, United States Geological Survey (USGS), and departmental safety policies require all employees to complete the required Safety Training. A safety worksheet (PDF) can be obtained here. A worksheet must be completed annually for every employee, with a separate form needed for every job and supervisor that the employee has in the department. You will be notified when your current training has expired and are expected to renew your training if still required. Proof of re-training must be on file with Katherine.

1. The faculty supervisor will complete the safety worksheet and will give it to Katherine for processing. Katherine will compile a list of required training based on the answers from the safety worksheet. If you are a USGS supervised student, you will receive instructions with links to access the U.S. Department of the Interior for you to set up an account in DOI Talent where you will complete your Personal Hazard Assessment (PHA). You will answer the PHA questions about field and lab activities related to your project and the PHA will provide you with a list of required safety training. When your PHA questionnaire has been completed, please forward a copy to Katherine for your safety file.
2. The University of 海角社区 workplace safety requirements 2024 (PDF)) were developed to satisfy compliance with federal and state laws and regulations. By 海角社区 law, you are obligated to comply with all University safety regulations, policies, and procedures. Failure to do so may result in disciplinary action, including loss of privileges for the use of university research facilities.

Travel Policies and Procedures

RESOURCES – Admin contact is Rena Carey

Effective July 1, 2025, the University of 海角社区 System will utilize the travel meal rates set by the (GSA), US Department of State and Department of Defense as applicable. Reimbursement for travel meals will still be allowed up to the actual cost, up to the daily GSA limit (not per diem). Per the Federal GSA rate tables, the first and last day of travel are calculated at 75% of the day鈥檚 total rate, regardless of the traveler鈥檚 time of departure or time of return.

Click here for instructions on making an itinerary (PDF)

Click here for a complete overview (PDF)

Travel Request Form (PDF) for flight reservation.

APL IV-I Use of University Funds (including meal reimbursements) –

APL IV-B Travel, Expense, and Corporate Card Procedures –

APPROVAL OF TRAVEL

Your supervisor must be notified and approve all business related travel (even if you are not requesting reimbursement) for insurance purposes. You must submit a travel request in the Concur System and have your supervisor approve before you actually travel.

TRAVEL ADVANCE

Employees may request a travel advance at the time they submit the request to travel. The cash advance will be disbursed to the employee 14 days prior to the trip dates. When you return from the trip, you will need to incorporate the cash advance into the travel expense report. Even if you are not owed money, you must submit a travel expense report to report how you spent the advance.

TRAVEL REIMBURSEMENT AND REPORTING

If you received a travel advance or if you need to be reimbursed for items you purchased, you must create and submit an expense report in the Concur System. You will associate the expense report with one of your approved requests to travel.聽 Receipts are required to be uploaded into the Concur system for most expenses including meals.

Vehicle Policies

Graduate students can use the University motor pool vehicles for official university business. All students must have a valid driver鈥檚 license to drive any University vehicles. Before you can use a University vehicle, a copy of your driver鈥檚 license must be on file in the Motor Pool office and you must have a signed 鈥淯niversity Student Vehicle Driver Information and Agreement Form鈥� on file with Motor Pool. Motor Pool will conduct a driver鈥檚 background check. If you have an out of state driver鈥檚 license, a copy of your license must be sent with the form and Motor Pool charges a fee for out-of-state driver鈥檚 license checks. You must provide a request form for an IDO to Motor Pool. See Katherine Goodine for the appropriate Motor Pool form.

1. University Motor Pool Vehicles

Check with your advisor to get an account number for vehicle use. Call the Motor Pool office (581.2645) to reserve a vehicle. Complete the Vehicle Requisition Form that can be downloaded from the Motor Pool Website. Have Katherine Goodine sign for the department and be sure you include the account number.聽 You can pick-up the keys and credit cards from the Motor Pool office at the time you need the vehicle. If you need the car during off-hours (e.g., before 7:00 a.m., after 3:00 p.m., on weekends, etc.), the keys will be with Public Safety. After using the vehicle, indicate the ending mileage, sign the slip, and return the keys to the Motor Pool office or to the drop-box at the Motor Pool. You do not need to fill the gas tank when you return the motor pool vehicle. Policies and regulations for the use of motor pool vehicles are described in 鈥淰ehicle-Use Policy and Regulations for University Motor-Pool Vehicles.鈥�

2. Department Motor Pool Vehicles

Some faculty members have vehicles in the Department Motor Pool. These vehicles are still university owned and the policies and regulations for the use of motor pool vehicles are described in 鈥淰ehicle-Use Policy and Regulations for University Motor-Pool Vehicles.鈥� There is a vehicle log in each vehicle and every day and every mile must be logged. The log should be turned it at the end of every month with all gas receipts to Katherine Goodine. The Department also has some Vehicle Use Guidelines that all drivers must sign and return to Katherine.聽 Guidance for Vehicles Use (PDF).

3. United States Geological Survey (USGS) Vehicles

If you are working on a project supported by the USGS, you may be given access to one or more of the USGS vehicle. All drivers must have a copy of their driver鈥檚 license and the signed 鈥淯niversity Student Vehicle Driver Information and Agreement Form鈥� on file with Motor Pool, all drivers must read and sign the 鈥淯SGS Vehicle Use Guidelines鈥�, and all drivers must complete the appropriate Driver Safety training and prove that they did. All drivers and passengers must have a signed 鈥淯SGS Volunteer Agreement鈥� on file. Work with Katherine Goodine on meeting the requirements. You must fill the gas tank when you return the vehicle and indicate the correct information on the gas receipt per the USGS Vehicle Use Guidelines.

4.聽 Renting from an Outside Agency

Enterprise is the University of 海角社区 System鈥檚 preferred rental company.聽 The University has a negotiated rate with Enterprise and National Rental Car which includes insurance (Collision & Comprehensive) when a car is rented for university business. The discount code is preloaded in Concur and people traveling on university business are strongly encouraged to use the booking tool to reserve their car.聽 When booking a car only reservation, there is a $5 agent fee.

If you need to set up direct billing with Enterprise for a guest coming in:

1. Make a reservation with Enterprise through Concur, their website, or by phone
2. Get a PO for the amount needed based on the quote
3. Call Enterprise and give them the PO number and the account number 16939854.