DFL weekly update - February 18, 2022

Upcoming Deadlines at a Glance

  • Friday, 2/25 - Queue commitments for Q3 requests
  • Wednesday, 3/11 - Complete External Audit Certification
  • Friday, 3/18 - Submit completed and approved org tree change requests

Budget Process

Budget process update

As the Chancellor announced in the recent campus message, a decision issued by the California Court of Appeal requires UC Berkeley to adhere to a lower court order requiring the university to freeze student enrollment at the same level as 2020-21. This decision impacts the working assumptions that were in place for the current budget process and consequently the budget process will be delayed as we assess the financial impacts of the court order. We’ll provide more detailed information on the next steps in the coming weeks. If you have any questions, please contact the VCF Immediate Office at vcfinance@berkeley.edu.

Action Items

Queue commitments for Q3 requests by Friday, February 25

Please complete the applicable form (linked below) to queue commitments by Friday, February 25 for commitments to be funded in the third quarter of FY2021-22. Please note that the following commitments do not need to be queued: Budget Decisions; EVCP TAS; Star Awards; Bear Grants; Productivity Suite withdrawals and now endowment payouts for rotating chairs. Commitments are processed on a quarterly basis.

Please note that while working remotely you must log in through VPN for these forms to work.

Please email dfl_concierge@berkeley.edu with questions.

  • To queue non-faculty commitments, complete the non-faculty commitments form on the DFL Knowledge and Resource Portal.
  • To queue faculty commitments, complete the faculty commitments form on the DFL Knowledge and Resource Portal. Faculty commitments are defined for this purpose as Start-up; Retention; ASMD; and Chancellor's Professorships. Chancellor’s Professorships are those that are offered via start-up or retention in lieu of an actual chair - until one can be found, and are funded by central resources.
    • New this year: Please provide screenshots of UCPath entries for ASMD leave begin dates and ASMD end dates when you queue ASMD funding through the faculty queue.

Complete External Audit Certification for Q3 by Friday, March 11

To ensure the completeness and accuracy of the quarterly Controller's report on the campus' external audit activities, please help us identify the campus' external audit activities. The Controller's Office is sending a separate email with additional information to DFLs with known external audit activity. By Friday, March 11, 2022, please submit the materials below to gao@berkeley.edu:

  • All DFLs: External Audit Confirmation Form (You must return the completed External Audit Confirmation Form even if you do not have any external audit activities so we can certify campus responses.)
  • DFLs with external audit activities: External Audit Confirmation Template (Include any related documentation with the template, i.e. notification of the commencement of the audit, audit report, etc.)

If you have questions, please contact gao@berkeley.edu.

Submit completed and approved org tree change requests by Friday, March 18

If you would like to submit changes to the Org Tree, please submit your completed, Budget and Financial Operations (BFO) Committee approved request by Wednesday, February 16. As a reminder, the submission date is the last day that approved change requests can be submitted for entry to the February Master Org Tree. Allowable changes through May 31 include New DeptIDs, New Org Nodes, and Description Changes. The Org Tree will be closed to all changes from May 31 through fiscal close. We recommend that you submit your change request form for review as soon as possible to allow time for the BFO team to review your request, follow up with you for any necessary clarification, approve your request, and allow you time to obtain all required signatures before the submission deadline. The time needed to review change requests will vary, depending on the complexity of the request. For more information:

Informational Updates

Connect to VPN to access SARA system remotely

The SARA system application has been updated to require VPN access when staff log in remotely (outside the campus network). This update is to improve security in the application. The SARA system is the application that requests for the finance systems are routed through. If staff are accessing the system from the campus network, they will not need to use VPN. Follow the instructions on the remote access page of the Information Security Office website to review how to log in with VPN. Please direct questions to itcshelp@berkeley.edu.

Parking and recreational sports deductions update

Beginning in January 2022, parking and recreational sports deductions were posted to department revenue chartstrings through UCPath. This is because of configuration changes within the payroll system. The Controller’s Office will process a reclassification to move these withholdings to the appropriate Parking and Transportation and Recreational Sports chartstrings as part of the month-end close. The Controller’s Office is working with the UCPath team to update the configuration as soon as possible. However, please note that for the next couple of months while the Controller’s Office works with UCPath, you may still see the parking and/or recreational sports deductions posting to the department chartstrings. If this happens, do not make any manual adjustments to these deductions. Please contact the Controller’s Office at controllers_ucpath@berkeley.edu with any questions.

CalPlanning system availability

CalPlanning will not be available Sunday, February 6 from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm due to scheduled system maintenance. Please visit the CalPlanning website for details or contact the CalPlanning Help Desk at 510-664-9000 (option 1, then option 2) or email calplanhelp@berkeley.edu with questions.

CalPlanning and Smart View Training

Do you need to learn or enhance your skills in CalPlanning or Smart View? Training classes are available through the end of June 2021. Visit the CalPlanning Training page to learn more and sign up. Our new blended learning model combines self-study work that you can do at your own pace with instructor-led group learning sessions where you can apply the material covered in the self-study.

Office Hours for CalPlanning and Smart View

Office hours are available so that you can ask specific questions about CalPlanning and Smart View. Request office hours and indicate the topic for which you are requesting support. Office hours are an opportunity to get individual support for a specific challenge your unit is facing; they are not a replacement for training.

Cal Answers Training

Please review the self-service learning resources on the Cal Answers website, where Cal Answers users will find a complete course in basic navigation as well as short videos, job aids, wiki documentation, and a list of Frequently Asked Questions. Additionally, the two-hour instructor-led classes build on the basic navigation skills covered in the self-study. There are separate courses focusing on financial dashboards and student data dashboards. In the class, a subject matter expert will guide a deep dive into the reports and data available in the dashboards and answer specific questions.

Changes to the DFL in your division?

If the DFL role in your division is changing, email fpa@berkeley.edu to ensure our website, communications, and training plans are updated.

DFL Weekly Updates Page

As a reminder, these updates are regularly posted to the DFL Weekly Updates page so you can reference past updates at any time.

Thank you,

Office of the Vice Chancellor of Finance