Physical Security

Access to the Banner Financial system be limited to authorized personnel. Protection devices restrict unauthorized personnel from obtaining direct access to physical assets or indirect access through accounting records, which could be used to misappropriate assets. Locked storage facilities restrict access to inventories, and fireproof vaults prevent access to check stock and other accounting forms. Transaction recording equipment limits access to assets by limiting the number of employees involved in recording and posting transactions, thereby minimizing the possibility of fraudulent misrepresentation.

Administrative controls are designed to promote operational efficiency, effectiveness, and adherence to University policies and procedures. Management at all levels of the University is responsible for designing and maintaining an adequate system of internal control.

The Financial Services Division units are responsible for planning and managing the University's financial affairs within the authority granted by the Board of Regents.

All transactions will require at least one signature approval (manual or electronic) prior to the execution of the transaction by an individual that has signature authority within the department initiating the transaction. Financial Services Division units will test adherence to this policy on a sample basis.

When utilizing electronic routing in Banner, all documents will require the originator plus no more than two other department levels of approval.

Any member of the University administration at or above the level equivalent to Dean or Director may optionally require more than one signature approval for any type of transaction. Adherence to this policy will be the responsibility of the initiating Department Head.

Department Heads or other approvers may delegate their signature authority, though not their responsibility, on routine business transactions to permanent or temporary alternates, provided that the delegation is not made to a member of their support staff below the appropriate level of authority within the department. Acceptable alternates include faculty members, professional assistants, professional staff members or supervisory classified employees within the Dean or Director's office. Financial Services Division units will test adherence to this policy on a sample basis.

Employees may not approve payments made to themselves, either as a reimbursement or through Payroll. All such reimbursements are to be approved by the employee's supervisor, or the supervisor's designee. Adherence to this policy will be the responsibility of the initiating Department Head, and will be tested by Financial Services Division units prior to processing of each disbursement transaction.

It is the responsibility of each position equivalent to Dean or Director to develop signature policies in conjunction with the above overall policy for the Dean or Director's College or organizational unit, and to formally communicate those policies to all organizational unit employees.

With respect to UNM’s financial information, any action, activity or correspondence by an employee undertaken in the performance of an employee’s official duties (or that gives the appearance of same), must be done in accordance with all applicable laws, policies and other relevant standards of conduct. Actions an employee shall not knowingly undertake include, but are not limited to the following:

An employee shall not:

  1. Violate any federal, state or local law or regulation, including, but not limited to, corruption, collusion (with vendors or other University employees), blackmail, malfeasance, bribery, theft, fraudulent claims, fraud or conversion.
  2. Misappropriate or misuse university property (physical, electronic or intellectual) or inappropriately expend monies without the legitimate business purpose of furthering the university’s operations and mission; nor shall they provide inaccurate or misleading information regarding said business purpose.
  3. Willfully neglect to perform their duty or intentionally violate university policy, procedure, rule or regulation.
  4. Act in a way that is significantly economically wasteful or involves gross misconduct, incompetence or inefficiency or creates for the university potential exposure to liability and/or financial irregularities.
  5. Act in a way that poses a significant threat to the university’s financial status or overall reputation.
  6. Pursue/receive a benefit or advantage in violation of the university’s conflict of interest policy.
  7. Intentionally access, alter, manipulate, destroy, backdate, falsify or withhold information (verbal, physical or electronic of UNM or its vendors) that impacts the University’s financial reporting prior to the time of allowable destruction as defined by the university’s record retention policy.
  8. Sign a document as evidence of approving a transaction or acting as a representative of the university on behalf of another to mislead, or to imply compliance with policies that would have been violated in the absence of such a signature.
  9. Sign a document on behalf of another without their full knowledge and consent, and without clearly indicating such action has occurred; nor shall they sign on behalf of another when such action is a violation of policy (authority that can not be delegated).
  10. Interfere with a university investigation conducted in accordance with policy, including the withholding, backdating, falsification, destruction or tampering with financial or any other evidence (verbal, physical or electronic) of UNM or vendors.
  11. Engage in any other action, activity or correspondence that could result in a significant misstatement of financial information.
  12. Fail to report another employee for violating or strongly suspecting with reasonable evidence the violation of any of the above listed items.