FAQ

Determine if the property is missing or stolen and make the following property notifications:

Missing Property

• Must be reported to the property manager immediately
• Complete a Missing, Damaged or Stolen Property Report within 24 hours of initial report
• Missing property will remain on the department's property inventory for two years during which time searching for the property should continue

Additional Reporting by the Property Manager

Without negligence:

• Director of the Office of Procurement and Business Services
• Vice President for Finance and Administration
• Equipment manager and property custodian

With negligence:

• Director of the Office of Procurement and Business Services
• Vice President for Finance and Administration
• Vice president of employee’s division
• Department of Audit Services
• Equipment manager, property custodian and any other employee deemed negligent

Missing computers, regardless of negligence:

• Director of Information Technology Services

Stolen Property

• Must be reported to the property manager immediately
• Must be reported to University Police Department
• Complete a Missing, Damaged or Stolen Property Report within 24 hours of initial report
• Stolen property will be deleted immediately and can be added back to property records, should it be recovered

Additional Reporting by the Property Manager

Without negligence:

• Director of the Office of Procurement and Business Services
• Vice President for Finance and Administration

With negligence:

• Director of the Office of Procurement and Business Services
• Vice President for Finance and Administration
• Vice President of employee’s division
• Department of Audit Services
• Equipment manager, property custodian and any other employee deemed negligent

Stolen computers, regardless of negligence:

• Director of Information Technology Services

First, determine if your department has multiple inventories; i.e., main department inventory and separate inventories for grants, or unique projects.

If the property you need to move is within the same property inventory list, email Procurement and Property Services with the new location. They will update the property records.

If the property you need to move is within the department, but on different property lists, or is being moved to a different department, a Property Transfer Form must be completed.

If the property is being transferred to surplus, a Property Transfer Form must be completed. A separate form must be completed for data processing equipment.

If the equipment manager (department head) changes, a complete inventory of the department's property must be completed within 30 days prior to the last day of service of the out-going department head, and within the first 30 days of service of the new department head. A Certification of Physical Inventory with a Change in Equipment Manager form must be completed.

If the property custodian changes, a complete inventory of property assigned to the property custodian must be completed within 30 days of the change. A Property Custodian Termination/Transfer form must be completed showing the new property custodian to whom the property is assigned.

The value of property to be tracked has changed over the years, so many older pieces of equipment or property were tagged for tracking 10 to 20 years ago, but are currently not required to be tracked.

Contact the property manager and remove the property tag if possible. When the replacement property is received, contact the property manager who will prepare a duplicate tag and send someone over to re-tag the property.

Notify the property manager (ext. 4618) immediately. They can prepare a duplicate tag and send a student over to re-tag the equipment.

You must complete a Removal of Property from Campus Request and indicate the beginning and end of the fiscal year as the removed and returned dates. This form must be filled out at the beginning of each fiscal year.

You can confirm your status as a Property Custodian in one of two ways:

• Look up in WebFOCUS report "ffr0007_property_ownership"
• Contact the property manager at (936) 468-4618

Property may be taken off-campus only for official business of the university or another state agency. A Removal of Property from Campus Request form must be completed. A new form must be resubmitted at the beginning of each fiscal year.

University property may not be thrown away, cannibalized or disposed of in any manner without the prior authorization of the property manager.

Any employee with specific responsibility for property may be held financially responsible if negligence is determined. Financial responsibility may apply to more than one person given the circumstances of each instance of loss. Negligence is defined as:

• Failure to exercise reasonable care and safekeeping of university property, resulting in its disappearance of theft
• Failure to exercise reasonable care to maintain and service property, resulting in deterioration of the property
• Or evidence that property has been damaged or destroyed as a result of an intentional wrongful act or a negligent act.

The Office of Procurement and Business Services will investigate each item reported missing or stolen, and make the determination. If negligence is confirmed, notification will be made to:

• SFA’s Department of Audit Services
• Vice president for the division
• Vice President for Finance and Administration
• Director of Procurement and Business Services
• Equipment manager, property custodian and any other employee deemed negligent
• Director of Information Technology Services for all computers, regardless of negligence

SFA will determine the value of the property and give the negligent employee(s) an opportunity to provide a replacement or reimbursement to the university