Purchasing Guidelines

Certain types of expenses SHOULD NOT be incurred and paid out of University funds.

Examples include but are not limited to the following:

1. Gifts to employees and others. Items of nominal cost, such as official development gifts to potential donors, gifts to students as approved by the dean of students, or public-relations items are exceptions.
2. Parties for faculty and staff, such as Christmas, birthdays, Secretary’s Day, etc. Any exceptions must be paid for by the employees.
3. Office social functions except for formal course of business, such as planning-day picnics or receptions for terminating employees who have long tenure at the University. All food and beverage requests should be made through ONU Dining Services if possible.
4. Daily beverage, pastry or break expenses. Departments may, however, pay for coffee and tea for employee use.
5. Christmas and greeting cards except for donor, potential students or vendor relationship and at the discretion of each department chair.
6. Flowers for funerals and employee illness.
   1. The University will purchase and send flowers to the family or funeral home, is appropriate, whenever there is a death in the immediate family of any University employee. Immediate family for purpose of this policy as defined as: legal spouse, children, mother, father, brothers, sisters and parents of a spouse.
   2. The office of the president will initiate the purchase of flowers when the death involves a faculty member or staff member. The Office of Human Resources will initiate the purchase of flowers when the death involves a support staff member. The office of vice president for student affairs will initiate the purchase of flowers when the death involves a student.
   3. University funds used to purchase flowers for sick or hospitalized employees will only be initiated by the office of the president.
   4. All other flowers are a personal expense item for the employee. Flowers for donor or student relationships are appropriate as approved by the respective vice president.
7. Entertainment expenses should not be charged to the University except for official donor, parent, or student relations and as approved by the respective vice president. Entertainment costs, as part of a meeting agenda, would be approved. Any such entertainment expense, however, must be modest in value. On-campus entertainment should be ONU-sponsored events (PAC functions, athletic functions, etc.) Employee spouses may be included if such inclusion would further the purpose of the event.