ALLOWABILITY Bluefield State University, Glenville State University, and Mountwest Community and Technical College Assistance Listing Number 84.425E, 84.425F, 84.425J, 84.425M Bluefield State University (BSU) response P425F200727 $19,882?BSU agrees with the finding that these were routine maintena...
ALLOWABILITY Bluefield State University, Glenville State University, and Mountwest Community and Technical College Assistance Listing Number 84.425E, 84.425F, 84.425J, 84.425M Bluefield State University (BSU) response P425F200727 $19,882?BSU agrees with the finding that these were routine maintenance costs that, which would mitigate the spread of COVID, would have been incurred by the University in any event. BSU has put in place procedures to review all future use of funds to be certain that are specifically related to COVID mitigation. P425J200063?BSU believes the questioned costs in this finding were allowable. At the time BSU made the draw for the costs, BSU based the decision on FAQ #23 and used the definition of minor remodeling. This wall is within a previously completed functioning building, and does not structurally alter the building, therefore, BSU deemed it to be remodeling. Due to the overall cost of the wall in comparison to the market value of the building BSU deemed it to be minor. As stated in 34 CFR ? 77.1, ?[m]inor remodeling means minor alterations in a previously completed building? and also includes the extension of utility lines, such as water and electricity, from points beyond the confines of the space in which the minor remodeling is undertaken but within the confines of the previously completed building.? The response to Question #24 of the FAQ provides some additional guidance and specific examples of permissible ?minor remodeling? that may be paid for with HEERF grant funds. The remodeling in this case was very similar to the examples of permissible minor remodeling provided in the FAQ. Obtaining the hospital building permitted BSU to offer on-campus housing in a portion of the hospital that was converted into student dormitories. Another part of the building remained in use as a hospital. HEERF funds were used to construct a wall between the dormitory area and the part of the building being used as an Emergency Room. As a result, the construction of the wall in question was ?for purposes associated with the coronavirus? and should be viewed as an eligible HEERF expenditure. The related plumbing and electrical work should also be viewed as a permissible expenditure given the reference in the response to FAQ #24 to ?the extension of utility lines, such as water and electricity, from points beyond the confines of the space in which the minor remodeling is undertaken but within the confines of the previously completed building.? As indicated previously, at the time the decision to use HEERF fund for the construction of the wall, prior approval was not required. The project in question can be fairly characterized as a minor alteration in a previously completed building for the purposes of preventing the spread of COVID-19. For all of the reasons discussed above, BSU respectfully maintains that the construction of the wall in question and the related electrical and plumbing work should be viewed as an eligible expenditure. P425E200618: BSU believes awards were made in good faith and according to the regulations, as described below. However, BSU proposes the following corrective action plan to mitigate the issue. BSU used $305,191 of institutional funds to make emergency grants to students that the auditors agree meet the definition in the FAQs. These grants were based solely on the number of credits the students were enrolled in during the term or were to pay for books for students who requested assistance. BSU proposes to reimburse the Institutional funds for those grants from the above amount drawn. That would leave a balance of $1,291,079 in dispute and free up those Institutional funds for upcoming COVID related expenses. Additionally, BSU has HBCU funds that are unspent as of the date of this response. BSU proposes to reimburse the remaining balance of $1,291,079 from the HBCU funds. BSU believes these are valid expenses for HBCU funds. That would return those funds to the Student portion, which would allow BSU to make additional emergency payments to students before the funds expire on June 30, 2023. These questions costs were for grants to students who lived in surrounding counties outside of West Virginia who were given waivers for the tuition above the University?s in-state rate, to student athletes and those with certain levels of academic achievement. In addition to the grants noted above, BSU used the Student Portion of HEERF funds to provide emergency funds to all students, based only on their part-time or full-time status. BSU relied on FAQ #s 11, 12 and 13 in determining that expending the funds was within the proper guidelines. For example, the funds were used for the students? cost of attendance and electronic or written authorization were received to use the funds to satisfy students? account balances. Nearly half of those who received the grants in question were Pell eligible (277 out of 600, or 46%). Similarly, approximately 46.9% of the funds spend on grants in these three categories went to Pell eligible students. Therefore, BSU believes that students with exceptional need were appropriately prioritized in awarding these grants. Out-of-state students faced an added financial burden based on the added cost of out of state tuition. Grants to those students to assist with that cost were not linked to any of the factors identified in the response to FAQ #12 as a basis for determining that an institution failed to prioritize emergency financial grants to students with exceptional need. Grants to out-of-state students were just one avenue of distributing HEERF funds to students, who were free to pursue other avenues of funding. As indicated above, BSU used the Student Portion of HEERF funds to provide emergency funds to all students, based only on part-time or full-time status, which given the high percentage of Pell eligible students attending BSU, reached many students with exceptional need. Due to the high proportion of Pell eligible students who received the grants in question and the high costs faced by the out-of-state students, BSU believes that the grants to out-of-state students did not demonstrate a failure to prioritize students with exceptional need. With respect to students who received grants who participated in athletic programs or demonstrated certain levels of academic performance, BSU notes again the group in question contained a high proportion of Pell eligible students. Funds were available through other means to students other than those participating in athletic programs or demonstrating high levels of academic performance (including but not limited to the out-of-state students discussed above or the emergency funds made available to all students based only on full-time or part-time status that were provided using the Student Portion of HEERF funds). Academic performance or athletic participation were not a prerequisite to receiving any assistance at all, but rather two ways to access assistance. Viewing efforts to provide aid to students as a whole, BSU does not believe that the distribution of HEERF funds demonstrated a failure to prioritize emergency financial aid grants to students with exceptional need. Glenville State University (GSU) response To ensure compliance with all federal reporting guidelines, existing federal time and effort calculation guidelines, along with relevant internal control policies and procedures, will be saved to a shared drive or other location to which the necessary personnel have access. As a best practice, primary consideration will be given for the usage of detailed time sheets or time logs being kept for each GSU employee whose time or effort is partially or wholly allocated to federal grant-related activity. These time sheets/time logs will include the percentage of time spent working on grant-related activities, the percentage of time spent working on non-grant university-related activities, a general description of activities performed for the grant related activity, and the total number of hours worked each week. Time sheets/logs will be reviewed and approved regularly by the grant-funded employee, the employee?s supervisor, and the Grants Compliance Director or designee. In cases for which the time sheet method is not deemed practical to be employed, the Chief Financial Officer or designee will draft a memo that provides a detailed explanation and justification of the method used for calculating time and effort. This memo will be signed by the Chief Financial Officer and the Director of Grants Compliance. On a quarterly basis, the Controller or Chief Financial Officer and Director of Grants Compliance will meet to ensure the relevant documented time and effort matches the corresponding draw down amounts. Mountwest Community and Technical College (MCTC) response Effective February 2022, MCTC enhanced policies and procedures to ensure formal approval and documentation of expenditures for HEERF funds is retained to ensure compliance.