Cell Phone Equipment & Services Procedures

University Cell Phone Equipment and Services Requests

1. The requesting employee must fill out a Request for Cellular Telephone Phone or Data Service form, found on the University Forms Repository, with this information: 
   • Name, department, job title, Stratus Cost Center, and University telephone number.
   • Justification of cellular need and estimated monthly usage.
   • Employee and Department head's signature.
   • Vice President for Administration and Finance’s approval for all smart phones.
2. Submit request to the Telecommunications department in person, by fax or via campus mail.
3. The Telecommunications department will determine an appropriate service provider, equipment needs and the most cost-effective service plan based on the expected usage.
4. Copies of the University's “Cellular Telephone Equipment and Services Policies” and “Cellular Telephone Equipment and Services Procedures” will be provided to the end user, and that user will sign the required “Cellular Telephone Assignment” form at the time of phone and accessory delivery.
5. The Telecommunications department will retain the original “Cellular Telephone Assignment” form, provide a copy to the employee and send a copy to the employee's department head.

Personal Use Reimbursement

1. It is each employee's responsibility to indicate whether they will use their University cell phone for personal use on the "Request for Cellular Phone and Service" form.
2. Employees shall pay $180.00 at the beginning of each fiscal year (July 1) if they select the personal use option (“Personal Use Fee”). The Personal Use Fee shall be made payable to Towson University and remitted to the University Student & University Billing Office. It is the responsibility of the employee’s to assure annual payments are remitted. If an employee enters into the personal use option any time after the first day of the fiscal year, the fee shall be calculated on a prorated basis. The University reserves the right to change the annual fee at any time.
3. The University shall cancel the cell phone of any employee who is discovered to have made personal calls without choosing the personal use option; upon cancellation, the employee will be required to reimburse the University for all costs incurred.

Business Call Reimbursement

If an employee elects to use a personal cell phone for occasional business use, he or she can request reimbursement for these calls. 

The employee must submit the cell phone bill with call records noted to the department head for review and approval. Cell phone bills are to be retained in the department's files for auditing purposes for three years.

After approval is obtained from the department head, the employee may request reimbursement from Working Fund. The cost of this reimbursement should be calculated as follows: 

• If the business calls are part of the employee's personal cell service plan's packaged minutes, the per-minute reimbursement rate is the total plan cost (including fees but not taxes) divided by the number of peak minutes provided by the plan. Example : If a 700 peak minute plan costs $58 and fees are $2 and taxes are $3.50, the per-minute charge is $60 divided by 700 = $.086. This rate should be multiplied by the total number of business calls minutes plus any roaming charges incurred.       
• If the business calls result in additional usage charges beyond the employee's personal cell service plan's packaged minutes, then the cost is the per-minute rate assessed by the service provider plus any roaming charges incurred.

Service Plans Reviews

Departments are encouraged to periodically review their employees' cellular plans with the Telecommunications department to assess whether it is the most cost-effective plan available. The Telecommunications department will review plans periodically to determine if employees are using the most cost-effective plan.

University Audit

The University's Office of Internal Audit will conduct random reviews of usage and charges to verify that cell phone policies and procedures are followed.

Cellular Telephone Equipment and Services Policy

The Towson University defines Cellular Telephone Equipment and Services Policy (10-01.04) employee and department responsibilities in requesting, maintaining and relinquishing a University-owned cell phone.