FICM - 5.7 Data Element Questions and Answers

5.7 Data Element Questions and Answers

1.	Question:	How does the coding structure account for such spaces as offices in auxiliary enterprise or hospital facilities? How are office assignments among academic departments differentiated?

	Answer:	All offices are coded Office (310). While some institutions have expanded this code to include faculty office, administrative office, clerical office, etc., this practice is discouraged as it mixes two distinct data types—space use and occupant rank. Greater flexibility for planning and utilization studies is achieved by storing the space occupant’s rank in a separate field of data associated with the space’s use. The ability to report on all office space is easy; and the ability to study space utilization of faculty offices, for example, is also easily done by reporting on only spaces coded Office (310) and housing an occupant of the rank “Faculty.” Similarly, the space use categories have been kept free from activity connotations. The use of the functional category structure allows offices used by auxiliary enterprises to be differentiated from offices assigned to instruction. An office within the functional category of instruction could be further classified by academic discipline.

2.	Question:	Classrooms may be scheduled by a central campus office such as the registrar or may be assigned to a specific department, which then schedules the classes. How does the coding scheme allow me to differentiate among these rooms in order to compare the utilization of classrooms scheduled by the registrar with the utilization of classrooms scheduled by specific departments?

	Answer:	Under this manual’s classification system, all classrooms are coded 110. By using the organizational assignment of each Classroom, a required field of space data in all cases, institutions can easily differentiate among classrooms assigned by a registrar and those assigned by a specific college or department. The organizational assignment for a space scheduled by a central campus office might be “Registrar.” The assignment for a space scheduled by a specific department or college would be that department or college.

3.	Question:	How should laboratories used for “departmental research” be coded?

	Answer:	If the primary use of the space is as a research/nonclass laboratory, the space use code is Research/Nonclass Laboratory (250).
		According to the conventions and definitions in NACUBO’s Management Reporting and Accounting for College and OMB Circular A-21, departmental research and public service that are not separately budgeted should be included as instruction. The functional category in this case should be instruction. Research/Nonclass Laboratories (250) can have a function code of either instruction or research, depending upon whether the laboratory is used for departmental or separately budgeted research. (See appendix B for definitions of functional categories.)

4.	Question:	How are “departmental libraries” coded?

	Answer:	The use of the term “departmental libraries” is highly discouraged. It creates significant conflict with official (formal) central and branch libraries. Most of the spaces will have the use code Study Room (410).
		These libraries, if they contain catalogued materials, can be optionally classified as a library function within the functional category of academic support. (See appendix B for definitions of functional categories.)

5.	Question:	How are fraternity and sorority houses classified?

	Answer:	Fraternity and sorority houses and rooms that are part of university facilities and not separately organized and controlled are classified as house (970), with the appropriate organizational unit assignment, and can have an optional classification as an auxiliary enterprise. However, if the fraternities or sororities are not owned or controlled by the university, they should not be included in the inventory.

6.	Question:	How should chapels be coded?

	Answer:	A chapel meets the definition of a devotional facility and should be coded as Assembly (610) along with other devotional facilities. If the chapel is not under university control, it should not be inventoried.
		A chapel can be optionally classified as social and cultural development function within the functional category of student services if under university control. A chapel in a hospital would be optionally classified under the NACUBO function of hospital. See appendix B for definitions of functional categories.

7.	Question:	How should day care centers be coded?

	Answer:	Day care centers may be coded as Demonstration (550) or Day Care (640). Day care rooms used to practice, within an instructional program, the principles of child care or development, or teaching are classified as Demonstration (550). Day Care (640) serves as a central service center for faculty, staff, and students. Demonstration day care centers have a functional classification of instruction, while those facilities coded 640 could have a functional classification of either institutional support or auxiliary enterprise depending upon how the activity is organized and funded.

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