Biola Acronyms, Abbreviations and Terms

Section 1.87 Revised: August 19, 2003
01
Exempt Employee category; refers to the Fair Labor Standards Act; at Biola, employees whose pay is quoted to them as a monthly figure are exempt from provisions of this federal law regarding overtime pay. Pay is issued on the 15th of the month (or the closest weekday to the 15th, if it falls on a weekend), and the last working weekday of the month.
02
Non-Exempt Employee category; under the Fair Labor Standards Act, employees who are paid an hourly wage, are eligible for overtime pay and subject to other provisions of this federal law. At Biola. pay is issued every second Friday, unless a holiday makes an adjustment necessary.
03
Student Employee category; students (both undergraduate and graduate level) who work part-time on-campus jobs.
ADA
Americans with Disabilities Act; a federal law with provisions for reasonable accommodations to be made in the workplace to allow people with certain disabilities (as defined by the law) to be able to perform the essential functions of a job or to have access to participation in normal activities . An example would be installing ramps for wheelchair access to a building.
AICCU
Association of Independent California Colleges & Universities.
AMT
Administrative Management Team; at Biola, any administrative employee who supervises one or more other staff members (either 01 or 02) is considered a member of this group, and is invited to the AMT working lunch meetings that occur 6 times/year. An AMT member should be in the 'Management' e-mail group and should receive copies of the Management Update newsletter. (supervising 03 student employees does not qualify for inclusion in this group).
AQMD
Air Quality Management District; agency in southern California which oversees efforts to reduce air pollution. Employers like Biola have goals (see 'AVR', below) designed to reduce the number of solo commuters to work. The $1/day incentive at Biola to carpool or commute via alternate methods (bike, walk, etc) aims to improve our record in this regard.
AS
Associated Students; the name for the student government organization at Biola.
ASP
American Studies Program; this program uses Washington, D.C. as an educational lab where students gain hands-on experience with internships in their chosen fields and explore pressing national & international issues in public policy.
AVR
Average Vehicle Ridership; the statistic which measures the number of people per car during the daily commute of BiolaÕs workforce; part of AQMD efforts to reduce the number of solo drivers and improve air quality in the LA Basin.
BBW
Biola Business Women; the campus organization open to all women faculty and staff employees; monthly luncheons with varied presentations are held each academic year from September to May.
BEST
Biola English Studies Tour; a program available to international college students who would like to study the English language and American culture for one month during the summer.
(also - ) BEST
Biola Eagle Swim Team; a competitive swim team sponsored by the Aquatics Program, open to area youth, ages 4 – 18.
BOLD
Biola Organizational Leadership Degree; the degree completion program for non-traditional students, with locations throughout southern California where working adults can attend classes in the evening.
BRITE Ideas
Biola Recognizes Its Thinking Employees; the suggestion program, where faculty and staff can submit suggestions for improvements to programs and facilities, with goals of improving service and/or improving efficiency.
BUBBS
Biola University Bulletin Board Service; the e-mail system used primarily for students, faculty and alumni. It comes from the same vendor, thus closely resembles First Class, the e-mail system used by staff (and faculty).
BYA
Biola Youth Arts; the program, within the Community Programs and Services area, that involves area youth (including home-schooled students) in staging musical theatre productions.
CCCU
Council for Christian Colleges and Universities; organization of 105 Christian higher education institutions in the U.S., plus international affiliates, formerly known as the 'Coalition of ---'. Their website is www.cccu.org.
CID
Council of Instructional Deans; the body comprised of the deans of the academic programs within the university.
CMA
Christian Management Association; provides management resources and leadership training for Christian organizations.
CS
Career Services; office within Student Affairs that provides guidance and resources for students (and graduates) as they prepare for careers. Also, part-time off-campus employment opportunities for current students are listed here.
CSA
Christian Stewardship Association; equips Christian leaders with an understanding of biblical stewardship through education, research, resources, and networking opportunities.
ELSP
English Language Studies Program; program for International students, allowing them to improve their English proficiency.
FAF
Financial Aid Form; see FAFSA, below.
FAFSA
Free Application for Federal Student Aid; standard form used nationally for college applicants and their families to apply for federal sources of financial aid, such as Stafford Loans. Once completed, an applicant may share their information with all the schools they are applying to.
FAS
Faculty and Staff (online); An FAS password enable a faculty or staff member to access the password-protected areas of BiolaÕs website, such as course rosters and grades, the online Employee Handbook, etc.
FC
First Class; the e-mail system used by staff and faculty at Biola; interfaces with BUBBS, which is made by the same company, and is mainly used by students.
FICA
Federal Insurance Contributions Act; the federal tax withheld from pay for the individualÕs Social Security contribution.
FIT
Federal Income Tax; amount taken out of your pay by the federal government.
FPC
Faculty Personnel Committee, or, University Personnel Committee; elected faculty governing body in regard to policies in Faculty Handbook, and faculty personnel matters, including promotions. (See Section 7.4, Faculty Handbook).
GATE
Gifted and Talented Education.
GL
General Ledger; reports issued monthly, indicating status of accountsÕ income and expense activity.
HMO
Health Maintenance Organization; an organizational structure for providing health coverage, the most common form of health insurance prevalent.
IBIS
Interdepartmental Billing; internal procedure whereby one department bills another for services rendered.
IFAS
Integrated Financial and Administrative Solution; the core administrative computing system used by most of BiolaÕs operating divisions.
ICS
Intercultural Studies; the study of other cultures; see also SICS.
ISEP
International Student Exchange Program; opportunity for Biola students to study at Christian universities in Japan and Korea.
JE
Journal Entry; procedure to record the transferring of funds (credit or debit) from one account to another.
JR
Journal Receipt; documentation of funds credited via check or cash to Biola.
JV
Journal Voucher; form available in Accounting to record certain charges initiated by a department, such as Bookstore billings, or labor/materials charges related to work orders.
LAFSP
Los Angeles Film Studies Program; off-campus program of studying the Christian perspective on the film industry, consisting of seminars and internships.
LAS
Learning Assistance Services; Office within Student Affairs that assists those students needing help with such things as tutoring; also aids students who are on academic probation.
LASP
Latin American Studies Program; special program in which students live in Latin America for a specified period of time, studying the culture and the Spanish language.
Meridian Mail
'Voice-mail'; the name of the voice-messaging system in use at Biola.
MOL
Masters in Organizational Leadership; graduate program in which Ônon-traditionalÕ students can pursue this masters degree with evening classes, similar to the undergraduate BOLD model.
NACUBO
National Association of College & University Business Officers; .
PC
PresidentÕs Circle; the name given to a group of donors to Biola, based upon a level of gift given.
PAC
ProvostÕs Administrative Council; made up of CID members, plus several other positions that report to the Provost, and the AS President.
PLT
PresidentÕs Leadership Team; the Vice-Presidents and the President, who meet regularly and confer on decisions affecting the university.
PGS
Planned Giving Services; Estate planning; helping donors regarding stewardship of resources like property and investments for present of future use by Biola.
PPO
Preferred Provider Organization; a health insurance plan with an extensive network of physicians; distinguishing characteristic is that subscribers are allowed to self-refer to any of the physicians, including specialists.
POS
Point-Of-Service; a three-tiered format for delivering health care, including HMO, PPO, and out-of-network providers. .
PO
Purchase Order; the tracking number assigned to a recquisition by BiolaÕs Purchasing Department. This number follows the order through the cycle of the goods/services being received and paid for.
SAS
School of Arts and Sciences.
SDI
State Disability Insurance; replacement pay (55% of normal pay) issued by California when an employee is out because of a disability. Consult with Benefits Manager for details.
SICS
School of Intercultural Studies; added to Biola in 1983 under the leadership of Dr. Cook; Marvin Mayers of Wycliffe Bible Translators became its founding dean.
SIL
Summer Institute of Linguistics; summer program in which prospective Teachers of English as a Second Language (TESOL) may earn a certificate.
SIT
State Income Tax; California's income tax.
SOS
Student Orientation Service; used to be called SOAR (Student Orientation And Registration); oversee a multi-faceted program for incoming students, including transfers; peak activity is at start of the Fall semester.
SMU
Student Missionary Union; Biola's student-led organization for planning and conducting mission trips and the annual Missions Conference.
SSB
Student Services Building; Includes the Bookstore upstairs, and the Student Services offices on the lower level.
STAR
Supplemental Tutoring of Academic Requirements; a program of Community Programs & Services wherein home-schooled students receive academic support in various topics at sites throughout the region.
SUB
Student Union Building; upper level contains offices like Student Missionary Union; Student Ministries, etc.; while lower level facing the plaza has The Eagles Nest, Common Grounds, and the Post Office.
TAL
Department of TESOL and Applied Linguistics.
TDA
Tax-Deferred Annuity; one type of investment instrument that can be in a person's retirement account; taxes on the fund and the interest it earns are deferred until later years, when the retiree is likely to be in a lower tax bracket.
TESOL
Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages; see SIL, above.
TIES
Trusts, Investments, Estate Services; the department within Financial Affairs that oversees the management of funds and properties that have been given to Biola.
TSA
Tax-sheltered Annuity; another investment vehicle that can be in a retirement portfolio.
UGCC
Undergraduate Studies and Curriculum Committee; serves as review and recommendation group regarding undergraduarte curricular matters. See Section 7.4, Faculty Handbook for details.
UPC
University (Faculty) Personnel Committee; elected faculty body who work with the Provost regarding faculty personnel matters, including promotions, and changes in policies in the Faculty Handbook.
UPG
University Planning Group; the (approximately) 30-person group created in 1998 to guide an effective, ongoing planning process at Biola. From its work, the Vision and Strategic Plan, which will take Biola to its Centennial in 2008, was crafted.