Travel & Hosting Policies

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to assure compliance with University and Flint campus policies, to assist the Deans, Chairs and Program Directors in effectively managing the budgets, and to provide uniformity across the various divisions within the College of Arts and Science, while providing the flexibility to respond to unexpected events.

Travel

o Travel is defined as a trip requiring an overnight stay at a remote location in excess of 50 miles from the Flint campus or the traveler’s home, whichever is the lesser. Hence, the policy does not pertain to day-trips and mileage reimbursement. Please note that University policy does not in general provide for any per diem or meal reimbursement for day-trips. o All travel utilizing CAS funds, whether held within the Dean’s Office or in a CAS Department, must have prior authorization in writing. For this purpose, the “CAS Travel and Hosting – Pre-Authorization and Funding Form” must be used and signed by the Traveler, Department Chair, and Dean in that order. Failure to comply with this policy will result in the travel not being approved and the associated expenses being the personal responsibility of the traveler. o Any request for variance from this policy must be submitted to the Dean with a compelling explanation as to why a pre-authorization was not secured. The decision to honor or deny such requests is at the sole discretion of the Dean. Any denied requests will result in the associated travel expenses being the personal responsibility of the traveler. Hosting

o Hosting under $250: Hosting events with a projected cost of under $250 utilizing Department funds will no longer require a written pre-authorization signed by the Dean. However, in compliance with the University’s Standard Practice Guide, the hosting must have prior approval from the Department Chair. It is the discretion of the Chair as to whether such requests must be in writing and what form that may take. It is highly recommended that such requests and approvals be done either by email or by using the “CAS Travel and Hosting – Pre-Authorization and Funding Form”.

Revised 11/21/2013 0044d68a75450ad7d4c83189ac66cd5a.docx P a g e | 1 o Hosting under $250 utilizing Dean’s Office funds: Hosting events with a projected cost of under $250 utilizing funds from the Dean’s Office must have prior authorization in writing. For this purpose, the “CAS Travel and Hosting – Pre-Authorization and Funding Form” must be used and signed by the Host, Department Chair, and Dean in that order. Failure to comply with this policy will result in the hosting not being approved and the associated expenses being the personal responsibility of the Host. Any request for variance from this policy must be submitted to the Dean with a compelling explanation as to why a pre-authorization was not secured. The decision to honor or deny such requests is at the sole discretion of the Dean. Any denied requests will result in the associated hosting expenses being the personal responsibility of the Host. o Hosting over $250: Hosting events with a projected cost of $250.00 or greater utilizing CAS funds, whether held within the Dean’s Office or in the Department, must have prior authorization in writing. For this purpose, the “CAS Travel and Hosting – Pre-Authorization and Funding Form” must be used and signed by the Host, Department Chair, and Dean in that order. Failure to comply with this policy will result in the hosting not being approved and the associated expenses being the personal responsibility of the Host. Any request for variance from this policy must be submitted to the Dean with a compelling explanation as to why a pre-authorization was not secured. The decision to honor or deny such requests is at the sole discretion of the Dean. Any denied requests will result in the associated hosting expenses being the personal responsibility of the Host. Travel & Hosting in Excess of $2000

o Per the Flint campus policy of the Office of Financial Services & Budget, http://www.umflint.edu/sites/default/files/groups/Financial_Services___Budget/preauth _for_travel_hosting.doc , “Preauthorization for Travel & Hosting”, a signed pre- authorization is to be submitted with a Concur expense report when the total travel or hosted event is $2,000.00 or greater. Such preauthorization is to be as stated above in this policy. o Note: Funds held in units outside of CAS are not governed by these policies. Please consult with the outside unit on policies pertaining to their funds. However, it is strongly recommended to review these activities with the Department Chair in advance of accepting and utilizing the funds. Per Diem policy o Applies to all travel, both domestic and foreign o Include cost of meals and incidentals o Examples of incidental expenses include fees and tips given to porters, baggage carriers, bellhops, hotel housekeeping, stewards or stewardesses, and hotel staff, transportation between places of lodging or business and restaurants, and mailing costs associated with filing expense reports and reimbursements due to the University. o Ground transportation (i.e. taxi, shuttle, subway) to and from airports and railroad stations, and between business meetings while on travel status, is not included in the per

Revised 11/21/2013 0044d68a75450ad7d4c83189ac66cd5a.docx P a g e | 2 diem incidentals. These expenses are reimbursable; a receipt is required where possible. Note that local travel for other purposes, such as to a restaurant or another hotel, is not reimbursable. o Receipts for meals and incidentals covered by the per diem are neither required nor reimbursable. These expenses are considered personal expenses. o Meals offered as part of a conference or when the traveler hosts or is hosted by another party while on travel status must be acknowledge by the traveler when completing the Travel Allowance portion of the Concur expense report thus appropriately reducing the Per Diem. o Exceptions to the meal policies are not allowed for any reason. Most conferences provide for meal restriction issues at the time of registration and many hotels will attempt to accommodate your needs. It is recommended you pursue these avenues for any dietary or religious issues you may have. o Per Diem is paid to each individual University employee on travel status. Hence, it is not possible to be reimbursed for paying for another employee’s meal. Both you and the other employee will receive the per diem and it will be up to you to get reimbursement from the other party. The exception is if this is part of a larger hosting event; e.g. you and the other employee are interviewing a faculty candidate. In this case, the above bulleted point takes effect. o ATM withdrawals and travel advances to cover per diem and mileage are prohibited. o PCard usage for per diem expenses is discouraged due to the accounting and reconciling work it creates. Such usage must be reported as a personal expense in Concur. o Hotel internet charges are not a per diem expense and are reimbursable. o Room service, in-room movies, etc. are personal expenses. Concur Expense Report Delegates The following individuals must be listed as delegates on your Concur profile. o Expense Delegates o Dalana Moore (Riley) – dsweed o Dana Evans – danaevan o Rhoda Fleming – rhodaf o Peggy Sturtz – pegstrom o Dennis Fattaleh – fattaleh o Lora Priebe – lorap o Department Admin/Secretary (departmental person assisting with Concur reporting)

Revised 11/21/2013 0044d68a75450ad7d4c83189ac66cd5a.docx P a g e | 3 o Please be certain the “Can Prepare” and “Can View Receipts” boxes are checked for all listed delegates. o For the Department Admin/Secretary only, check the “Receives Emails” box.

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o The Department Chair is the default approver for all other employees in the department. o Dennis Fattaleh is the default approver for all Department Chairs. o For expense reports utilizing funds from other units outside CAS, the expense approver for the corresponding Concur report(s) must be changed to the other unit’s designated approver. o Mark “Yes” to activate E-receipts Receipts policies

o Concur Expense Reports: Original hard copy receipts are to be retained by the department for a minimum of one year after imaging to permit periodic validation of the imaging system.” This pertains to all paper receipts that are scanned and submitted for a Concur expense report. It is advised to have a “paper receipt shredding party” once a month in order to purge all old receipts. o eReconciliation: In order to stay consistent, retain paper and/or electronic (e.g. Staples e- mail receipts) receipts for a minimum of one year. o Electronic receipts must be maintained on the departmental drive. The H: drive and local drives are not acceptable due to the inaccessibility and the potential loss of the documents.

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