Student Travel Policies

Overview

Students traveling individually on IPFW business may be reimbursed for their expenses at the same rates and subject to the same limitations as university employees.

Student-Employee Travel

Students traveling as part of their University employment are expected to use the same forms as university employees. Any limit on reimbursement below allowable university rates should be communicated to the student traveler by the paying department prior to the trip.

Non-Employee Student Travel

Students traveling on behalf of the University, or at University expense, but not in conjunction with University employment are not required to complete the same paperwork as employees. Prior approval of student travel should be obtained, but the Form 17 is not used. If the student is traveling with a University employee, the University employee should put the students name (e.g. "Joe Smith (student)") on Line 11 of the employee's Form 17.

Any limit on reimbursement below allowable university rates should be communicated to the student traveler by the paying department prior to the trip.

Reimbursement to non-employee students for travel expenses are submitted using the Form DIV Direct Invoice Voucher and the Form PC Payee Certification. Limited reimbursements should be clearly indicated on the Form DIV.

Student Activities/Student Athletics Travel

Student Activities and Student Athletics members use special travel procedures unique to their travel situation.  The university will prepay expenses where feasible.

Field Trips

Field trips - both required and optional - are covered by Business Manager and Assistant Treasurer Memorandum No. 102, dated October 10, 1973.

Travel Advances

Cash advances are available to members of Student Activities and Student Athletics that are funded from Student Activity funds to assist members with expenses.

Accounting Services will prepay expenses of student travelers whenever feasible.

Lodging

Lodging for overnight trips for students will be prepaid by Accounting Services when possible, to alleviate coaches or advisers having to cover lodging for their entire group using their personal charge cards, and to alleviate students having to cover expenses out of pocket.

Coaches and advisers should confirm that the hotel they wish to use will accept purchase orders before submitting a requisition.

Coaches and advisers are advised that the university will only pay the cost of the rooms themselves and the associated taxes.  All other expenses, like phone calls, room service, laundry service, restaurants, fitness clinics, and other hotel services are the responsibility of the coach or adviser and should not appear on any bill to the university.  Coaches and advisers are expected to clear all non-room-related expenses with the hotel at check-out and pay all such expenses personally. 

If a coach or adviser believes that some of these charges are legitimate business expenses, he or she may submit a claim for reimbursement upon returning to campus.   The university reserves the right to refuse any expenses not justified as legitimate business expenses and to put the hotelier in contact with the coach for resolution of the outstanding charges.

Advice to Coaches and Advisers about Lodging

The hotel industry strives to make it as easy as possible for guests to take advantage of hotel amenities.  Since the university will only pay for rooms and room taxes, coaches and advisers must take steps to protect themselves from unauthorized charges.

A few precautions are recommended:

• Assign students to specific rooms and keep track of your assignments.
• Tell students not to charge expenses to their rooms.  Tell them they will be held responsible if they do.
• Do not give students keys to the coach/adviser's room.
• Have the hotel switchboard shut off the telephones to all rooms used by the team except the coach.
• Have the hotel attach a note to each team room folio informing hotel employees not to accept charges for room service, fitness centers, etc. and to notify the coach if anyone attempts to charge such expenses to a room.

While we believe most students are honest, the temptation to charge an expense to somebody else's tab can be irresistible.  Coaches and advisers should remove the source of temptation whenever possible.

Registration Fees

Registration fees can be prepaid for an entire group according to normal university policy.  See the Travel Management section on registration fees for additional information.

Transportation

University transportation should be used when available; however, the size of a traveling team, or the distance to be traveled can make university travel unfeasible.  

Rental Cars / Charter Buses

Rental vehicles may be ordered by purchase requisition.  Purdue self-insures against liability and damage.  Wavers offered by the rental agencies should be declined.  Questions should be referred to Accounting Services (481-6220).

Airplanes

Airplane tickets for groups of students should be prepaid by Accounting Services. 

Student Drivers

The university's liability insurance policy does not generally allow for students to use university vehicles, except for:

• Students Government or Student Activities Board officers;
• Students traveling in the company of a faculty member or student organization adviser, or if that faculty member or adviser is in another vehicle in the same group of vehicles making a trip to a common destination.

Student drivers must be approved in advance through the Comptroller's Office.   Contact the Comptroller at 481-6822 for information on approving student drivers.

Meals

Students traveling as university employees are entitled to subsistence.

Students traveling who travel at university expense but not as a part of university employment do not get subsistence. They must provide original itemized receipts for meals in order to be reimbursed for them. Reimbursement for meals is limited to the daily CONUS per diem for the travel location.

Teams may handle meal money a variety of ways.  Teams are under no obligation to provide meal money to team members.  Those that do may request a cash advance from the Bursar's office.  Contact the Bursar's office at 481-6824 to find out whether your team is eligible for a cash advance and to learn the procedures for handling a cash advance.