Student Travel

Table of Contents

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can an employee’s registration fee be included in the purchase order for student registration fees?
• Yes, the Purchase Order check can cover the student’s registration fees as well as the employee’s registration fee who will be acting as a chaperone on the trip.


2. Can an employee’s meal money be included in the purchase order for student meal cash?
• Yes, if an employee is traveling as a chaperone with College Students, the employee’s meal expenses can be included in a purchase order which covers student’s meal expenses. Alternatively, the employee can pay their own meal expenses and may request reimbursement on the appropriate Travel Form.


3. Can an employee’s overnight expenses be included in the purchase order for student overnight expenses?
• Yes, if an employee is traveling as a chaperone with College Students, the employee’s overnight expenses can be included in a purchase order which covers student’s overnight expenses. Alternatively, the employee can pay their own overnight expenses and may request reimbursement on the appropriate Travel Form.


4. What happens if a student needs a meal for which there is no cash available?
• The employee or student can complete a travel reimbursement form when returning from the trip.

Transportation

Types of transportation available to student travel are personal vehicles, state-owned vehicles, bus rental, and airplane. These forms of transportation are used as follows:

1. Personal Vehicle – The employee or student who owns and drives the vehicle receives mileage reimbursement for miles driven using the Regular In-State Travel form.


2. State Owned Vehicles – Contact the Transportation Manager regarding use of a state-owned vehicle. The appropriate budget is charged for the number of miles driven or to pay bus driver assigned.


3. Bus Rental – Contact the Purchasing Department for current bid information concerning what vendor to use when requesting bus rental. There may be driver’s fees associated with the cost.


4. Airplane – Click here for air travel procedures.

Registration Fees

It is the policy of the College that payment is made to vendors after merchandise has been received or service has been performed.

Some vendors request that registration fees or admittance fees be paid at once instead of after an event. In this instance, registration fees for travel may be pre-paid for travelers. This must be requested and approved on the GSCC Travel Request Form. Note: When more than one person (student group/athletic team/faculty) requests approval on one GSCC Travel Request form:

• All estimate figures are to reflect the total of the multiple persons traveling. For example: A registration fee of $250 per registrant to be paid for two people would be $500 total. List $500 as the estimate of the registration fee.
• Type “SEE ATTACHED LIST” on the signature line. On a separate sheet of paper, provide the name for each traveler.

Once the traveler obtains approval, a request for a purchase order (PO) can be entered for the registration. A copy of the approved GSCC Travel Request Form is to be forwarded to the Purchasing Agent at the time the requisition is entered. The PO request should include the following information:

• Destination of travel (city and event)
• Date(s) of travel (leave and return)
• Number of students and chaperones

For the Accounts Payable Office (AP) to pre-pay registration fees, the signed PO, registration invoice, and the approved GSCC Travel Request Form to AP must be submitted to AP.

Meals for Students/Athletes

During student travel, it may be necessary to provide meals for students. Students do not receive per diem; therefore, an employee carries college cash to pay for meals for students. The following per student amounts may be used for meals and can be adjusted based on budget constraints:

• short trips (less than 10 hours) $15.00 for two meals
• long trips of 10 hours or more $20.00 for three meals
• a maximum of $20.00 per day for overnight trips

It is the employee’s responsibility to manage the payment for student meals with student meal cash. The employee may use student meal money in a group meal situation; however, tax should not be paid from these funds (while traveling in the State of Alabama). Gratuity may be added and should be noted on the itemized receipt which must be returned along with any excess cash to the Business Office.

If a meal is sponsored within the city limits of the College, a PO will need to be used.

It is preferable to pay for group meals by purchase order. This can be done well in advance to ensure the cash is available when needed.

When requesting cash to provide meals for students traveling:

• Request a purchase order for cash to A01370735 for Gadsden State Student Travel.
• Provide Destination of travel (city and event)
• Date(s) of travel (leave and return)
• Number of students and chaperones
• Number of meals and amount of cash requested.
• If the PO is for Athletics, a roster must accompany the PO when sent to AP for processing.

Once you have received the approved PO, the Budget Manager signs the PO to authorize payment, the Master copy of the PO is sent to the AP for processing and to the Business Office for notification of the upcoming meal cash needed.

No more than 48 hours prior to the date the cash is needed, the employee who requested the cash can go to the Business Office to sign a Student Travel Responsibility Form and receive the cash. The cash is counted in the Business Office for accuracy.

At the time the cash is received, the Business Office also provides a Student Travel Receipt. Students that attended and participated in meals must sign this form unless an Athletics roster has already been supplied.

Student Travel Receipt Form if a PO was unable to be processed for the meal cash, the employee can use their own funds to provide meal cash to students and be reimbursed after completing travel reimbursement forms.

Lodging for Overnight Stay

It is the policy of the College that payment is made to vendors after merchandise has been received or service has been performed.

When an overnight stay is required in student travel, a PO should be requested in the name of the hotel where the students will be staying. Most hotels request that fees be paid upon arrival. In this instance a quote needs to be obtained from the hotel to create a requisition for a PO before a planned trip.

• Only in the case of student travel does the College allow an employee to receive a check made payable to a vendor other than themselves and hand-carry the check to that vendor. A check for hotel fees can be requested to cover the student’s hotel fees.
• Hotel fees payable by the College are the cost of the room and occupancy tax. Student telephone calls are not payable by the College.
• The employee acting as chaperone can choose to allow the students to charge a movie to their hotel bill. Movie expense is to be included in the purchase order request. To discourage excess charges being made to the hotel bill, it is advised that restrictions be placed on the rooms the students will be occupying.
• Confirm that no excess charges are made before leaving the hotel. If excess charges are made, they are to be settled at that time.

To hand-carry a check to an event to pay for students’ fees, indicate in the remarks a request to “Hand Carry” or “Hold for Pickup” when sending approved PO to AP. The PO needs to be sent to AP well in advance to ensure a check is available when needed.

Note: Checks are printed on a weekly basis, every Thursday. To ensure this deadline, items to be paid must be received by AP by 11:00 a.m. Wednesday. Items should be sent to AP at least one week prior to the item’s due date. AP checks are usually ready 10:00 a.m. on Fridays.

The GSCC Business Office at The One Stop will have the check ready for the employee who requested the check to sign for the check and receive it.

Once the check is presented to the vendor, a receipt should be obtained by the employee or chaperone and upon return, forwarded to the Business Office. Usually, an envelope is provided with the check to assist in managing the paperwork. If the vendor gives a cash refund due to overpayment, the cash is returned to the Business Office and a receipt for cash is obtained. A copy of the receipt for cash is given to AP. If the vendor is going to mail a refund check to the college, notify the Business Office of the information below.

1. The vendor name
2. Amount of the refund
3. the budget number to which the check should be deposited

Within 72 hours of returning from the trip the employee returns to the Business Office:

• Completed Student Travel Receipt (if needed)
• Original, itemized restaurant receipt(s) for meal(s), hotel(s)
• Any excess cash. (If all cash is not accounted for upon returning from the trip, the employee who received the cash is held personally responsible and payment is due immediately.)