Completing the UGA Travel Authority form Romance Languages

Completing the UGA Travel Authority form Romance Languages professionalization workshop December 4, 2015 Timothy Gupton, Ph. D 1

Attending conferences • Generally speaking, encouraged and/or required • If you’ve already been accepted, Congratulations! • Don’t delete the acceptance email – you will need it! • There are many opportunities for travel funding on campus and within the department 2

Travel accounting • Completion of Travel Authority (TA) documents may vary from institution to institution • Procedures may vary • This needs to be done to account for your absence from campus • It also documents your intended participation as a presenter at a conference 3

Travel accounting • Consider this process to be professional development • You will likely complete a similar process at your eventual job. • Some institutions reimburse for attendance only, too! 4

What if I don’t have funding? • Don’t give up hope. Funding may very well become available – sometimes as late as the end of the fiscal year (end of June). • The TA documents your whereabouts 5

When to complete a TA? • The sooner, the better • They should be submitted 4 weeks in advance for domestic travel, 6 weeks for international travel (*Note: this differs from the Romance Languages travel webpage) • http: //roml. franklin. uga. edu/travel • **Note: other links (keep this page open) • Go to UGA Travel Authority • Note that there is a special TA form for international travel 6

The TA form • The basics: name, department, ID # (leave blank) • Nature of official business • Detailed justification of travel • Dates absent, Address while absent from campus • Direct charge (only for those who already have funds awarded) • Authorized travel agencies: http: //www. busfin. uga. edu/accounts_payable/a uthorized_agencies. html (I use Global Escapes) 7

The TA form (cont’d) • Department contact: Sharon Yen • Email: syen@uga. edu • Phone number 706 -542 -2182 • This is Sharon’s specialty. Please go to her if you have doubts or questions. • Please be nice to her. 8

The TA form: Expense estimates • Meals: use GSA per diem estimates (afterward, you can submit receipts, or be reimbursed for per diem amounts) • Use the link here (or google it): http: //roml. franklin. uga. edu/travel • Search by city • You see: daily lodging max. and M/IE • M=meals, IE=Incidental expenses (e. g. parking) • Know the breakdown: http: //www. gsa. gov/portal/content/101518 9

The TA form: Expense estimates • First & last day rates: 75% of total • By meal breakdown: you cannot claim meals prior to departure and after return home (sorry!), so do not include them in your estimate 10

The TA form: Expense estimates • Lodging: Use your max. estimate • NYC in May: $270 / night (you will likely claim less later, e. g. if you share a room, use airbnb. com, etc. ) 11

The TA form: Expense estimates • Transportation: use your favorite airline for an estimate (coach seating only, sorry…) • Don’t forget to include estimates for shuttle buses, public buses, metro fare, taxi, etc. – whatever you will use to get to your venue 12

The TA form: Expense estimates • Other: most common expense here is conference registration fees • Note on reimbursement: you cannot exceed max. allowable amounts (well, you can, but it won’t be reimbursed, so don’t do it!) • Time of departure: indicate this • Mode of travel: air, bus, car, etc. • What if you travel by car? (to ATL or beyond…) 13

The TA form: Expense estimates Travel by car • Mileage is reimbursed at a rate of $0. 575 per mile for business travel • mileage needs to be calculated from UGA (Gilbert Hall) to the airport / destination, and not from your home address, unless it’s on a weekend • Use googlemaps, mapquest, etc. to estimate mileage total to/from and multiply by $0. 575 • Get reimbursed for your airport drive 14

A completed TA form 15

You’re done! Nice! • Now print your TA form using portrait print layout • Sign the form and leave it in Dr. Casado’s mailbox for her signature • Any remaining issues, problems will be handled by Sharon Yen • You may have to complete/print your TA again if there are errors 16

What’s next? • Prepare your conference talk! • Practice your conference talk as part of the Romance Languages colloquium before you go (so you don’t embarrass us!) • Knock ‘em dead at the conference! • Keep all your receipts from your travels! • SO, how do you get reimbursed? 17

Getting reimbursed • Go to the UGA Travel Expense Login: http: //roml. franklin. uga. edu/travel • Many blanks are the same as the TA and some are not • After you finish, SAVE your TE document • Then print, and sign • Tape (no staples!) all original receipts to a lettersized sheet of paper (this is for ease of scanning) 18

A completed TE form (page 1) 19

A completed TE form (page 2) 20

Getting reimbursed • Receipts that are letter-size do not require taping • Write any necessary explanations on the sheet of paper (e. g. shared room expenses) • Ask Sharon if you have any questions (and be nice…) • Staple your expense documents to the TE form, sign it, and leave in Sharon Yen’s mailbox 21

Getting reimbursed: important • If you already have dedicated funding, reimbursement takes time, typically 2 -4 weeks • Be patient. • If you do not already have travel funding, you will have to be more patient… 22

What else? • Submit the Romance Language Travel report to the Travel Funds committee: https: //roml. franklin. uga. edu/sites/default/files/ reporttotravelfundscommittee. pdf • Remaining year-end funds get allocated to grad students • Attach acceptance email and program listing of you & your presentation (Sharon will have record of all your receipts) 23

Anything else? • Ask your major professor. • Check to see if your conference offers awards or prizes to graduate student presentations. • Know your deadlines. • There are funds available from the Graduate School at UGA: http: //grad. uga. edu/index. php/currentstudents/financial-information/travel-funding/ • Preference goes to Ph. D, dissertation research 24