Off-Campus INSTRUCTIONAL TRAVEL POLICY SUMMARY
FEBRUARY 2011

This is a summary of Lesley University's Travel Policy for faculty teaching in our Off-Campus Programs. To access the complete policy click here.

Reimbursements should be submitted routinely within 30 days of completion of the end of the course. Original receipts are required for all expenses, with the exception of car mileage and per diems. If no receipts are provided, Lesley's reimbursement for expenses will be limited to $25.00. In addition to original receipts, copies of verification of source of payment should be included (e.g., back and front of canceled checks, credit card receipts). Effective July 1, 2009, all reimbursements must be received within six months of the date the expense was incurred. If the expenses are received after the six month deadline, the reimbursements will be returned with a reminder explaining why it was not processed.

Air and car rental –It is your responsibility to contact Lesley's travel agent Carlson Wagonlit (CWT) to make and finalize your reservations using the Lesley online booking tool. The product name is transitioning from Cliqbook to Concur and you can reach your sign in screen using www.cliqbook.com (or) www.concur.com (and then hit the "sign in" button at the top). You should book as far in advance as possible and reserve all trips to the same course at the same time. Only if necessary, you may make phone or email reservations at 800-786-4795 or lesleytravel@carlsonwagonlit.com. reservations can only be made during CWT's business hours of 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Eastern Time since all requested bookings are reviewed for compliance to Lesley policies around instructional travel.

Reminder: Reservations should only be made Monday through Friday during CWT's business hours of 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Eastern Standard Time. Reason: Airline policies mandate cancellation of all booking requests at the 24 hour mark if the reservations have not been finalized by the travel agency. If this happens, the airlines do NOT notify CWT or the traveler of the cancellation. So please be sure that you receive a confirmation for each transaction and that you check all confirmations for accuracy immediately upon receipt. Contact the agency if there is any question of error.

All charges are directly billed to Lesley University by CWT, and you will not be reimbursed for airline tickets or rental cars except in cases where direct billing is not available. In such cases, you must provide an original detailed receipt for reimbursement with an explanation of the situation.

For emergencies outside of CWT's normal hours of operation, you should telephone 800-786-4795 to make alternate arrangements. You should keep your Off-Campus Emergency Card with you when you travel as well as the contact information for your site and lab coordinators. If you are in need of a replacement card, you should contact your scheduler.

CWT has been instructed to notify travelers of the Lesley University policy requiring employees to accept the least expensive comparable and reasonable flight that is within a one hour window of the original requested flight time. Frequent flyer memberships must not influence flight selection that would result in booking a flight that is not the lowest price available. If a traveler declines the lowest reasonable fare within the one hour window of the original requested flight times and the increased cost of the flight is $100 or more, CWT is required to contact Lesley to get Program Director approval. Travelers are responsible for the costs associated with changing tickets for personal convenience. Do not purchase flight or car insurance.

Travelers should contact the Faculty Care Department to notify them of changes to travel itinerary due to inclement weather or mechanical problems. The correct contact information is provided on your assignment confirmation.

For car rentals, it is expected that compact or the next available size cars are adequate for business needs. You must refuel your rental car before returning it; failure to do so will result in a deductions made from your reimbursement. You should not accept any special offers from car rental agencies for not refueling as it is against Lesley policy. Adjuncts not requiring air travel are approved to rent cars if they live more than 150 miles from the site. At the time of the rental, the car should be inspected with the rental car company representative, if available, and any damage found should be noted on the contract before the vehicle is accepted. When the car is returned, an inspection should take place with the rental car company representative, if available, to ensure the car was returned in the same condition in which it was received. Should a rental car accident occur, travelers need to submit a written accident report to the rental car company, local authorities, and the CFO's office. In addition, the scheduler for that program also needs to be notified. Individuals choosing to retain the rental car for personal travel must return the rental car at the end of the teaching assignment and negotiate a separate contract with the rental agency for continued use under their own name.

The university does not pay for the rental of children's car seats or for additional drivers, unless the other driver is a Lesley employee. Rental cars are not to be used for any personal travel.

Car mileage – Travelers will be reimbursed for business usage of personal cars. Effective July 1, 2011, the mileage reimbursement rate has been increased to $.555 per mile. For travel taking place on or after January 1, 2011 through June 30, 2011, the mileage reimbursement rate will be $.51 per mile. From after January 1 to December 31, 2010, the mileage reimbursement will be $.50 per mile. Mileage reimbursement are limited to 600 miles per weekend. Employees will not be reimbursed for their daily commute.

Leisure travel - Travelers can take advantage of special discounts with Avis by entering the Avis Worldwide Discount (AWD) number A846190. For further information visit the Avis Special Services page.

Lodging – Overnight lodging will be provided for Friday and Saturday nights when the destination is 50 miles or greater from the faculty member's residence. The number of approved nights is listed on the your assignment confirmation sheet. Additional nights require a program director's prior approval and documentation of the reason. Lesley does not authorize reimbursements for lodgings within the general area of one's residence, and it may be considered personal income as defined by the IRS regulations and be subject to income tax.

Authorized lodging will be arranged by off-campus Program Assistants at Lesley University and direct billed to Lesley. You will be provided with a hotel confirmation number for each reservation made. Please be sure to keep this number with you when you travel. In case of an emergency during the weekend, the site coordinator should be contacted if additional lodgings are needed. If there are any unusual circumstances when hotel expenses are not directly billed to Lesley, faculty must provide an original detailed receipt for reimbursement. Please note that only the room rate and taxes will be reimbursed and detailed and original receipt are required.

Meals – In accordance with IRS regulations, Lesley's overnight per diem allowance is $39 for each night of lodging and $29.25 on the day of checkout. No lodgings are authorized for under 50 miles of travel, and there is no per diem without lodgings.

Student Supplies – Faculty will be reimbursed for course-related supplies that directly benefit the students up to a maximum of $9/ student per course for non-computer courses. Exceptions are:

EEDUC 5104 and EEDUC 6011, and EEDUC 6032–$100 per course
GARED 6100 and GARTS 6104 – $20 per student
All computer courses –$10 per student

Exclusions- Lesley will not reimburse expenses for alcohol, hotel laundry, restaurant charges, health club fees, movies, flight insurance or car rental mileage. There is no reimbursement for magazine or internet subscriptions, computer equipment or software.

Telephone – Business calls: reimbursed with original receipts; the person called along with the purpose of the call are identified. Personal call: reimbursed only when lodging is authorized and only up to $10/ weekend plus $3/ day for any day beyond the first three days of travel. Faculty must note on the receipts whether calls are business or personal. The reimbursement limit applies to the total of calls, either from hotel room, pay phone or home phone calling card. There is no reimbursement for prepaid calling cards or cellular phones.

Situations Requiring Program Director Approval

• Extra nights' lodging
• Car rental upgrade, or car rentals not associated with air travel
• Early air departure on Sunday nights that would necessitate leaving class early
• Anything outside of the policies outlined above

PLEASE NOTE that you must contact your Faculty Care representative to inform them of any such changes.