Information for travel and reimbursements for expenses incurred while travelling on university business for Staff, Faculty, Students, Volunteers, or non-employees where SOU is reimbursing travel expenses separate from pay.
Pre-Travel: All travel must be pre-approved by the appropriate Vice President of your department. Please complete the form below. Additionally, some expenses may be reimbursed prior to travel (eg airfare, lodging that requires pre-payment, etc.).
- SOU Travel Pre-Approval Form (Fillable PDF)
- Complete appropriate form (Airfare Reimbursement Form for air travel only or Travel Expense Reimbursement Form for air travel and/or lodging).
- Attach receipts showing payment (if expense is not charged at time of reservation, you must wait for post-travel reimbursement).
- If applicable, attach cancellation policy of reservation.
- Obtain signatures.
- Send to Service Center.
- Service Center will follow-up to ensure travel was completed.
References:
- Travel Reimbursement Rates (per diems for meals and lodging)
- Travel Expense Forms (forms needed to request reimbursement)
- Meal and Incidental Expenses Policies
- Other Travel Expense Policies
- Travel Guidelines
Procedures:
Employee or Guest Travel Information
Ashland Lodging
It is preferred that lodging arrangements be made with a facility that will direct bill the University. Refer to the Hotel Information table.
If using a facility that does not direct bill SOU, travelers must use a personal credit card to pay for the hotel fees at the time of departure, then file a Travel Expense Reimbursement form
Please note: vacation rentals (Air-BnB, VRBO, etc.) require extra vetting. Please send relevant information to Contracting@sou.edu prior to booking (two weeks advance notice preferred).
Rental Cars
Drivers-cleared SOU employees and SOU students over the age of 25 may rent vehicles for University business using SOU’s Enterprise/National account.
Please be mindful of the following:
– You must have van clearance to rent a van at Enterprise/National. Please contact FMP for details.
– Please note rental cars booked outside of the SOU Enterprise/National account will result in the user’s individual insurance being considered as primary insurance in the event of an accident.
– If you rent from Enterprise/National for personal use, your individual insurance is considered as primary insurance in the event of an accident.
– If you rent from Enterprise/National to travel to a conference with your spouse, the spouse cannot drive the vehicle; only the SOU employee can drive.
– Employment candidates may not rent cars using SOU’s Enterprise/National account.
Airfare Travel
Airfare travel should be booked only by using the SOU-approved travel agencies listed below. This applies to all SOU staff/faculty travel, as well as travel involving candidates, guest speakers, student travelers, etc.
Using SOU-approved travel agencies provides better customer service to both our staff/faculty as well as outside travelers, who will not have to advance their personal funds. In addition to reducing the amount of reimbursement paperwork, using these travel agencies could also facilitate managing airfare credits that arise due to changed plans.
The current SOU-approved travel agencies are:
Jackson Travel 541-779-5525
Baker Valley Travel 541-523-9353
Travel Leaders 541-772-9744
These travel agencies are set up to direct bill SOU, and they will confirm the travel arrangements with SOU’s Purchasing & Contracting Department before tickets are issued.
Note: These travel agencies will book airfare only, not lodging reservations.
International Travelers Coming to SOU
International travelers must meet all US State department and CDC travel requirements to be able to get into the US. International travel is complex, and every instance will be slightly different. Please notify Contracting@sou.edu as soon as you are aware there is an International traveler coming to campus.
Athletic and Student Group Travel Assistance
The Service Center Purchasing Team will provide assistance with Athletic team travel and approved student group travel, pursuant to the guidelines listed in FAD.034 section 5(b).
Please note that vacation rentals (Air-BnB, VRBO, etc.) require extra vetting. Please send relevant information to Contracting@sou.edu prior to booking.
Advances
(Students, Classified Employees, and other non-employees only): May receive advances on other expenses (eg meal per diem, mileage, etc.). Other expenses (eg airfare, lodging, etc.) should be paid directly by the institution through direct bill (see section on Direct Bill), use of travel agency, or travel purchase card.
- Same process as Pre-Travel.
- Any advance given that requires additional documentation will need to be provided to Service Center within two weeks of travel completion. If not received after two weeks, any amount not accounted for will be placed on an individual’s account for repayment.
Post-Travel:
- Complete appropriate form
- Airfare Reimbursement Form– airfare only, if not requested pre-travel.
- Travel Expense Reimbursement-Advance Form – air travel, lodging, per diem, mileage, and misc expenses.
- Local Mileage Reimbursement Form Local Mileage– one day travel for mileage only. May be used for multiple days.
- Attach receipts showing payment (not required for per diem, mileage, commercial ground transportation under $75, and/or miscellaneous expenses under $25.00 per item).
- If applicable, attach additional forms (eg Exception Form, International Travel Preapproval, etc.).
- Obtain signatures.
- Send to Service Center.
Reimbursement Schedule:
Accounts Payable Calendar PDF Version
Information about Higher One can be found at https://inside.sou.edu/souone/index.html (please note the website refers to it as the “SOU OneCard”). Click on the Activate My SOU OneCard! link near the bottom of the page. From the menu on the left, the refund choice can be selected.
Direct Bill
SOU has arrangements with some vendors to issue a direct bill to the Service Center. See below for more information on vendors.
Jackson Travel
Although departments may use travel agencies to book travel, SOU maintains the institutional travel purchase card with Jackson Travel. Travel arrangements may be made directly with Jackson Travel and billed to this card. To ensure smooth and timely transactions, ensure that the Purchasing and Contracting Specialist in the Service Center is included in planning and has the written approval of the Budget Authority prior to Jackson Travel seeking approval to purchase.
Direct Bill Lodging Information
Departments hosting guests and paying for lodging in Ashland may select to use one of the local hotels listed. We encourage departments to utilize a hotel that will direct bill SOU, to avoid the confusion and inconveniences associated with reimbursements. SOU direct bill will only pay for lodging rates and associated taxes. Miscellaneous charges, such as pay-per-view or room damage, will not be paid by SOU.
The following information and rates are accurate as of March2022. If you receive other information when reserving, please let the Service Center know. Please pay attention to any special notes for reserving rooms.
Information and Policy
For more information and policies about business travel, please visit the Business Services Travel website.
Forms
Airfare Reimbursement Form (PDF)
Local Mileage Reimbursement Form (xls)
Travel Expense Reimbursement-Advance Form (xls)
Travel Exception Form (PDF)