Nonemployee Travel

General Guidelines for Nonemployees
Student Groups
Spouses/Families of Employees

General Guidelines for Nonemployees

Travelers who are not employees of the University, such as job candidates, consultants, and guests of the University, are to be reimbursed in accordance with the standard travel policy for all employees. While nonemployees are not required to use the approved University travel sources, the traveler should seek to obtain the lowest available airfare. In the event a nonemployee books his or her own travel and is to be reimbursed from sponsored agency funds, the ticket must comply with applicable regulations, i.e., Fly America Act and lowest economy coach fares.

Visitors from other countries require special processing in order to comply with federal immigration and IRS requirements. All visitors must complete a VISIT form prior to travel. The University is not permitted to reimburse noncitizens who do not comply with federal immigration and visa requirements. More information is available at http://guru.psu.edu/cbb/payroll/visatype.html.

Student Groups

Student group travel is a trip of two or more students accompanied by a University employee with a purpose that is relevant to the University's academic mission. Each trip must be approved at the appropriate University level, and a University employee is required to accompany the group. The employee is "in charge" of the activity and must be acting within the scope of his or her employment.

International: All international student travel requires approval from the appropriate dean or chancellor. A checklist of the necessary steps to be completed is provided at http://www.international.psu.edu/faculty_staff/pdf/embedded_ea_programs_checklist_92206.doc. Travel arrangements may vary, and can be made through any of the approved University sources.
Domestic: Student group travel to locations within the continental United States will range from an extended stay in another part of the country to a trip within the state. As with field trips, if students are traveling as a group organized by the University, then they must be accompanied by a University employee acting within the scope of his or her employment, and appropriate approvals must be in place.

Academic Field Trips

Academic field trips are common and range from an afternoon outing to a several-day trip out of town. Risk and liability issues have recently emerged concerning academic field trips. At the present time, no University policy exists for local and domestic field trips. It is important that University departments and faculty/staff/students follow adequate procedures to ensure the safety of field trip participants and to reduce liability and risk to the University.

Guidelines

These guidelines were taken from the Financial Officers' Web site. Please note that this document is not an official policy statement. The Department of Risk Management should be consulted if you have any questions concerning safety and/or liability issues when planning a student field trip. The Department of Risk Management maintains a Web site at http://www.controller.psu.edu/divisions/riskmanagement/index.html. It currently has sections of the Web site relating to insurances, contracts, and a listing of charter bus operators who have met the University's minimum auto liability insurance requirements.

The following are suggested guidelines that should be followed when planning an academic field trip:

Any external field trip agreements, applications, releases or similar documents, all of which are considered "contracts", must be reviewed by the Department of Risk Management and signed by an Assistant Treasurer in advance of the field trip (in accordance with policy FN-11).
A University employee is required to accompany a group if the field trip is sponsored by the University.
A campus, college, or department should retain a list of students traveling on a field trip. A contact person, who remains on campus, should be identified in the event of an emergency.
An itinerary should be available to the academic department or campus, especially if a field trip involves visiting multiple locations.
Emergency communications should be available at all times. A working cell phone would be sufficient for this purpose. If the field trip is in a remote location, emergency transportation should be available at all times during the field trip.
Personal vehicles should not be used to transport students to the field trip location. The University should provide transportation if the event is sponsored by the University.
For lengthy field trips in distant locations within the United States or its territories, the Risk Management international travel checklist form (pdf) should be completed and followed. Unlike international travel, this form does not require Dean or CEO approval. It also does not need to be forwarded to the Department of Risk Management. However, it provides a good format to follow for lengthy out-of-state visits.

To help protect both the University and its employees, the following should occur:

Each college and/or campus location should have a procedure for faculty to notify their respective department or campus of field trips in advance.
The purpose of the trip must be relevant to the University's academic mission and any University employee in charge of or helping to supervise the field trip must be acting within the scope of his or her employment.
If an injury occurs on a field trip, the appropriate University injury report forms (different ones for employee vs. nonemployee) must be completed. The accident should be reported immediately to the College or Campus Safety Officer.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Academic Field Trips

How is an academic field trip differentiated from other trips (e.g., student organization trips)?

An academic field trip is defined as an academic experience sponsored by the University. By definition, the University is in direct control of the event if it is sponsoring the trip.

What if the event is not "academic" in nature, but is more a "social" experience that is still sponsored by the University?

If the University is the official sponsor of the event, then the University needs to be in direct control and assume responsibility for the event.

How is "direct control" defined?

If the University sponsors the event, the University is responsible for properly supervising the activities of the event.

If a student organization sponsors a field trip, is this under the "direct control" of the University?

o Risk Management defines a field trip to mean an academic class experience under the control of a Penn State faculty employee and, therefore, by definition no student organization can sponsor a field trip.

Is a University employee required to accompany a group if the field trip is an academic requirement or a University-sponsored academic experience?

Risk Management approves charter bus agreements. If a department or group charters a bus for an event (e.g., a Penn State football game), is the trip "sponsored" by the University?

Risk Management reviews any bus charter agreements that are in the name of the University and it is presumed that a University employee accompanies the charter. If an employee is not accompanying the charter, the bus trip should not occur.

Is the University responsible for an individual's behavior on a field trip? Should a "Standards of Conduct Agreement" be utilized?

The University is not responsible for the behavior of individuals. The University would not require a conduct agreement, but it may be considered for use, and sometimes is, by an individual department or campus.

What type of emergency preparedness or communications is required for field trips?

Emergency communications should be available at all times on a field trip. A working cell phone would be sufficient for this purpose. If the field trip is in a remote location, emergency transportation should be available at all times during the field trip.

Can personal vehicles be used to transport individuals to a University-sponsored field trip?

If the activity is sponsored and planned by the University, travel is to be provided by the University and would include an employee accompanying the group to and from the activity. In other words, the University has a duty to provide safe transportation for University-sponsored events.

Team Travel

Travel Services shall arrange travel for teams competing with other universities in compliance with NCAA regulations. Travel for club sports at University Park must be arranged with STA Travel, located in the HUB-Robeson Center.

Spouses/Families of Employees

Family members and other companions may accompany employees on business trips if all expenses resulting from their presence are borne personally by the employee or companion. In all instances, the conduct of University business shall be of first importance during business travel. The traveler is responsible for documentation to prove that any personal travel did not result in additional costs for the University.

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