Travel by Athletic Teams

The following policies govern approval of and payment for travel by student athletes and employees traveling as a team.  Except where specific exceptions are made below, travel by individual employees of the Athletics department which is not associated with a team trip is governed by the CSU Travel Policies detailed above.

• NCAA Rules
  • Unless otherwise provided herein, all travel by members of a team, whether students or employees, will be governed by rules for housing, meals, expenses and entertainment of student athletes as published by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).  Where NCAA rules are silent, CSU Travel Policies shall prevail unless otherwise specified herein.
• Definition of the Team
  • The Athletics Director or designee will identify before each team trip all University employees and team members who will constitute the team travel party on that trip.  This list must be approved by the Director of Athletics prior to the trip.
• Air Travel
  • If the University has entered into contracts with agencies to provide air tickets billable directly to the University, all arrangements for team travel must be made through such agencies.  Exceptions may be made for extended team travel required or provided in connection with tournament play, or as otherwise determined by the NCAA, including permitting arrangements for lower travel costs or cost-effective “package deals” through other travel agents.
• Meals
  • When employees and student team members are given meal allowances in lieu of having a meal purchased for them, the amount of the allowance will equal not more than the maximum reimbursement for that meal under regulations governing employee travel.
  • Each person receiving meal money shall sign for the amount received.
• Lodging
  • Rooms for team members and employees traveling as part of the team party are to be provided at the lowest possible cost.
  • Due to the need to accommodate team meetings and receive sponsors or press, the Director of Athletics and a team head coach may book an additional room or suite as necessary.
  • Hotel health club fees will not be reimbursed to employees traveling as part of the team party.
• Team Entertainment
  • Although employees traveling as members of the team party are entitled to participate in any University paid group entertainment permitted to student athletes under NCAA rules, employees will not be reimbursed for the costs of individual entertainment.
  • Acceptable costs for entertainment hosted by the Director of Athletics will be approved by the President of the University.  The Director of Athletics will approve entertainment hosted by a head coach.
• Other Expenses
  • Employee members of the team party are not eligible for any per diem allowances for incidental expenses permitted by the NCAA for student athletes.
  • Employee members of the team party are not eligible for the porterage allowance otherwise payable to employees for each day in transit, unless mandatory porterage fees are required in hotels per union agreement.
• Management of Trip Expenses
  • The Athletics coach or designee shall submit one travel expense report covering expenses incurred by all travelers identified as members of the team party, including expenses charged directly to the University.  The Athletics coach or designee shall include in the expense report receipts for all expenditures as required under CSU Travel Policies for employees, or an explanation of the reason a required receipt is missing or unavailable.  The Athletics coach or designee shall reconcile all reported expenditures with cash advances issued for the trip.  The Director of Athletics or designee shall approve each expense report for the team’s travel.
  • Employees identified as members of the team party on a trip may not file individual expense reports for reimbursement of expenses associated with the same trip. An exception is made when the employee is not a member of the team party for the entire trip.
  • Employees not traveling as members of the team party may be guests of the team or of members of the team party for some functions associated with team travel.  Any employee guests must be identified in the team expense report submitted by the Athletics coach or designee.  Employees who are guests at team functions must submit their individual travel expense reports to the Athletics coach or designee, who shall reconcile them to the team expense report.  The individual expense reports of the team guests will be submitted to the Travel Office by the Director of Athletics or designee along with the team travel report.  However, reconciliation of the individual guests’ travel reports with the team travel report shall not constitute approval by the Director of Athletics of the guests’ reported expenses, except as they relate to team functions including that guest.
  • If the above requirements are not adhered to, reimbursement of expenses may be delayed or denied.

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