Compliant Airfare Comparison

A comparison quote must be obtained for airfare when any of the following circumstances prevails:

1. Personal travel is combined with business travel and includes additional destinations. If there is not an additional destination, the airfare is reimbursable and a quote is not needed.
2. Leaving from a destination other than the official station or flying into a city other than the business destination.
3. A first, business, business select class ticket has been purchased.
4. Mileage of 1,000 miles or more is being claimed for out-of-state travel for one person, without multiple destinations or the need to transport cargo.

A comparison quote of the standard coach price (for the business portion only) must be obtained from the same source using the same carrier and on the same day the original ticket was purchased. A quote obtained after the date the ticket was purchased is not considered sufficient support of savings. If a quote is not obtained at the time the airline ticket is purchased, a quote for the standard coach fare (from the same carrier and day of the week) for the business portion only with at least a 21 day advance purchase will be used to determine the amount of reimbursement. Additional charges such as car rentals, lodging, mileage and meals should be included in determining the least expensive route. Instances where a qualifying quote is provided should not be treated as an exception.

For example: an employee travels to a conference in Orlando on Monday July 1 and instead of returning on Thursday to his official station they travel to Tampa and return on Saturday from Tampa. The traveler should get a quote on the day that they purchase their ticket showing the cost of just traveling to the conference and back to their official station.

If they fail to obtain this quote, they need to attempt to recreate the cost of just attending the conference by obtaining a quote at least 21 days out, departing on a Monday, returning on Thursday to their official station and using the same airlines. They will be reimbursed the lesser of the cost of their ticket or the quote for the business flight only.

Graduate Student Funding for Invited Talks

Changes have been made in the way Graduate Student Senate (GSS) travel applications are processed, and this message describes the associated changes in departmental process. Faculty especially note that you will have a new online signatory responsibility that you will have to carry out promptly when your student applies for GSS funding. Failure to do so may result in a loss of both GSS and departmental funding for your student.

1. The student is invited to give a talk or poster presentation. For departmental purposes, "invited" can mean that the student sent an abstract that was peer reviewed and accepted, but note that GSS gives higher priority to conferences (or special sessions) in which all participants are invited directly by the organizers. If you receive a personal invitation from a conference or special session, and not just a confirmation that your abstract has been reviewed and accepted, then this should be considered as an "invitation only" talk. If you are unsure, consult your advisor. Keep in mind that GSS is willing fund contributed (uninvited) talks but the math department generally will not, and since GSS gives such talks a low priority, I would discourage you from requesting GSS funding for contributed talks. Approval of department funding for an invited poster session will depend on (but is not guaranteed by) a very strong endorsement of the prestige of the conference by the student's advisor.
2. At least three business days prior to the next upcoming GSS deadline, the student does the online application for GSS funding. Applicants should pay attention to the criteria to avoid rejection or a low-ranked proposal.
3. When the student receives the application confirmation, they forward it to their advisor, rwither@utk.edu (College), and sgandywo@utk.edu (Shameca for Department Head).
4. Student's advisor (and other signatories) must sign off prior to the GSS deadline.
5. The student then does the departmental paperwork as before, and brings it to Amanda as soon as the GSS application has been submitted.
6. Each student may be funded by GSS once per year ("year" begins September 1), and department funding will generally be denied if a student is eligible to apply for GSS funding and does not.

In recent years, the department has been able to match nearly 100% of GSS funding to give an invited talk, up to $500. I cannot recall any case of GSS funding being denied due to the quality of the application (a tribute to the quality of the work of our graduate students). These two resources have contributed thousands of dollars to graduate student travel each year and I'm glad they will continue to be available.