Faculty, staff and students will benefit from familiarizing themselves with the following policy and procedure updates as it pertains to all University-related travel.
Guidance for all University-related travel, effective today
A health and safety high-risk travel directive was issued during the University’s COVID-19 response. Recently, the University reviewed key learnings gained during the pandemic in an effort to retire this directive and issue updated travel guidelines.
Findings
More often than not it was travel to and from low-risk locations that was being taken by faculty and staff. Two updates are the result of these recent observations and two years of key learnings:
- The existing COVID-19 specific High-Risk Travel Directive is being intentionally terminated.
- Indispensable pieces of that directive have now become standard University travel guidelines.
- In the event an employee travels to a high-risk location, complying with the High-Risk Travel Policy mitigates risks while ensuring compliance with state and federal requirements.
Important Travel Reminders
- During the University’s current transition from its high-risk travel directive and while it works to adopt an improved travel management system, using the University’s current travel management company/travel agent is not required but recommended for university related travel.
- Planned travel must be approved by the relevant budget center(s) before costs are incurred or expenses will not be reimbursed.
- In the event an employee used a p-card to pay for travel that ends up cancelled, the employee is required to use any credits received for the next possible University travel, and the travel credits cannot be for personal use.
- Reimbursement for travel expenses will take place after travel is complete.
- If an employee makes a non-refundable reservation, has not used the Travel Management company and the trip is canceled for any reason, those are considered personal expenses.
- Individuals are responsible for adhering to any University, federal, state or foreign government screening, quarantine and related restrictions that may apply to their travel.
- When booking commercial air travel and not using the Travel Management company, faculty and staff are to send a detailed trip itinerary to clemsontravel@clemson.edu prior to departure. Doing so allows the University to provide a limited level of duty of care in knowing where employees are in case of emergency.
- Faculty and staff making international travel plans are required to get approval using the Authorization for Official International Travel Form prior to making any travel arrangements.
- Faculty and staff taking students abroad should contact abroad@clemson.edu.
- Students (graduate and undergraduate) traveling internationally should register their travel through the Pam Hendrix Center for Education Abroad.
For more information, access Future state: Concur Travel and Expense update.