Team Travel - Before the Trip Begins

• Next of Kin Lists
• Travel Rosters & Itineraries
• Per Diem / Meal Allowance
• Requesting a Cash Advance
• Chase Mastercards
• American Express Corporate Card
• American Express Corporate Meetings Card
• Requesting Traveler's Cheques
• Sales Tax Certificates

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Next of Kin Lists

A Next of Kin List must be completed and turned into the Athletics Business Office as soon as your team members are finalized and before practice begins. The list should be updated, in writing, as needed, throughout the season.

The list should include the student athlete's name, Notre Dame ID number, campus address, and campus telephone number, as well as the name(s), address(es), and home and business telephone number(s) of the athlete's next of kin - the person we should contact in case of emergency.

If any of the parents on the list are divorced, we would like to know which parent is at the home address. Also, name the stepparent, non-custodial parent, home and business phones for each, if applicable. Daytime work numbers are important as it is often necessary to reach parents during the daytime hours.

Travel Rosters & Itineraries

Travel Rosters and Itineraries must be filed with the Business Office, Sport Administrator, and Sports Information prior to every away game. If necessary, they can be slipped under the door of the Business Office after hours. Use more than one form if your travel roster or itinerary form information exceeds the space allotted.

The Travel Roster/Itinerary must include the names of all travelers (players, managers, coaches, administrators, etc.); departure/return dates and times; method of travel; air carrier; flight numbers; connecting cities; hotel; hotel phone number (direct line); a coach's cell phone number or number where a member of the travel party may be reached at all times; city of destination; playing site; and sport. The name of the playing site and the time of competition are very important - make sure this information is recorded.

Per Diem & Meal Allowance

Per diems/meal allowances for student athletes and managers may be issued at the discretion of the coach. Ideally, meals to be covered by per diem/meal allowance, including the amount of per diem/allowance per meal, should be determined prior to submitting the cash advance request for a trip. Only meals that are not provided by the University through direct bill, manager's credit card, etc., are eligible for per diem/meal allowance. Coaches must request their own cash advance.

Per diem/meal allowance, by meal, are:

Breakfast    20%
Lunch          30%
Dinner         50%

A particular city's daily per diem rate is accessible with the following link:

http://www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/contentView.do?contentType=GSA_BASIC&contentId=17943

When utilizing the above site, choose the most recent Domestic Per Diem Rate link on the site (ie. NEW!! 2008 Domestic Per Diem Rates). Once you've identified the city for which you are figuring per diem, athletes may claim the M & IE rate (column B) minus $3.00 as a maximum daily rate (a daily per diem amount may be less if the coach or budget require it). Per diem is divisible by 20% breakfast, 30% lunch & 50% dinner.

The first and last day of travel is limited to 75% of the allowable daily per diem rate (total minus $3.00 for athletes x .75).

Foreign per diem rates are available at the following site:

http://aoprals.state.gov/content.asp?content_id=184&menu_id=78

When issuing foreign per diem, use the M&IE Rate minus Incidentals which can be found on the FTR Appendix B (Breakdown of Meals/Incidentals).

All student-athletes on the same team, along with the team manager, must receive identical meal allowances on trips and during vacation periods when the student-athletes are required to remain on campus for practice or competition.

Each time a per diem/meal allowance is distributed, the recipient must sign upon receiving the total amount of money he/she receives (sample form). This procedure must be repeated each time cash is distributed to a student athlete or manager. Under no circumstances may this procedure be bypassed. The total of this signed per diem/meal allowance sheet should support the amount of per diem/meal allowance recorded on the Expense Report. Please identify on the Expense Report which meals the per diem/meal allowance covered by putting an X through the meal(s) on each day affected.

NOTE: Only student athletes and managers are eligible for meal allowances. Athletic Department coaches and administrators cannot receive meal allowances. Athletics Department staff must report their own travel expenses, including meals. Your cash advance, Traveler's Cheques and credit card are not meant to be used to cover meal allowances for coaches and administrators.

Requesting a Cash Advance

The Request for Cash Advance form should be used to request all team travel advances and any home meal money the team may require. The amount of cash requested should be computed based on the cash needs for the trip including per diems/meal allowances. Request only the minimal amount required for the trip. For security reasons, we prefer Student Managers to carry as little cash as practical on the trips. Alternate methods for payment (American Express Corporate Card and Traveler's Cheques) are available to cover large expenses, such as gasoline charges, team meals, and emergency needs.

It is recommended that all Cash Advance Requests be submitted at one time prior to the season . This will require planning for these needs with your coach.

• Bus trip: $10 per trip or $20 per day, per driver
• Luggage handling/valet: $2 per bag
• Taxi: 15% of the total cost
• Restaurants: 15% (Note that most restaurants already include this gratuity in the billing for large parties).

Again, meals, transportation, and other expenses should be paid using the American Express Corporate Card, whenever practical.

Chase Mastercards

During the winter season of 2008-2009, the Business Office began issuing Chase Mastercards to athletes and managers for per diem in lieu of cash. The Chase Mastercard is used anywhere that Mastercard is accepted, and, is authorized for cash advances via an ATM (subject to surcharge). The Chase Mastercard allows students the benefit of cash in hand without the insecurity of physically carrying cash while traveling. Cards are pre-loaded with specified dollar amounts each date of travel.

Student managers can initiate the process by completing the Chase Mastercard Request Form and attach the necessary Chase Mastercard Support Form at least 8 days prior to travel. Please also take note of Frequently Asked Questions related to the Chase Mastercards.

American Express Corporate Card

Student Managers are issued American Express Corporate Cards in order to minimize the amount of cash taken on trips (see policies). This card should be used to pay for all gasoline charges, transportation, meals, etc., that cannot be billed directly to the University.

Your American Express Corporate Card should be checked out the day of, or the day before, departure and returned immediately after arriving back at Notre Dame. You are responsible for securing your card and its usage when it is in your possession. Your Corporate Card should be returned to the Business Office on the day of your return or the next morning , unless you come back on a weekend, in which case it is due on Monday.

Notre Dame will pay the balance due to American Express directly. However, the cards are assigned in the names of the Student Managers, and the Student Managers are responsible for all charges on their card . All original receipts from American Express must be turned in with the corresponding Expense Report for the trip. The billings from American Express are reconciled to the Expense Reports prior to payment.

American Express Corporate Meetings Card

All team travel hotel folios are to be paid using the American Express Corporate Meetings Card. The Corporate Meetings Card Form expresses an agreement between a hotel and the university to charge estimated expenditures on the card upon hotel check out. This form should be issued to the hotel by the student manager or coach only after the Business Office has approved it.

In order to utilize this card, the following should occur prior to the hotel stay:

1. Provide a contract specifying room rate, dates of stay & any additional charges to be assessed (banquet meals, room rentals, video rental) to the Business Office with your coaches signature attached (see sample memo).

2. The Business Office will produce a Meetings Card Agreement based on the contract provided, and submit the contract to Legal for review and the Athletic Director's Office for signature (the current process for all contracts). The CMC agreement states what charges may be assessed to the CMC, and at what time that may occur. The Business Office will provide a copy of the CMC (if requested by the hotel) and will attach a state tax exemption statement if applicable.

3. Once signed, the hotel contract, CMC agreement, etc. will be returned to you. Retain a copy for your files and send the original to the hotel. Upon arrival (or per the agreement) the hotel will charge the CMC for only the charges specified. A complete folio must be provided to the Business Office in a timely fashion directly by the hotel (or via the student manager, coach or administrator responsible for the arrangements). The Business Office will then review and verify all charges on the folios before the hotel will be authorized to charge the CMC for any existing balance.

4. The Business Office will pay AmEx monthly for all CMC charges incurred, distributing the costs to the appropriate budgets.

It is the student manager's responsibility to produce an original hotel folio to the business office upon their return to campus reflecting the balance paid. Much like the student manager's American Express Corporate Card, the Corporate Meetings Card bill is reconciled by the Business Office and paid directly to American Express. Only charges included in the original agreement may be charged to the Corporate Meetings Card. Payments made to the CMC should not be listed on the manager's expense report for reimbursement.

The American Express Corporate Meetings Card may also be used for any ground transportation charges not handled through the university's travel provider, Anthony Travel. The same procedure as above is to be followed for gaining approval to use the card. An alternate Transportation CMC Form is available.

Requesting Traveler's Cheques

American Express Traveler's Cheques are available to each Head Student Manager through Lisa in the Business Office. Traveler's Cheques should be checked out and returned just like the Corporate Card, before and after each trip.

The purpose of Traveler's Cheques is to provide emergency cash assistance to the team without having to carry large amounts of cash. Most hotels will cash the cheques, therefore, a manager may carry and cash them as needed. A Request for Traveler's Cheques form should be submitted along with the Request for Cash Advance. Again, it is recommended that you plan ahead with your coach and submit these requests two weeks prior to departure.

The Traveler's Cheques should be signed by the Student Manager when he/she receives them, and secured like cash at all times.

Sales Tax Certificates

The University of Notre Dame is exempt from sales tax in many states and can provide a complete listing. However, each state has different sales tax forms that must be presented to take advantage of the tax exemption.

If you will be traveling to a state which affords the University the sales tax exemption on lodging, you should make every effort to take advantage of this discount prior to sending the American Express Corporate Meetings Card agreement. The forms you need to present can be obtained from the Athletics Business Office. States may require direct payment from Notre Dame in order to receive the tax exempt discount. Take this under advisement and plan ahead when possible to obtain a purchase order (for goods) or Corporate Meetings Card Agreement (for lodging & banquet charges) before the trip. At least one state, Connecticut, requires 3-4 weeks to process each tax exemption request so be sure to plan ahead!

Continue to Team Travel - During the Trip