Notre Dame Logic Seminar: Organizer Information

1. Calendar

   When a speaker has agreed to a date, replace the word "Unscheduled" in the calendar entry with the speaker's name. Also, put your own name in the description field. (Do this so that other organizers can see who is responsible for that speaker.) If the date is tentative, put one or two question marks next to the speaker's name. Try not to leave tentative entries on the calendar for very long.

2. Green sheet

   Once the speaker has determined his or her arrival and departure dates, fill out a green sheet. The forms are available at Lisa's desk. Return the completed form to Lisa as soon as possible; if you are requesting lodging, it is important to give Lisa a bit of time to make the reservation. You can also fill out the fill online, print it as a .pdf and email to Lisa. A few comments on filling out the green sheet:
   1. Typically, seminar speakers are short term visitors.
   2. Leave Social Security number blank; if it is needed, Patti will ask the speaker at check-in.
   3. You will have to ask the visitor about visa status. (See below for more information.)
   4. Leave the address blank; the visitor will fill it in. You must fill in the email address and University. (There are new travel rules in place. All reimbusment must be done within 60 days. Patti will use the email to reminder the visitor to bring all the needed forms.)
   5. Typical lodging requests: Ivy Court as the first choice for lodging, and Morris Inn second. We almost always get our first choice.
   6. Leave Department Office blank; Patti will assign an office when the visitor arrives.
   7. Check off the categories of reimbursement as appropriate, but leave the amount blank. Fill in "Logic RTG" Account Number. (Patti will write the actual number). Note: we can only give per diem reimbursement on days when we do not pay for any of the speaker's meals; for example, no per diem is allowed on a day that we take the speaker to lunch or dinner. Logic seminar speakers do not receive an honorarium.
   8. The first signature line needs to be completed when the form is turned in to Lisa. (Signatures of postdocs will probably not be accepted unless the postdoc is explicitly authorized.)

3. Visa issues

   If the visitor is not a U.S. citizen, e-mail him well beforehand about what paperwork is needed. The instructions on the green sheet are not correct for certain cases. Here are details on some of the cases.
   1. F1 visa (student visa): The green sheet is wrong. We can reimburse the student directly, if the student gets an authorization letter from his or her department chair. Here are instructions that you can edit and e-mail to the student:

      For reimbursement purposes, Notre Dame requires that you get a letter from the chair of your department with the following text: "I am aware and approve of Fred Smith's invited visit to the Mathematics Department, University of Notre Dame on April 1, 2065. During his stay it is my understanding that Smith will be collaborating with Profs. Cholak and Knight, and will also be giving a talk at the department's Logic Seminar. I approve of Smith's reimbursement of lodging expenses and travel expenses to and from Notre Dame." The letter should be on department letterhead and signed by the chair. Please bring the letter with you when you come to Notre Dame. Also, we will need to photocopy your passport, visa, I-20 and I-94 forms while you are here.

      In the past, an authorization letter from a vice-chair for graduate affairs has been sufficient. Usually, the student can get the authorization letter without a formal invitation letter from us; if the student actually needs a formal invitation letter, you can ask Patti to e-mail one.
      
   2. J1-visa: A J1 visa holder needs a formal letter of invitation from us so that he can get an authorization letter from the office that sponsors his visa. After you have submitted the green sheet, tell Patti that you are inviting a J1 holder and ask her to e-mail an invitation letter. She will edit an old letter to tailor it for the current situation. Here is a sample letter.

      Prof. Berenstein, I would like to invite you to visit the Mathematics Department from February 16-17, 2005. During your stay it is my understanding that you will be collaborating with Profs. David Lippel and Peter Cholak. Your lodging and travel expenses while visiting the department will be paid for by Prof Cholak's RTG account. Prof. Lippel mentioned that you are on a J1 visa from the University of Illinois. For reimbursement purposes we will be needing a letter from the issuing institution verifying that they are aware of your visit to Notre Dame and that they allow you to be reimbursed your expenses which will total approximately $231.32 (391.40 miles @ .405 pe mile ($158.52) and lodging at the Jamison Inn is $72.80 for the one night equaling $231.32). If you do not obtain this letter, reimbursement can not be honored. Sincerely,

      UIUC and perhaps some other universities require an expense estimate in the invitation letter. If you know beforehand that the speaker will need an estimate, tell Patti when you ask for the letter.

      Here are instructions you can e-mail to the speaker:

      In order to process your reimbursement, we need an authorization letter from the office at your university that handles your visa. We will e-mail you an invitation letter with instructions. You can present this invitation letter when you ask for the authorization letter. Please bring the authorization letter with you when you come to Notre Dame. We will also need to photocopy your passport, visa, DS-2019 form and I-94 card when you are here.

   3. Receipts

      If your visitor is flying, remind him to get a receipt from the airline when he checks in. Unlike most other universities, Notre Dame will not reimburse on the basis of an e-ticket alone. Here is the policy:

      Notre Dame's requirements for expense reimbursements are: Original receipts for everything being reimbursed: airfare*, bus fare, gas, tolls, rental car, hotel, food, etc. *Airfare: They will need TWO out of the three following items: (i) On-line/e-mail printout (ii) Copy of the credit card statement, if you paid this way (iii) Passenger receipt (available upon request when checking in at the airport) Boarding passes do not count as documentation because they don't contain information about the payment.

      Everything goes smoothly when the visitor remembers to get a receipt and thus can submit an e-ticket plus a receipt. Otherwise, we have to make the intrusive request of a credit card statement.

      Abstract and Title

      Tell the speaker: "in order to properly publicize your talk, we need an abstract and title about a week before". Send an announcement with the title and abstract to the mailing list, ideally on the Friday before. (Don't send the e-mail announcement much earlier, since people will get confused which seminar is happening which week.) As soon as you have the title and abstract (even weeks before), send Lisa an e-mail with the seminar name (i.e. Logic Seminar), date, time, location, speaker name, institutional affiliation, title and abstract. You must e-mail Lisa before the Monday morning before the seminar if you want the seminar to be in the weekly departmental announcement. In most cases, Lisa can handle abstracts in TeX.

      Check-in

      When the visitor arrives, take him to see Patti. She will review the green sheet and collect any necessary information from the visitor. (If anything is missing, she will provide the visitor with an envelope in which to send the missing documents at a later date.) Patti will also assign the visitor to an office, if appropriate and available.

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   Original version: David Lippel, 2 April 2008.
   Last modified: Wed Jul 29 22:42:27 EDT 2009