March 13, 2020 - Message from the Office of the Provost
Under further notice, all university-related travel, regardless of funding source, is strictly prohibited except for regional travel utilizing a personal vehicle.
Travel can increase the risks of exposure to you and the community. Government restrictions and public health measures are changing fast. If you travel, those changes may make it hard for you to return to campus and resume activities.
Exceptions to this Advisory will be rare. A request for approval of regional travel or an exception to this advisory must be approved by the employee’s immediate supervisor, Vice President and Senior Vice President or Provost. Travel to Brookhaven National Lab and to other SBU locations does not require pre-approval. Faculty, staff and students requesting this exception must use the pre-approval form.
Travel undertaken without the appropriate pre-approvals will not be reimbursed and other disciplinary actions may apply.
March 6, 2020 - OVPR Guidance for travel on externally sponsored awards
In light of the unique circumstances presented by COVID-19 virus with respect to previously arranged travel reservations, OVPR offers the following guidance for travel on externally sponsored awards.
This guidance reflects current information from federal funding agencies which indicates that award recipients should continue to follow all relevant policies and procedures and to apply these practices consistently. As new information becomes available, we will disseminate to our research community.
As a reminder all travelers are strongly urged to purchase refundable airline tickets when making travel arrangements, so that if or when a trip is cancelled, the only cost incurred would be the potential cancellation fees. Unused nonrefundable airline tickets cannot be charged to sponsored awards.
If nonrefundable tickets were purchased, every effort should be made to obtain a credit for the cancelled travel with the respective carrier. If the airline carrier agrees to a credit, and an alternate directly related travel event can utilize the credit within the active award period, the cost can be included in the travel reimbursement request for that trip.
If travel arrangements were made through Euro Lloyd, contact them immediately to determine what options may be available through their services.
In the instance where the respective carrier will not issue a refund or when a credit cannot be used for other related research travel, Principal Investigator's should seek approval for reimbursement from the sponsor, specifically from the financial official for their sponsored award. This approval from the sponsor should clearly articulate that the charges for the cost of tickets and/or associated fees related to the cancellation are allowable.
If after taking each of these steps you do not have a solution, please Sheila Routh directly with the specific travel details and outline of unresolved costs.