Travel is an integral component of the research and teaching mission of Indiana University, as well as a frequent business necessity. Learn the policies and procedures of traveling with The Media School.
Learn more at Travel Management ServicesTraveling with The Media School
Planning your trip
Keep the below policies and guidelines in mind when making your travel arrangements.
The first step to planning travel is securing the necessary funding. Travel should be planned well in advance.
As the traveler, it is your responsibility to ensure sufficient funds are available to cover all trip expenses. IU reserves the right to deny reimbursement of unauthorized travel expenses.
In general, faculty are expected to use their research accounts for travel.
Unit directors may also have some funds available. If you're a member of the Communication Science, Media Arts and Production, or Cinema and Media Studies faculty, contact your unit director to request financial support.
If you're a member of the Journalism faculty, submit the Journalism Travel Request form at least a month in advance to request support.
Staff should work with their supervisors to budget travel.
If you plan to travel internationally, please notify Media School finance staff about your travel plans.
You must obtain pre-approval for any IU-sponsored trip.
Learn how to obtain pre-approvalIf a research trip will exceed eight weeks, you must obtain approval from the dean before leaving.
Travelers are encouraged to make arrangements through a designated IU travel agency. You may charge your airline ticket and hotel reservation directly to an IU account using the agency. Use the code BL-MSCH when it asks for a department.
Egencia is the approved full-service, online option. If you don't have access to Egencia, you can request it by emailing travelbl@iu.edu with the following information:
- Your full name as it appears on the government-issued identification you will use at the airport
- Your employee ID number
- Your role: traveler
If you run into problems, contact Lorna Butler, Janet Laughlin, or Michaela May.
The airline ticket must be coach/economy, unless it is an international trip where a single leg of the flight exceeds eight hours; in which case, business class airfare may be purchased.
The university will not reimburse for travel protection, as the university is self-insured.
Rental vehicles should be economy size, unless business needs dictate otherwise (examples: free upgrades due to club membership, non-availability of economy-size vehicles).
All rental car drivers must be IU-approved drivers due to insurance coverage requirements.
Travelers should decline rental car insurance and extras. These expenses, if incurred, will not be reimbursed. The exception is GPS — if necessary, this can be included and will be reimbursed.
Reimbursement
Keep your receipts! Submit original receipts for airfare, taxis, parking, conference registration, etc., after traveling. Receipts must show proof of payment and list your name, unless it’s a parking/taxi/toll/subway receipt.
To be reimbursed, you must first create an expense report and then submit your receipts.
Submit your expense report using Chrome River, which you can access via One.IU. (The Chrome River expense report replaces IU’s previously used Travel Reimbursement Request).
Chrome River offers tutorials on submitting expense reports. To access tutorials, click on your name in the top righthand corner of the screen, and select “Help.”
Submit a separate expense report for each individual trip. To create an expense report, click the “+New” button.
Give the report a title that contains the trip activity, destination and dates of travel, e.g., “AEJMC Conference — Washington, D.C. — 8/6/18-8/8/18.” The form will walk you through the first page and then you can save it until the trip is over and you’re ready to complete it.
You must enter your travel dates accurately, including personal days taken during the trip.
In the "business purpose" field, you should clearly explain how the trip benefits IU.
Mileage
Calculate mileage from the physical starting point to the destination. For example, if you left directly from your home, use your home address as the starting point. If you left from Franklin Hall, use 601 E. Kirkwood Ave., Bloomington, Indiana 47408 as the starting point.
Per diem
The Chrome River Per Diem Wizard helps you calculate per diem for your trip. Per diem must be reduced to account for complimentary meals provided at conference, events, etc. Please account for all complimentary meals within the Per Diem Wizard.
See the “Per diem” section for IU’s per diem policies.
Send your receipts to receipts@chromefile.com. You may either scan the receipt or take a photo of it, or forward receipts you receive via email.
Make sure you are sending them from the email address attached to your primary email in Chrome River. (You can find this in “Settings” in Chrome River). You can add another email to Chrome River in “Settings.”
Receipts must show:
- Name of traveler
- Itemized list of expenses
- Proof of payment
After completing your expense report and emailing your receipts, bring hard copies of the receipts to Janet Laughlin, Bobbie Treadway or Sarah Gibson. IU must retain them for audit purposes. The Media School will not approve your expense report until it receives hard copies of your receipts.
Travel receipts submitted within 60 days of your return from your trip will be processed as reimbursement of expenses. Receipts submitted 61-120 days after return will be processed as taxable income and will be subject to withholding. A written explanation of why the receipts weren’t submitted before the 60-day deadline is also required. If receipts aren’t submitted within 120 days from the return date of your trip, you will not be reimbursed.
Per diem
IU pays per diem for meals, rather than reimbursement based on individual meal receipts. To receive per diem, submit a hotel receipt. If you stayed with family/friends, or the hosting organization paid for your lodging, please include a note in the Per Diem Wizard of the expense report and provide the name, address and telephone number of your host.
Please reduce per diem to account for complimentary meals provided at conference, events, etc.
Per diem is paid at 75 percent of the daily allowance for both first and last days of travel, regardless of start or return times.
Trips lasting less than 12 hours are not eligible for per diem.
Pre-paid travel expense reconciliation
If you billed travel expenses directly to your research account, you must reconcile your expenses in Chrome River after the trip.
Download instructionsGroup trips
Media School-funded trips with groups of students must always be approved in advance.
See group travel financial policiesQuestions?
Contact Katie Higgins or Lorna Butler, or Travel Management at travelbl@iu.edu or 812-855-2873.