Travel & Entertainment expenses incurred on official Hamilton business will be paid by the College if the expenses are properly authorized, reasonable, and appropriately documented. Employees who incur such expenses should neither lose nor gain personal funds as a result.

Professional Development Travel will be supported by the College according to department guidelines. In order to provide Professional Development opportunities for as many employees as possible, the College may not cover all expenses, but will provide support to offset such expense.

This manual describes the policies and procedures used at Hamilton to implement those goals with as much flexibility and as little complexity as is possible within the constraints imposed by various legal and contractual requirements.

Hamilton employees should exercise care in incurring travel and entertainment expenses. It is the responsibility of each individual incurring such expenses to comply with the College's policies and procedures, as described in this manual.

The terms of this manual apply to all travel expenses paid by Hamilton regardless of the source of funds. If, however, travel costs are to be charged to a sponsored project, the terms of the contract or grant will take precedence if they are more restrictive than College policy.

Definitions

Official Travel is defined as travel on official College business from one's home or normal place of employment to another destination and back again. This includes travel related to the recruitment and interviewing of potential College employees and alumni relations travel. Normal commuting between an employee's home and regular place of employment is not official travel.

Professional Development Travel is defined as travel to conferences, seminars and other venues for the purposed of employee development.

Travel advances are advances in the form of a Hamilton College check that are issued to cover out-of-pocket expenses on a business trip. Travelers must account for advances within 30 days of their return to Hamilton.

Prepaid expenses are expenses paid by Hamilton on behalf of a traveler before a business trip is taken. Examples include airfare, hotel deposits and conference registration fees.

Entertainment includes any activity generally considered to provide entertainment, amusement, or recreation in the furtherance of College business,whether or not in conjunction with official travel.

Entertainment expenses are expenses incurred for ordinary and necessary business entertainment, including food, beverages, and social or recreational activities. Food and beverages served at meetings and conferences held on College premises are not considered entertainment.

Approval

Authority and responsibility for approval and control of official travel and entertainment rests with the person ultimately responsible for the account to which the expense will be charged. This person may delegate authority to approve the charges and to certify that funds are available to pay them. The delegating party may want to limit approval authority for travel advances or expense reports that exceed a designated dollar amount. Of course, no employee may authorize travel or approve cash advances, prepaid expenses, or expense reimbursements for himself or herself. In general, employees should not be asked to approve travel or entertainment expenses for an individual to whom they report.

This manual refers to the person authorized to approve a particular expenditure as the approving party.