Please see the detailed student handbook here

There are limited travel funds within the department available for student travel for the purpose of furthering their educational and research goals. Student travel supported by the department must be authorized well in advance of the planned date of travel to be eligible for reimbursement. Please follow the guidelines below when seeking travel support:

If you are traveling to a conference, you must try to first obtain funding from the conference before requesting travel reimbursement from the department. Travel authorization should be requested via email from the graduate student’s advisor first. After receiving the approval from his/her advisor, the graduate student should send an email to the Department Chair providing the information about the travel. Please copy Gihan Semine on any email requests. Please include the following information in your email:

• Name, date, and link for the conference, seminar, workshop, etc.,
• Dates of travel
• Estimated expense for the trip
• The acceptance letter stating the financial support provided by the organization/conference.

Please coordinate with Gihan on turning in the funding check. You will be reimbursed for your travel expenses and held accountable for turning in the conference funding in a timely manner.

Ideally, we would like the conference funding to be issued directly to the department. Please use the following information to complete your conference funding request:

Make check payable to Rice University

Mailing address:

Rice University

Department of Mathematics

6100 Main Street, MS 136,

Houston, TX 77005

Attn: Gihan Semine

Once the travel request is approved and the student requires flight and/or hotel arrangements, please consult with Gihan before making any travel arrangements, especially if you need assistance in locating reasonable accommodations or airfare.

Departmental Purchase Card (Pcard):

The Mathematics department/Gihan has a university-issued credit card for graduate students’ use strictly for department-approved purchases such as business-related travel and other mathematics department business or event and to assist with upfront travel costs. Please contact Gihan to coordinate the use of the Pcard.

Graduate students may use the Pcard with the understanding that the following rules apply:

• The student agrees to comply with the card user responsibilities as outlined in the Controller’s Purchasing Card Program User’s Manual.
• The student is responsible for the return of the card and all receipts for purchases made while in his/her possession.
• The student is liable and must pay back any and all unauthorized purchases made while the card is in his/her possession.
• If the card is lost or stolen the student must immediately notify Gihan Semine.

Use of the card is a privilege that must be taken very seriously as its purpose is to mitigate the financial burden of out-of-pocket expenses for the student engaged in departmental-approved travel or event purchases. Failure to comply with any of the stated rules will immediately lose card user privileges.

Expense Reimbursements:

To receive reimbursement the following is required:

• A detailed travel expense statement is filled in its entirety (available in this Box folder and on the Math Finance blog).
• Supporting detailed receipts – must be itemized and list the form of payment clearly.
  For Mileage reimbursement, please provide a copy of a google map showing the route and number of miles traveled.
• Acceptance letter and any funding information from the conference.
  Advisor approval or department approval email.
• Meals – individual itemized receipts from the restaurants are required; detailed receipts must show credit card number or the method of payment and detailed transactions e.g., food or beverage ordered, etc.

Allowable reimbursements may include the following:

• Reasonable airfare costs – Airline ticket receipts should clearly show the itemized cost of the ticket and proof of payment, including boarding passes if available.
• Lodging – Hotel receipts must detail all applicable charges and clearly stateroom rate and taxes or lack thereof.
• Local transportation costs.
• Auto rental receipts should detail the daily rate and total cost. The rental cost must not exceed and be compatible with reasonable local transportation costs. Optional rental agency car insurance will not be reimbursed; Rice is self-insured and will cover all Rice authorized domestic travel.
• Registration fees.
• Meal reimbursement will be limited to a per diem of $50 when funded by the department and $37.50 for the first and last day of travel. If you are traveling someplace where the cost of food is extraordinarily high and/or breakfast is not provided by the hotel or conference or in extenuating circumstances, students are encouraged to discuss a possible increase with the Graduate Committee Chair.

Airfare

Air transportation supported by an NSF grant must be booked in accordance with the Fly America Act and/or the Airlines Open Skies Agreement. This means to travel must be performed by or under a code-sharing arrangement with a U.S.-flag air carrier if service provided by such a carrier is available. Please visit this page or consult with Gihan to ensure your airfare complies with those guidelines.

Exam Grading Meals Policy

Graduate students grading midterm and final exams in person may charge up to $20 for a meal to the department.

Meals – please ask for individual itemized receipts from the restaurants; detailed receipts must show credit card number or the method of payment and detailed transactions e.g., food ordered, etc. Students should coordinate with Gihan Semine.