Student Travel Information | Curriculum in Toxicology & Environmental Medicine

Whether it be for the yearly Society of Toxicology Conference or a trip to present your research abroad, CiTEM has you covered for all of your travel related questions. If you find yourself with a burning question not addressed below, please reach out to David Chapman and he will do his best to answer your question(s).

Student Travel Process:

First things first, please make sure to fill out the CiTEM Travel Authorization 2023. This form is necessary for any student traveling on behalf of or relating to their research in the Curriculum in Toxicology and Environmental Medicine. Once you and your advisor have signed this form, please send it to David Chapman, the CiTEM Business Services Coordinator for filing and approval.

Next, you travel on behalf of CiTEM, making your trip and presenting your research as planned. You keep all of your receipts and, upon your return, you submit them to the CiTEM Business Services Coordinator, David Chapman. David will create and prepare a web travel reimbursement form on your behalf. Once completed, he will send you a Traveler’s Acknowledgement Form which you are required to sign, agreeing that you did indeed travel and the amount being requested for reimbursement is accurate. Once signed and returned, David will submit the web travel form to the travel office for approval. The approval process can take anywhere from 1 to 4 weeks. The travel office does the best they can and certain times of the year are busier than others. David will keep an eye on your form to ensure it’s processed as soon as possible.

Once approved by the travel office, the reimbursement is sent to the University Cashier’s office to be vouchered to the student via direct deposit within 3-5 business days. Please note that if you have any outstanding balances on your account, this reimbursement will be applied to the outstanding balances first. This is a university policy that CiTEM, the travel office, and the university cashier’s office has no control over. It’s the responsibility of the student to ensure they are in good financial standing with the university in order to receive their reimbursement.

Modes of transportation:

It’s the university’s preference that you fly when you travel. If you would like to drive, it’s the university’s preference that you rent a car. If you decide to drive your own vehicle, the university requires that you provide a financial justification for doing so. Please be mindful about these choices as they can affect the timeline for reimbursement and could ultimately keep you from being reimbursed if the university travel office does not agree with your financial justification.

Per Diem Reimbursement (Food):

The university does not reimburse travelers for individual meals, so these receipts are not needed. The university uses the federal system for meal reimbursement for trips. This means that, depending on your destination, you will be allotted a certain amount for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and incidentals. These amounts are updated regularly and are available at US General Services Administration Website. This also means that on your first and last day of travel, you are allotted only 75% of the stated per diem.

International Travel:

International travel has a few extra hoops to jump through. First, you’ll need to fill out the CiTEM Travel Authorization 2023. Once completed and approved, follow the below directions for both the School of Medicine and the Graduate School.

SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

1. DOWNLOAD AND COMPLETE THE INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL APPROVAL FORM.

2. OBTAIN DESIGNATED APPROVER SIGNATURE ON THE INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL APPROVAL FORM.

Designated approvers include Deans, Division Chiefs, Department Chairs, and Center and Area Directors

3. UPLOAD THE APPROVED INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL APPROVAL FORM INTO CONCUR.

If you are traveling to a Level 1 or Level 2 country and your designated approve has approved, YOUR TRAVEL IS APPROVED. Upload your form into Concur and proceed with your travel planning.

If you are traveling to a Level 3 or Level 4 country and your designated approve has approved, your request will be reviewed in Concur by the Office of the Vice Provost for Global Affairs. Once you see an approval in Concur, your travel is approved.

If your request requires additional levels of review, you will receive an email from Jill Wilhelm and Kim Priebe. For questions, please email Jill Wilhelm at jill.wilhelm@unc.edu.

GRADUATE SCHOOL

1. SUBMIT REQUESTS THROUGH RAPID ADMIN SERVICE REQUEST (RASR).

On the Graduate School tab, select “Graduate Student Request for Travel Restriction Exception.”

For RASR access issues, contact Julie Montaigne at julie_montaigne@unc.edu. Applicants can follow the approval process in the RASR system under “My RASR Form Submissions.”

2. APPROVAL

Have your advisor complete the Advisor Approval Form.

Exceptions for University-affiliated international travel must be approved by the traveler’s 1) department chair or director of graduate studies; and 2) appropriate senior administrator (school dean or associate dean). By approving the request, the dean or dean’s designee has determined that the articulated benefits to the University outweigh the risks associated with the travel. Deans or designees should review the updated international travel guidance from May 11, 2023.

If you are an approver for this process, please visit The Graduate School website for more information.

UNC Global will need up to 14 days to review Level 3 and Level 4 requests. If you are experiencing a longer delay, please email Kim Priebe at kim.priebe@unc.edu.

Travel Funding:

Talk to your advisors about what funding is available to you for travel. Depending on your grant funding, you may be eligible for up to $4,000.00 in travel funding for academic related trips. As always, if your advisor isn’t sure about the answer this question, please reach out the Business Services Coordinator and they will do their best to assist you.