Policy Number:   120-2                                                                 

Last Updated:  1/27/2020

Policy Title:   Team Travel – Air & Rail Transportation                 

Administrative Contact & Phone:   Athletic Business Office:  568-3829 or 568-2367

JMU Contact & Phone:  Jayne Sorel, A/P Supervisor of Travel, 568-8019

Websites:  JMU Financial Procedures Manual

POLICY: Athletic team travel is planned in accordance with University and State requirements.  Approvals are needed from compliance and ABO when team members travel from locations other than JMU to a competition.

PURPOSE: To provide procedures to follow to book airline or rail travel that has been approved in support of a team’s competition schedule. 

DOCUMENTS:

PROCEDURES: See the JMU website listed above for policy guidelines and for procedures.  Instructions are given for international travel as well.

In addition to the website information: 

  1. Tickets can only be purchased for those individuals who are included in the official travel party (see Team Travel Official Roster policy #120-5).  Changes to the official travel roster should be adequately documented. 
  2. Receipts must show the ticket class (tourist or coach), the method of payment, and the purchaser’s name.  If the vendor doesn’t have different classes of tickets, you must print a statement from the vendor’s website that attests to this. 
  3. Airline/rail tickets are arranged/purchased by the sport program. If the ticket purchase is over $4,999, it must be routed through Procurement. 
  4. If sport program is moving team members from a location other than JMU to a competition, a cost benefit analysis will need to be prepared.  The cost benefit analysis shows actual (proposed) travel versus official travel. Proposed travel is limited to cost of official travel and must be approved by the Assistant A.D. for Business and Finance and the Assistant Director for Compliance.  These approvals will ensure that the team is following JMU Financial Procedures and in compliance with the NCAA.

*Example:  Men’s Basketball has a tournament in Orlando, FL, over Christmas break.  MBB wants to fly the student-athletes from their homes to the tournament, and then back to JMU.  Official travel is determined by obtaining flight fees from JMU to Orlando and back to JMU.  This total will be compared to the actual. If the actual is higher, the student-athlete will be required to pay the difference.

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