INTRODUCTION:

The GPSA Vice President of Internal Affairs Office (VP-IA) supports ASU graduate students and post-baccalaureate professional students whose programs are housed on the ASU Tempe Campus to present papers and posters at national conferences, participate in panel discussions, and attend conferences, lectures and seminars contributing to the development of their program of study.

Graduate/professional students on the other ASU campuses (Downtown, Polytechnic or West) should contact their respective student governments about potential conference grant funding programs on their campuses.

The goals of this fund are to promote the success of ASU graduate student research, increase ASU's reputation as a Research Extensive Institution, and to promote our graduate community at large.

TERMS OF AWARD:

The GPSA Travel grant fund is comparable to any other funding agency. Deadlines and completed information are essential to processing requests. In order to ensure the integrity of the application process, no exceptions will be made to the terms below.

• New: The protocol for the Travel Authorization (TA) form has changed this year:
  • domestic travelers (all travel within the U.S.) (7 days or less) MUST complete their TA forms on-line now.
  • International travel and long-term domestic (more than 7 days) will still complete a paper copy.
  SEE DIRECTIONS BELOW (Step 2).
• Any application lacking the appropriate and complete TA form (either electronic or paper) will be DENIED.
• An applicant must be a current ASU, Tempe Campus, graduate/professional student.
• Funding priority shall be given to first-time applicants and those with outstanding service to the ASU graduate community.
• The 2008-2009 program is for conferences held from August 1, 2008 to May 31, 2009. All reimbursable travel must occur during these dates.
• $500 is the maximum award for an applicant who plans to present his/her research at a professional conference.
• Students may apply for multiple conferences over the course of the year, but no more than $500 will be awarded per student per year.
• We fund airfare, lodging fees, train, bus, taxi, subway, airport shuttle and conference registration fees only. Rental cars, phone calls, meals and other expenditures will not be covered.
• GPSA does not give advances for any reason. This is not negotiable.
• GPSA does not fund retroactively. To receive funding, you must apply the month before you travel.
• Due to GPSA's current budget situation, we ask that you please only submit an application for travel occuring in the next month. Thank you for your cooperation!

METHODS OF FUNDING:

• Travel occurring in same month as application will be denied (for example, August 18th travel cannot submit for August 15th deadline).
• Funding is never guaranteed and partial awards are often given.
• We try to fund as many people as possible, but may not be able to meet the demands of all requests.
• Consideration is given to first time applicants, number of awards per department/school, and exceptional service to GPSA and the graduate community.
• The amount actually awarded will depend on:
  1) completeness and appropriateness of the application;
  2) number of funding requests during the award period;
  3) the amount you have received on previous awards;
  4) appropriateness and justification of budget.

DEADLINES:

Application deadlines are the 15^thof each month. Applications must be submitted the month prior to travel - therefore, if your travel is (for example) in early September, you must apply no later than the August 15 deadline (travel in late September would also be due by the August 15 deadline). Please complete your applications prior to 5pm on the 15th using our online system.

Apply Early! If you do not receive funding in the first cycle, you may still be eligible for another funding cycle. Funding will be on a competitive basis in each cycle. If eligible, you may provide a revised application or submit the same application via email request. Deficiencies in applications are reported to applicant only upon request.

NOTIFICATION OF AWARDS:

Recipients will be notified by e-mail by the 30^th of each month. If you do not recieve notification by this date, it is your obligation to inquire as to the status of your application.

SELECTION CRITERIA:Funding decisions are based on the following criteria (not in any specific order)

• Graduate student community and GPSA involvement
• Professionalism of application
• % of personal involvement in research
• Justification for attendance, if not presenting
• An appropriate and fully justified budget
• Other funding resources you received from ASU
• Distance from ASU to the conference location
• The number of applicants for the conference
• The number of applicants from department/college
• The number of previous GPSA Conference Travel Awards the applicant has received

Applications with missing information will not be reviewed.

IMPORTANT:

• Because of ASU Travel Funding Policy and yearly budgetary cycles, the GPSA cannot fund conferences in June or July - there are no exceptions.
• The GPSA and VP-IA are not responsible for any lost, destroyed, or otherwise delayed applications.
• The GPSA and VP-IA are not responsible for technological failure. Technical support can be contacted by visiting the application website.
• The GPSA and VP-IA are also not responsible for any resulting loss or revertment of funds by the applicant's own negligence.
• No awards are guaranteed and the GPSA VP-IA may rescind any travel grant for any reason, at any time without prior notification.

TA Form Instructions for International Travel or Long-term Domestic (more than 7 days):
There can be only one Travel Authorization form per student per trip. Each student must generate a unique travel authorization form -- DO NOT photocopy one form to use for multiple students!!!

GPSA now requires that the original Travel Authorization (TA) form accompany each travel application for insurance and reimbursement purposes. Applications lacking an original TA form may be denied. If you have another source of funding from another department on campus, you should submit a photocopy of your TA form to that department until we can secure an ATO (Authorized Travel Officer) signature. If your TA form is not signed by an ATO prior to travel, you will not be covered by ASU insurance and you will not be reimbursed for your trip.

You MUST complete the Travel Authorization (TA) Form and submit with GPSA travel grant application. Complete only the following lines on the Travel Authorization Form:

• Name of traveler (your name)
• ASU I.D. number
• Department
• Traveler Title (e.g., Teaching Assistant)
• Trip Dates
• Destination (county, if applicable, city, state)
• Purpose/Justification (how ASU will benefit from your attendance)
• Cost estimate
• Calculate 100 percent of airfare and registration fees,.
  Do not write in "advance total" box - GPSA does not provide travel advance.
• Direct inquires to
• Campus Mail Code
• Phone (Important: do not leave blank)
• Traveler's signature
• ATO signature**

**If after being awarded a GPSA travel grant you receive another grant from an on-campus source, you must inform that source to NOT fill out a travel authorization form for you, because one will originate from the GPSA (there can only be one travel authorization form per person, per trip). In that case, after traveling, you will obtain the travel authorization form that you completed from the GPSA and take to all funding sources for appropriate signatures, returning it back to the GPSA.

**You must get the Authorized Travel Officer (ATO) for your department and obtain that individual's signature in the correct area on the bottom left of the form.It is your responsibility to ensure that an appropriate ATO signs off on your travel. If you are having trouble finding your department's ATO, you can look here: http://fs.asu.edu/travel/atodept-lookup.asp.
Please note: GPSA will no longer obtain ATO signature for ANY TA form (electronic or paper). You MUST get your department's ATO to sign off on the trip.
You should also be aware that professors are SELDOM ATOs. The ATO is usually in your department's business office. If you are unclear who this person is, be sure to look it up in the link above.

Step Three: Application Form Submission

After you have completed your Travel Authorization Form, you should note your travel authorization code (you will need it to submit your application). You should also have a login to the GPSA Nimble-Net system from Step 1, above. To complete the application please go to:

https://www.nimble-net.com/gpsa

The Deadline to Submit applications for each funding cycle is the 15th of the month at 5:00pm. LATE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED, whether they were started before the deadline or not.

Please note: Once you are logged into the Nimble-Net System, please select the "Conference Travel" program drop down and follow all instructions to complete your travel grant application. Once you are done, please select the link to "Agree to the Rules." After you have agreed to the rules, please go back into your application and SUBMIT the application. You can log into the system at any time to check the status of your application. You can only have one application submitted at a time. You will be notified of your award via e-mail by the 30th of the month.

Lodging Per Diem Rates

Step Four: When You Have Been Awarded

DURING YOUR TRIP:

Keep all original receipts for lodging and travel.Hotel receipts should be itemized to indicate non-reimbursable itemssuch as telephone calls, movie rentals, etc. If you are sharing a room, you must have an original bill with your namefrom the hotel for the amount you paid.

If you are flying, keep your boarding passes. If you fly Southwest Airlines, you will need to make a copy of your boarding pass, as they keep the entire page if you use the online check-in system.
Keep a copy of your conference registration form.
For ticketless travel, keep the printout of the online itinerary that indicates that you have paid.

AFTER YOU HAVE TRAVELED:

Make photocopies of all your receipts for your records.
Bring the original receipts: bank/credit card statements, airline boarding passes, ticketless travel printout, transportation receipts, hotel receipt, conference registration receipts, etc. to the GPSA Business Office, Graduate Student Center,
no later than 5 days after the date of your return from your trip.

Upon receipt, your paperwork will be processed and forwarded to the appropriate office for funding.

APPEALS:If you consider your denial of funding to be incorrect, you may appeal within 3 days of award status notification,explaining why you think there was a mistake.

The following procedure shall be followed:

1. Submit a written complaint specifying in a tangible and concrete way the error of thedecision to deny your award to the GPSA VP of Internal Affairs.
2. Denials of funding based on negligence or ineligibility (i.e. incomplete applications,falsified applications, requests for funding outside the scope of the travelgrant) will not be reconsidered.
3. All decisions by the GPSA VP of Internal Affairs are final and may not be re-appealed.
4. Decisions will be made within 5 business days following submission of appeal.

QUESTIONS:

Direct questions to Internal.AffairsVP@asu.edu or to the GPSA Director of Conference Travel