Student Travel Policy

Student Travel Funding Policy 

Effective Fall 2024 

Scope

Undergraduate and graduate students of the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.

Policy Statement

I. Purpose

The College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (College) at St. John’s University (University) seeks to promote safe travel to events and activities occurring beyond the boundaries of University property by students and recognized student organizations. As such, this Policy applies to individual student travel where the student will benefit from this professional development and activity. Examples of activities and events that fall under this Policy includes but are not limited to professional conferences and other professional programs.

This Policy does not apply to travel undertaken by individual students attending out of town athletic or recreational events, engaging in student teaching, internships, experiential practicum, observations or research, or participating in intercollegiate athletics competitions.

II. Definitions

A currently enrolled student is one who is a student who is currently registered at the University, whether on a full-time or part-time basis and must be enrolled in one of the majors within the College.

A graduating student is one of the following:

• Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences is in his/her last year of graduate study;
• Doctor of Pharmacy is in his/her 6^th year of study;
• Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Toxicology, Pharmacy Administration and Master's in Public Health is in his/her last year of graduate study;
• Master of Science in Physician Assistant is in his/her 3^rd year of graduate study;
• Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Science, Clinical Laboratory Science, Nursing, Radiologic Science, and Toxicology is in his/her 4^th year of undergraduate study

II. Sponsored/Funded Travel

To ensure that events or activities involving student travel are consistent with the College's mission and that student safety issues have been addressed, College funded student travel must be approved in advance by Dr. Tina Kanmaz, Associate Dean of Student Affairs.

The following rules apply to the travel of currently enrolled students attending professional activities or events.

1. To request funding, the students must submit a completed Student Travel Request Form by October 18, 2024 to be considered for Fall travel and by February 1, 2025 to be considered for Spring travel. The travel award requests will be reviewed all at once, not on a first come first serve basis.
2. Selection of student recipients will be based on the following rank order of student involvement during the meeting: 
    
   1. National/Regional competitors – students who will be representing the College
   2. Awards- students that are accepting an award
   3. Speakers – students who have been invited to present their research
   4. Poster presenters – students who will be presenting their research poster
   5. Committee members- students who are committee members within the organization
   6. General attendance- students attending for professional development and interviews
3. Acceptable expenses are:
   1. Conference/meeting registration fees, preferably early registration rate.
   2. Transportation costs including: 
      1. Airfare, taxes and fees, and 1 baggage charge. Extra legroom, seat selection, and first/business class fees are unacceptable. Students will not be reimbursed if they use frequent flyer or other reward programs to purchase the flight.
      2. Rail fare for Coach Class service only. Express, first class, or business class are not acceptable.
      3. If students travel by personal vehicle: either a) mileage to/from home and conference center along with tolls OR b) gasoline and tolls are acceptable.
      4. Taxi/Cab for travel to and from the airport, hotel, and conference centers.
   3. Lodging expenses, including hotels, Air B&B, or other rentals. Expenses charged to room such as meals at hotel, room service, bar service, laundry service, or any other personal expenses are not acceptable.
4. To ensure equal funding opportunities for all students, priority will be given to graduating students who have not received funding in prior years. Students will be qualified for funding only once during their academic career. Funding is not guaranteed.
5. Exceptions will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis for students presenting their research at multiple conferences within one year. All decisions are final and cannot be challenged or re-submitted for reconsideration within that year. Funding is not guaranteed.