Comparative Literature Program | College of Liberal Arts
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Internal Resources

Comparative Literature Faculty and Staff should use this survey to request the following:

  • Contracts / Purchase Order
  • Invited Speaker
  • Event planning / Catering
  • Reimbursement for Food
  • Room Reservations

 

As announced to Chairs during the Fall 2022 semester, the College is returning to stated spending policies and practices and avoiding exception requests for travel and entertainment reimbursements. We relaxed many of these to encourage additional in-person gatherings following the pandemic and in the aftermath of pandemic-related spending controls. However, recently university procurement has identified COLA as submitting an excessive number of exception requests. In addition, UT’s endowment compliance office is increasingly flagging and denying endowment spending for departmental food and entertainment expenses, including disallowing some long-standing practices. 

Effective immediately, please note the following:

  • Honorarium payments: There should be a PO or contract in place prior to any event in which the speaker has been promised a payment. Please initiate this conversation with your department staff as soon as you know that a payment will need to be made, in advance of the event.
     
  • Travel reimbursements: Travel reimbursement requests must be processed within 60 days of the conclusion of the travel, after which the reimbursement will no longer be approved and will be the employee’s responsibility. Because of the time required for document processing, both within the department and in Accounting, it is recommended to submit reimbursement requests no later than 45 days after the event. Exceptions will be considered for significant life events and must be approved by Dean Stevens. Please see HBP 11 for travel policy details. 
     
  • Entertainment reimbursements:
    • Per-person costs for entertainment expenses directly involving donors and/or special/honored guests, including faculty and staff recruitment-related activities (4-5 attendees) are limited to $100 per person (which includes food, alcohol, tax, and gratuity). Costs in excess of this amount cannot be paid using University funds and exceptions to this will not be approved. Employees will be personally responsible for all costs exceeding the $100/person limit. Please see HBP 9.1.1 for official policy details and limits.
    • Entertainment expenses involving only UT employees, including student employees, should not exceed $35.00 per person (including food, beverage, tax, and gratuity; tips/gratuity are reimbursable up to 20% of the pre-tax subtotal). Exceptions to this rule will no longer be approved and will be the responsibility of the employee(s).
    • Expenses for alcohol may NOT be the primary expenditure for entertainment reimbursements. This means that the cost of alcohol may not exceed the cost of food. Employees will be personally responsible for covering the cost of any alcohol that exceeds the cost of food. 
    • Entertainment reimbursements must be processed within 60 days of the event. Because of the time required for document processing, both within the department and in Accounting, it is recommended to submit no later than requests for 45 days after the event. Reimbursements past 60 days will no longer be approved and will be the employee’s responsibility. Exceptions will be considered for significant life events and must be approved by Dean Stevens. 
    • Reimbursements for meals are not permitted for companions/spouses of university employees unless it is for a development-related event and the donor/distinguished guest also brings a companion.
       
  • Endowment Spending on entertainment
    • Holiday Parties: Endowment accounts may not be used to pay for holiday parties.
    • Retirement Parties: Chairs/Professorship endowments cannot be used for retirement parties; however, excellence funds endowments may be used to pay for retirement parties. 
    • Flowers : Only excellence fund endowments can be used to pay up to $200 (including shipping costs) for flowers. 
    • Breakroom Supplies: General expenses such as creamers, tea bags, and water can only be paid from excellence endowments. Other endowments may be used to support research events such as talks, lectures, and conferences. 


For additional guidance, visit the COLA wiki page here.

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