Policy Summary: Student-Athlete and Athletic Team Travel
Cleary University provides a framework for safe and efficient student-athlete travel, and assigns responsibility for enforcement. The Cleary University Athletic Department provides guidelines and procedures for intercollegiate travel for student-athletes, employees and coaches representing the University at athletic events.
Scope:
This policy applies to all Cleary University student-athletes, coaches and employees representing the University during student-athlete and team travel.
Policy Statement:
Transportation: Cleary University will pay for approved transportation, lodging and meals for members of an official University team. The University will provide a coach with a credit card to purchase food, gas, lodging and other essential travel items on behalf of the traveling team in accordance with the University’s purchasing procedures.
Only coaches, assistant coaches, team representatives or persons authorized by the Cleary University athletic department are permitted to drive any Cleary University vehicle and/or rental vehicle. All drivers must have a valid driver’s license and are approved by Cleary University. Student-athletes are not permitted to drive any Cleary University vehicle and/or rental vehicle.
Head coaches or their designees are responsible for making travel arrangements that are in accordance with NAIA and WHAC guidelines.
The official University travel team may include players, coaches, team managers, team athletic trainers and athletic department staff. The University athletic director may authorize team travel for other personnel not listed if he or she deems their services essential to the traveling team.
Student-athletes must depart and return with the University team to all competitions. The only exception which allows a student-athlete to travel separately from the team is a situation in which a parent or guardian requests that the student-athlete travel back to campus with them following competition. The head coach will decide if such travel is permissible with approval for the athletic director.
A student-athlete is not permitted to transport him or herself to or from an off-campus athletic competition when the University provides transportation. A student-athlete is permitted to drive personal vehicles to practice sites which are located off-campus but within the greater Howell area. In unfavorable weather conditions, the University athletic director and opposing institution’s athletic director will determine game cancellation.
Meals: Meal allowances are not to exceed $24 ($6 for breakfast, $8 for lunch and $10 for dinner) for travel. Gratuity is not included in the $24 limit. Out of state meal allowances may not exceed the $24 limit. If, as part of a game guarantee, the host team provides breakfast, lunch or dinner to our travel party it is not permissible to provide an additional meal or meal allowance. Meals are not provided for home competitions. Meals for team bonding, banquets, etc. must have prior approval from the Athletic Director.
Head coaches may arrange to pay for team meals as a group in lieu of giving a meal allowance to each student-athlete. In order to secure the best possible rates, group meals held at hotels must be arranged in advance as possible.
When cash allowances are provided in lieu of meals, student-athletes are required to sign for receipt of the amount of cash received. All head coaches or designees should remind student-athletes that cash meal allowances are for meals only.
Lodging: When a team is traveling for away competition that requires an overnight stay, department staff members (including coaches, athletic trainers, team managers, etc.) are prohibited from sharing rooms with student-athletes.
Room assignments are to be arranged by the head coach or designee and documented for all individuals on the travel list. Specific information required includes the name of the team, city, dates of occupancy, name of hotel, room numbers, assigned occupants and price of each room (if applicable).
Tax Exempt Certificate: All coaches and staff members are required to utilize the State of Michigan tax-exempt form for all work-related purchases within the State of Michigan. In addition, when there is out-of-state travel coaches are required to use tax-exempt forms when available.
Change Log:
| Date of Change | Description of Change | Responsible Party |
| 5/1/2020 | Initial Release | H. Bateman |
