BOG Rule 5.8 - Official Comments and Determinations Made
| # | Date Received | Proposed Rule | Comment | Determination Made |
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1 |
Nov. 25, 2024 |
I agree with the proposed change. The current policy does not result in savings, and in some cases, has led to increased travel costs. |
It was determined that no additional modifications to WVU BOG Finance & Administration Rule 5.8 were needed in response to this comment. |
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2 |
Nov. 25, 2024 |
I fully support this change. A couple advantages are use of discounts and ease of use. |
It was determined that no additional modifications to WVU BOG Finance & Administration Rule 5.8 were needed in response to this comment. |
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3 |
Nov. 25, 2024 |
Can there be a comment made on cancelation charges due to unforeseen circumstances? For example, in the event of a family emergency, vehicle accident / breakdown, or inclement weather, which results in a no-show or cancellation past the hotel deadline, does the WVU employee need reimburse the University to cover the cost themself? |
The University’s Travel Manual will be updated to provide clarification regarding cancellation charges. It was determined that no additional modifications to WVU BOG Finance & Administration Rule 5.8 were needed in response to this comment. |
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4 |
Nov. 25, 2024 |
I support removing the requirement to book travel through the University-contracted travel management company. The system is not user-friendly and often complicates the booking process. Moreover, cheaper options are frequently available outside of the contracted company, leading to unnecessary spending of resources. |
It was determined that no additional modifications to WVU BOG Finance & Administration Rule 5.8 were needed in response to this comment. |
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5 |
Nov. 25, 2024 |
I support removing the requirement for booking travel through a University-contracted travel management company. I can get lower rates by calling hotels myself and booking rooms, especially for extended stays. One person I assist also booked their travel through MyTravel and during her flight, her hotel was canceled but she was not notified. |
It was determined that no additional modifications to WVU BOG Finance & Administration Rule 5.8 were needed in response to this comment. |
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6 |
Nov. 25, 2024 |
I agree with the proposal to remove the requirement to utilize a contractor to make travel reservations. I can make my own reservations cheaper and faster than the contractor. Why pay a contractor to make reservations when I can do it myself, find bargains, and make sure my travel requirements are met. |
It was determined that no additional modifications to WVU BOG Finance & Administration Rule 5.8 were needed in response to this comment. |
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7 |
Nov. 25, 2024 |
Please adopt this rule change and remove the additional costs associated with using a booking company. I have traveled extensively for work decades, both as a consultant and then as WVU staff. I was shocked by the lodging cost increases since adopting the Amex booking service. Secondly the service is unable to accommodate the state tax exemption or able to produce the documentation required to file expenses in Chrome River. The Amex booking process increased booking time, increased expense reporting time, and increased lodging cost vs other booking options. Please remove this requirent and allow WVU staff and faculty to use the cost effective and efficient tools the market place provides. Thank you. |
It was determined that no additional modifications to WVU BOG Finance & Administration Rule 5.8 were needed in response to this comment. |
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8 |
Nov. 25, 2024 |
I support this amendment. The MyTravel system seems to have plenty of options for domestic flights. However, it rarely offers good options on international flights in terms of pricing, duration and layovers. It is rare to find good options on all three of the major American carriers and their partners. Usually, the layovers are either extremely short or extremely long. It is also often confusing to understand the economy fare classes. |
It was determined that no additional modifications to WVU BOG Finance & Administration Rule 5.8 were needed in response to this comment. |
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9 |
Nov. 25, 2024 |
I'm 100% for "the proposed amendments to remove the requirement for booking travel through a Universitycontracted travel management company" as it increases the overall travel cost (e.g., Airbnb is often much cheaper) and is VERY inconvenient for many instances (unexpected travel disruptions, use of local airlines, useless, and unavailable timely customer service support, etc). |
It was determined that no additional modifications to WVU BOG Finance & Administration Rule 5.8 were needed in response to this comment. |
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10 |
Nov. 25, 2024 |
Please remove this requirement. At it's best it's a nuisance, at it's worst it is dangerous for employees who are abroad and have to navigate through multiple party systems. |
It was determined that no additional modifications to WVU BOG Finance & Administration Rule 5.8 were needed in response to this comment. |
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11 |
Nov. 25, 2024 |
This amendment would benefit me and my students greatly. I rarely find flights and hotels that are less expensive through AmEx GBT compared to booking directly through the hotel or airline's website. This is permitted under the current rules, but then I need to provide extra documentation that what I booked was less expensive than the AmEx GBT system. Eliminating this rule would streamline my booking of travel arrangements. |
It was determined that no additional modifications to WVU BOG Finance & Administration Rule 5.8 were needed in response to this comment. |
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12 |
Nov. 25, 2024 |
Fantastic, this will save my grants a lot of money, and save the university a lot of money by reducing time needed. Thank you! |
It was determined that no additional modifications to WVU BOG Finance & Administration Rule 5.8 were needed in response to this comment. |
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13 |
Nov. 25, 2024 |
I wholly support this change! Thank you. |
It was determined that no additional modifications to WVU BOG Finance & Administration Rule 5.8 were needed in response to this comment. |
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14 |
Nov. 25, 2024 |
This is a welcome development in light of recent efforts to manage budget deficits. With references to contracted travel management company removed and emphasis on the University Travel Manual, revisions to the manual will be needed. |
The University’s Travel Manual will be updated to ensure consistency with any changes to WVU BOG Finance & Administration Rule 5.8 that are adopted by the Board. It was determined that no additional modifications to WVU BOG Finance & Administration Rule 5.8 were needed in response to this comment. |
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15 |
Nov. 25, 2024 |
This does not always save money, as sometimes it is more economical to purchase through conference registration or housing options. |
It was determined that no additional modifications to WVU BOG Finance & Administration Rule 5.8 were needed in response to this comment. |
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16 |
Nov. 25, 2024 |
This would be a welcome relief to WVU faculty. The travel website is often charging us at a much higher costs for airfare to conferences, and it is not saving us any more. More importantly, the costs to have the AmEx travel agents help us in the event of an issue are outrageous and not something we can pay for out of our meager grant funding. I will add that faculty rely on reduced pricing for the hotel accommodations for a conference through special links within our conference organizations, and those cannot be booked through the travel website anyway. So, in general, I have no idea what benefit the AmEx global website offers to faculty. It is more expensive for flights and hotels, and we have to seek approved ways to get around using it when trying to get reduced costs. |
It was determined that no additional modifications to WVU BOG Finance & Administration Rule 5.8 were needed in response to this comment. |
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17 |
Nov. 25, 2024 |
Hi. I am in strong support of the proposed changes. Required use of the AMEX travel system has lead to significant wasted time when booking travel. - Only on rare occasions are the hotels listed through AMEX comparably priced to options through other online options. They are typically significantly more expensive ($50-100 per night, particularly in "large" cities). The requirement to perform a price comparison each trip has wasted significant time. - Flights have fared slightly better. About 50% of the time, flights through AMEX are priced the same as purchasing directly through the airline (and are >$25 per flight more expensive the remainder of the time). However, AMEX does not always have access to the full flight options for each airline (a common downside to travel agencies). This means I always have to check the airline website regardless, to see all actual flight options. This comparison again wastes time. - It is common when purchasing through a travel agency that the airline will not speak directly with the customer, and all conversation has to go through the travel agency. This process is incredibly slow and time consuming, especially when flights are cancelled. Instead of speaking directly to the airline to rebook, I have had to speak with the travel agent, decide on an option, and then wait for the agent to call the airline to confirm, before calling me back. This again wastes significant time: what typically takes <10 minutes speaking directly with the airline has taken over an hour with this process. - When the AMEX system was enforced a few years ago, one of the "strengths" touted was that it would help and protect WVU employees when traveling. This has not been my experience and it has in fact made things more complicated. My example is related to my previous comment. Last year I flew to Europe for conference travel, with flights booked through AMEX. The airline canceled my outbound flight the day before departure, with no reason given (I suspect they did not have enough seats filled and so just canceled it). The airline offered (through AMEX) to put me on a new flight, arriving two days late. This was the only option offered. I had to rebook with a different airline to get to the conference on time (so that I could present), putting me out of pocket of several thousand dollars (last minute international flights are expensive). It took me 6 months of fighting with the airline, and going through an independent consumer rights company, to get the money reimbursed. The AMEX travel system provided zero help in this process- I had to research my options and implement them myself. In this case, (1) the process of rebooking took over an hour, due to the aforementioned issue that the airline would not speak with me directly; (2) the AMEX system provided no help in claiming reimbursement afterwards. - I fully understand that work travel must be vetted to ensure people are not abusing the system, however, forcing employees to use a particular, for-profit business travel system adds too many burdensome, time (and money) wasting layers: 1. The AMEX travel system is designed for business travel, where the traveler is happy to leave the details of travel (including specific flights and final cost) to some travel coordinator. Academic researchers are not business travelers. We have very limited budgets and plan our travel year to year to fall within those limits. I plan each step of each trip myself, to ensure that I am getting the best use out of those limited funds. The AMEX system is not designed with this type of user in mind. 2. Another reason I heard touted that the AMEX system was enforced a few years ago, is that some travelers were making poor decisions when it came to booking travel (I interpret this as people booking business class tickets when inappropriate, or booking the most expensive suites at hotels, for example). For travelers who may not be as versed in finding all the available options, I understand how a single system may help them make better travel decisions. However, I strongly argue that this should be an option, not enforced. As someone competent in using the internet and able to make price comparisons (and who has traveled for academic work for >10 years), the flexibility to use all available resources enables me to save significant time and money when planning and booking travel. |
It was determined that no additional modifications to WVU BOG Finance & Administration Rule 5.8 were needed in response to this comment. |
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18 |
Nov. 26, 2024 |
WVU needs to be aware of all international travelers on U. business so we can track them in case of emergencies and eliminating section 3.4 could make it harder to make sure WVU's international travelers are following. 3.3 All international Travel must be approved in advance through the process designated by the Office of Global Affairs and the Office of Export Control. 3.4 All Travelers must make Travel reservations through the University’s contracted Travel Management Company unless within the exceptions permitted in the University Travel. (this is being deleted) |
BOG Finance & Administration Rule 5.8 still requires University travelers to register international travel through the University’s Office of Global Affairs. The University has adopted a plan to ensure that employees frequently receive information regarding the international travel registration requirement. It was determined that no additional modifications to WVU BOG Finance & Administration Rule 5.8 were needed in response to this comment. |
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19 |
Nov. 26, 2024 |
I whole-heartedly agree on the change to remove the requirement to use the travel booking company. To prevent future abuse of state, foundation, or WVU license/trademark fee accounts, I also recommend revising Rule 4.2.1. to add constraints to the dollar amount used on chartered aircraft services by any single person or office (i.e. President's Office), regardless of the source of funding. ---Section 4.2. Use of chartered aircraft service. Rule 4.2.1. Chartered aircraft service may be used if approved in advance, in accordance with the University Travel Manual.-- add Rule 4.2.2. "The maximum annual dollar amount any single WVU office or employee may expend on chartered aircraft service is $100,000."(for example) |
The University’s Travel Manual will be updated to provide additional information and policies regarding chartered aircraft services. It was determined that no additional modifications to WVU BOG Finance & Administration Rule 5.8 were needed in response to this comment. |
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20 |
Nov. 26, 2024 |
I cannot more strongly say how happy I am that we will get rid of the AMEX requirement. While AMEX is a nice option (convenient when making travel for multiple people), it is typically more expensive and less convenient. If I were to continue to use AMEX, I would significantly have to reduce my research visibility, because the travel costs were just too high. This reduced travel would no doubt lead to decreased funding for my research in the future. While there was an option to report if I could get something cheaper somewhere, the approval took so long that my cheaper options would sometimes disappear, and was a huge waste of my time, which affects how much time I have to support the students in my classes. Please, please, please remove the AMEX requirement. Thank you for your consideration. |
It was determined that no additional modifications to WVU BOG Finance & Administration Rule 5.8 were needed in response to this comment. |
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21 |
Nov. 26, 2024 |
As a faculty member, I strongly support the proposed changes to Rule 5.8. I had one of my graduate students treated rudely by AMEX phone support. I had another graduate student not have their reservation held because of an issue in a database regarding which email address they should use (they were using the wrong one) and then they tried to charge me taxpayer dollars to fix the issue. I have wasted a lot of my own time searching on the site only to find cheaper fares outside of the site and then having to get email permission to take the other fares and have to go back into the system to complete the reservation. The system is not working for us, is hampering productivity, and their support is not helpful. I laud the BOG for putting this to an end with their wonderful proposed changes to this rule. Thank you. |
It was determined that no additional modifications to WVU BOG Finance & Administration Rule 5.8 were needed in response to this comment. |
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22 |
Nov. 27, 2024 |
I support this change. Booking travel through a travel agency makes it more challenging to make changes on the road when circumstances require it. |
It was determined that no additional modifications to WVU BOG Finance & Administration Rule 5.8 were needed in response to this comment. |
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23 |
Nov. 29, 2024 |
The MyTravel system seems and sounds like a good idea. However, the reality is that I have found it difficult to search for the beat price deals compared to using Travelocity for example. The MyTravel search engine does not show all the possibilities and each time you change a filter it shows totally different results that should be including previous results. The search engine seems really restrictive to deals with the university which usually are significantly more expensive then using independent travel sites. If there was an easier and less restrictive system, I think it would be good but currently I find it hard to utilize. |
It was determined that no additional modifications to WVU BOG Finance & Administration Rule 5.8 were needed in response to this comment. |
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24 |
Dec. 2, 2024 |
I support removing the requirement to book travel through the University-contracted travel management company. As someone that travels for work and also helps other WVU employees make travel arrangements, I find the University-contracted travel management company system cumbersome and a hassle. More significantly, I have never been able to secure cheaper prices via the travel system than I would be when booking with a company directly. |
It was determined that no additional modifications to WVU BOG Finance & Administration Rule 5.8 were needed in response to this comment. |
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25 |
Dec. 4, 2024 |
I think this is a great change proposal. I believe that it will save departments money and make the process easier for travelers. |
It was determined that no additional modifications to WVU BOG Finance & Administration Rule 5.8 were needed in response to this comment. |
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26 |
Dec. 4, 2024 |
Thank you! I wholeheartedly support this change. Using the travel management system is cumbersome and, most times, doesn’t save money. Not having this will allow employees to find the best deals and book accordingly. |
It was determined that no additional modifications to WVU BOG Finance & Administration Rule 5.8 were needed in response to this comment. |
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27 |
Dec. 6, 2024 |
I applaud and fully support the proposal to remove the requirement to use the designated travel management company. It was clear that whatever savings were anticipated from use of the travel management company were never realized, and that booking direct from travel providers typically would have been cheaper and easier. This was particularly frustrating when I was booking travel paid by grants, as the requirement was forcing me to spend extra of my limited grant funds, with no compensation from the university towards my research funding from the alleged “savings.” One other aspect of travel that has clearly been resulting in higher than necessary expense to university funds revolves around administrative travel, in particular the apparent unrestricted use of charter companies. Now would be an optimal opportunity to add some guidance on use of charter services, not only because the rule is undergoing revision anyway, but also because the timing coincides with the transition to a new administration and thus changes can be made with minimal disruption. I want to be clear that I am not advocating for the elimination of charter travel, but rather just to put appropriate data-guided procedures in place for determining how and when charter travel may be used, who must approve it to prevent abuse of this resource, and what reporting must be in place to ensure transparency of the costs and source of funding. |
The University’s Travel Manual will be updated to provide additional information and policies regarding chartered aircraft services. It was determined that no additional modifications to WVU BOG Finance & Administration Rule 5.8 were needed in response to this comment. |