Student Travel for Research and Creative Activity
Information about OSCAR Funding for Travel
The Office of Student Creative Activity and Research accepts applications for student travel related to participation in a conference or performance related to research or creative activity for Fall and Spring semesters. Applications will be accepted at the beginning of Fall and Spring semesters. Due to a limited budget, this program does not include Study Abroad students. Students can apply for funding to attend academic-related, professional conferences/events off-campus as presenters/performers or as participants.
A committee will review the applications shortly after the application deadline and will notify students if they have earned funding and in what amount. Due to a limited budget, applications are not guaranteed funding; full or partial funding is also a possibility. To apply for travel, you must be enrolled as a full- or part-time student at Fredonia during the semester you apply for funding. Applicants must complete the application form and attach the required documents; incomplete applications may not receive consideration.
Students submitting the application for travel funding are required to identify a faculty/staff advisor related to the travel funding request who has agreed to support your participation in the event for which you are applying for funding. Students who do not have a faculty/staff sponsor will not receive reimbursement.
Students who are awarded travel money are required to present at the annual Student Creative Activity Exposition held in May of the academic year in which they receive travel funding.
Read the accompanying instructions on the form carefully before submitting the form. Questions about the process, the application, or reimbursement can be sent to OSCAR@fredonia.edu or call Kim Miller at (716) 673-3717.
DEADLINE for SPRING 2024 = Friday, March 8th
SPRING 2024 Deadline = March 8
Use this link to access the application. Be sure to have the following information ready:
- Event name and association/organization hosting the event
- Dates for the event
- Location and distance from Fredonia
- Name of faculty/staff advisor/sponsor for travel
- One-page itemized budget for your request (document, spreadsheet, or pdf) to attach to the application
*Questions about the process, the application, or reimbursement can be sent to OSCAR@fredonia.edu or call Kim Miller at (716) 673-3717.
FAQ - Click here to download the FAQ document that contains the questions and answers below.
Am I guaranteed to receive all of the funding I applied for?
- Due to a limited budget, applications are not guaranteed funding; full or partial funding is also a possibility.
- Reimbursements that are not compliant with Federal, State, SUNY, and Fredonia rules and regulations are not eligible for reimbursement.
- The total amount of funding for which you are approved is the maximum reimbursement amount you could receive.
- You will only receive reimbursement for the amount identified in your completed Travel Voucher Form and for which you have the appropriate original receipts.
What information will I need to include in the application?
- You will need to include details about the event (title, sponsoring organization, location)
- Itemized list of expected travel-related expenses
- Conference/Event registration fee
- Mileage (see the annual mileage rate for privately owned vehicles)
- Transportation (e.g., flight, train, public transportation)
- Lodging
- Other (e.g., tolls, parking)
- Expenses related to food will NOT be reimbursed
What do you mean by “travel related to research or creative activity” and “academic-related travel”?
- Academic-related events and events related to research or creativity can include attending professional conferences, trade shows, exhibitions, performances, seminars, workshops. Travel to attend these experiences qualifies.
Can I apply for funding if I’ve applied to present/perform at a conference/event but I haven’t heard if the proposal was accepted yet?
- Apply for funding either way. If your proposal to present/perform at the conference/event is not accepted, you can still attend as a participant or you can choose not to attend at all.
Can I apply for funding if I’m not presenting/performing at a conference/event—if I’m going to attend as a participant?
- Applications to attend academic-related events as a participant will be considered.
What travel-related expenses will be funded?
- The types of expenses that could be funded include
- Event registration fees
- Mileage (see the annual mileage rate for privately owned vehicles)
- Transportation (e.g., flight, train, public transportation)
- Lodging
- Other (e.g., tolls, parking)
- Expenses related to food will NOT be reimbursed
What do I need to know about travel funding for travel by plane or train?
- Only coach or economy fare is reimbursable.
- Pre-boarding fees and upgrades are not reimbursable.
If I’m awarded funds, will I get the funds related to my travel BEFORE or AFTER the conference/event?
- After you attend your event, you are required to submit a travel voucher and all itemized, original receipts must be submitted to Kim Miller, Retention & Academic Success, 809 Maytum Hall for reimbursement. Reimbursement can take up to two to three weeks after submitting the travel voucher and receipts.
- Reimbursement requests must be submitted within 30 days of returning from the trip or you will not be reimbursed. No exceptions.
What do I have to do to get reimbursed?
- Reimbursement requests must be submitted within 30 days of returning from the trip or you will not be reimbursed.
- Submit a completed Travel Voucher Form .xls (New 10/2023)
- Submit the related itemized, original receipts
- If your reimbursement request includes mileage, complete and include the following form: Mileage Statement for Personal Automobile
- Send all paperwork to Kim Miller in the Office of Retention & Academic Success (809 Maytum Hall)
- Make sure receipts are in your name
- Provide proof of attendance at the conference, workshop, event
How long will it take to process the paperwork after I submit it for reimbursement?
- Reimbursement can take up to two to three weeks after successfully submitting the travel voucher and itemized, original receipts to Kim Miller in the Office of Retention & Academic Success (809 Maytum Hall)
What’s the best way to handle lodgings?
- Because SUNY Fredonia has tax-exempt status, be sure to give the hotel a copy of this document verifying the tax exempt status and this tax-exempt form when you arrive at the hotel so they do not include taxes in the total fees for the lodging.
- If the lodging is shared with another student, ask for the total amount for lodging to be split into separate receipts: one for each student.
- Pay for your portion of the lodging with your own credit card.
What if I’m sharing a room with another student?
- If the lodging is shared with another student, ask for the total amount for lodging to be split into separate receipts: one for each student.
- Pay for your portion of the lodging with your own credit card.
What if there is a group of us staying at an Airbnb?
- If the lodging is shared with another student, ask for the total amount for lodging to be split into separate receipts: one for each student.
- Pay for your portion of the lodging with your own credit card.
What if I’m driving my personal vehicle to the location?
- You can use your personal vehicle for travel. If you are driving students in addition to yourself, those students cannot apply to be reimbursed for mileage—only one student can apply for reimbursement related to mileage and tolls—the person who owns and is driving.
- Use the links below to determine mileage rates, and tolls
- Submit a completed Mileage Statement for Personal Automobile Use form (Rev 08/2017 Rev1)
What if I’m going with a group of students or a student association?
- If the group is traveling in a students’ personal vehicle, that student should put the mileage and tolls on their application for funding.
- If students in the group are sharing lodging and splitting the expense, ask for the total amount of the expense to be split into separate original receipts for each student. Each receipt must have the name of the student paying that portion. Each student should then pay for their portion of the lodging with their own credit card.
- Each student should pay for their own registration fee and collect the receipt with their name on it for their registration.
Do you have other questions?
- Other questions about the process, the application, or reimbursement can be sent to OSCAR@fredonia.edu or call Kim Miller at (716) 673-3717.
Importance of High-Quality Experiences at Professional Events
Students who attend conferences and other professional events gain high-quality experiential learning that includes networking, face-to-face interactions with professionals in their field, and the chance to promote their growth and the quality of programs at their institution (Gopalan, Halpin, & Johnson, 2018). These experiences positively affect student retention and success.
Compared to their peers, students who attend and present at conferences
- perceive their university classroom experiences as more valuable and relevant to their future career (Gopalan, Halpin, & Johnson, 2018).
- report feeling more inspired to work harder within their degree program and to do further research and creativity (Helm & Bailey, 2013).
Participation in professional conferences is especially impactful for students who are underrepresented in their field! Those whose attend and present at professional conferences report
- higher levels of professional, intellectual, and personal development (Thiry, Laursen, & Hunter, 2011).
- increased levels of self-efficacy (O’Connor, Kirsch, & Maestas, 2022).
- an improved sense of belonging and professional self-concept (Villani, Aydin, & Cullington, 2023).
- increased likelihood of degree completion (Villani, Aydin, & Cullington, 2023).
Funding = Avenue for Belonging, Equity, and Inclusion for Students Underrepresented in their Fields
Researchers suggest opportunities for underrepresented students to attend and present at conferences increases their perceptions of self efficacy (O’Connor, Kirsch, & Maestas, 2022).
For example, women in computing majors who had the opportunity to attend professional conferences reported improved sense of belonging and professional self-concept and had more positive outlooks to persist in completing their computing degrees (Villani, Aydin, & Cullington, 2023).
In addition, the provision of travel funding to attend and present at conferences has been found to help ameliorate “erasure” of voices of underrepresented students and those who lack the resources to attend professional conferences (Etson et al., 2022).
Professional Socialization, Identity, and So Much More!
Conference attendance (as a presenter or non-presenting participant) provides
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experiential learning,
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opportunities for networking, and
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face-to-face interactions among students and professionals in their field.
Students who have these opportunities report a greater awareness of the value of their classroom experiences and how they relate to and can be implemented in their future career (Gopalan, Halpin, & Johnson, 2018).
Inspiration = Working Harder and Continuing Creative Activity and Research
Students whose experiences include high-quality interactions with professionals in their specialization (at conferences and other professional events) report higher levels of professional, intellectual, and personal development (Thiry, Laursen, & Hunter, 2011).
Students who present at professional events and conferences report the experience as being relevant to their program and professional goals.
As a result of those experiences and interactions, they feel more inspired to work harder on the requirements of their degree program and inspired to do further research and creative activity (Helm & Bailey, 2013).