Student Reimbursement: Travel/Conference/Professional Membership Expenses

The LIS senator to the Graduate Student Association (GSA) uses the department's yearly allotment of the student activity fund to reimburse eligible expenses of LIS students who wish to participate in LIS-related conferences or join LIS-related professional organizations. While this support is not contingent on support received from other areas of the University (GSA or the LIS Department) we strongly encourage you to seek funds from all possible sources.

LIS students are eligible to receive up to $1,250 in reimbursements* for professional development, conference attendance, and research. These funds come from both AGLISS and the GSA. The caps per association and expense are listed below.

*Reimbursement opportunities do not apply to online-only students since they do not pay student association fees.

Reimbursements through AGLISS

Each student is eligible to receive up to $250 in reimbursements per academic year from AGLISS - up to $125 in reimbursements for professional association memberships and up to $125 in reimbursements for conference attendance. 

• • If a student is presenting at a conference they may apply for up to $250 in reimbursements for fees associated with that conference. Please note that this exception does not change the maximum total reimbursement of $250 per year, so students should be aware that applying for additional funding for a conference presentation will limit their ability to apply for other reimbursements. In all cases it is the responsibility of each student to plan ahead and determine how they would like to distribute their available reimbursement funding for each academic year.

Reimbursements through the GSA (Graduate Student Association)

Each student is eligible to receive up to $1,000 in reimbursements per academic year, shared across three funds: Conferences, Professional Development, and Research. More information.

Professional Association Memberships

Membership fees for professional associations related to the LIS field (e.g. ALA, SAA, SLA, etc.) are eligible for reimbursement. This includes both first-time and renewal memberships. No one may receive more than $125 per fiscal year in reimbursements for professional association memberships.

How to apply:

After paying for membership in a professional association, send a copy of your registration receipt to the LIS senator at gsasenator.lis@gmail.com. This receipt must include 1) the name of the association you’re joining, and 2) the amount you spent. You must also provide us with the address you would like your reimbursement check sent to.

Conferences

Conference expenses that are eligible for reimbursement are:

• Registration fees

• Lodging

• Transportation (e.g. plane/rail/train tickets, car rental fees, taxi fare)

• Food/conference banquets

• Presentation materials (e.g. poster printing)

No one may receive more than $125 per fiscal year in reimbursements for conference attendance, or $250 if presenting.

How to apply:

At least 30 days before the date of the conference, send an email to the LIS senator at gsasenator.lis@gmail.com with details about the conference, a summary of your anticipated funding (including registration fee, travel fees, lodging, etc.), and the reason you wish you attend. We will cross-check your application with GSA to make sure your request does not overlap with their Conference Funding requests (to avoid reimbursement duplication), and will respond via email to approve your application.

You will be required to submit proof of registration and attendance to gsasenator.lis@gmail.com within two weeks of the last travel day of your conference. This includes 1) a registration receipt clearly indicating both the name of the conference and the amount you paid, and 2) any of the following proofs of attendance:

• A scan or photo of the conference program (if you are applying for additional funding as a presenter, the program must include your name and presentation)

• A scan or photo of your name badge

• A picture of you at the conference (if you are applying for additional funding as a presenter, you may submit a photo of you presenting as proof of your presentation)

Please note that a registration receipt confirming that you paid the conference fee is NOT proof of conference attendance.

If your reimbursement request includes travel, lodging, or food expenses, you MUST submit copies of these receipts within two weeks of the end of the conference in order to receive the full amount requested. If you plan on sharing a hotel room, the bill must display the last four credit card digits and name of each person sharing the room.

As part of the procedure for conference reimbursements, you agree to write a short summary or reflection of your experience for the AGLISS newsletter. This reflection should be approximately 400 words, and should be submitted to cuaagliss@gmail.com. We will be in contact with you following your submission if we wish to make any edits to the text for inclusion in the newsletter.

Important Notes

• Responses to reimbursement requests may take up to a week.

• From the date that a reimbursement request is approved by CUA, it usually takes around 5-6 weeks for the reimbursement check to be processed and delivered.

• The senator does not submit students’ reimbursement requests to OCA until after the conference/membership start date.

• Screenshots and copied-and-pasted text are not acceptable as proofs of payment; all documentation must be original.

• The reimbursement cycle runs from September 1st through August 31st. This means that all requests pertaining to conferences and professional dues dating from a given academic year must be submitted within that academic year to be considered for reimbursement.

• Catholic University’s fiscal year runs from May 1st to April 30th. This means that students attending conferences or registering with professional associations in April must be particularly prompt in sending the proper reimbursement materials to the LIS senator. Those who miss the university’s yearly deadline may be denied funding due to university restrictions that are outside of our control.

• Failure to follow these instructions will result in automatic cancellation of a reimbursement request.

• If you have any questions before or during the process, contact the LIS senator at gsasenator.lis@gmail.com.