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New cash system makes life easier on the road

January 22, 2009

by Jeff McCallister

Kelly George had a small dilemma: She was a resident director for the Department of Animal Science’s Study Abroad trip to Ireland over the holiday break, and between visits to the Dublin Zoo, local veterinary offices, Blarney Castle, a dog track and numerous other stops, the group had fallen a bit behind schedule.

Again, it was only a small problem and easily solved. George and the other two resident directors decided to use part of the $3,000 cash advance issued by the Office of International Affairs to buy lunch for the group to eat on the bus traveling between stops.

“We had a lot we wanted to do and see and learn on the trip, so we planned a fast-paced tour,” George said.

George, an accountant in the department, was in charge of the money. She simply pulled out her GET card and paid for the meals and the group moved on.

“No big deal,” she said. “Very simple, very straightforward.”

Anyone who traveled with a group using university money before last autumn quarter may recognize a subtle but important change in that procedure: George didn’t have to use her own debit card.

The GET, or Group Extended Travel, cards are the latest part of the university’s Streamlining and Simplification Initiative. They were used on about half of the Study Abroad trips during winter break and will be used on all spring break Study Abroad group trips. Along with International Affairs, the Office of Student Life has begun using a similar system for its travel programs.

“The cash advances are to be used for in-country expenses, things that can’t be paid for in advance — some meals, gratuities, admission into some events or attractions, emergencies,” said Grace Johnson, Study Abroad director in the OIA.

“In the past, we’d just direct-deposit the funds into the resident director’s personal account and wait for them to bring back all their receipts,” she said. “No one liked that system, having to mingle personal money with travel funds and having to keep a strict accounting. It was a very cumbersome, sometimes confusing process.”

The GET cards, however, provide a separate, unique account to hold those funds. The cards work like a pre-loaded debit card — used like a credit card for purchases or to withdraw funds in local currency from almost any ATM.

“I thought it worked wonderfully,” George said. “It was really convenient, and it was nice being able to keep track of the exact balance without having to always mentally separate my personal funds from the Study Abroad funds.”

“The directors still have to keep all their receipts, but each individual card will have its own statement so all the purchases hit the books back here automatically. We’ll have a good idea where the money is being spent before the groups even get back to this country,” Johnson said.

“It’s just a much cleaner, more efficient way for resident directors to manage the group’s cash while in-country and we’re happy with how it worked.”

The use of GET cards come on the heels of a streamlined reimbursement procedure that was the first measure of the initiative to be put into action.

Leslie Flesch, associate vice president for Resource Management Systems, who chaired the Streamlining and Simplification force, said more measures are on the way.

Each answers concerns raised by an external review of the university’s operational structures and helps advance President Gordon Gee’s strategic goal to simplify systems and structures.