How do you arrange travel?

The Institute will pay for your reasonable travel from home to VCU and back (once this summer and once next), no more than the price of a round trip coach airplane ticket. Those who drive can be reimbursed, as described below. For the rest, it would be best (trust me on this) if you arranged travel through VCU. That eliminates out-of-pocket expenses and reduces painful paperwork. If you have already purchased a ticket, that's OK. You will be reimbursed (see below).

Another possibility is to consider going with others who happen to be in your area (see maps of new and returning student locations, but bear in mind that the map shows the location of student's colleges, not their homes).

If you happen to live near Richmond, rejoice! You just saved a trip.

• Contact Jenn Jefferies (804-827-0335 or jejefferies@vcu.edu) to arrange plane, train, or bus travel. You can come to her with a detailed itinerary in hand or none at all.
   
• You will need to fill out a Travel Authorization form. Jenn will take you through the intricacies.
   
• You will probably need to hand in boarding passes, so be sure to keep them. No need for a Travel Expense Reimbursement form.

• All: Contact Jenn Jefferies (804-827-0335 or jejefferies@vcu.edu). She will take you through the intricacies of filling out the required Travel Authorization form. This must be done well in advance of travel (see What we need from you soon).
   
• Those traveling by plane, train, or bus: Keep something that demonstrates you paid for the ticket -- a receipt, a credit card statement, or a canceled check. A printout of an itinerary won't do. And keep your boarding passes!
   
• Those traveling by car: Keep track of the mileage. If you need to stop off along the way, keep the receipt for the motel (or whatever). At present, you can be reimbursed for 50.5 cents/mile. There's a complicated set of rules (p.92) for food and lodging, should that be necessary. Note that food and lodging is for you, not for your driver, should you be so lucky to have one.
   
• All: As soon as possible after your arrival, turn in a completed Travel Expense Reimbursement form to Jenn Jeffries or to the Life Sciences office. Attach all receipts, boarding passes, etc. If you must wait for a credit card statement or canceled check to become available, wait, but understand that the form must be submitted within 30 working days after travel to be reimbursible.

• Flyers: Go into Richmond International Airport (RIC).
   
• Trainers: Go into Richmond Staples Mill Station (RVR) or (somewhat closer to VCU) Richmond Main St. Station (RVM).
   
• Bussers: Go to the Boulevard station.
   
• Drivers: Go to luxurious Gladding Apartments. Here are driving instructions from the North or West and from the South or East.

Rooms in luxurious Gladding Apartments will be available any time Tuesday, May 27. We hope you can get here before dinner (which we'll take care of), sometime around 6 pm. Gladding will close at noon, Wednesday, August 6.

Some may wonder, "Am I allowed to leave the Institute during the summer?" Note that the "I" in BBSI stands for "Institute", not "Institution". One major appeal of the life of academic research is that you are FREE! There are no attendance lists, no time cards. (People have 80+ hour work weeks because they WANT to.) If you can get done what needs to get done, with creativity and thoroughness, then you'll gain the satisfaction and opportunities that comes with accomplishment. If you can do that AND take a break, all the better.

There will no doubt be excursions now and then to play in D.C. or on the beach, for example. These will be organized by you at your pleasure. But we'll be happy to help in any way we can.

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