Faculty planning events need to be aware of the following considerations:

Timeline

Speaker event details need to be determined by 8 weeks prior to the event.

Conference planning should commence two years prior to the event.

Pre-approval

The department head approves all department events. When you identified the speaker and basic information about your event, please file the Speaker Proposal Form to obtain approval before proceeding to confirm arrangements. When the Speaker Proposal Form has been approved, please submit the Speaker Intake Form to initiate staff work on the event (honorarium, travel arrangements, venue reservations, catering, publicity, etc.).

Contracting

Per UO policy, faculty are not authorized to make purchases or arrange contracts on behalf of the University. Invitations should be worded such that the speaker understands that your informal inquiry will be followed later with a formal professional services contract (honorarium).

Setting dates

Please consult relevant calendars when setting dates for a speaker event.

Reimbursement of travel expenses

Because of the paperwork and delays involved with reimbursing the travel expenses of invited speakers, the Dept. of Comparative Literature generally does not reimburse invited speakers for travel expenses. Rather, we pay expenses such as air travel and lodging directly to the vendor and include a cushion in the honorarium to cover incidental expenses. Please work closely with the office manager when discussing these details with invited speakers.

Non-resident aliens

Non-resident aliens working at another institution in the US often do not have work authorization for accepting work at another institution. Faculty should be cautious and consult the office manager in these situations. Faculty should not suggest that we can pay an individual who may not have work authorization.

Speakers traveling to multiple institutions: sharing costs

Sharing the cost of travel with another institution works best if each institution pays different expenses. It is not practical to split the cost of one invoice. Please consult the office manager before finalizing plans in this situation. Documentation of costs the other institution covers will be needed.

Speakers including personal days with their travel

Occasionally speakers request to spend an additional day(s) in Eugene for the purpose of sightseeing, etc. In these cases, the trip is classified as business/personal, and we will incorporate relevant travel expenses into the honorarium amount. The traveler will arrange their own airfare. We will not reimburse the traveler for expenses.

Hosting speakers for meals

Faculty hosts should retain documentation of pre-approval from the department head. See Hosting Meals for reimbursement procedures.