Skip to main content

Entertainment Policies and Procedures

The Sociology Department has setup the following guidelines for business meetings and events.  UCSD allows the provision of meals or light refreshments for an event, such as a meeting, entertainment, and programmatic activity, if it serves a bona fide UCSD business purpose. It is the host's responsibility to understand campus and departmental policies for hosting and requesting reimbursements. 

Should you wish to host a Sociology sponsored event on campus and need assistance or guidance in reserving space, setting up catering, etc., please contact MSO Shanley Miller or Financial Analyst Teresa Wassum. We request notice at a minimum of six months in advance for large parties or workshops. For additional information on Entertainment and Events, please visit UCSD's Campus website.

  • To limit out-of-pocket costs, please contact us ahead of your meeting/event so that we can coordinate the expenses via campus recharge, check to vendor, or a department travel card.
  • For room reservations at SSB 101 & 414, please contact Instructional Assistant Ray Rayes

Maximum Per-Person Meal Limit

The current daily rates may be found on Blink.

The University has maximum rates that are used for reimbursing entertainment expenses. These are UC rules and cannot be changed by the department. The reimbursement rates linked are per person, including the guest(s), official UCSD host and UC employee participant(s). Anything beyond these dollar amounts requires approval for policy exception by the Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (EVCAA).

Per-person meal expense is for an entire event and:

  • Includes: Pre-meal items (e.g., beverages and hors d'oeuvres), meal, labor, sales tax, delivery charges, and other service fees.

  • Doesn't include: Room rental and setup fees, media rental fees, china and linen rental, decorations, and other non-meal expenses.


 

Reimbursement Requirements

Receipts

  • Email receipts to: Fiscal Assistant Rick Clarke
  • Original itemized (showing number of attendees) receipts must be attached to all reimbursement requests. Itemized receipts in addition to charge-card receipts must be submitted so that the food and beverage charges can be properly identified. 
  • Provide a list of all attendees, titles/designations, and home institutions associated with each.
  • Please charge alcohol to a separate receipt when not requesting reimbursement. If alcohol is listed, this will cause a delay in processing time.
  • No alcohol may be charged for faculty recruitment meetings except for the candidate.

Additional Policies & Resources

Travel & Entertainment Card

  • If you have a UCSD Travel & Entertainment Card, you may use it to reduce out-of-pocket expenses for meetings and entertainment expenses.
    • Please be sure to turn in any travel card meeting expense within 10 business days and note that the travel card was used so that a direct payment may be setup in the reimbursement process.
  • On-campus, full-service catering services not provided by UC San Diego Catering are now processed through Concur and will be invoiced and paid directly in Concur. All other food orders for events can be processed using your Travel & Entertainment Card and reconciled through Concur.
  • Please contact your fund manager for additional information on applying for a Travel & Entertainment Card.

 

Event types:

Most events for UC San Diego business are 1 of these 3 types of events, each with certain policies and guidelines:

Frequency limits and tax implications:

UC San Diego does not pay or reimburse frequent or routine expenditures for meals or light refreshments for employees as they're considered taxable income by the IRS.

For meetings and entertainment events, limit:

  • Meals to once per month, per group
  • Light refreshments to twice per month, per group

A meal or entertainment expense is taxable income if:

  • The activity is not directly related to the employee's job
  • The expense if lavish or extravagant under the circumstances
  • The official host (or other designated employee) is not present when the activity takes place
  • The expense is not substantiated with supporting documentation and a receipt if an expense is $75 or greater
  • It is deemed the employee did not adequately account to UC San Diego for these expenses within a reasonable period of time

 

Quick Links

Track your reimbursement status