New PI, how to set rule for student travel expense
Hi all, throwaway account because people I know might read this.
I'm a new PI with some federal support and sent students to a conference trip. Long story short that one student (rotation) spent 2.5x more than me and another student did for the same trip.
Multiple things added up but all in compliance with university travel policy (I did not involve in pre-approval except for providing the accountant which grant to charge this). Basically that student booked flight, hotel, and conference registration (non-member rate) 2 weeks before the conference. Flight is premium econ but one leg is 16 hours so it's allowable. Hotel is a bit on the higher end but under the maximum lodging rate. Multiple uber trips between venue and hotel.
I handled this wrong by confronting the student why they did not try to save. In the end, they left the lab after the rotation and I feel like I'm being stingy and controlling.
I wonder how would I handle this in the future? Is it reasonable to set a max budget per student for each trip (is it even legal to do so)?
On one hand I understand there are personal reasons for late booking (visa etc.) and cost can fluctuate. But on the other hand, this left a sour taste when I try my best to save as much as I can to send more trainees and they do not feel like they should do the same.