The Attendance at Event Form can be found at eCOI+

The AAE is required for all staff attending an event off-campus in an official capacity. Click here to begin a new form: ecoi.rutgers.edu

The form is also required for faculty acting in an administrative capacity (e.g. Deans, Chancellors, etc.)

The AAE is not required for faculty acting in a scholarly capacity (see: Faculty Ethics Disclosures and Scholarly Activity)

• Staff are only permitted to accept payments/reimbursements/waivers from event sponsors in limited circumstances
• AAE forms require Supervisor and Ethics Office review
• If you are invited to speak/present at a conference, please include a copy of the event brochure/website/agenda
• If the event sponsor is offering to waive registration fees or provide any meals/travel/lodging, please note that on the form
• Staff are not permitted to accept honoraria, even if you are speaking at an event

Staff are never permitted to accept entertainment benefits, not included as part of the registration for an event, such as golf outings, concert tickets, meals, etc. If staff wish to attend these additional offerings, they must pay the associated costs.

Example: 

A Staff member is invited to speak at a national conference of higher education administrators. The conference sponsor offers to waive the registration fee for the conference, and the staff member’s department has room in their budget to pay for the expenses for travel and lodging associated with the event. The event also includes lunch for all registrants. A vendor who is also attending the conference has organized a dinner and invited the staff member as well as several other speakers at the conference.

The staff member may accept the waived registration fee from the event sponsor, including the lunch at the conference. However, the staff member should not accept the dinner from the vendor, if the staff member wishes to attend the dinner, they must pay the costs associated with the dinner.

FAQs

• Do I have to complete a form for each meeting I attend?
  • Regularly scheduled business meetings do not require an AAE, however if you are attending an in-person conference, seminar, or other “event” off-campus, you should complete the form.
• Do I have to complete a form for a webinar or virtual event?
  • No. If you are attending a virtual event you are not required to submit a form in most cases. However, if you are offered a free registration while others must pay a fee, or if you are offered a “free gift” for attending, you should complete an AEE or contact UEC at ethics@uec.rutgers.edu (we aren’t allowed to accept free gifts, generally speaking)
• Do I have to complete a form if I’m paying for all of the costs myself, or if my department is covering the costs?
  • Yes. It is recommended that you complete the form for any in-person event so that we can document who has paid for all of the expenses associated with the event.
• What is an “interested party?”
  • For general purposes an “interested party” usually means a vendor or potential vendor to the University. Most non-profits and professional organizations are not “interested parties” but if you are unsure, please contact our office at ethics@uec.rutgers.edu.
• What can I accept from an event sponsor?
  • If the event sponsor is not a vendor or “interested party” to the University, you may accept most reasonable costs associated with the event. If the sponsor is an “interested party” or vendor, then you are not permitted to accept anything from the sponsor unless you are speaking at the event, in those cases, there are limits to what is permissible, and we must submit a copy of your form to the State Ethics Commission for review.