Student-Faculty
Dinner/Coffee

Undergraduate-Faculty Dinners/Coffee

Get ready and get excited, because MIT undergraduates can take a member of the MIT faculty out to a nice dinner or coffee, reimbursed by the Office of the First Year. Don't miss this opportunity to interact with your favorite professor!

Please register your dinner or coffee at least 4 days before attending. You must receive a confirmation email before finalizing plans with your group and professor. Dinners that are not registered and approved in advance will not be reimbursed.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION For Both Dinners and Coffees

  • A group attending a dinner must consist of 3-6 undergraduate students per professor
  • A group attending a coffee must consist of 1-3 undergraduates per professor.
  • We will not reimburse dinners or coffees that are not pre-registered at least 4 days before the meal.
  • Students should pay for the dinners and request reimbursement. Please do not have your professor pay upfront for the dinner— we cannot ensure reimbursement for professors in a timely manner.
  • Undergraduates can be reimbursed for either 1 dinner + 1 coffee or 3 coffees per semester. Note: If a student attends more than this number of dinners or coffees, they must pay for their portion of the bill.
  • There is a $20/person limit for reimbursement for dinners and a $6/person limit for coffees. Dinners or coffees costing above that will be reimbursed at the limit, so please choose your restaurant and menu items thoughtfully. If a meal total surpasses the budgeted amount, please split the remainder amongst the attendees. You are encouraged to share your budget with your faculty member.
  • We cannot reimburse alcohol.
  • We do reimburse tips and other fees. Please remember to take the tip into consideration when thinking about your bill total.
  • Make sure to show your tax-exemption certificate at the dinner, so that you do not get taxed. We cannot reimburse any taxes charged.
  • Make sure that you request and keep a proof of payment and an itemized receipt. (More information in detailed instructions.) Otherwise, we will likely not be able to reimburse you.
  • Submit one reimbursement with one student to be reimbursed.
  • Your paperwork should be fully submitted by December 17, 2019 to be reimbursed.
  • Any paperwork submitted after December 17, 2019  might not be reimbursed by the end of the semester.
  • We require electronic paperwork. We reimburse dinners and coffees only when all relevant paperwork is submitted and correct.
  • Once all funds have been used for the semester, the registration site will be closed and no other meals will be approved or reimbursed until the site reopens next semester. 

Instructions

1. Form a group of MIT Undergraduates

  • Graduate students are welcome to attend, but they cannot be reimbursed.
  • If some of your party cannot attend, the group that goes to dinner  or coffee still must be between 3-6 MIT undergraduates (for a dinner) or 1-3 undergraduates (for a coffee).

2. Talk to your favorite MIT professor

  • Contact your professor (must be faculty or lecturer, not a TA) and schedule a date for the dinner or coffee. Professors can go on as many dinners/coffees as they'd like, so don't worry if someone as already talked to them.
  • Please tell your professor that the date is TENTATIVE until you receive an email confirming your registration. 
  • Not certain how to reach out to a professor? No worries! Here is an example:

Hi Professor Rosa,

My name is Ben Campbell, a student in your Non-Linear Equations class. A couple of students, including myself, Jill __, Choi __, Kianna __, and Fisher __ were wondering if you are interested in having a free dinner with us through the UA Student-Faculty Dinner Program. We have enjoyed your class so far (especially your discussion on the Monty Hall problem), and would love to get to know you more outside of the classroom. Let us know if you are interested so that we may find a time that works best!

Thank you,

Ben Campbell

3. Pick a date before December 17, 2019 that works for everyone

4. Register the Dinner or Coffee

Fill out the following forms to register for a dinner or coffee. We will only reimburse dinners and coffees that have been registered 4 days beforehand. Each student can be reimbursed for either one dinner + one coffee or three coffees per semester.

5. Fill out tax exemption paperwork

Make sure to fill out and present MIT's ST-2 certificate and ST-5 form at the dinner, so you won't get taxed. We cannot reimburse any taxes.

6. Enjoy your dinner or coffee, and collect your receipts!

  • Request an itemized receipt. It must include the restaurant name, each item and its price, and date of service.
  • Be sure to also get the proof of payment (which may be part of the itemized receipt).

Sample Itemized Receipt

Sample Proof of Payment

Don't forget the tax exemption form!

  • If you pay in cash, you must have a receipt from the restaurant stating that you paid in cash, in addition to the itemized receipt.

7.  Thank your professor

  • Maybe a thank you card is in order.

8.  Get reimbursed

  • Within a month after the dinner, follow the steps outlined on Reimbursement Instructions to get reimbursed.

  • Reimbursements will take up to two weeks after submission of all paperwork, if directions are completely followed. 

Incorrectly filled or incomplete paperwork will be delayed until all missing items are submitted.

What if I forget to ask for an itemized receipt or a proof of payment?

  • In this case, you will have to contact the restaurant to obtain a copy. They will probably have a record of your order.
  • In the case of a proof of payment, you may alternatively submit a screenshot and print-out of your bank statement demonstrating that the meal has been paid. However, we do prefer a proof of payment from the restaurant.

QUESTIONS? Please contact Elizabeth Hoy (ehoy@mit.edu).