CareerCenter145E

Supplemental Employment for Graduate Assistants

Students with graduate or doctoral assistant assignments may accept additional part-time campus employment during their assistantship only with prior approval from the department where they are employed as an assistant and the Graduate School.   

Permission
 Adding Hours
 Adding to Payroll
 Timekeeping
 Wage Rates
 End of GA Contract

Permission :

  • A student employed as a graduate assistant may work additional on-campus hours as a regular student employee provided permission is granted by both the department supervising the assistantship (faculty mentor) and the Graduate School.
  • If the position for which they are applying is a “regular” student job, it is necessary to post the position and go through the regular referral process in addition to obtaining additional approval from the Graduate office.
  • A letter or e-mail must be on file with the Career Center before they can receive referrals to campus jobs.
    The letter should originate from their home department and must also carry the approval of the assistant dean of the Graduate School.
  • In the event these students are approved to work hours in addition to their assistantship, they will generally be limited to an additional 10 hours a week per the guidelines established by the Graduate Office.

Adding Hours :

  • Within the Same Department
    If the student is hired to work additional hours in the same department where he or she is a graduate assistant, the position does not have to be posted on Cardinal ViewJobs nor does the student need to get a referral from the Career Center. Using the Career Center Student Employee Hiring Form, send the appropriate information to the Student Employment Coordinator for input into the payroll system.
  • In Another Department
    Students wanting to work in departments other than those in which they have their assistantships must first receive written permission from their supervising department chairs or directors and from the Graduate School. In addition, the jobs for which they are applying must be posted on Cardinal ViewJobs and the students must get referrals from the Career Center.

Adding to Payroll:

Use the Career Center Student Employee Hiring Form to add the student to student payroll when hired. The Career Center will generate the Electronic Personnel Action Form (EPAF) to place the student on payroll.  The Career Center will return the completed EPAF to those indicated in the approval routing for verification before it is submitted for application by the Office of Payroll and Employee Benefits.

Timekeeping:   

Students on graduate payroll must submit a bi-weekly "Individual Absence" report (Form B-77) for their Graduate Assistantship. Once students are approved for supplemental student employment, they will be able to enter the hours worked in the regular student employment position in Kronos either through the web or though time clocks. The time periods and submission deadlines are the same as for regular student payroll dates.

Wage Rates :   

Wages for graduate students working supplemental student jobs are subject to the same wage restrictions imposed by that job for any student working in that position.  The minimum wage is $7.25/hr. as determined by the federal government and the maximum is $9.00/hr. as determined by the BSU Board of Trustees.  However, for positions posted as “graduate” positions, the maximum is the hourly equivalent to the prevailing annual stipend for the hiring department.  For example, if the stipend is $8,025 per year, the hourly rate is $12.53.  This equates to $8,025 / 640 (160 days with 4 hours a day in the academic year) = $12.539062.  Round down so the total amount allotted is not exceeded.

End of Graduate Assistantship Contract :

Please note that when an employee's graduate assistantship contract ends, so do any supplemental assignments, including regular student employment. If you want to retain a graduate student in a regular student employment position after his or her graduate contract ends, you must add the person to student payroll again using FormBlaster. It is critical that the re-add effective date be after the last work day of their graduate assistant contract (e.g., if the academic year assistantship contract ends on May 14, select an add-effective date of May 15 or later).   Also, be sure to use a specific end date occurring before the student's contract for the next academic year begins.  For example, if the beginning of the academic year is August 22nd, the graduate assistant contract begins the first day of the payroll term coinciding with the academic year, or August 21st.  In this instance, use a termination date of August 20 for the end date on the Student Employment Authorization.  Do not allow the SEA process to use a default date.  This will result in your graduate student's assignment ending prematurely.

If you have any questions about this process, contact the Student Employment Coordinator at 285-2432.