Responsible Offices:  Graduate School and Research                                        Human Resources Financial Aid & Veterans Services                                                         (for Federal Work-Study Only)

Effective:       February 7, 2000 Supersedes:  January 20, 1999

Purpose Scope Policy    1.  Definitions/Descriptions of Grad Student Employees    2.  Allocating Federal Work-Study Funds    3.  Employment of Graduate Students    4.  Hiring of Relatives    5.  Benefits Procedure    1.  Recruitment and Hiring    2.  Documentation     3.  Payments to Graduate Student Employees    4.  Termination Form HR 1.35G - Form Instructions

Revisions effective February 7, 2000, are indicated by  .       Key revisions include: Additional guidelines concerning graduate students working under the Federal Work-Study Program are provided . When hiring a  new graduate student, a photocopy of the student's social security card  must be attached to the HR 1.35G form.

Applies to all university departments and activities hiring graduate student employees.

Policy

1.     Definitions and Descriptions of Graduate Student Employees.

A graduate student employee is an individual enrolled as a graduate student who is employed by a university department.  Graduate student employees may include the following:

• Graduate Teaching Assistant.

An individual enrolled as a degree-seeking student in a graduate program who receives a graduate assistantship administered by the Graduate School.
• Graduate Research Assistant.

An individual enrolled as a degree-seeking student in a graduate program who provides research assistance, with funding administered by individual departments and Sponsored Programs.
• Graduate Assistant (flat rate), Graduate Work Assistant (hourly rate).

An individual enrolled as a graduate student performing work in a variety of areas not directly related to the student's degree (examples:  Athletics, Public Service, Student Academic Support Programs, Student Affairs).  Specific category depends on the type of work, pay rate, and source of funds.  Contact the Graduate School for assistance in determining the appropriate category for students falling under this example.
• Graduate Work-Study Student.

An individual enrolled in a graduate program who is granted financial aid in the form of payment (limited to a maximum amount authorized per academic year and/or summer period) for work performed under the Federal Work-Study Program.  Graduate work-study students are paid in whole or in part with Federal Work-Study Program funds and may be paid an hourly rate or a stipend (flat rate).
  Federal Work-Study awards are based on the financial aid award year and the student's continued eligibility for Federal Work-Study.  The Financial Aid & Veterans Services Office authorizes the duration of employment for students paid with Federal Work-Study funds.

2.     Allocating Federal Work-Study Funds.

  The Financial Aid & Veterans Services Office allocates Federal Work-Study funds to departments and provides notification to each university department receiving a Federal Work-Study allocation.  The Financial Aid & Veterans Services Office also makes individual Federal Work-Study awards to students.

  Note:  If it is determined that the hiring department did not have an allocation of Federal Work-Study funds to hire a student who has already begun work, the department will be required to pay the student from departmental funds.

3.     Employment of Graduate Students.

All requests to hire graduate students must be coordinated between the hiring department and the Graduate School.  The Graduate School should be contacted for assistance in establishing pay rates for graduate students.

a.    Required Approvals.  Requests to hire graduate students must receive written approval from the following before the assignment begins:
 
• Department head (or principal investigator if contract and grant accounts
• Dean (if Academic Affairs)
Note:  The Graduate School does not require approval from the academic dean if graduate teaching assistants are paid from Graduate School allocations; however, individual departments or divisions may require academic dean approval in these instances.
• Respective vice chancellor
• Sponsored Programs (if charged to contract and grants accounts)
•   Financial Aid & Veterans Services (if Federal Work-Study student)
• Graduate School.

 

4.     Hiring of Relatives.

The university recognizes the sensitive nature of having family members employed by the university and will take care to avoid difficult situations.  To ensure that student employment opportunities are filled in a fair and equitable manner, departments must abide by the following policies:
 
• Unless there is an open and competitive recruitment/selection process, a student may not be employed in a work unit where a family member is presently employed, whether or not the family member supervises the student's work directly.

 
• A student may not be employed in a unit, department, or division where a family member exercises supervisory or management responsibility for the unit where the student would be employed.

 
• If a student is to be employed in a unit or department of which the manager is an organizational peer to a family member of the student in the same division, the employment will require approval of the next-higher level administrator.

5.        Benefits.
 

Graduate student employees do not earn state benefits and are not eligible to participate in optional deduction programs but are covered by workers' compensation.

• Coordinate the recruitment and/or employment of all graduate students with the Graduate School.

 
• Complete Form HR 1.35G (Graduate Student Action) immediately upon finalizing a hiring commitment.  Attach documentation as indicated in Procedure statement 2 below.

 
•   For Federal Work-Study students, submit a new HR 1.35G form each academic year and/or summer school period, as Federal Work-Study assignments terminate automatically at the end of the academic year or summer school.

 
• Before employment begins, all approvals must be obtained and all compliance reviews and personnel assignment processes must be completed.  Ensure that approved forms meet published payroll cutoffs.

2.     Documentation to Accompany HR 1.35G Form.

• For new graduate student employees, attach the following documentation to the HR 1.35G form and send to the Graduate School:

a)      Completed W-4 (Federal Tax Withholding) and NC-4 (North Carolina State Tax Withholding).
b)      Completed (original) Form I-9, INS Employment Eligibility Verification.
Note:  Form I-9 must be completed and verified by the end of the third day of employment.  If this deadline is not met, federal regulations require that employment be discontinued.
c)       Photocopy of the student's social security card.
d)       Completed Work Agreement Form (for Federal Work-Study students only).  This form is available from Career Services.
e)       Job Description (for Federal Work-Study Students only).

• For graduate students currently employed by the university, additional documentation is not required.

 


3.     Payments to Graduate Student Employees.

• Graduate students on flat-pay assignments are paid on the month-end payroll (last workday of the month) according to information provided on Form HR 1.35G.

 
• Graduate students paid an hourly rate are paid on the mid-month payroll (15th of the month) for hours worked during the previous month.  Graduate students paid an hourly rate must record the hours worked on the UNCW Student Time Sheet (Form HR 1.61) as instructed in Procedure HR 1.60.  The departmental representative will submit the completed time sheets and recap sheets to Payroll as instructed in Procedure HR 1.60.

 


4.     Termination of Graduate Student Employees.

• Submit a Form HR 1.35G only if the termination date differs from the assignment end date indicated on the original HR 1.35G form.
• For termination of graduate students paid an hourly rate, the hiring department must indicate on the monthly recap sheet the last day worked by the terminated student employee.

 

 

Instructions for Preparation of Form HR 1.35G                          Effective:  January 20, 1999

Name of Form:  Graduate Student Action                                    NEW

A.     Where to Obtain Forms.

            Forms may be ordered from the U-Business Web site.

B.     Instructions.

• The hiring department should complete Form HR 1.35-G immediately upon finalizing a hiring commitment because authorizations, compliance reviews and personnel assignment processes must be completed before the assignment begin date.

 
• It is the hiring department’s responsibility to obtain and submit required attachments and to ensure that completed, approved action forms meet published payroll cutoffs.

 
• Forms must be typed; please check that all entries and signatures are legible through all copies of the form.
  
  
• Most items on the form are self-explanatory; therefore, instructions are given only for those items requiring clarification.

a.      Employee Name.

      This must be the student’s legal name to meet IRS reporting requirements

b.     Social Security Number.

• Verify the student’s social security number.
• For first-time hires, send a photocopy of the social security card to the Graduate School, along with the original I-9 and W-4.
• For foreign nationals, work status is verified on the I-9. Contact the Graduate School for additional information.

 c.      Current Status.  Student’s status before this action.

If this is the student’s initial hire at UNCW, place an X next to “New Hire”.

d.     Current Department of Record.

• Indicate the department where the student is registered.

a.       Calendar:  Calendar dates are governed by the official UNCW calendar, as follows:

• Fall:  Starts the first day of the academic year, ends the day the fall semester ends.
• Spring:  Starts the day spring semester begins, ends the last of the academic year.
• Academic Year:  Starts the first day of the academic year, ends the last day of the academic year.
• Monthly:  Assignments not tied to fall, spring or academic year calendars default to a monthly calendar.  These assignments are assigned in HRS and pay rate is calculated based upon a monthly calendar, and the number of days payable in any given month for this assignment. Note:  Monthly time sheets must be submitted for hourly assignments charged to 1400 funds.

b.  Assignment Begin and End Dates: Complete only if:

1)      The assignment effective dates start after the beginning date or end before the ending date of the calendar marked for this action, or
2)      The monthly calendar is used, or
3)       The student is a Federal Work-Study student.  (For Federal Work-Study students, employment begins the first day of classes and ends the last day of exams.)

c.       Salary Disbursement Schedule: Complete only if you request an exception to the standard disbursement schedule listed below:

• Pay for graduate students on flat-pay assignments will be disbursed the last workday of the month.

 
• Pay for graduate students paid an hourly rate will be disbursed on the 15th of the month.

 
• The following disbursement schedule will be applied:

 
• Fall:  Five equal disbursements:  August, September, October, November, December.
• Spring:  Five equal disbursements:  January, February, March, April, May.
• Academic Year: Ten equal disbursements:   Same as fall and spring, combined.
• Monthly:  Monthly, prorate according to the number of assigned days worked each month.

d.     Attachments:  If not already submitted with earlier actions, submit completed (original) I-9, W-4 forms,   and a photocopy of the student's social security card to the Graduate School to complete processing of this action.

• For revisions, complete all information in the FROM and TO fields.

 
• For cancellations, complete all fields in the FROM section and complete position, account, salary, and any other applicable fields in the TO section.

A managers signature indicates that the action complies with university, state, and/or grant personnel policies, and that the information contained on the form is accurate and complete.  Action forms require all  necessary authorizations in order to be processed.
 

• Department Head/Director:  Signature is required for all actions initiated at the department level or using department funds

 
• Dean or Vice Chancellor:  One or more signatures may be required, as follows:  Signature of the responsible dean or vice chancellor is required for actions expending funds under the dean or vice chancellors authority or for actions involving personnel assigned to departments under the dean or vice chancellors authority.

 
• Sponsored Programs:  Signature of the director of Sponsored Programs is required if the action is charged to contract and grant accounts (5-5XXXX).

 
•   Financial Aid & Veterans Services: Signature of the director of financial aid is required if the action is charged to the Federal Work-Study account (6-66612-XXXX).

 
• Graduate School:  Signature of the dean of graduate school and research is required to authorize all graduate student personnel actions.

C.     Distribution.

            The hiring department should route the form as follows to obtain necessary authorizations:

• Responsible department head/director (or principal investigator if contract and grant accounts)

 
• Dean (if Academic Affairs)
Note:  The Graduate School does not require approval from the academic dean if graduate teaching assistants are paid from Graduate School allocations; however, individual departments or divisions may require academic dean approval in these instances.
• Respective vice chancellor

 
• Sponsored Programs (if charged to contract and grants accounts)

Submit completed forms (with authorizations indicated above) to the Graduate School for processing, compliance review, final authorization, and final distribution of the form.