1

Student Employment Supervisor Handbook

STUDENT EMPLOYMENT – AN OVERVIEW Thank you for your continued support of Salem State University students and their employment as an on-campus supervisor. This handbook is to help guide you through procedures that involve student employment. Please be aware that the policies and procedures in this handbook are very important and must be adhered to by all parties, as Regulatory Authorities may fine the University for non-compliance. We hope that you find this handbook useful and informative. Employment on-campus is available to matriculated Salem State University students through two programs: Federal College Work-Study and Institutional Employment. Only those students who have applied for financial aid and have received Federal College Work-Study (FCWS) award are eligible for FCWS employment. Students who have not applied for financial aid and/or have not received a FCWS award are eligible to seek Institutional Employment paid through departmental funds. Student Employment positions provide Salem State University students with an excellent opportunity to gain work experience in one or more areas. Jobs should be related to, or enhance, the student’s course of study, career goals, or field of interest. These positions may greatly assist the student in defining areas of interest and provide references for future employment.

Office Information The Student Employment Office is located in the Administration Annex, North Campus. If you have any questions, feel free to stop by, or give us a call at 978-542-7052. Our fax number is 978-5426163. Our office hours are 8:30 am – 5:00 pm Monday through Friday. Our email address is [email protected] and our web address is www.salemstate.edu/seo

2

I.

INFORMATION FOR SUPERVISORS

A supervisor, who wishes to hire a student, must complete a Student Employment Request Form. Job descriptions must accurately reflect the duties and responsibilities as well as the qualifications associated with each student employment position.

Job Request Process
For each NEW position a Request Form must be completed. On this form, a job description, minimum qualifications, suggested title, suggested pay rate, and complete funding information must be provided. It is imperative that you indicate specific departmental funding sources for any Institutional Employment positions. Incomplete information will cause delays. The Student Employment Office will then review the information and assign the new positions a job number that will be used when hiring a student.
For existing positions active in the previous Academic Year, preprinted Request Forms will be forwarded to the supervisors in March and be due by 2nd full week of April.
For existing positions active in the previous Summer Term, preprinted Request Forms will be forwarded to the Supervisors in February and be due by 1st full week of March.

Hiring a Student There are a number of personnel forms each student must file with the Student Employment Office before working. Students may come to you directly during the course of the year. You must confirm with the Student Employment Office that the student has completed all the necessary hiring forms (W-4 & M-4 Tax Forms, I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification, and a Student Personal Data Form). If these forms are not on file, instruct the student to return to the Student Employment Office to complete them. A student will not be authorized to work until this certification process is completed. This is a Federal Law and a $20,000 FINE may be imposed for noncompliance. 1. Be aware of the student’s financial aid status. You cannot hire a student into a Federal College Work-Study position if he/she does not have a FCWS award. Also, International students are not eligible for work-study, only institutional employment. 2. Once the student has completed the necessary hiring forms (W-4 & M-4 Tax Forms, I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification, Student Personal Data Form), and after you have agreed to hire them, contact the student employment office and request to hire the student. You must provide your Job Number, the Student’s ID Number, and indicate whether the student will be FCWS or Institutional. Also, a student may only work if they are matriculated. Non-matriculated students may not work. 3. The Student Employment Office will then send you a preprinted Authorization Form. You should review and sign this form, checking the accuracy of the JOB NUMBER, JOB TITLE, PAY RATE, and FUNDING SOURCE. By signing the form you are indicating that all information is accurate and you are authorizing this student to work in your department.

3 4. Return the Authorization Form immediately to Student Employment. The Student Employment Office will then hire the student into the payroll system. If all is in order, your copy will be returned to you. This is your verification that the student has completed the process and has been entered into the payroll system. The returned authorization will have the student’s employee identification number and record number that you will need to submit time sheets to the Payroll office. You may not allow/require a student to begin work until you have received the final copy of the Authorization Form from the Student Employment Office. 5. Students may have more than one Institutional position but no more than one FCWS position. All positions must total less than 37.5 hours. It is beneficial to the supervisor to check with that student in regards to other on-campus positions. If a student works over 40 hours in one week, in most cases, the department that supplies the most number of hours will be charged the overtime due to the student. Special circumstances may require that the Student Employment Administrator determine which department is responsible for the overtime. 6. FCWS earnings are limited to the dollar amount specified on the work authorization form for each term/semester. You must monitor the student’s hours/earnings carefully. Students cannot exceed their award amount. The dates are noted on the payroll schedule available through our office or student payroll. 7. If the Financial Aid Office is not able to increase the student’s FCWS award, and the student would like to continue working, you may choose to hire them as an institutional hire instead if you have the funding to do so. In this case, the Student Employment Office must be informed of the switch and a new authorization form needs to be generated. The student may not work under the new institutional job until a new record number is issued to you from our office. 8. The law requires that students be paid for work performed; therefore, Financial Services will automatically pay the student for any overage to which they are entitled from the hiring department’s budget. The Student Employment Office will inform you when this action is to be taken through a Corrected Expense Form.

Rehires Any student who has worked in a department before and would like to continue working for the new academic year or summer must still have a new authorization form generated. For example, if a student worked for your department in the AY 10/11 and you would like to hire them for the Summer of 11 a new authorization form must be issued and then again for AY 11/12. Failure to properly authorize students will impede the hiring and payroll process.

Updating Job Status Supervisors should inform the Student Employment Office when a job has been filled or when an opening becomes available. With the extremely large number of positions filled by students campus-wide, the Student Employment Office can best service students and supervisors when the job-directories are up to date. Supervisors are also required to notify the Student Employment Office when a student is terminated or has terminated work voluntarily.

4

Termination of Work A supervisor has the right to terminate a student’s employment with just cause. Grounds for disciplinary action include, but are not limited to: poor performance, tardiness, absenteeism, failure to meet job requirements as listed in the job description and inappropriate behavior such as, excessive personal telephone calls and visits from friends during work hours. If and when disciplinary problems arise, a supervisor should use the following guidelines, as they provide written documentation in the event of counteraction by the student:
Give the student a verbal warning, stating exactly what the unacceptable behavior was, and what needs to be done to correct the problem. Be sure to detach the behavior from the individual.
The second time there is a problem, (it does not have to be the same problem) give the student a written warning of what the unacceptable behavior was and what needs to be done to correct the problem. A copy should be sent to the Student Employment Office.
On the third time, the student should be given a written notification of termination stating the reasons why this action has been taken. A copy of this notice is to be sent to the Student Employment Office.

Work Schedule, Hours, and Responsibilities Once a student is hired in a position, the student and supervisor should sit down and agree on a written work schedule. It should be honored as would any other employment commitment. Employment while in school should be part-time. Time committed to a student’s employment should not affect poorly on his or her academic performance. A maximum of 20 hours per week is strongly recommended during the school year. International students may ONLY work 20 hours/week during the academic year. A student may work up to 37.5 hours per week during the summer, holidays, and semester breaks. Actual hours to be worked will vary according to funds allotted and the hours approved for the position. Students and supervisors are equally responsible for keeping track of the number of hours approved for the position. Please Note: Students working six (6) consecutive hours must receive a half-hour meal break. In addition, each student is entitled to be paid for a 15-minute break for every (4) hours worked. Students are paid for actual hours worked and cannot be paid for holidays, sick time, snow days, and meal time.

Job Classification and Pay Scale Level 1 - $8.00: Positions in which duties include routine work that requires no experience and/or limited training. Independent action and judgment are limited to minor

5 decisions. Close supervision or specific instructions are required for such positions as Desk Receptionists & Office Assistants. Level 2 - $8.50: Positions in which duties include proficiency in an area that requires specialized knowledge, training and/or experience. Independent judgment is often needed to develop new work methods and to solve problems. The qualifications are acquired from prior work or educational experience. Positions such as Lab Assistants and Administrative Aids will require general supervision. Level 3 - $9.50: Positions in which duties performed require considerable proficiency in areas requiring specialized knowledge, skills, and ability. Work is characterized by the ability to train or instruct others and/or be responsible for the partial operation of a facility. The qualifications are acquired from a significant period of work or educational experience. Little supervision is necessary for such positions as Tutors and Project Coordinators. Level 4 – ($10.00 +): This category is used for graduate students and other positions which fall outside the job classification range as described by the Student Employment Office.

II.

Payroll Procedures Completion and Submission of Student Time Sheets Due to audit findings, it is imperative that supervisors follow the University’s policy for completion and submission of time sheets. Institutional Employment time sheet is Yellow Federal College Work Study time sheet is White


Time sheets should not be completed in pencil, please use ink. Errors should be crossed off and initialed by the supervisor. White out should not be used to make corrections.
For each time sheet, the supervisor, (or designee as noted on the work authorization form, Not a student) will complete the Chartfield information and enter the week ending date on the time sheet.
The Supervisor will enter the student’s name, employee ID number and Record number in the appropriate spaces on the time sheet.
The Supervisor will complete the payroll time sheets from internal records, time cards, or logs, noting the number of hours worked each day. Time sheets should be marked with an “X” for days not worked.

6
As an audit requirement, each week on the last day worked, the Supervisor will ensure that each student has signed the internal time records, time card or log to certify that the hours are a true record of the student’s time worked. A daily log must be maintained for all student employee hours worked.
At the end of each week, The Supervisor will ensure that the total hours worked for each student’s time are recorded on the time sheet.
Completed time sheets must be submitted to the payroll office no later than 10:00am on that Friday. If you have students work on Saturday, estimate their time and if necessary correct their hours on the following week. If there is a Monday holiday, payroll will indicate when time sheets should be submitted.
Students are not allowed to prepare time sheets, nor are they allowed to deliver them. Only the person or persons authorized on the work authorization form can complete time sheets and deliver them. This responsibility cannot be delegated.
Contact payroll for any payroll issues, for example, if a student is disputing his or her earnings for that pay period.
Important: FCWS earnings are limited to the award amount specified on the work authorization form. Students and their supervisors must monitor the student’s hours /earnings. Students cannot exceed their award amount and will not be paid out of work study funds over and above the specified award. The department will be charged the overage by Financial Services. It is crucial that payroll time sheets are submitted on time in order for students to be paid correctly.

Frequently Asked Questions How do students receive their paycheck? All paychecks for students are mailed to the permanent address listed on the students’ personal data form. Direct Deposit is also available for students and is quick and easy. Student Employment can help any student complete a direct deposit.

Where do student employees get their W-2?

7

W2’s are sent to their permanent address prior to the deadline. The Payroll Office can help with any questions you or your student employee may have. The number to student payroll is (978) 542-6116.

How Do Student Employees Change Their Address? In order to have their address changed, they must fill out a change of address form at the Student Employment Office.

When Do Student Employees Get Paid? All employees are paid on a bi-weekly basis. Ask Student Employment for a pay schedule.