The Supervisors Guide for Getting Started with Student Workers
This guide is here to cover the basic information on-campus supervisors need to get started with student employment at the University of Bridgeport. It covers the types of student employees at UB, the budgeting process, developing a job description, how and when students get paid, and how to recruit students.
Types of Student Employees at the University of Bridgeport
There are three types of student workers at the University of Bridgeport (UB). NEW FOR FALL 2008: All student employees must be pre-authorized for employment prior to being hired.
Federal Work Study (FWS) students receive financial aid from the U.S Federal Government. Their salary is paid through thier aid package and does not come from departmental funds. Both undergraduate and graduate students can qualify for Federal Work Study funds by filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). UB departments can hire as many FWS students as they like. Students can earn up to the amount of their FWS award. Supervisors will receive notice if the student gets close to their award limit. These students can work up to 10 hours a week during the fall and spring semesters and up to 25 hours a week during the summer and breaks. Most of these students are paid hourly. However there are some positions that are paid by stipend.
Non Federal Work Study (NFWS) students are all student employees who do not qualify for Federal Work Study funds and are not in Graduate Assistant positions. These students can be undergraduate or graduate students. Their salary is paid directly from department funds. UB departments must have budget authorization to hire NFWS students or transfer funds into the student salary budget line. These students can work up to 15 hours per week during the fall and spring semester and up to 25 hours a week during the summer and breaks. Most of these students are paid hourly. However there are some positions that are paid by stipend.
Graduate/Teaching Assistants (GA/TA) must be working toward a graduate degree at the University of Bridgeport. Graduate and Teaching Assistant assignments are meant to complement the student's program. Their salary is paid directly from department funds. UB departments must have budget authorization to hire Graduate/Teaching Assistants or transfer funds into the correct budget lines. These positions are paid by the credit hour with a combination of stipend and scholarship. The number of hours worked per week depends on the number of credit hours awarded. The maximum award for a GA/TA is 9 credits which equals 20 hours of work per week. Please review the Sample GA Award Letter and Sample Summer GA Award Letter for the details of the formula for calculating the number of working hours, stipend and scholarship. PLEASE NOTE: The formula has been updated for Fall 2008. All GA/TA hires must be cleared by the Office of the Vice President for Graduate Programs and Research to ensure that the work relates to the student's program of study.
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The Budgeting Process
Student employment budgets are set by department. Departments can hire Federal Work Study students without concern for departmental budgeting. Non Federal Work Study (NFWS) budget request forms are sent out by the Financial Aid Office in the Spring of each year. Departments can request NFWS allocations even if they have never before had an allocation. All requests received prior to the deadline are considered in the budgeting process. Departments are notified in June of each year of the number of NFWS hours they are allocated for the following fiscal year. Budget managers receive a monthly report of the hours used and hours remaining. Supervisors can also contact Ed Clancy at 576-4961 at any time to check to see how many hows they have used. Beginning in the Fall of 2008, Graduate/Teaching Assistant budgets will be sent out iby the Department of Graduate Programs and Research. Please contact Dr. Tarek Sobh at 576-4111 if you would like additional information concerning this process.
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Developing a Job Description
The process of developing a comprehensive job description can be time consuming, but helps develop realistic requirements for the position, whether it is for specific education, experience, qualifications, knowledge or skills. Once you know you want to hire student workers, you will first be required to have an accurate job description on file. Use the Job Description Template to make sure it has all the information needed and forward it to the Career Services Center.
Once the specific job description is finalized, the Job Description:
- Provides the basis for classifying the position to an appropriate pay level
- Helps Career Services post the position online
- Gives students an accurate description of the job and its requirements.
- Provides the supervisor with a definitive, useful tool to interview, recruit, and train a qualified candidate.
- Provides both the supervisor and the student with a mechanism to evaluate performance and develop future growth
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How and When Students are Paid
Student pay rates are set by position depending on the duties listed on the job description. Therefore it is very important that you let Career Services know if you change the duties of a position or change the position held by a student. This may effect their rate of pay. Most Federal Work Study (FWS) and Non Federal Work Study (NFWS) students are paid by the hour. There are however some stipend based positions on campus. FWS and NFWS students are paid every other week according to the payroll schedule set at the beginning of each fiscal year. FWS and NFWS students cannot be paid unless their timesheets are turned into payroll complete and on-time. They must be turned in by a staff or faculty member no later than 4 PM on the due date. Late timesheets will be paid in the following pay cycle. As the supervisor, you are responsible for ensuring that you have a process for tracking your student's time effectively and getting the timesheets turned in on-time.
Graduate/Teaching Assistants (GA/TA) are paid in three parts. The scholarship portion of their award is paid as soon as the GA/TA is authorized and their paperwork is complete. The stipend portion is paid in two parts. The first GA/TA payday is usually mid semester and the second is immediately after finals. GA/TA students do not turn in timesheets to payroll. As the supervisor, you are responsible for tracking their hours and ensuring that they put in the hours required. GA/TA students do not work holidays nor do they work breaks. They can use these periods to make up hours if they have to or can be hired as FWS or NFWS students during this time.
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Recruiting Student Workers
It is not difficult to recruit students to work for you at the University of Bridgeport. Most recruiting is handled by word of mouth. The Career Services Center understands it can be difficult to manage the number of students that apply for employment and encourages all departments to list their openings with UBjobnet and take advantage of our on-line recruiting technology. This system will allow you to store your applicants resumes, accept students for interviews, and schedule appointments all on-line. If you are interested, please contact Toni at 576-4466.
To learn more about the recruiting process go to the step-by step guide.
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Anything missing? Have suggestions for additional information?
Contact us at 203.576.4466 or careercenter@bridgeport.edu
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