Student Employment - Supervisor's Handbook

INTRODUCTION

The Student Employment Supervisor's Handbook is designed to provide guidelines for the employment of student personnel at Whittier College. The Student Employment Office (SEO), housed with Human Resources in Mendenhall, would like to make each department aware of the policies, procedures, and responsibilities associated with employment students. We want to help you ensure that your experience with student employees will be positive and that our student employees get the most from their work experience on or off campus.

DEFINITIONS

Student Employee: an individual whose employment is incidental to the pursuit of a full time course of study at the college. Individuals who have been admitted to the college, who take a full course load during an academic year as defined by the college, and who are simultaneously employed either by the college, or by a non-profit community organization registered with the college, will be classified as a student employee.

Individuals may remain student employees during school breaks, vacation periods, and summers while maintaining their enrollment status for the next academic term. Upon graduation or separation from the college, these individuals will no longer be considered student employees. Departments must contact Human Resources in order to continue employment.

POSTING JOBS

Job Request Form
The Student Employment Office (SEO) requires a separate job description for each position available to students. Within a position, there may be more than one job. For example, there is a job description for "Relief Receptionist", but we may hire as many as four students to fill the position. Prior to each academic year, the SEO will distribute copies of current job descriptions for departmental or supervisor review prior to the start of the academic year. Any changes to the hourly rate assigned to a position must be approved by Human Resources.

New positions for the academic year must be submitted to SEO on a Job Request Form. You may not recruit for this position until it is approved and the job entered into the database.

Changes to existing positions are made in the spring and summer using the Job Renewal/Job Change Form. All positions will be posted in the database until the position(s) has been filled.

Once a position is in the database, SEO representatives will send you a copy of the final information. Please review this form and notify SEO of any changes.

JOB TYPES

Federal Work-Study Program (FWS)

The Federal Work-Study Program is a federally funded financial aid work program offered to students who demonstrate a financial need.  Awards are determined by the Office of Student Financing.

Whittier Work Award (WWA)

The Whittier Work Award is a college work program offered to students through the Office of Student Financing.

Departmental Student Employment

Students may be hired by individual departments using the department's budget.  This program is available to all currently enrolled students regardless of financial need.

HIRING PROCESS

Students interested in on-campus employment or employment off-campus with a registered non-profit community-based employer may review employment opportunities either through the on-line job posting through MonsterTrak, by attending the Work Study Job Fair held during Orientation, or by visiting Career Services. Students should then contact the hiring supervisor for an interview.
If you would like more information on the Job Fair or the current hiring status of participating departments, please contact Career Services at extension 4230.

As a reminder, Whittier College is an equal opportunity employer. You may not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, age, disability, or national origin.

Student employees are required to complete W-4 (Federal withholding) and I-9 (eligibility to work in the United States) forms with the Student Employment Office before commencing employment. To complete the hiring process, students should bring their original social security card and a photo identification card (e.g. driver’s license, school ID) to the Student Employment Office. They will be issued Student Employment Action Request (SEAR) forms upon completion of these forms and other required paperwork.

You may only hire students who present a SEAR form completed by the SEO. If the student does not have a SEAR form, please refer them to the SEO to complete the necessary paperwork.

All students, including international students, must obtain a Social Security number before they begin work at Whittier College.  Numbers which begin with a “9” are not acceptable.  Work study students are exempt from FICA (social security) taxes during the regular academic year only.

MonsterTrak

Students can log on to MonsterTrak by going to http://www.monstertrak.com. At the site, enter the state and the college name. They will be directed to a “search jobs” page. Students can elect “jobs and internships” to look for work study and non-work study jobs on or off campus. They can further refine their search by job category or by using key words.

I-9 FORM

The Immigration and Reform Act of 1986 states that employers must verify each employee's identity and eligibility to work prior to or on the date the individual is hired. Each student employee at Whittier College must complete an Employment Eligibility Verification Form and provide appropriate documentation to the Student Employment Office. For I-9 purposes, students are considered temporary employees and must be rehired each year. Therefore, all students must be reauthorized to work each academic year.

If a department employs a student prior to I-9 verification, it will be responsible for paying the student for hours worked prior to the authorized date from their departmental budget.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

International Students are permitted to work on campus during the academic year. They must, however, provide the necessary documentation to the Student Employment Office to verify eligibility to work. International students must obtain a Social Security Number before being hired to work.

WAGES

Student Wage Scale
The hourly wage scale for students working at Whittier College has been standardized. The rate of pay for students is based on the grade assigned to the position. (Please consult with HR for current rates.)

The rates of pay will be determined prior to the beginning of each academic year and become effective at the beginning of the fall semester. Summer positions will use the pay rate schedule from the prior academic year. Supervisors will be notified of changes to the wage scale.

Increases to Hourly Rate
Students returning to the SAME JOB will receive an increase to their hourly rate in accordance with the approved schedule (please consult with HR for current schedules).

Students must be kept at consistent pay levels regardless of the source of funding. Salary increases may not be made during the academic year. Increases to hourly rates are not an entitlement and any student salary increase must be approved by OSE. Please avoid retroactive increases whenever possible.

Calculating Student Work Hours
To calculate the number of hours the student can work:

1. Take the work award amount
2. Divide by the hourly pay rate
3. Divide that number by the number of weeks the student will work
4. The result is the number of hours per week that the student can work.

Remember: students must work less than 20 hours per week

Overtime Pay

Student Employees will be paid one and one-half times their regular hourly rate for all hours worked over eight (8) hours in one (1) day or 40 (forty) hours in one (1) week. It is the responsibility of the supervisor to ensure that a student employee does not work overtime unless that employee receives pay as provided above for such overtime.

Students are allowed to work for more than one department simultaneously. Students, however, should be advised by the hiring department that combined hours from multiple job assignments may involve overtime pay. If overtime occurs in this situation, the overtime will be charged to the department that exceeds regular hours.

Timesheets

It is the department supervisor's responsibility to review and approve a timesheet for each student on a biweekly basis. Please review the timesheets before signing them, looking at the hours worked, totals, student's signature, and position number. Timesheets are due in the Payroll Office by noon Monday unless otherwise indicated. Late time sheets will be processed with the next payroll.

Your Responsibilities as Supervisor

As a supervisor of a student with a Federal Work Study award, you are entrusted with federal dollars. In accordance with Federal Work Study Guidelines, you cannot exceed the amount of dollars awarded to the student.  You must monitor the amount awarded to your job and the student must stop working when they have earned the amount allocated to your job.

The OSE will send you a report at the end of each pay period. This report will show you the student(s) assigned to your area, the amount of the work award allocated to the area, the amount paid, and the balance available. When the student is within $300 of using their allocation, you will receive an email reminder. When the student is within $200 or less of using their allocation, you will receive an email and a phone call.  Once the student has earned their full allocation, the student must stop working. If the student continues to work the OSE will charge your department budget for any dollars earned in excess of the allocated work award.

Students who turn in hours must be compensated for those hours. Student cannot “hold” time sheets and turn them in later. They must be submitted for the appropriate time period.

Student Employment should mean more than a paycheck to your student workers. It is an opportunity to learn valuable job and life skills, and gain professional experience.

Establish a Work Schedule

Upon hiring a Federal Work-Study student, the supervisor is responsible for establishing a clearly defined work schedule that is compatible with the time requirement of both the student and the department. The supervisor can provide opportunities for the student to make up lost time when the time is due to unavoidable circumstances. Students are not allowed to work - under any circumstances - during class time. Make-up time must be reported in the actual pay period in which it is earned. Work weeks should not exceed twenty (20) hours even if make-up hours are included.

Orientation

Each supervisor is responsible for conducting a student job orientation which would include:

- A brief one-on-one overview of the office structure and office rules and regulations,
- The student's job and responsibilities,
- Departmental phone etiquette, such as what to say when answering the phone, how to transfer, how to put calls on hold, how to take a message,
- Appropriate sign on for the departmental computers,
- Answers to frequently asked questions,
- How to schedule appointments for the faculty and/or staff in the department,
- Frequently used phone number,
- What to do in an emergency,
- Procedures for filing, distributing mail, greeting visitors,
- Behaviors that would constitute grounds for disciplinary action,
- Whom to call if sick time or time off is needed, and
- What procedures to follow if the student's work schedule needs to be changed.

A contract for Work Study Guidelines should be signed by the student and the supervisor, with a copy maintained with the student's SEAR form.

Timesheets: On-Campus Departments

It is the Supervisor's responsibility to review and approve electronic timesheets for all students on a biweekly basis using my.whittier.edu.

Timesheets: Off-Campus Organizations

Students working off-campus will complete a paper timesheet. It is the supervisor's responsibility to review and approve the timesheet on a biweekly basis. Please review and total each student's house for the pay period before approving them. The timesheet should not be returned to the student. Approved time sheets must be faxed or hand delivered to the Student Employment Office in Mendenhall by noon on the Monday following the end of the pay period. The Time Sheet Schedule for pay periods are shown on Attachment E. The fax number is (562) 907-4884, or you can call (562) 907-4208 or (562) 907-4200 extension 4615.

On- and Off-Campus Information

A copy of the payroll schedule is included in Appendix E. Timesheets must be approved and submitted by noon Monday unless otherwise indicated. Late timesheets will be processed with the next payroll.

You will receive a bi-weekly report indicating how many dollars are remaining for the student(s) in your department. If you do not receive this report, please call the Director of Human Resources at (562) 907-4830.