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Policy and Procedure Statements

UPPS 07.07.03 - Hourly Student Employment Procedures

Hourly Student Employment Procedures

UPPS No. 07.07.03
Issue No. 12
Effective Date: 8/26/2022
Next Review Date: 7/01/2025 (E3Y)
Sr. Reviewer: Director, Career Services

POLICY STATEMENT

Texas State University is committed to providing campus employment opportunities that support the career development of its students.

  1. SCOPE

    1. This policy provides an organized procedure whereby students seeking part-time hourly employment, and the respective departments and offices of Texas State University seeking part-time hourly student employees will receive maximum benefits from the Student Employment Program.

    2. Specific objectives of the student employment policy are to:

      1. provide information to both the student and the employing university department;

      2. ensure compliance with federal, state, and university regulations, policies, and guidelines; including all policies addressing the prohibition of discrimination, (see UPPS No. 04.04.46, Prohibition of Discrimination); and

      3. complement and strengthen the educational program and support the educational goals of the student.

  2. DEFINITIONS

    1. Student Employee – a position reserved for university students only. All student employees, except for selected graduate student employees, are non-exempt and are subject to Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) overtime provisions.

    2. Student Employee Titles and Descriptions

      1. Undergraduate Instructional Assistants – students employed by an academic department who are responsible for instructing a specific group of students. Additional Texas State requirements include enrollment in six semester credit hours in an undergraduate degree program (except for the final semester of enrollment), classification as an undergraduate student, and teaching duties. They are appointed via a Personnel Change Request (PCR) and paid an hourly rate on a semi-monthly basis from approved time entry.

      2. Regular-Wage Student Employees – student workers who:

        1. do not meet the criteria for undergraduate instructional assistants and are not paid from federal or state work-study funds; or

        2. do not meet the criteria for graduate student assistantships outlined in UPPS No. 07.07.06, Graduate Student Employment. They are appointed via PCR and paid an hourly rate on a semi-monthly basis from approved time entry.

      3. Work-Study Student Employees – student workers who:

        1. do not meet the criteria for undergraduate instructional assistants and are paid from federal or state work-study funds; or

        2. do not meet the criteria for graduate student assistantships outlined in UPPS No. 07.07.06, Graduate Student Employment. They are appointed via PCR and paid an hourly rate on a semi-monthly basis from approved time entry.

    3. Department Head – individual assigned administrative responsibility for employees grouped in a departmental unit. This person also maintains all departmental budgets.

  3. PROCEDURES FOR HIRING A STUDENT EMPLOYEE

    1. Posting Vacant Positions – All vacant positions for student employees must be posted by the department head or authorized delegate on the student/alumni job posting platform hosted by Career Services. All vacant positions must be posted for a minimum of three business days. Requests for exceptions to the posting of student positions must detail how the exception will deviate from policy and procedure and provide justification for the exception. The justification must be approved by the hiring manager’s supervisor and vice president. Departments should send exception requests to Career Services.

    2. Hiring Decisions – In all cases, the department head will decide who is hired according to the position’s qualifications and standards.

    3. Appointment and Related Forms

      1. For all student employee appointments, the department head must forward a PCR and the required support documents to Human Resources (see instructions and forms on the Human Resources Master Data Center website). Human Resources will not process the student appointment until all required paperwork has been submitted. It is the department head’s responsibility to ensure required paperwork is completed and submitted to Human Resources by published PCR deadlines.

      2. If paid from federal or state work-study funds, the department will verify the student’s work-study award and notify the Financial Aid and Scholarships (FAS) Office of the student’s appointment via the online Financial Aid Work Study Tool.

      3. In all cases, student employees cannot concurrently hold an hourly appointment and a monthly, salaried appointment, nor can they concurrently hold multiple work-study appointments. Hourly student employees may concurrently hold multiple regular-wage appointments or a combination of a work-study and regular-wage appointment.

    4. Pay Rates and Budgets

      1. Each of the job titles identified in Section 02.02 is paid in accordance with the pay schedule, as shown in the University Pay Plan. Within that plan, the department head will establish the hourly rate at which the student will be paid based on the student’s prior experience and degree of skill or training. The appropriate university vice president must approve any rate above the designated pay schedule limit for student employees.

      2. The department head will ensure that the departmental budget contains sufficient student wage funds to pay student employees hired on regular student wages.

      3. For students hired on the work-study program, the department head will budget funds for the appropriate percentage of matching funds, as designated annually by President’s Cabinet for budget accounts with fund 20200010XX and above.

      4. The overtime provisions in UPPS No. 04.04.16, Overtime and Compensatory Time Policy, apply to student employment. Student employment must also abide by provisions outlined by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and will apply to students who accumulate 1,560 work hours or more annually for all Texas State appointments. The Affordable Care Act Overview for Texas State website contains an outline of ACA compliance.

      5. If a student has multiple positions, the responsibility for overtime payment is prorated based on the number of hours worked in each appointment during the week in which the overtime occurred.

    5. Rehires and Additional Appointments

      1. The department head should process a quick rehire PCR for any student employees returning to work after a break in service. It is recommended that departments submit the quick rehire PCR as soon as the start date and funding information is known for the fall semester.

      2. An additional appointment PCR should be processed to hire a student employee into an additional position or to update a position that requires a payroll area change.

    6. Breaks in Service and Separation

      1. Student employees who are inactive or have a break in service (i.e., who do not work the summer session) require a separation PCR. The department head must complete a separation PCR as soon as the last working day is confirmed with time entry completed and approved.

      2. The department head will complete and submit a PCR to Human Resources whenever a student either voluntarily resigns or is terminated. Steps to complete a separation PCR can be found on the Student PCR Processing website.

      3. The department head will make all separations effective the last day the student actually worked.

  4. ELIGIBILITY FOR HOURLY STUDENT EMPLOYMENT

    1. Course Enrollment

      1. Student employees must maintain enrollment for at least six semester credit hours in the fall and spring semesters unless the student is in the last semester of enrollment prior to graduation. Course enrollment during the summer is not necessary if the student was enrolled during the previous spring semester and is enrolled in a minimum of six semester credit hours in the following fall semester. The appropriate vice president will address exceptions on an individual basis.

      2. Federal work-study student employees must maintain enrollment during a fall, spring, or summer semester to retain eligibility for work-study funds. The only exception is for teacher certificate students who must be enrolled at least half time. In addition, state work-study student employees must be enrolled at least half time to retain their eligibility for state work-study funds.

    2. Eligibility for Work-Study Positions

      To be eligible for a work-study position, a student must have a current Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on file with FAS. FAS will determine a student’s eligibility for work-study award. Eligible students are normally awarded federal or state work-study funds for the nine-month academic year (fall and spring semesters) or summer session. The department head can review the student employee’s award period, as well as the amount, through the Financial Aid Work Study Tool. One half of an academic year award is for the fall semester and one half is for the spring semester, unless otherwise indicated on the Texas State Self-Service site. The student may be able to transfer the remaining fall semester award balances to the spring semester award. A summer federal or state work-study award is separate from fall or spring. To apply for summer work-study funds, a student must, in addition to having a current-year FAFSA on file with FAS, complete a Summer Financial Aid Application, which requires a new Work-Study Authorization.

    3. Nepotism – To be eligible for student employment, all appointments must conform to policy set forth by UPPS No. 04.04.07, Nepotism and Related Employment.

  5. WORK HOURS FOR HOURLY STUDENT EMPLOYMENT

    1. During the Academic Semester

      While enrolled in an academic semester, student employees are limited to a maximum of 25 work hours per week. Otherwise, the appropriate vice president must approve any hours to be worked in excess of 25 hours per week, prior to the commencement of additional work hours. Student employees may not exceed 1,560 hours annually (see Section 03.04 d.). International students in F-1 or J-1 status may not exceed 20 hours per week during the academic semester. Violations will jeopardize the students’ visa status. Questions regarding international student employment may be directed to the International Affairs Office.

    2. During University Breaks

      During the week of spring break and between academic semesters (after the final commencement ceremony and up to the first day of the next semester), student employees may work a maximum of 40 hours per week if otherwise eligible. During the summer semester, both domestic and international students may work a maximum of 40 hours per week during the portion of the summer term they are not enrolled in class as long as they are enrolling full-time the next semester. In the event the university cancels classes due to unforeseen circumstances, Career Services will inform supervisors of any change in the work-hour limit for that period.

    3. Working During Scheduled Class Time

      Student employees are not allowed to work during class time. The employing department is responsible for ensuring that no students are working during a time in which they should be attending class.

  6. TIME REPORTS AND PAY DISTRIBUTION

    1. Department heads are responsible for ensuring student employees are trained to comply with timekeeping procedures, as outlined in UPPS No. 04.04.16, Overtime and Compensatory Time Policy. Student employees are paid semi-monthly and may elect for payroll distribution, as outlined by UPPS No. 03.01.24, Payroll Pay Distribution.

  7. REVIEWERS OF THIS UPPS

    1. Reviewers of this UPPS include the following:

      PositionDate
      Director, Career ServicesJuly 1 E3Y
      Associate Vice President for Human ResourcesJuly 1 E3Y
      Assistant Vice President, Payroll and Tax ComplianceJuly 1 E3Y
      Director, Financial Aid and ScholarshipsJuly 1 E3Y
      Director, Faculty and Academic ResourcesJuly 1 E3Y

  8. CERTIFICATION STATEMENT

    This UPPS has been approved by the following individuals in their official capacities and represents Texas State policy and procedure from the date of this document until superseded.

    Director of Career Services; senior reviewer of this UPPS

    Vice President for Student Success

    President