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Student Employment Policy (HR 3.1)

OWNER: Human Resources
Phone: 702-992-2322
CATEGORY: Human Resources, Finance & Budgets
POLICY ID#: HR 3.1
EFFECTIVE DATE: 3/6/2023
VIEWING/DOWNLOADING OPTIONS:
Web – Formatted (this page)

 

POLICY STATEMENT

Nevada State College recognizes the important role that Student Employment plays, not only in the operation of the College but also with the academic and professional development of students.  Student positions are intended to create a learning experience that complements a student’s academic and career goals while providing valuable work experience and helping meet the staffing needs of the College.

DEFINITIONS

At-will Employee: An employee who may resign from work or be terminated from work at any time for any lawful reason.

Federal Work-Study:  A federally funded financial aid program to provide payment for work performed by students on campus or in the community, based on the financial needs of the student and the availability of funding.

FICA: Federal Insurance Contributions Act.  It is a federal employment tax imposed on both the employees and employers to fund Social Security and Medicare. In the State of Nevada, College employees do not pay into Social Security and in lieu of this tax, pay into a FICA Alternative or other qualified plan.

FICA Exempt: Employee who is not required to make FICA contributions, based on a minimum of half-time student enrollment.

Fiscal Year:  For Nevada State College, the fiscal year runs from July 1 through June 30.

Student Employment: Part-time employment of a current Nevada State student in a position within Nevada State College, funded from either Federal Work-Studyor departments with self-supporting funds, generally to meet part-time, temporary, or seasonal needs.

Student Worker:  A Student Worker is an At-will Employee whose major efforts are directed toward receiving a formal education and is employed part-time by Nevada State College.  Student Workers are authorized to work a maximum of 19.5 hours per week during academic periods in which they are enrolled and classes are in session.

PROCEDURES

I. Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for Student Employment, an individual must be enrolled at Nevada State College as an undergraduate or graduate student during the fall or spring semesters. While individual department/units may require higher standards, the minimum requirements for all Student Workers include:

  • Undergraduate enrollment in at least six (6) credits per semester.

or

  • Graduate enrollment in at least five (5) credits per semester.

and

  • Cumulative GPA of 2.0 (undergraduate) or 3.0 (graduate).

Students enrolled in their final semester at Nevada State or students whose academic program does not allow for half-time enrollment may be exempt from the minimum enrollment requirement.  Authorization for exemption is granted by HR in consultation with the supervisor prior to initiating the hire.

The supervisor is responsible for verifying enrollment.  Verification will occur at the time of initial application and at the beginning of each academic term thereafter.

To be considered for employment, students must be authorized to work in the United States.  If hiring an international student, departments must contact Human Resources for guidance before making an offer of employment.

Students may work during the winter and/or summer terms if they meet one of the following enrollment requirements:

  • Be enrolled in at least one (1) credit during the summer term.
  • Be enrolled for the academic term immediately preceding and following winter and/or summer terms.

Students who are working but are not enrolled in at least 6 credits (undergraduate) or 5 credits (graduate) will not be considered FICA Exempt and will be required to pay into the NSHE FICA Alternative Plan.  Contributions to FICA will not be reimbursed due to late enrollment.

Students who drop below half-time status after the start of the semester will be permitted to continue working so long as they maintain enrollment at a minimum of three (3) credits. Students with a pattern of habitual course withdrawals will be subject to the termination provision.

Failure to maintain the above requirements may result in the revocation of Student Employment eligibility and immediate termination.

II. Procedures for Requesting/Hiring a Student Worker

Departments/Units must have an operational budget available to pay the hourly wage of a Student Worker.  Once funding is established, the supervisor will utilize the following process for creating and filling the student position.  Student Workers are not authorized to begin working prior to completing the hire and onboarding processes in Workday.

  1. Supervisor completes the Student Job Requisition Template (all Student Worker positions). Completed forms should be submitted electronically to NHR@nsc.edu

The above forms can be found in the documents section of the NSC Portal, under Human Resources > HR Docs > Forms > Recruitment and Search Process

Human Resources will review the job requisition for completeness.  At this time, HR will determine, in consultation with the supervisor, an appropriate salary grade and hourly rate in accordance with the Student Classification and Compensation Schedule.

2. Supervisor initiates and submits the “Create Job Requisition” business process in Workday.

Guidance on completing the job requisition can be found using the “Workday Training Resources” worklet in Workday and searching for “create job requisition.”

Approved job requisitions will be posted on the NSC jobs portal and applications will be accepted.  In addition to resume, cover letter, and references, student applicant will be required to upload a copy of their class schedule showing that they meet the minimum enrollment requirement.

3. Supervisor will review submitted applications, conduct interviews, select applicant(s), and initiate the Workday Hire process. During the initial application review, supervisors will be responsible for verifying each applicant’s enrollment status.  Students who do not meet the minimum enrollment requirements will not be considered for hire.

4. Once the Student Worker has completed the hire and onboarding processes, including an I-9, they will be notified of their completion and will be authorized to begin working.

III. Classification and Compensation Schedule

The student classification and compensation schedule is designed to establish consistent hiring and pay practices for all Student Workers.  The schedule adheres to the State of Nevada minimum wage and hourly rates. Salaries must be at a wage no less than the minimum required by law and may not exceed the maximum allowable wage for the assigned wage range.

The level and salary applied to a student position is determined by the Office of Human Resources and will be based on job duties/responsibilities, supervision needed, qualifications, and level of expertise required for the job.

Positions are typically placed at the minimum of the pay range.  Placement above the minimum may be warranted based on the complexity of the job duties, level of independent judgement, scope and responsibility, and skill/experience required for the position.

New student positions must be submitted to Human Resources prior to a department posting a position for recruitment or making an offer of employment.

Listed below are the classification and compensation ranges for Student Workers:

Student Worker I

Wage Range: $10.50 – $14.50

Duties at this level typically vary from routine and simple to slightly complex, requiring basic decision-making.  Employees at this level receive training or are instructed how to perform assigned duties.  Duties are performed under direct supervision to ensure completeness and accuracy of tasks performed.

Examples of duties:  basic clerical duties, filing, answering phones, shelving books, copying, washing laboratory glassware, stocking shelves, and other manual tasks involving light physical effort.  Basic computer skills, reviewing documents for completeness, data entry, cashiering, simple hardware/software maintenance under supervision, library research requiring student to summarize materials, and situations requiring similar judgement.  Positions requiring manual skills and arduous physical work are included in this classification.

Student Worker II

Wage Range: $12.50 – $16.50

Duties at this level fall into three areas or a combination of these areas:

  1. Duties range from somewhat to moderately complex, are varied and involve a degree of responsibility and judgement.
  2. Duties are specialized or technical requiring exceptional and diversified skills.
  3. Duties include training lower level Student Worker positions and acting as a lead supervisor over other Student Workers.

Employees at this level must take initiative regularly and must be able to provide information regarding unit procedures, rules, and regulations.  Employee is given general instruction and will be expected to prioritize work, use initiative, and make decisions regarding work assignments.  Employee must possess specific knowledge and skills to perform duties without detailed supervision.

Examples of duties:  Tutoring students in a structured environment (e.g. ASC or Writing Center),  desktop publishing, routine hardware/software maintenance, editorial assistance, laboratory work involving research and testing, research work involving collection and interpretation of data, higher level administrative tasks, supervision, training, or overseeing a function or service area.

Student Worker III

Wage Range: $14.50- $18.50

Duties at this level are specialized or technical requiring exceptional and diversified skills.  Assignments involve: Analysis, independent judgement and knowledge of the principles, practices, and concepts of a professional field (e.g. accounting, management information systems, computer science, biology, etc.), advanced customer service or employee supervision.  Employees at this level are expected to independently prioritize work, use initiative, and function with autonomy and independent decision-making.

Examples of duties: provide academic support within individual courses, provide embedded supplemental instruction support, lead workshops and/or class sessions to support academic instruction, report compilation, highly technical programming, grant writing, database development, web development, highly technical laboratory or research work.  Position in this category normally involve work that is closely related to the student’s academic program.

Increases to Student Pay

Students may be eligible for a longevity increase if the following criteria have been met:

  • The Student Worker has served in their current position for a minimum of 12 months.
  • The Student Worker has not received an increase to their compensation in the previous 12 months.
  • The direct supervisor and department director/manager recommend giving the increase.

Increases to student pay are based on the availability of student funds allocated to the department.

The maximum allowable increase for a Student Worker is .50 cents per hour per fiscal year. Increases shall not cause the Student Worker’s pay to exceed the wage range maximum for the assigned classification level.

Supervisors are responsible for notifying Human Resources, in writing, of all requests to increase pay.  If requests are received prior to the Student Worker’s anniversary date, the increase will be effective on the anniversary.  If requests are received after the anniversary date, the increase will be effective on the date the request was received in Human Resources.  Increases will not be retroactive.

IV. Employment Rules Applicable to Student Workers

A. Standard Hours and Overtime

Student positions are temporary, part-time positions and should provide flexible work schedule to accommodate the student’s class schedule and other academic responsibilities, and should not impede the student’s academic pursuits.  The following restrictions apply to all student positions:

  • Student Workers are authorized to work a maximum of 19.5 hours per week during academic periods in which they are enrolled and classes are in session.
  • Student Workers may not work more than 8 hours per day.
  • Students may be authorized to work up to 40 hours per week during breaks when classes are not in session (e.g. spring break) or during winter break and/or summer session if they are not enrolled in classes.
    • Authorization must be granted by the appropriate campus Executive (e.g. President/Provost/Senior Vice President/Vice President).
    • Written approval must be provided to Human Resources prior to increasing the Student Worker’s hours.
  • Maximum weekly hours apply to hours worked across all jobs, within NSHE, in which the student may be employed, regardless of NSHE institution.
  • Overtime shall not be authorized for Student Workers. In the unusual event that overtime is worked, the Student Worker must be compensated at one and one-half times the normal hourly rate.
  • Student Workers may not exceed the department’s budgeted salary allocation for student positions.

B. Time Tracking and Payroll

One of the most important responsibilities of a supervisor is to ensure that student payroll information is submitted and approved in a timely and accurate manner.  It is the responsibility of the student and supervisor to be aware of payroll deadlines and procedures.  Payroll cutoff schedules are available from the “Workday Training Resources” worklet on the Workday homepage and by searching “Payroll.”

Payroll periods are from the 1st through the 15th and the 16th through the last day of each month.  Paydays occur on the 10th and 25th of each month.

Students must clock-in and out in Workday for each shift in which they work.  Students must also submit their time for approval by their supervisor by the end of each pay period (15th and last day of the month).  Supervisors must approve time within one day of the end of the pay period.

If a student is eligible for work study, their primary job will display a time type for work study and they should select that option each time they clock in.  If work study is not an option, the Student Worker should select the time type of “Student Hours Worked.”  Supervisors and Student Workers will be notified by HR when they are awarded Federal Work-Study.

If a student fails to clock-in or out for a particular shift, the supervisor or timekeeper can enter the time retroactively.  Retroactive time entry can be logged for two prior pay periods.  Supervisors should contact Human Resources if retroactive pay is needed beyond two prior periods.

C. Performance Evaluation

Evaluations are valuable tools in assessing a student’s progress, providing positive reinforcement, discussing areas of improvement, and for establishing goals for the individual and the department.

It is important that supervisors identify job responsibilities and expected performance standards for the Student Worker and provide ongoing and consistent evaluation of work performance.  Human Resources recommends that Student Workers be evaluated at the conclusion of each semester.

A standard evaluation form assists supervisors with evaluation process. The form can be found in the documents section of the NSC Portal, under Human Resources > Forms > Performance Evaluation Forms.

D. Breaks and Meals

Breaks: Student Workers are entitled to one 15-minute rest period, with pay, for every consecutive 4-hour period in which they work.  In general, rest periods should occur near the middle of each 4-hour period but should not be taken at the beginning or end of the work period.

Meals: Student Workers, who work a consecutive 6-hour work period are entitled to one unpaid 30-minute meal period.  Supervisors may authorize a meal period of up to 1-hour.  Meal periods should occur near the middle of the shift but may not be taken at the beginning or end of the work period.  Employees may not work through or skip their scheduled meal period.

E. Benefits

Every Student Worker is covered during their working hours by Workers’ Compensation Insurance for work-related injury/illness.  The coverage provides an incapacitated worker the means of support and medical care when unable to work because of a job-related injury/illness.  Employees must immediately report any job-related accident or illness to their supervisor and Human Resources.  Supervisors complete appropriate forms for the Workers’ Compensation Office.

Student Workers are not eligible to receive other employment benefits such as shift differential pay, call-back pay, paid holidays, paid vacation time, paid sick leave, retirement benefits, or permanent status.

F. Termination

Sudent Employment is considered at-will and can be terminated at any time by either the employer or employee and for any lawful reason. Supervisors shall consult with Human Resources prior to terminating a Student Worker from their position.

A student may resign from their position. Reasonable notice for the employment separation should be communicated, in writing, to the supervisor.

Where termination occurs, the supervisor or employee should initiate the termination/resignation function within Workday when feasible following the notice of termination.

FORMS/INSTRUCTIONS

  • Student Employment Job Description
  • Student Job Requisition Template
  • Student Performance Evaluation Form

HISTORY

Replaces HR 3 Student Employment Policy

APPROVALS

Approved by Eric Gilliland, Associate Vice President of Human Resources, March 6, 2023.
Approved by Kevin Butler, Senior Vice President of Finance and Business March 6, 2023.
Approved by Dr. DeRionne Pollard, President, March 6, 2023.

*HR 3.2 Student Employment Policy forthcoming. Changes from 3.1 to 3.2: Level 1 Student Workers pay range was shifted due to change of State of Nevada minimum wage. Level 2 and 3 Student Worker shift in pay range due to institutional compensation practices and to maintain existing equity between student worker levels.