08.160 Employment of Students

Chancellor

Revised August 2017; Revised December 20, 2012; Reformatted January 29, 2007; Effective October 29, 1997, supersedes former Policy No. HR 1.60

UNC Policy 300.3.3[G]

• NC State Human Resources Policies

Human Resources/Career Center/Graduate School/Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid

Policy Details:

1. Purpose

   To provide uniform and consistent standards for the campus employment of undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Guidelines are developed in conformity with federal guidelines governing equal pay for equal work and guidelines for the Federal Work-Study program.

2. Scope

   This policy applies to all university departments and activities hiring undergraduate or graduate students. This policy excludes students enrolled in Isaac Bear Early College High School.

3. Policy

   1. Descriptions and Duration of Employment

      1. Federal Work-Study Students

         1. A Federal Work-Study student is a student granted financial aid in the form of payment (limited to a maximum amount authorized per academic year and/or summer period) for hours worked under the Federal Work-Study Program.

         2. Federal Work-Study students are paid in whole or in part with Federal Work-Study Program funds allocated to individual departments.

         3. Federal Work-Study awards are based on the financial aid award year and the student's continued eligibility for Federal Work-Study funds.

      2. Work-Assistance Students

         1. A work-assistance student is a student who works in any capacity for any university department apart from the Federal Work-Study Program.

         2. Work-assistance students are paid entirely against departmental funds.

         3. The hiring department determines the length of the assignment, which may continue between semesters if the student is officially enrolled for the next regular term.

      3. Graduate Teaching or Research Assistant

         1. The assigned duties of a graduate teaching or research assistant are consistent with the aims and objectives of the teaching and research missions of the university.

         2. An appointment of 20 hours per week is considered a full-time assistantship; a 10 hour per week appointment is considered a half-time assistantship.

   2. Listing of Vacancies

      1. Departments must list all undergraduate Federal Work-Study vacancies and all work-assistance vacancies with the Career Center. (See Section IV Procedures)

      2. Departments must coordinate graduate assistantships with the Graduate School.

   3. Establishing Student Pay Rates

      1. The director or department head of the hiring department has the authority to establish salary level and step for undergraduate students or graduate students paid on an hourly basis using the pay tables and guidelines provided by the Career Center and the Graduate School.

         The directors of the Career Center, Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid, and Human Resources have the authority to revise the pay rates periodically based on labor market data.

      2. Salaries for graduate teaching or research assistants paid on a flat-rate (not hourly) basis are determined by the Graduate School.

   4. Hiring Authority

      1. Hiring authority is exercised by the department head or director of the department employing the student in a campus assignment.

      2. In order to optimize the use of Federal Work-Study funds, the Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid and the Career Center have the right to refer Federal Work- Study students to a position.

   5. Hiring of Relatives

      Consistent with Policy 08.190 Employment of Related Persons (Anti-Nepotism), the university requires that all applicants and employees are to be judged solely on criteria relating to credentials and job performance devoid of the possibility of favoritism based on family or personal relationships. To avoid the existence or appearance of conflicts of interest and favoritism and to ensure that student employment opportunities are filled in a fair and equitable manner, departments must abide by the following standards:

      1. Unless there is an open and competitive recruitment/selection process, a student may not be employed in a work unit where a family member is presently employed, whether or not the family member supervises the student's work directly.

      2. A student may not be employed in a unit, department, or division where a family member exercises supervisory or management responsibility for the unit where the student would be employed.

      3. Where a student is to be employed in a unit or department of which the manager is an organizational peer to a family member of the student in the same division, the employment will require approval of the next-higher level administrator and a management plan must be established.

   6. Benefits

      Student employees do not receive state benefits and are not eligible to participate in optional deduction programs; however, student employees are covered by the Worker’s Compensation Act.

4. Procedures

   1. Contact the Career Center for procedures on hiring undergraduate students. For graduate students, contact the Graduate School.

   2. Student employees must complete a federal Form I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification by their first day of work and Human Resources or a designated employee must complete the employer’s portion of the form and submit the E- Verify query by the student employee’s third day of work to remain in compliance with federal law. I-9 forms for student employees are kept active for a year after the end of their most recent assignment. They can work on their existing I-9 if they return to work within that year. After that, a new I-9 is required.

      The completed Form I-9 and the E-Verify case information are stored in an electronic format accessible to Human Resources.

   3. EPAF & Deadlines
      
      Hourly undergraduate and hourly graduate students are paid on the mid-month payroll. Job assignments for these students must be entered into EPAF by the 26th of the month the assignment begins and approved by the 28th. Students complete timesheets on Web Time.
      
      Graduate students who are paid on a flat rate basis are paid through EPAF. These assignments must be entered by the 15th of the month and are paid on the end of month payroll.
      
      Contact Human Resources for questions regarding EPAF.