Student Employment Policy

Human Resources Policy: HR 08 09 (Revised August 1, 2009)

A. Purpose: To define student employment for undergraduate and graduate students currently enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke (UNCP). 

B. Scope: Financial Managers and Undergraduate or Graduate Students who are interested in a temporary part-time Student Assistant, Student Work Study or Graduate Assistant position. Graduate, Undergraduate and Work Study will be referred to as “Student” throughout this policy.  Student types are defined in Section F.

C. Policy: To encourage the use of student employment on campus to subsidize the academic experience by providing opportunities to enhance skill and competency development through campus work experience.

D. Responsibilities:

  • The Chancellor and Vice Chancellors are responsible for assuring the student employment program is conducted in a fair and consistent manner.
  • Financial Managers (FM) are the student hiring authority and are responsible to: communicate student employment opportunities to UNCP students; identify appropriate job duties, competencies, and position responsibilities; advertise the job posting on Career Center online job search system Brave Opportunities; screen, interview and select student candidates; prepare and submit the required forms for student assignment processing PRIOR to student beginning assignment; direct international students to go to the Payroll Office for employment eligibility verification; equitably determine appropriate student employee salary and length of assignment; complete reference checking; review work performance and student relations issues; approve student time sheet(s) within the payroll deadline as applicable; notify Financial Aid, School of Graduate Studies and Human Resources  promptly of assignment changes, discontinuation or termination.
  • The Director of Financial Aid, or designee(s), is responsible to ensure the financial aid program is administered on a non-discriminatory basis and all necessary components are in place for an effective Student Work Study program.  Designated Financial Aid staff, in collaboration with Human Resources, are responsible for administering the student employment policy in conjunction with financial managers and students by providing consultation and oversight of all Student Work Study program areas including communication, procedures, employee and manager training, and program evaluation.
  • The Director of Human Resources, or designee(s), is responsible to ensure the program is administered on a non-discriminatory basis and all necessary components are in place for an effective Student Assistant program.  Designated Human Resources staff, in collaboration with Career Center, School of Graduate Studies and Financial Aid, are responsible for administering the student employment policy in conjunction with financial managers and students by providing consultation and oversight of all program areas including communication, procedures, employee and manager training, and program evaluation. Student Employment training will become a part of the required “core” training program for staff development.
  • The Director of Career Services, or designee(s), is responsible to ensure the program is administered on a non-discriminatory basis and all necessary components are in place for an effective student job posting and application process, training for FM’s and student applicants for an effective student job posting program.
  • The Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, or designee(s), is responsible to ensure the Graduate Assistantship program is administered on a non-discriminatory basis and all necessary components are in place for an effective Graduate Assistantship program.  Designated Graduate Assistant School staff, in collaboration with the Career Center and Human Resources, are responsible for administering the student employment policy in conjunction with financial managers and students by providing consultation and oversight of all program areas including communication, procedures, financial manager and graduate student training, and program evaluation. 
  • Student employees are responsible to ensure: applications are completed online for positions of interest within the job posting period; employment eligibility documents are provided to the department administrator or payroll manager (for international students) to verify employment eligibility prior to work beginning; work assignments are completed as instructed by the financial manager; hourly student work hours are reported in Braveweb Self Service within the payroll calendar deadlines; and Human Resources is notified in a timely manner concerning all address and assignment changes.  Students paid by flat rate are not required to report work hours.

E. Procedures:

  • Student Employment Job Posting:  The FM, or designee, will initiate a Student Employment opportunity by drafting a student job posting through Brave Opportunities, the Career Center’s online job search system.  A job posting may include recruitment for multiple vacancies for the same position title.  Additionally, for high volume position recruitments and/or areas of turnover a continuous recruitment may be permitted with advance review/approval of Human Resources.  The FM is responsible to ensure the funds are available in advance of initiating a student search.  Posted positions will remain active until the closing date entered by department or until the Career Center is notified to inactivate. 
  • Student Application Support: Career Center will refer students to the Braves Opportunities online system and assist students and FM’s with the online job posting and application process. 
  • Salary Determination: The FM must determine the appropriate salary rate based on the experience of the applicant and review of the classification and salary rates established by the department in collaboration with the Office of Human Resources.  If the department is interested in a salary rate higher than established rates a request may be submitted to respective Vice Chancellor for authorization.
  • Student Pay Basis: Generally, undergraduate students are paid on an hourly basis.  However, if a student is to be paid a flat rate, the flat rate payment must be justified as exempt level work .(e.g., journalist, photographer, graduate assistant).  Justification will be based on skills needed to complete the project and the work to be performed.
  • Flat rate payment must be reviewed by the Office of Human Resources in advance of the vacancy posting with Career Center.  The FM must ensure that any flat rate payments meet the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) minimum wage test.  All issues regarding pay rates are handled by the hiring department in collaboration with the Office of Human Resources.
  • Student Assignment Agreement:  The FM, or designee, must accurately complete a student assignment agreement PRIOR TO the assignment begin date.
  • A Student Assignment Agreement form will be required for an assignment each academic year (fiscal year), or by the academic semester as determined by the FM, or when there is a change in department assignment.
  • Other Required Forms:  The student is required to complete forms no later than the first day of employment:
    • Tax Forms – W-4 and NC-4 (Federal and NC Tax Withholding Certificates (Note: Students should submit updated forms each January) 
    • I-9 Employment Eligibility Form and E-Verify (NOTE: only needed for the first student assistant or student work study agreement, and/or change in visa status)
    • Direct Deposit Form
  • The FM must also verify employment eligibility through E-Verify, the Department of Homeland Security I-9 online verification system, no later than the third day of employment, and include printout with required forms.  Otherwise, Federal regulations require the employment be terminated immediately. 
  • FM: The FM, or designee, will submit the Student Assignment Agreement and all other required forms to: Financial Aid for Student Work Study; School of Graduate Studies for Graduate Assistants; or Office of Human Resources for Student Assistants.  A copy of the Student Assignment Agreement form should also be sent to the Career Center. 
  • Student Timesheet:  Student Assistants will submit their work hours through the Braveweb employee timesheet by no later than the first day of the month for the prior month’s hours worked.  The FM will ensure that the Braveweb timesheet is completed by the student and approved by no later than the first day of the month for the prior month’s hours worked.
  • Student Payroll Pay Dates: Students are paid on the 15th of each month for all hours worked, or flat rate of pay earned, during the previous month.
  • Payroll Report: The Office of Human Resources will produce a report of all student hours worked to Financial Aid for verification.  Human Resources will provide a payroll report of all student earnings to the Payroll Department prior to Payroll Cut-Off Date.
  • Termination of Student Agreement:  Termination of Student Assignment Agreement will be based on documented reasons for failure to meet job responsibilities or attendance, lack of budget availability, lack of work assignments or other reasons as reviewed with the Office of Human Resources.  Termination of the agreement is the responsibility of the FM in the hiring department.  The final timesheet should be completed on the last day of the assignment.  The funds allocated on the assignment agreement will end on the last day of work or upon the effective date of termination.  The student may be notified in writing of the termination of employment if other than the anticipated end date specified on the Student Assignment Agreement.

F. Student Employee Definitions:

  • Graduate Assistant: A graduate assistant is a graduate student who is required to be enrolled in nine semester hours of graduate credit for each semester of the Student Assignment Agreement and performs an administrative, research, or teaching role.  Written permission from the Dean of Graduate Studies is required for any exceptions.
  • Student Assistant: A student assistant is an undergraduate student who works in any capacity for university departments and offices.  The department is responsible for funding the student payroll.
  • Student Work Study: A student work study student is an undergraduate student granted financial aid in the form of payment (limited to a maximum of authorized earnings per semester/academic year/summer period) for hours worked under the Federal Work-Study Program.  Work Study students can only work one job per academic semester.    

G. Nepotism: A student may not be employed in a unit, department, or division where a family member exercises supervisory or FM responsibility for the work unit.

H. Benefits: Students are not eligible for State benefits and are not eligible to participate in any optional deduction programs.  Direct Deposit is required by the Office of State Controller.

I. Review Process

  • A student who has a concern with the work assignment, time reporting and termination of assignment may request a meeting with the assigned department Financial Manager and/or immediate supervisor to review the concern(s). 
  • The assigned department Financial Manager will meet with the student within 15 days of the request.  Following the meeting, the Financial Manager will provide a written response to the student.
  • If the student is not satisfied with the response, the student may request a review by the: Director of Human Resources, or designee for Student Assistants; Director of Financial Aid, or designee for Student Work Study students; or Dean of Graduate Studies, or designee for Graduate Assistants. 
  • The Director of Student Conduct is the final campus authority for student employee matters for undergraduate students.  The Dean of the School of Graduate Studies is the final campus authority for Graduate Assistant employee matters.

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