COP 05-0303: Student Employment

Purpose Statement

To establish guidelines in the hiring of College students to work at the College.

Guidelines

It is the policy of Florida SouthWestern State College to provide on-campus employment opportunities to qualified and interested students with financial support in pursuit of their academic goals and provide opportunities for academic or administrative job experience. The job duties and responsibilities of Student Assistants vary greatly and may or may not be related to their field of study.

Students qualifying for work-study will receive priority hiring consideration before students not qualifying or who fail to complete the work-study application process with the Office of Student Financial Aid. Students not eligible for work-study may be employed in designated positions funded by student fees or ARC grant funds.

When a student is chosen to work as a Student Assistant or other designated student positions, he/she becomes a temporary, part-time staff employee of the College.

1. In the interest of providing as many students as possible with work experience, the maximum a Student Assistant may be employed is twenty (20) hours per week. Exceptions up to twenty-five (25) hours per week may be authorized by the department head. International students, by law, are allowed to work only (20) twenty hours per week. No student assistant is permitted to work in more than one position at a time.
2. To be qualified for work as a Student, the following conditions must be met:
   1. The student must be currently enrolled when employed as a student worker in fall or spring semesters and may be employed during the summer even if not attending classes if the student was enrolled in the previous spring semester and has registered for classes in the upcoming fall semester.
   2. Must be enrolled at FSW; enrollment at another college or university will not be considered.
   3. Students must be high school graduates at least 17 years old or enrolled in a Florida SouthWestern State Collegiate High School as a Junior or Senior and at least 16 years old.
   4. Dual enrolled students not attending the Collegiate High School may be employed in rare circumstances based on critical need for the student’s skills that are not able to be met by other students, temporary or regular employees. Dual enrolled student employment must be approved by the Director, Human Resources prior to hiring the student. A dual enrolled student assistant must be a high school Junior or Senior and at least 16 years old.
   5. Foreign students must provide appropriate United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) documentation that specifically authorizes employment.
3. Student employment is designed to help reduce the financial barriers for students attending the College, so they can achieve their educational goals, and secondarily, to provide actual work experience to students as they near graduation. Consequently, students will be selected for specific work areas/positions based on the following priority order:
   1. Approved work study or work grant.
   2. Students who must pay for their college education through financial aid, loans, or family monetary contributions.
   3. Students enrolled in a Florida SouthWestern State Collegiate High School in accordance with the above stated requirements.
   4. Other dual enrolled students, when there are no other student assistants identified in C. 1, 2 or 3 above and in accordance with the grade level and age requirements stated above.
4. The supervisor must understand that part of their supervisory responsibility is to instruct students in general employment practices such as attire, punctuality, absenteeism, customer service, etc. in addition to teaching the student the tasks of the position. It is the responsibility of the supervisor to set a reasonable level of expectation recognizing the employee is a student while ensuring the student learns the appropriate work habits to be successful in the future. Questions related to student employment, regardless of job title should be directed to the Talent Acquisition office in Human Resources.
5. The College employs students under the Federal Work-Study Program pursuant to federal regulations which include the following rules:
   1. All students working pursuant to this program are governed by all College employment rules and conditions as well as any and all applicable federal, state, or local laws.
   2. All students must be paid for all hours worked and may not volunteer to perform the same duties.
   3. Federal Work Study students may not impair existing service contracts, displace current employees, and may not accept positions that involve constructing, operating, or maintaining any part of a facility used or to be used for religious worship or sectarian instruction.
   4. Neither the College, nor an outside employer that has an agreement with the College to hire Federal Work-Study students, may solicit, accept, or permit the solicitation of any fee, commission, contribution, or gift as a condition of a student’s Federal Work-Study employment.
   5. Students participating in this program may earn academic credit as well as compensation for Federal Work Study employment which would include but are not limited to internships, practica, or assistantships (e.g., research or teaching assistantships). A student employed in a Federal Work Study job and receiving academic credit may not be: 1) paid less than he or she would be paid if no academic credit were given; 2) paid for receiving instruction in a classroom, laboratory, or other academic setting; and 3) paid unless the College would normally pay the person for the same job.

Procedures

When a Student Assistant vacancy occurs, the supervisor should contact the Work-Study coordinator in the Office of Student Financial Aid for instructions on accessing the approved Student Assistant candidate profiles. The supervisor should then review the profiles in the Approved Work-Study shared folders in the applicant tracking system and conduct interviews. A candidate profile must be on file in the applicant tracking system to be considered.

Student applications will be retained in the active pool for one (1) academic year.

1. The student will report to Human Resources prior to the first day of employment to complete necessary onboarding paperwork and complete fingerprinting. Students must provide Human Resources with a Social Security card or proof of application for same, (or USCIS documentation for foreign students) prior to the start date.
2. The supervisor will be responsible for verifying proof of student status and notifying the Human Resources Office of the graduation or non-student status of each Student Assistant.
3. If a work-study student ends employment prior to the end of the academic year, the supervisor must notify the Office of Financial Aid and the Talent Acquisition office.