Student Employment (Workstudy) Handbook

Policies & Procedures

Student Employment Training

Accidents and Injuries on the job Breaks and Lunch Hours College Work Study Requirements Drug Free College Policy Earnings and Employment Limits Job Placement Payroll Procedures Performing Duties Unrelated to Job Description Required Forms Check or Direct Deposit Form Federal 1-9 Form W-4 Form Sexual Harassment Student Responsibilities Termination of Student Employees Types of Student Employment ? Federal and State College Work Study Who Receives Job Assignments Working for Relatives

Crisis Management Handling Difficult Situations Listening Skills Observing Confidentiality Personal Presentation Time Management Work Strategies

Who Receives Job Assignment

• Students who have work awards as part of their financial aid package.
• Non-aid students who have applied for work only.

Types of Student Employment

• Federal and State College Work Study
  provide employment opportunities for students to earn money to meet education expenses. Students apply for consideration for College Work Study by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The Financial Aid Office will determine if the student has need or eligibility for College Work Study. The student will receive an award letter stating how much they can earn each semester. Jobs are available on campus or off campus at non-profit agencies.

Earnings and Employment Limits

• Student may earn a maximum of $1500 per semester or
  $3000 for a full academic year. Students with limited need will be offered less than the $1500 per semester. To reach the annual maximum, students may work an average of 12 hours per week.
• STUDENTS SHOULD NOT WORK MORE THAN 12 HOURS PER WEEK, NOR CAN A STUDENT WORK MORE THAN 8 HOURS IN ONE DAY.
• 
  The current wage is $8.00 per hour. The supervisor will evaluate the student once a year.

Job Placement

You will be informed through the Financial Aid User's Guide (which you will be directed to view on Riverland Web site.) to check the Riverland Web site to learn about College Work Study openings. Contact the supervisor listed on the job posting to set up an appointment. Once a supervisor has hired you, you must contact a Financial Aid Representative for a College Work Study Employment Agreement. After you and your supervisor have completed the form, return to the Financial Aid Office then you may start working.

Required Forms

• Federal I-9 Form
  To prove eligibility for employment, you are required to provide documentation described on the back of the I-9 form. (Reform and Control Act of 1986) PHOTOCOPIES AND FAXES OF DOCUMENTS ARE NOT ALLOWED. ONLY ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS CAN BE ACCEPTED. For a complete list of documents, see the reverse side of the I-9 form. By law, no student can be paid for any work done prior to 72 hours before your I-9 Form has been completed and signed by an authorized supervisor.
  
  
• W-4 Form
  This document is required by the Internal Revenue Service. Once this form has been completed, you do not need to fill it out again unless you wish to change the number of allowances you are claiming. Complete the form using your permanent home address, not your campus address.
  
  All student wages are taxable income, whether paid to you or credited to accounts. Wages will be reported on your W-2 form at the end of each calendar year. This includes both Federal and State taxes. Note: Due to the change in the tax laws, students can no longer claim exemption from withholding on the W-4 Form. Therefore, line 7 should be left blank.
  
  
• Check or Direct Deposit Form
  You have your choice of receiving a check or having your College Work Study earnings deposited into a checking or savings account. Whichever you choose, the appropriate form must be completed and returned to the Financial Aid Office or a Student Services Representative. If you have not completed and returned a Direct Deposit Form, you will be sent a paper check.

The Federal I-9, W-4 and Check or Direct Deposit forms are available from any Riverland Financial Aid Representative.

Payroll Procedures

• Pick up payroll forms from a Financial Aid Representative.
• Return completed forms to a Financial Aid or Student Services Representative.
• The student and supervisor must sign time sheets.
• Supervisors turn in your time sheet.
• Pick up your time sheet for the next two-week time period.
• Checks are mailed to the student's address on record at Riverland Community College or deposited to a student's bank account. Students MUST complete additional paperwork for automatic deposit to bank accounts.

College Work Study Requirements

• Students must be enrolled for at least six credits per semester to be eligible for Federal and State College Work Study and the Student Worker Program.
• A student must have received an award letter notification from the Financial Aid Office showing their work study eligibility before they start working in the summer. They must also be pre-registered for Fall Semester.
• Student workers MUST maintain satisfactory academic progress (2.0 GPA and 67% completion rate).
• Graduating students CANNOT work beyond their graduation date.
• Returning students may finish out the month of their last semester for the school year if funds are available, they have remaining need, and they are pre-registered for Fall Semester.
• Off-campus job sites are established at non-profit organizations only.
• Students that work during an extended period of non-enrollment (winter break and summer) will have larger withholdings (FICA and State/Federal taxes) taken from their checks.

Student Responsibilities

A College Work Study position is a "real job" and should be treated that way by you. You are responsible for the following:

• Complete all necessary paper-work and submit to the Financial Aid Office.
• Arrange a work schedule with your supervisor that best meets your and your supervisor's needs and does not conflict with your class schedule.
• Maintain enrollment in at least six credits per semester.
• Make satisfactory academic progress.
• Give the supervisor ADVANCE NOTICE for absences.
• Dress appropriately.
• Do not conduct personal calls and visits during work hours.
• Maintain an accurate time sheet.
• Observe confidentiality when dealing with student records.

Termination of Student Employees

If you are not showing up for work, reporting late for work or are not completing your work satisfactorily, it is the right of your supervisor to terminate your employment. Your supervisor may terminate you without just cause.

Accidents & Injuries on the Job

Riverland Community College complies the Federal and State OSHA regulations. Student employees are expected to comply with all safety laws, rules and regulations. Immediately report any unsafe working conditions, equipment, or practices to your supervisor. You must wear any and all required protective gear while on the job. All on-the-job accidents MUST be reported to your supervisor and to Human Resources within 24 hours of their occurrence in order for Worker's Compensation coverage to take effect.

Breaks and Lunch Hours

You are allowed one 15-minute paid break for every consecutive four-hour shift. If a lunch break occurs during your shift, you may take the break with the supervisor's permission, but will not be paid for that period of time.

Sexual Harassment

The State of Minnesota defines sexual harassment as follows: "Sexual harassment includes unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, sexually motivated physical contact, or other verbal or physical conduct of communication of a sexual nature when:

• Submission to that conduct or communication is made a term or condition, either explicitly or implicitly, of obtaining employment, education, or
• Submission to or rejection of such conduct or communication by an individual is used as a factor in decisions affecting that individual's employment (or) education;

That conduct has the purpose or effect of substantially interfering with an individual's employment or education or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive employment or educational environment and in the case of employment, the employer knows or should know, of the existence of the harassment and fails to take timely and appropriate action."

Refer to the College's policy on Sexual Harassment in the Student Handbook.

Working for Relatives

A student employee is not allowed to be directly supervised or effectively supervised by a member of her/his immediate family. An immediate family member is defined, inclusively, as: spouse, parent, child, grandchild, grandparent, brother, sister, stepparent, step-child, mother-in-law, father-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law or sister-in-law.

Drug Free College Policy

Riverland Community College is committed to providing a drug-free work and learning environment. More information is available in the Student Handbook.

Performing Duties Unrelated to Job Description

Student employees MAY NOT perform work unrelated to their job description. Examples include: typing personal correspondence; working on projects for a supervisor's non-college business and running personal errands.

Student Employment Training

Work Strategies

• Be on time
  Many students forget that others are depending on them to be there and to be on time.
• Communicate with your supervisor
  If you need to adjust your work schedule due to class assignments or personal reasons, talk to your supervisor about negotiating an adjusted work schedule. Keep an honest and open conversation with your supervisor about work and the workload, how things are managed etc. Share your concerns with your supervisor. Ask for feedback on your progress from your supervisor.
• Keep your work area clean
  Others will be using the same space and equipment, so be sure to clean up your work area.
• Show interest and energy in your work
  It is difficult to work with someone who barely plods through his or her work, never gets it done and whines constantly about it.
• Demonstrate responsiblility and initiative
  Get your job done. Do quality work. It will lead to increased responsibility and positive evaluations.

Time Management

What does this have to do with work? The more organized you are on the job, the more you can accomplish. You will ultimately have less stress in your position.

• Get organized. Create a schedule.
• Set priorities. List tasks in order of importance. Look for ways to do your job more efficiently.
• Set Goals. Break down larger tasks into smaller more manageable components. Define your time and stick to it.

Listening Skills

• Listen carefully, it makes the other person feel valued and important.
• When talking with someone in person, listen actively and respond both verbally and non-verbally. Restate important questions; nod; ask questions; smile; look at the person; don't interrupt and use appropriate facial expressions.
• Tune out distractions.
• When helping someone on the phone, it is a good idea to verbally respond to him or her periodically. ("Yes," "I see," or "I understand.")
• Keep an open mind.
• Wait your turn to talk.

Personal Presentation

How you dress, your grooming habits and your attitude all create impressions to your co-workers, your supervisor and to the general public. It is important to think about the environment in which you work and to make sure you dress appropriately for your work. You are an important representative of Riverland Community College and are often someone's first, and perhaps only, impression.

Observing Confidentiality

As a student worker, you may have access to sensitive information such as grades, financial records, and test scores. The Federal Government has laws that protect the privacy of many educational records. Check with your supervisor if you are unsure about what data is considered public information. Two important rules of confidentiality are:

• Keep it at work. Talk only with co-workers and then only if matters are related to work.
• Be sensitive when sharing information at work.

Confidentiality implies trust. Those you work with and those you serve trust you to keep information confidential.

Handling Difficult Situations

An important thing to remember is that the person you're dealing with most likely isn't angry with you. Most angry people are frustrated with the situation or about something that has nothing to do with the problem. The following techniques are effective when you handle difficult situations.

• Listen actively and with interest
• Put yourself in the person's place
• Ask questions
• Refer the person to your supervisor when appropriate

Crisis Management

Ask your supervisor to give you a copy of the Riverland Community College Crisis Management Plan. This plan outlines procedures to be followed when one or more of the following events occur.

• Serious injury/death
• Assault/fight
• Bomb threat
• Fire/explosion
• Hazardous materials
• Misconduct
• Demonstration or disturbance
• Severe weather
• Shooting

If unsure of how to proceed, contact your supervisor or another college employee immediately.