Applies to:	Original Policy Date:	Date of Last Review:	Approved by:
Student employees and hiring departments	February 1, 2017	July 2022 November 2023 March 2025	Dr. John Nicklow, President

Policy Owner: Office of Human Resources

Policy Purpose

This policy outlines requirements and procedures for employment of hourly-compensated and contract-based student workers at Florida Tech.

Policy Scope

College Role and Federal Work-Study (FWS) hourly-compensated and contract-based Graduate Student Assistant student employees and their hiring departments.

Policy Statement

Florida Tech student employment programs provide on-campus employment opportunities to registered undergraduate and graduate students in good academic standing, subject to eligibility and availability.

Student employees in these programs and the departments that hire them are subject to the requirements and limitations detailed and referenced in policy guidelines.

1. It is the responsibility of management to ensure that the policies and procedures detailed in this document are followed. Individuals responsible for violation of these policies are subject to appropriate disciplinary sanctions up to and including discharge.
2. The university deems a student’s primary role while attending Florida Tech as the pursuit of an education and, ultimately, a degree. As such, the university limits students who are also employees, as defined by this policy, to a maximum of twenty (20) hours of work per week during the academic year, defined as fall and spring semesters. Hours may be worked in a single position, or as the combined total hours in multiple jobs.

   The only exceptions to this general limitation are indicated below. Please note that sections (b), (c), (d), and (e) do not apply to international students.

   1. During break periods (winter break, spring break, and summer break) and with prior position authorization in Workday, student employees may exceed the twenty (20) hour per week limitation whether enrolled as a full-time student or not (at the discretion of the student’s supervisor and academic department). The maximum combined hours in all positions held during these break periods is forty (40) hours per week.
      1. In accordance with federal law, when a student employee works during summer but is not enrolled as a full-time student, his/her earnings are subject to FICA taxes unless the individual is a Nonresident Alien and designates such status in Form W-4 federal tax withholding elections.
   2. Domestic students employed as Residential Housing Staff, to include Residential Assistant, Community Director, and Residential Director positions or as Office of Admissions Ambassadors may hold other student employment that, when combined, may result in more than twenty (20) hours of work per week, even during the academic year.
   3. Domestic students performing dispatch duties at the airport as part of required course work may hold other student employment that, when combined, may result in more than twenty (20) hours of work per week, even during the academic year.
   4. Domestic Graduate Student Assistants in the College of Psychology and Liberal Arts performing counseling as part of degree program requirements may hold other student employment that, when combined, may result in more than 20 hours of work per week during the academic year.

      The academic unit must request approval in advance and in writing from the Office of the Provost. All approvals must be granted in advance of the activity.

   5. The combined hours worked of a domestic student employee who qualifies for any of the above exceptions noted in sections (b), (c), and (d) cannot exceed twenty-seven (27) per week during the academic year.
3. Student employees are considered employees of Florida Tech and must be paid through the Human Resources/Payroll system. The use of check requisitions as a method of payment for student employees is expressly prohibited.
4. Before an international student may start to work, his/her proposed appointment must be reviewed by the Office of International Student and Scholar Services to clear the international student for employment, dependent upon the limitations that may exist with his/her visa.
5. All student employees must be appropriately designated in Workday. Temporary Full-time and Temporary Part-time staff position designations may not be used for the employment of students, as system checks ensuring student adherence to maximum work hour requirements are not utilized.
6. For the purposes of payroll processing, graduate student assistants (GSAs) are classified as non-faculty contract employees. Therefore, under normal circumstances GSAs would not be eligible for supplemental compensation outside the terms of their contracts. It is recognized, however, that there may be instances when a GSA could provide specific expertise for which additional compensation might be warranted.

   Directors, department heads or program chairs wishing to provide such additional compensation to a GSA must request approval, in advance and in writing, from the Office of the Provost. All approvals must be granted in advance of the activity.

7. Before any employee may start to work for the university, the documents indicated below must be completed and submitted to the Office of Human Resources. Permitting an individual to work prior to completion of these documents subjects the university to serious and costly penalties and fines from the Internal Revenue Service, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Labor.
   1. The student's acceptance of approved authorization to hire in Workday. For College Role or FWS positions, this is an FIT Offer letter. For GSAs, this is an Activity Pay Contract.
   2. W-4 federal tax withholding completed by the employee.
   3. Completed I-9 with original document(s) submitted as proof of identity and eligibility to work.
8. All student workers must be paid in compliance with the Florida Minimum Wage law.
9. Students are employed with the understanding work will occur on-site. An approved Telecommuting Agreement, facilitated through the Office of Human Resources, is required prior to a remote work arrangement.

Procedures/Guidelines

1. Eligibility
   1. Students should be in good academic standing.
   2. All documents pertaining to this policy must be completed before employment commences.
   3. Prior to beginning work, the following must occur:
      1. Review by the Office of International Student and Scholar Services to clear any international student for employment dependent upon the limitations that might exist with his/her visa.
      2. Review of student employment eligibility to verify an individual’s course registration and good academic standing.

   Graduate Student Assistantships (GSA)

   All graduate students seeking assistantships must meet the university-wide minimum academic standards and any additional qualifications required by the respective academic unit. Standards, qualifications, and further information about eligibility for Graduate Student Assistant employment are detailed in Guideline: Graduate Student Assistant (GSA) Employment And Contracts.

   Requirements for GSAs seeking to teach an on-campus or online undergraduate level course are:

   1. Masters in the teaching discipline or 18 graduate semester hours in the teaching discipline
   2. Direct supervision by a faculty member experiences in the teaching discipline
   3. Regular in-service training
   4. Planned and periodic evaluations

   College Role and Federal Work-Study (FWS)

   Eligibility requirements for hourly-compensated (College Role and FWS) positions:

   1. Students must be enrolled as degree-seeking full-time or part-time students in a matriculated program
   2. Online students who are local to campus may apply for on-campus positions.
      1. Online students in 8-week terms should be enrolled in 6 credit hours per term for undergraduates, 3 credit hours for graduate students.
      2. Hiring departments must be aware of Online Learning’s calendar year and ensure that students are not working more than 20 hours a week during the Online Learning’s 40-week class cycle.
   3. Students will not be permitted to work during their scheduled class hours.
   4. FWS positions are subject to additional requirements of the Federal Work Study program.
2. Recruitment
   1. Florida Tech is an Equal Opportunity Employer
   2. Students must continue to meet the eligibility requirements of this policy during employment.
   3. Continued employment is at the discretion of the employing unit. The Director of Human Resources must approve all involuntary terminations.
   4. If working in more than one employing unit, rates of pay may be different for different types of employment, but the total hours may not exceed 20 in a week during the academic year except as permitted by this policy.

   Graduate Student Assistantships (GSA)

   1. Graduate Student Assistantships are competitive and based on available funding in an academic unit. Prospective or admitted graduate students may refer to Graduate Assistantship Application Process and contact their college for more information.

   College Role and Federal Work-Study (FWS)

   1. Supervisors or their HR Partners complete a Create Position request to receive one or more assigned positions. Upon assignment and budgeting approvals, the supervisor or HR Partner submit Job Requisition(s) noting position details and requirements. Following approval of a submitted job requisition, Human Resources posts the associated position(s) for applications in Workday’s Students Jobs.
   2. Students apply to posted positions through Workday. Find Student Jobs may be accessed through Workday’s main search or the Workday dashboard’s Jobs Hub application.
   3. A waiver to this process will be considered if an FWS student worker exhausts their FWS award for the academic year and a College Role position in the same department mirroring the student’s current job duties is available.
   4. Hourly compensated (FWS and College Role) student workers will not be permitted to work during scheduled class hours.

Definitions

College Role Positions: Hourly-compensated jobs available to undergraduate and graduate students utilizing department, gift, or grant funding.

Federal Work-Study (FWS): Hourly-compensated jobs available to undergraduate and graduate students utilizing FWS program funding, and positions must meet the program’s requirements. Candidate must be a US Citizen, US Permanent Resident, or US Non-Citizen National who has received and accepted a Federal Work-Study (FWS) award for the current academic year.

Graduate Student Assistantships (GSAs): Contract-based positions available to qualifying graduate students.

Academic Year: Fall and spring semesters for students in semester-based programs, 40-week term cycle for students in 8-week term programs.

Compliance Reference

Internal Revenue Service, Department of Homeland Security, and U.S. Department of Labor.

Responsibilities

Students are responsible for abiding by weekly work hour restrictions and continuing to meet eligibility requirements and maintain good academic standing.

Hiring departments are responsible for following policy hiring procedures and for ensuring compliance with work hour restrictions.

The Office of Human Resources is responsible for posting jobs in Workday, processing employment documents, and payroll.

Enforcement

Violation of these policies may lead to disciplinary action up to and including discharge from employment.

Permitting a student to work in violation of this policy or prior to completion of required items may subject the university to serious and costly consequences from the Internal Revenue Service, Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Labor.