- Students must be approved University employees before training or working begins! Student employees must be paid while working in the Student Employment Program. All work hours must be reported to Payroll and be compensated. Student employees must be paid for participating in training.
- Students may not perform their duties as volunteers, even if they are requested to do so by their work-site supervisors or if they agree to do so. One exception to the no-volunteering law is when a Student employee’s FWS award is exhausted and the department cannot pay the student from their funds. At that point, the student’s employment is considered terminated, and the student may then volunteer if s/he wishes to do so. This practice is not encouraged. The supervisor MUST tell the student that s/he is no longer an employee and cannot force the student to volunteer. A document stating that the student understands s/he is no longer an employee and will not be paid for any time spent volunteering for the department or agency must be signed by the student and the original sent to the Student Employment Coordinator for approval prior to the student’s volunteering.
- Student employment, regardless of funding source, is a form of financial assistance enabling the students to pursue their education. Student employment is intended to provide students with an opportunity to meet their educational objectives.
- Student employees are not eligible for health and welfare benefits, sick leave, vacation, paid holidays, retirement benefits, unemployment compensation, or any other benefit offered through Shepherd University for classified or non-classified employees. Service in this capacity does not apply to any seniority or years of experience if the student employee is hired for a full-time or part-time position by the University.
- Student employment is completely at will. No disciplinary steps or procedures need be undertaken by the supervisor before the dismissal of a student employee.
- The general appointment period is for one standard academic year (fall/spring) and is subject to renewal. There is no automatic year-to-year continuation of the job. Supervisors determine whether or not a student will be invited to return to the position for the next academic year. Once it is determined a student will be returning to the same position next academic year a Rehire Modification is processed. Employment for the summer term must be applied for separately with an online application.
- Student employees are not permitted by Shepherd University to operate any vehicle during the course of their work duties without completing a state approved driving course and without prior authorization by their supervisor. Supervisors should not typically require student employees to use their personal vehicles for University business. If they do so, then they would be eligible for travel reimbursement through the Procurement Office, by completing a travel expense reimbursement request form.
- Supervisors must do all they can to ensure the safety of student employees. They must never assign any task that is considered unsafe.
- Student employees generally are not permitted to work overtime or to work on University observed holidays, including days when the University is completely closed due to inclement weather. Overtime and holiday work are permitted only in extreme circumstances.
- Overtime is defined as time spent working over 40 hours per week. Obviously, this is considerably in excess of the 25 hours per week of work routinely allowed for student employees.
- Holidays are defined as those designated in West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission Series 14 and Shepherd University Board of Governors Policy No. 8.
- When student employees work on holidays – or days when the University is completely closed due to inclement weather – they will be compensated at the regular rate of pay.
- When the University is closed for inclement weather, student employees are not to report to work unless they have been designated by their supervisors as emergency employees, and this designation has been approved by the Student Employment Coordinator. Working on days when the University has been closed for inclement weather is not permitted for non-emergency student employees.
- Overtime and holiday work must be authorized by the student’s supervisor and approved by the Department’s Vice President. Then the supervisors may email their request to the Student Employment Coordinator.
- Because of Federal restrictions related to the use of FWS funding, student employees may not work in positions that involve constructing, operating, or maintaining any part of a building used for religious worship or sectarian instruction. That would not be expected to be an issue on Shepherd University’s campus but the language is included in this document to assure the University’s compliance with Federal law.
For the full Student Employment Manual, click here.