The beginning of the fall semester signifies the end of summer and, for anyone supervising student workers, is also the time to confirm your new and returning student workers are on-boarded and prepared for the upcoming academic year in your department.
Verify Your Student Worker is Authorized to Work
Hiring managers must provide each new student worker the New Student Employment Packet and ensure he/she is authorized to work by verifying his/her Form I-9 is appropriately completed.
Supervisors should not assume their student worker already has a Form I-9 “on file” OR that a Form I-9 completed previously is acceptable. To confirm your student is I-9 compliant, supervisors should verify directly with HR or verify that HR has signed off that the student is I-9 compliant on his/her Student Worker Employment Checklist. Â
Supervisors hiring International Student Workers must follow the instructions provided by the International Scholars & Students Office (ISSS) to confirm the student’s work eligibility. The student’s ePAF start and end date must stay within the ISSS-authorized dates and scheduled work hours. Failure to do so could endanger your student worker’s ability to remain within the U.S. to complete his/her education and/or to work in the U.S. after graduation.
Complete the ePAF to Ensure Your Student Worker is Paid On Time
As employees of the University, it is essential for each student worker to be set-up correctly in the payroll system in order to receive timely pay.
- Supervisors must initiate a new hire/rehire ePAF for each student worker as the employment offer is accepted by the student
- Start date for ePAF:Â Â employment start dates should commence on or after August 17, 2019
- End date for ePAF: financial aid work-study student employment must end on or before by May 8, 2020. Non financial aid work-study students must have an employment end date on or before May 22, 2020.
- Student workers whose start date was before August 17, 2019 must have two (2) separate ePAFs forms submitted: to ensure they are paid for work before the fall start date of August 17:
- A temporary staff or student worker ePAF, depending on summer classification, for work prior to August 17, 2019 and
- A student worker ePAF effective date on or after August 17, 2019
Manage Student Worker Schedules to Remain Within Weekly Limits
The tax benefits student workers are eligible to receive are contingent on SMU limiting these recipients to no more than 20 hours of work per week.
Hiring managers must ensure each student worker’s schedule abides by the 20 hour per week limitation. This applies to any student being paid under a student worker ePAF.
Training for Student Workers
Upon employment, student workers are automatically assigned two (2) training tutorials via Lawroom (SMU’s vendor for e-learning training). They are:
- SMU’s Program for the Protection of Minors, course titled Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse
- Data Security and Privacy
Student workers will receive an email notification to the SMU email address announcing the assignments with a link to access the training. As with regular employees, students should use the SMU ID and password to log in via the single sign on portal.  Additional training may be assigned based on job responsibilities; for example FERPA for those requesting access to student records or golf cart safety if they will have access/use.
Those supervising student workers should manage training completion within the allocated timeframe. This may be confirmed by asking the student to provide a copy of their training summary in my.SMU or by emailing DevelopU@smu.edu with the student’s ID number and name.
Engage Your Student Worker
Student workers are a vital resource to the University. Students should be on-boarded and orientated to work expectations similarly to the on-boarding our regular employees experience. Introduce your student workers to the work team, make sure they understand the role your team/department plays in achieving the Universities goals. Share dress codes and culturally specific information so they feel included. Set clear expectations for the work they will do as well as how and when to notify you when they are ill or have conflicts with their work schedule. Provide regular feedback about the work they are doing and the impact they are having. Doing so will ensure your student is engaged and providing maximum support to your team.
Resources:
