Federal Work-Study Student Manual 2014-2015
Federal Work-Study Student Manual 2014-2015 Table of Contents Section One – Introduction to the Program Page 3 Overview of the Federal Work-Study Program Federal Regulations Community Service Page 3 Page 3 Page 3 Section Two – Application Process Page 4 How to Apply for Federal Work-Study Page 4 Section Three– Procedures, Term and Conditions for Students Pages 5-7 Terms and Conditions Beginning Your Work-Study Assignment Work-Study Schedule Professionalism Pages 5 Page 6 Page 6 Page 7 Section Four – Payroll, Timesheets, and Record Keeping Timesheets Payroll Resignations and Terminations Pages 8-9 Page 8 Pages 8 Page 9 Section Five – General policies for students and supervisors Work During Times Other than Fall/Spring Semesters Terminations Monitoring Student Earnings Section Six – Federal Work Study Contact Information 2 Pages 10-11 Page 11 Page 11 Page 11 Page 12 Section 1 Introduction Federal Work-Study Program Overview Federal Work-Study is a federally supported program for students who have a documented need for financial assistance, as authorized by the Office of Student Financial Assistance, Department of Education, under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1995, as amended by the Higher Education Amendments of 1998. University of Maryland University College participates in the Federal Work-Study Program and places eligible students in on-campus positions and designated off-campus positions. Students are awarded Federal Work-Study based on their financial need, available funds, and job availability. Federal Regulations: 1. Students must have documented financial need. Financial need is defined as the Cost of Attendance (COA) minus the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). (COA is the amount it will cost the student to go to school. EFC is the amount the student and/or their family are expected to contribute to the student’s education. The EFC is determined from information submitted by the student on the FAFSA, Free Application for Federal Student Aid and reported to the student on the SAR, Student Aid Report). The student’s need must be at least $5,000, in order to make the most of their Federal Work-Study opportunity; 2. Students must be enrolled at least half-time in a current, or future term within the same academic year; 3. Students must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States or its territories; and 4. Students must be in good academic standing and make satisfactory progress to maintain eligibility. Please visit our website at http://www.umuc.edu/students/aid/fapolicies/sap.cfm for complete information regarding Standards of Academic Progress. Community Service University of Maryland University College is committed to community service employment designed to improve the quality of life for community residents. Employment opportunities in such fields as day care, tutoring; emergency services, cultural events, services to persons who have disabilities, and agencies that provide services to the community at large are available. Each year, a minimum of 7% of FWS funds must be spent in community service jobs. 3 Section 2 The Application Process How to Apply for Federal Work-Study Applications are available to all students through UMUC’s Financial Aid website. Applications are accepted throughout the year. The application must be completed fully and submitted directly to the Federal Work-Study Coordinator at [email protected]. Along with the application, students must submit an updated copy of their resume. Applications are located here: http://www.umuc.edu/students/aid/work-study.cfm. The available jobs are listed on the Federal Work-Study Web site. The listings are updated when new jobs come available or when employment opportunities are no longer being offered. The current list of positions located here: http://www.umuc.edu/students/aid/work-study.cfm. Applicants should indicate which jobs they are interested in applying to on the second page of the application. Upon receipt of the application, the student will be notified of his/her eligibility via e-mail by the federal work-study coordinator within five business days. The student’s resume will be sent to the supervisors of the jobs they selected. The supervisor will contact the students they are interested in for an interview. - If a student is not selected for the positions s/he has applied, their resume will be sent to other available jobs Once selected for a position, additional hiring documentations must be completed through the Human Resources Department before a student can begin working. Prior to their first day, the student must complete and sign a Federal Work-Study Agreement that indicates the following: - The yearly award amount Federal Work-Study job designation Terms and conditions of the Federal Work-Study program Wages per hour Prior to starting the work-study position, the student will receive an e-mail with their official start date, timesheet, timesheet schedule and Federal Work-Study contract. The student cannot begin working before the Federal Work-Study contract has been signed or before the official start date. 4 Section 3 Federal Work Study Procedures, Terms, and Conditions 2014-2015 Terms and Conditions Each student must have a valid FAFSA on file for the 2014-2015 academic year and demonstrated financial need as described in Section 1 (page 3); Students must be located in the DC, MD, VA area and be enrolled in at least half-time status to participate in the program; Students must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress in order to participate in the federal work-study program. UMUC’s SAP policy is as follows: a cumulative grade point average of 2.00 for undergraduate students and must complete at least 67% of the enrolled classes each semester. Graduate students must maintain a GPA 3.00 and must complete 50% of the enrolled classes each semester. Students may not work more than 15 hours per week during the fall, spring and summer semesters. $12 is the FWS wage for on-campus and off-campus students; Students must take a ½ hour unpaid lunch break when working more than six consecutive hours; Students must recertify their intention to enroll and work in the Federal Work-Study Program every semester. Students cannot earn more than their scheduled award per academic year; Any unearned funds will be forfeited. The award year starts July 1, 2014 and ends on June 21, 2015; ex: if a student is offered $5,000 for the award year and only earns $2000 by June 21, 2015, the awards will not carryover to the next award year. Students may not work more than one FWS job simultaneously; Students cannot be employed by UMUC or any other University System of Maryland institution while working as a UMUC Federal Work-Study student. If the student fails to submit timesheets for two consecutive pay periods, the supervisor will be contacted. If the student, has not given the supervisor advance notification that s/he will not be working, that student will be separated from the FWS program. 5 UMUC has the right to terminate any Federal Work-Study position due to changes in availability of FWS funds or changes in the student status which could affect continued eligibility for Financial Aid. Failure to abide by UMUC policies and procedures, unsatisfactory performance, poor attendance, unethical work behavior or dishonesty may also result in separation from the program. Beginning your Federal Work-Study assignment The student is expected to arrange his/her work schedule with his/her supervisor prior to the first day of work. Some departments or agencies may require students to work during holidays and/or breaks so that services may continue uninterrupted. This expectation will be made clear during the interview and hiring process, as well as, communicated to the FWS Coordinator. This information can be submitted in writing via email [email protected] Student must be provided with a current job description that clearly defines student’s duties. Work-Schedule Student must arrange a mutually agreeable work schedule with his/her supervisor and adhere to it. Arrange a work schedule that does not interfere with your class schedule. Follow the schedule carefully once it has been established. Always notify your supervisor if you are unable to work. If you cannot reach your direct supervisor, please contact a secondary supervisor at your work-site. During final exams and mid-terms, supervisors must accommodate the student’s study/exam schedule. Be punctual. If delayed, offer to make up the time but understand that you may not be permitted to do so. Student must provide prior notification to supervisor of inability to report for scheduled work hours. 6 Professionalism Dress code will be established by the organization or the department you are working with. Dress neatly and conduct yourself in a professional manner. You are not only representing yourself, but also the University. Once work has begun, perform duties efficiently and effectively. Only work the number of hours specified during the award year. The weekly work schedule must be arranged between the student and the supervisor, not to exceed the amount of the award for which the student has been certified. As a Federal Work-Study student, you agree to perform all required tasks and believe that such work will not jeopardize your academic standing. Section 4 Timesheets, Payroll, and Record Keeping Timesheets The student is responsible for adhering to their work-schedule and will only be paid for actual hours worked. No advance payments will be allowed. The student must update their timesheets daily for each shift worked via their MyUMUC portal. Students must sign out for breaks, and then sign back in after the break is completed. The student will not be allowed to work any hours over the award amount unless the FWS Coordinator increases the award amount in advance. Increased work-study awards are based on fund eligibility and are not guaranteed; Timesheets must be completed in the student’s MyUMUC portal; For off-campus students, timesheets must be submitted via the student’s staff portal https://my.umuc.edu by 8:00 am on the last Friday of the pay period. Please refer to the 2014-2015 timesheet schedule provided. 7 The off-campus supervisors are responsible for confirming the student’s hours via the FWS e-mail account [email protected] by 10:00 a.m. on the Friday of the pay period. On-campus supervisors must approve timesheets via the timekeeper center in accordance with the due dates on the timesheet schedule for 2014-2015; When approving timesheets, supervisors must assure that the hours approved are accurate; Payroll Student will earn a bi-weekly paycheck. Payment for hours worked run two weeks behind the submission of time sheet; During holidays or vacation periods, the submission date for time sheets may change. Please pay close attention to the Timesheet Schedule; A separate time sheet must be submitted for each pay period; Students are not permitted to work during periods of class attendance. Students cannot be paid in advance for future hours to be worked; and Students will not be given salary advances for late timesheets or any other reason. Students are not eligible for paid leave; therefore, they will not be compensated during absences. This includes: vacation, sick, leave of absences for school, holidays, inclement weather, jury duty, etc. Students must be physically present at the work site and are not eligible for teleworking or similar arrangements Resignations and Terminations Students should give a notification of at least two weeks if planning to resign from their Federal Work-Study position. The student must notify their supervisor and the Federal Work-Study coordinator of their resignation. Once a student is selected for a work-study position, continued employment is contingent upon satisfactory performance. If the supervisor decides that the student’s performance is not satisfactory, the student may be dismissed. The supervisor must notify the FWS Coordinator immediately. 8 If a student is dismissed for performance or attendance related issues, the student will not be eligible for rehire, will be dismissed from the program and forfeits the remaining award. Students will be dismissed from the program and may face legal consequences if they knowingly submit fraudulent information. Students will be terminated from the program if they do not register by the first start date of the semester. If the student enrolls for a later start date, they will have to contact the FWS coordinator to discuss placement options. Students will also be terminated if they have unauthorized leave of two pay periods or more. Students can be separated from the Federal Work-Study program at any time it is projected that they are/will go over their award amount. Section 5 General Policies for Students and Supervisors Supervisors must develop a job description and determine the amount of hours required to complete these job duties; Supervisors are responsible for ensuring that FWS personnel are assigned duties that will that enable them to remain productive during work schedule; Office-specific training is the responsibility of the supervisor; Supervisors should maintain a file for each student employed. Information in this file should include: FWS timesheets, evaluation notes, and written warnings; Often, supervisors will be used as a reference when the student applies for other jobs. Careful documentation of the student’s performance will assist the supervisor in the recommendation; Under no circumstances may students earn more money than they are awarded. Since workstudy is most beneficial to the student if the earnings are spread out over the enrollment period, it is best to calculate the total number of hours the student can work and divide it by the total number of weeks. This will allow the student to have consistent earnings throughout the academic year; 9 If the student is injured on the job, it must be reported to the Federal Work-Study Coordinator and UMUC Office of Human Resources immediately; A FWS position cannot be used to replace or displace a regular full-time or part-time employee; and If a student ceases to be enrolled at any time during the semester, he or she must stop working immediately. If there is a change in supervisor, the current supervisor and student worker and employer must notify the Federal Work-Study coordinator. Work During Times Other than Fall and Spring Semesters: Students may remain in the same position throughout their attendance at UMUC provided they meet all the requirements, carry out their responsibilities, are rehired by the employer, and obtain a new award each academic year; The award period ends June 21, 2015. Students must have a new official award letter, and be registered at least half time for the upcoming fall semester, if they are to continue working past that date. In addition, they must meet with the FWS Coordinator to complete paperwork for the new award year; and Students may also work during the winter break if they are registered at UMUC for the spring semester and if they have sufficient funds in their FWS award. Terminations: In addition to depleted funds, the Financial Aid Office may terminate a student from a job for the following reasons which may also result in report to Department of Education and face sanctions, etc.: - Failure to maintain good academic standing and satisfactory progress; Failure to uphold the standards of the UMUC Code of Student Conduct; No award for the new academic year; Not enrolled at least half-time during the fall and/or spring semesters; Graduation from the college; and Fraudulent time sheets Discovery of employment in another UMUC or University System of Maryland position 10 Monitoring Student Earnings: While the Financial Aid Office monitors students’ earnings, the student is also advised to keep track of his/her total award and the balance. Students and/or supervisors may contact the Federal Work-Study Office to find out the remaining amount of a student’s award. A low funds memo is sent to the student and the Supervisor when the student is within $2,000.00 of earning the total FWS award. No additional warnings will be sent. The student may contact the Financial Aid Office regarding availability and eligibility for any additional funds. Increased work-study awards are based on fund eligibility and are not guaranteed. If sufficient funding is not available, the student will be separated from the program. 11 Section 6 Financial Aid Office/FWS Program Information Hours of Operation: Monday through Friday (Largo ) Saturday (Largo) 8:30 AM – 8:00 PM 8:30 AM – 2:00 PM FWS hours: 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM FWS Location: The Academic Center at LargoStudent Services Suite Main Office Phone Number: 240-684-5697 FWS Fax Number: 301-985-7462 FWS E-mail: [email protected] Staff: Melanie Mason [email protected] Lynette O’Leary [email protected] 12
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