Work Study is need-based funding from the federal government that helps employers on campus pay student employee wages. Students who would like to be considered for Work Study must first apply for financial aid even if they do not wish to be considered for any other type of aid. A student must indicate on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) that they are interested in being considered for Work Study. Work Study is available on a first-come, first-served basis to needy students as determined by the FAFSA. To be considered for Work Study, students must file the FAFSA as soon as possible after January 1 of each year.
If the student is eligible for Work Study and completes the FAFSA process before funds are depleted, The Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid will notify the student that he or she has been offered Work Study on their Financial Aid Award Notice. The Award Notice reflects the amount the student may earn for the year. It is important to note that Work Study funds do not pay directly on a student's billing account like other forms of financial aid. Students who are employed under Work Study will receive a paycheck every two weeks for the number of hours they work during each payroll period.
Students not receiving Work Study are referred to as "Non-Financial Aid" students because they do not have a work award. Students working without a Work Study award are funded entirely by each department's student employment budget.
In order for students to be eligible for employment on campus, they must be enrolled
at FSU in at least a half-time status during the semester they are working. In order
to work under a Work Study program, student must be enrolled in a Ferris degree-granting
program. A half-time student for employment purposes, is defined as an undergrad student
who is enrolled for six or more credits per semester or a graduate student enrolled
for five or more credits. A student falling below half-time will be terminated at
that point in the term. International students must be enrolled full-time (12 credits
for undergrad, 9 credits for grad students) to be eligible for employment. The International
Student Advisor has the authority to waive the requirement in certain situations.
In the case of summer semester, students must either be enrolled half-time for summer
or be registered as half-time or more for the fall semester. Students working during
the break between Fall and Spring semesters must be enrolled at least half-time for
Spring semester.
High school graduates are eligible to work during the summer after their high school
graduation and prior to starting their freshman year (fall semester) provided they
are registered for fall semester at least half-time and are enrolled in a degree granting
curriculum.
The Student Employment Office has the authority to waive the half-time status rule
in certain situations as outlined below:
All campus employers are required to advertise their job openings by filling out a Job Vacancy Posting via the intranet. These jobs are then posted on the The Student Employment Office web page. When a position is filled, the supervisor is expected to notify The Student Employment Office so the job posting can be closed.
The Student Employment Office assists off-campus employers and Ferris students with
their employment needs.
Students interested in seeking employment off-campus can access opportunities through
this web site.
International students are eligible to work on campus in any "Non-Work Study" position
as long as they are in compliance with the federal statutes listed below: An F-1*
student may accept on-campus employment provided:
the alien does not displace a U.S. resident; or
under the terms of a scholarship, fellowship or assistantship, such employment is
considered part of the student's program. An alien who takes a full course of study
at an academic institution or in a language-training program is classified under the
symbol F-1. According to the immigration laws concerning on-campus employment, the
prohibition against any employment for F-1 students during their first full year in
the United States applies to off-campus employment as explained in 8 CFR 214.2 (f)
(9) (ii). An F-1 student may engage in on-campus employment pursuant to 8 CFR 214.2
(f) (g) (i) during his or her first year in the United States. On-campus employment,
according to the later section of the regulations, must be performed on the school's
premises and must not exceed 20 hours per week while school is in session during the academic year. During the summer, international
students enrolled in at least a half-time status, may work 40 hours per week. International
students not enrolled for classes during the Summer semester may work up to 40 hours
per week provided they are registered full-time for Fall.
An international student can work up to 40 hours per week between Fall and Spring
semesters provided he/she is registered as full-time for the Spring semester. International
students may also work up to 40 hours during the week of Spring break.
An international student must have a Social Security number so they can be put into
the payroll system. Before applying for a job on campus, international students must
contact the International Student Advisor located in IRC-143B. This advisor will check
their immigration papers to see if there is any restriction upon that student working
in the United States. For information completing a W-4 for international students
click here.
Students may sign on to the job posting site by accessing www.ferris.edu, then selecting "Employment" under the "Student Services" drop-down heading.
The students must first complete their student resume, which provides potential employers
with information regarding the students’ education and work history and any previous
experience the student may have. The student may update their resume at any time.
After their resume is complete they click on “View Jobs” and will be linked to only
the jobs they are eligible to apply for. Students with Work Study awards will be eligible
to view and apply for all jobs. Students without a Work Study award will only be able
to view and apply for jobs indicated as Non-Work Study.
Once the student has found a job they are interested in they may print off a Referral
Form that contains all the information the employer will need to interview and hire
the student. This information includes name, address, grade level, credits, work study
status etc. The student then takes this form to the employer for an interview.
If hired, the employer will be responsible for completing an I–9 for the student within
3 days of the student starting work. They will need to complete the I–9 and verify
that they have seen original documents acceptable for the I–9. The employing area
is also responsible to ensure that the student is hired under the exact name and SS#
as indicated on the Soc. Sec. Card. (Do NOT take copies of documentation and forward
to Student Employment Office. You simply verify by looking at the original documents.)
If a student does not have his/her Soc. Sec. Card, he/she may apply for a replacement
and bring in the receipt showing he/she has done so. Write the word “Receipt” and
the document number in the document number space. When the student receives the original
document it must be viewed by the employer who should then contact The Student Employment
Office to cross out the word “Receipt.” The local Soc. Sec. Administration office
is located on Water Tower Road and is open Mon-Fri, 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM and 1:00 to
4:00 PM.
The employer must also have the student complete a W–4 Form. See instructions.
To process the student through Stu. Emp/Payroll the employer may go to MyFSU and sign
on using their Novell User ID and Password. Then select “My Workplace" , “Student
Intent Hiring Form” (left side of screen.) You then again use your Novell User ID
and Password to enter the system.
Once logged into the system follow these instructions:
If there is current I-9 information on file you simply submit the information and
there is no additional paperwork required.
Searches
You may search for students you originated or supervise by clicking on the search
field. You can check the status of your students by referring to this search page.
Approval Process
The Student Employment Office will receive the information electronically. If a new
I-9/W4 is required we will not process the electronic form until we receive those
documents. After the approval is completed by The Student Employment Office, the form
will be electronically sent to Payroll to set up the assignment.
Denials
If there is some information that is not completed properly the form will be denied
by The Student Employment Office. If a form has been denied you will be sent an email
indicating the student name and the reason for the denial. After the situation is
resolved you must submit a new “Intent to Hire” form to hire the student.
Students not receiving an employment award will have no limit on their earnings. They
may work as much as their schedule and employer permits, up to 26 hours a week. Students
receiving a Work Study award can earn up to the amount of the award while employed
through the Work Study program.
After all Work Study monies have been earned, the student's wages will automatically
come from the employer's budget, unless that employer notifies the student that there
are no funds available to continue his/her employment. The student then has no limit
to the amount that can be earned. The Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid will
notify The Student Employment Office if the employment award amount changes for a
student. The Student Employment Office will check to see if the student is employed
on campus, and if so, notify the department of the change. However, the student receives
the revised award notice before the Student Employment Office is notified and should
consider that the revised award notice could affect their employment status.
Students are prohibited from working on-campus during a scheduled class. If a student's
class has been cancelled, the student may work during that class time ONLY if the
cancellation is noted on the student's time card on the Kronos (payroll) system.
If questions arise regarding the earnings limit, contact The Student Employment Office
at X 2012. Federal audits are conducted on the earning limits, and allowing a student
to earn more than the amount awarded can seriously jeopardize the student and/or the
entire University.
The Student Employment Office will monitor the student's earnings, but the employing
department has the responsibility for keeping an accurate record of how much each
student may earn, has earned to date and for terminating the student when the limit
is reached, or allowing the student to continue working utilizing NFA funds.
The Student Employment Office will forward to all employing departments a copy of
the Departmental Earnings Roster to assist in keeping consistent records with the
department on how much student employees have left to earn. When a discrepancy occurs
between two records, the employing department should contact The Student Employment
Office immediately.
Departments will receive notification when students are within $200 of their work
study limit.
If a student earns any money over their work study limit the assignment will be changed
to charge your departmental FOAP and their wages will be charged to your account from
that point on.
Current University policy states that students employed on campus may work up to 26
hours per week during the academic year - 20 hours per week for international students.
Students may work a maximum of 8 hours in one day. Students may not exceed this limitation
by working at 2 or more jobs on campus. Overtime may not be scheduled for Students. Should a situation occur where a student exceeds the limit, the supervisor will be
held responsible for that action. Students may hold more than 1 job, provided they
do not exceed the 26 hour per week limit, or for international students the 20 hour
per week limit, in keeping with federal guidelines.
Students, including International students, may work up to 40 hours per week during
summer and scheduled breaks between semesters as well as during Spring Break.
In accepting an on-campus position, students assume work responsibilities for which they will be held accountable. A review of general performance standards is listed below:
Student Employees:
Work rules minimize the chance that any employee, through misunderstanding, may become subject to disciplinary action. All student employees should understand that breaking certain rules, such as insubordination, may result in immediate discharge, and repeated violations of even a minor rule may result in discharge and will not be ignored by the University administration.
This list is not intended to be inclusive, but rather serves as a general guide of unacceptable behavior.
These work rules are available in The Student Employment Office for each student employee.
There have been several occasions where employers have requested that their student
employees be paid with a lump sum/salary payment rather than an hourly wage. While
there are many cases where this may seem to be the easiest way to compensate a student,
there are actually very few cases where this is appropriate.
Paying a student in a lump sum/salary for a given task or project does not exempt
us from minimum wage requirements or overtime requirements and we are still required
to track student's hours worked. Any request for one-time pays must be approved by
the The Student Employment Office prior to making an offer to the student. The requests
must be in writing and include the duties, the actual times to be worked by the student,
and the reason you are requesting a lump sum/salary pay rather than an hourly rate.
Again, there are very few situations where this is appropriate and we are required
to scrutinize these closely.
The University's policy regarding Co-op/Internship students are:
"Co-op students or interns may receive pay while working at Ferris in addition to
receiving academic credit. Student employment hiring procedures and rates of pay will
be followed when hiring a co-op or intern student for pay. Students not receiving
pay will be processed through their respective academic dean's office."
Guidelines for hiring co-op and internship students are as follows:
Yes, if a student employee is injured on the job, the student and supervisor must
complete an Employee Incident Form and submit the form to Human Resources, Prakken Bldg. Room 150, as soon as possible.
NOTE: A copy of the Employee Incident Form will also need to be sent to the Health Center.
There are often situations where it may be unclear if an individual should be hired
through the student employment system or as a part time employee through Human Resources.
The following are some frequently asked questions that may help clarify these situations.
If you are still unsure please contact John Randle, Manager of Student Employment
(x2892) or Michelle Balliet, Manager of Employment (x3873).
The basic premise of student employment is that the employee is here primarily for
the reason of attending classes. Individuals hired as part time employees, even though
they may be enrolled for classes at certain times, are here primarily for employment
reasons.
Q: If an individual is a student enrolled half time or more but the student pay scale is less than you would like to pay this individual because you feel they deserve a higher wage, can you process as a part time employee? (Half time is 6 credits for undergrad students and 5 credits for grad students.)
A: No. The student pay scale is based on the responsibility /skill level required for a particular job. These levels are set by the Student Employment Manager and approved by the Presidents Council. If you feel the student should be paid more you may wish to contact the Student Employment Manager to discuss the position to determine if it is in the appropriate wage scale.
Note: Student employees are exempt from FICA and have an effectively higher pay rate than a part time employee earning the same wage. I.e. a student employee earning $7.40 is earning the equivalent of a part time employee earning $8.00 per hour. They would not be eligible to be hired as a part time employee.
Q: If an individual is a student enrolled less than half time should they be hired as part time or student employment? (Half time is 6 credits for undergrad students and 5 credits for grad students.)
A: Most students enrolled less than half time are not eligible to be hired through student employment. Certain exceptions exist, such as students enrolled in their last semester who can document that they are in their final semester with fewer than 6 credits remaining for graduation or students enrolled less than half time for summer, who are enrolled at least half time for the following fall semester.
Q: If you need an employee to work more than the 26 hour maximum allowed by Student Employment can you hire them as a part time employee?
A: No. Student employees are limited to 26 hours per week because they are here primarily as students. As students it would not be prudent for us to allow them to work additional hours. Many Institutions limit their student employees to 20 hours per week or less. If you have a situation where you have a temporary need for a student to work additional hours you should contact the Manager of Student Employment to discuss any other arrangements. The fact that you would like additional hours would not constitute them qualifying for part time employment as long as they are still here primarily as a student. They would have to be hired through student employment.
Q: If your department has a posted position that is typically been a part time position with a higher level of responsibility than a typical student position and an individual who is enrolled in 6 or more credits applies. Do you hire as a student or part time position?
A: If this position could be classified as a student position they may be run through The Student Employment Office, however, there may be cases where this position is earmarked to require additional hours, higher pay rate or may be an ongoing part time position that may be lost if converted to student employment. This may be a situation that would have the potential to continue to be done as a part time employee. Please contact Michelle Balliet in HR.
Q: If your department has posted a position (part–time or full–time) as internal only available to current FSU employees, does that allow students to apply?
A: No. Student employment does not count towards an internal FSU posting. Only employees who are working in a part–time (non student employment) or full–time manner are eligible to apply.
Q: You have a grant funded position that has, as one of its allowances, money to hire a student. Because the amount the grant allows us to pay is much higher than the student wage rates allow can you run them through as part timers to take advantage of the wages the grant provider is willing to fund?
A: No, this should still be run through The Student Employment Office. We do, however, make exceptions for grant funded positions requiring higher pay. Please contact John Randle. Student Employment Manager.
Q: You have a student who is considered a "dual enrollment" student. (High school student taking Ferris classes). If you would like to hire this student during the year or in the summer, can you hire him/her as a student employee? After all, he/she IS a student here?
A: High school students who have not yet graduated from high school are NOT eligible to be hired as student employees. They would have to be hired as part time employees. Individuals may be hired as student employees starting as soon as their final year of high school has been completed. We consider the academic year to end on the day of graduation/commencement ceremonies.
Additional Comments:
The Human Resources Employment Office would like to add the following for informational
purposes only:
If any department hires a person for part-time or full-time employment and the person
is currently or has been a student employee, their employment with FSU is considered
a “New Hire” thus meaning that the person will be required to attend New Employee
Orientation and complete all new hire paperwork. The Student Employment Office keeps
all hiring paperwork that was submitted at the time the person was hired under the
condition of student employment. These two types of employment are completely separate.
Per the Michigan Employment Security Act, Section 421.43(l)(i), wages earned by students who are employed by the University in the Student Employee job classifications cannot be used to establish an unemployment claim in the State of Michigan.
While Michigan Wage and Hour Law does not require breaks/lunches, it is in the best interest of student employees to be given a break when appropriate. Breaks tend to increase productivity and are generally accepted as standard for most employers. Due to the extremely broad range of student jobs there does not tend to be a "one size fits all" system that would be effective in all areas. Departments should determine their own student break/lunch schedules that fit their departmental and student needs. These breaks typically should mirror what is allowed for full time employees in the same area. If you would like to discuss options please contact the Manager of Student Employment to work out details.
