Federal Work Study Program
Introduction
The employment of students at Newbury College is an integral
part of the daily operation of the College. The purpose
of this manual is to focus on the policies and procedures
governing the employment of all Newbury College students
who work on-campus and in community service/off-campus positions.
We welcome any questions, suggestions and comments that
you may have about this manual and the Federal Work-Study
Program.
Federal Work-Study
Federal Work-Study is a program funded by the federal government
and administered by Newbury College. The program provides
students with an opportunity to earn money for educational
expenses. The Office of Financial Assistance selects as
many participants for this program as funding allows, based
on financial need and federal guidelines. To be considered
for FWS, a student must have his/her financial aid application
completed by the priority deadline May 1. The off-campus
Work-Study Community Service Program is a federally subsidized
student employment program. Its purpose is to enable Newbury
College students to obtain work outside the college campus
in a non-profit, service providing capacity.
FEDERAL WORK-STUDY STUDENT HANDBOOK
Newbury College Employment Policies
- Students are paid for actual hours worked only. Students
are not eligible for paid leave benefits of any kind. They
do not receive pay for holidays, sick days, vacation days,
lunch hours, or on those occasions when offices are closed
due to adverse weather conditions.
- Students should work a maximum of 5-10 hours per week,
depending on the amount their award, when classes are
in session. The pay rate for on-campus positions is $8.00
per hour, and the pay rate for off-campus positions is
$9.00 per hour.
Finding a Position
Review the listing of available jobs in the Office of Financial
Assistance.
Select several jobs that interest you and prioritize them
in order of your interest. Be aware that some positions
generate more applicants than others, and there is no guarantee
that you will obtain the position that is your first choice.
The Office of Financial Assistance recommends that you contact
the Work-Study Supervisor as soon as possible to arrange
an interview.
Hiring Procedures
The Office of Financial Assistance serves as the central
resource for the employment of all Work-Study students attending
Newbury College. Students must be paid through the Payroll
Office and must be paid on an hourly basis. In addition,
all students must be hired according to the following procedures:
- All students must file all necessary payroll forms W-4
and I-9 forms with the Office of Financial Assistance before
they can be hired and begin working.
- The Office of Financial Assistance will issue a Work
Study Contract and Work Authorization Form to students
authorized to work on-campus. This document must be signed
by both the student and the supervisor at the time of hire
and then returned to the Office of Financial Assistance.
The student is authorized to work only after a representative
from the Office of Financial Assistance has signed the "Authorized
to Work" section of the document.
- If a Work-Study Contract and Work Authorization Form
is not returned to the Office of Financial Assistance, the
student cannot begin working and cannot be established on
the payroll system.
PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT YOU CANNOT BEGIN WORKING UNTIL
ALL OF YOUR PAPERWORK IS COMPLETE AND SUBMITTED TO
THE OFFICE OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE. THIS IS YOUR
RESPONSIBILITY, AS WELL AS YOUR SUPERVISOR'S RESPONSIBILITY.
Payroll Documents
In order for a student to be paid, certain documents must
be filed in accordance with federal law. ALL students must
have on file a current Employee Withholding Allowance form
(W-4). This document is used to determine how much (if any)
tax should be withheld from a student's paycheck. The student
must list a PERMANENT ADDRESS (not a dormitory address)
on the W-4 so that he or she will receive his or her year-end
W-2 statement.
Please note: Students are NOT automatically exempt
from having taxes withheld. Students are exempt from FICA
if the work is performed by a student who is enrolled and
regularly attending classes at this college.
In accordance with Internal Revenue codes, the College
will provide all students with a W-2 (Wage and Tax Statement)
at year-end. The W-2 statement is mailed to students by
January 31 of the New Year and is mailed to the student's
permanent address. Income students earn on-campus, including
Federal Work-Study, is considered taxable income.
The second federal document that must be on file in the
Office of Financial Assistance is an Employment Eligibility
Certification form (I-9). This form verifies citizenship
status to insure that only individuals eligible to legally
work in the United States do so. Students who are employed
by Newbury College should only need to go through this verification
process once. Students should be prepared to provide appropriate
ORIGINAL documentation (copies are unacceptable).
Some examples are:
- U.S. Passport, or
- Driver's License AND Social Security card, or
- School ID and U.S. Birth Certificate, or
- Driver's License and U.S. Birth Certificate, or
- School ID and Social Security card.
Supervisor's Responsibilities
The quality of a student's performance is achieved, to
a great extent, by the quality of supervision provided.
The supervisor is expected to provide adequate training,
reasonable work assignments, careful monitoring of work
and timely evaluations.
Student's Responsibilities
- The student must complete all necessary paperwork (Work-Study
Contract and Work Authorization, W-4, and I-9) BEFORE he
or she can begin to work.
- The student should not exceed half of his or her Work-Study
award amount per semester.
- The student must notify the supervisor if he or she will
be late for an assigned work shift.
- The student should not be working during scheduled class
times.
- The student will give sufficient advance notice (usually
24 hours) if he or she will be unable to work his or her
scheduled time. Repeated absences are grounds for termination.
- The student will notify his or her supervisor of any
change in his or her class schedule that could affect his
or her work schedule.
- The student must keep track of his or her Work-Study
earnings and ensure that he or she does not exceed his or
her Work-Study award.
- The student will lose any part of his or her work-study
award he or she does not earn by the end of the employment
period.
- The student must fill out and have their supervisor initial
each timesheet which is due every two weeks on the payroll
due date. Supervisors must submit student timesheets to
the Payroll Office by 2 pm on the Monday of the pay week.
- NO ADVANCES on timesheet earnings will be given under
any circumstances.
- The student will be held accountable for maintaining
strict confidentiality for any and all potentially sensitive
information encountered in the course of performing his
or her job. (See Discipline/Termination
Process)
- The student must notify the Office of Financial Assistance
with any information that may impact his or her award.
- The student must notify his or her supervisor if his
or her Work-Study award changes.
- The student is required to give 2 weeks notice to his
or her supervisor if he or she decides to resign.
Discipline/Termination Process
Federal Work-Study employment should be viewed as part
of the educational process of a student at Newbury College.
In that respect, careful consideration should be given prior
to termination of a student's employment. Nevertheless,
if a student is unreliable or fails to perform required
responsibilities, they may be terminated. Students are entitled
to due process prior to termination. We recommend the following
steps when disciplining a student:
- The supervisor must give a verbal warning to the student
indicating the problems as well as suggestions for improvement.
In order to confirm that the student understands the seriousness
of the matter, the supervisor is encouraged to state, "This
is a verbal warning" and then outlines the possible
ramifications if performance is not improved (i.e. progressive
discipline and dismissal process).
- If the student does not improve, the supervisor must
issue a written warning to the student stating the problems
and terms to be upheld if employment is to continue. The
student should be given an opportunity to improve by a certain
date. Supervisor and student should sign the form and a
copy should be forwarded to the Office of Financial Assistance.
- If a student fails to improve, a notice of termination
is given to the student by the supervisor. All grounds for
termination should be stated. A copy must be forwarded to
the Office of Financial Assistance.
The above-referenced procedures should be followed except
in the case of flagrant, willful violation of college rules
for which the student can be terminated immediately. Such
infractions include:
- Stealing,
- Insubordination,
- Breach of confidentiality,
- Falsifying a timesheet.
Timesheets and Payroll Schedule
In the Office of Financial Assistance,
you will find a schedule that illustrates the dates in
which timesheets are due and the corresponding pay period
date. A pay period is two weeks in length, beginning on
Sunday and ending Saturday. A time sheet must be turned
in for every pay period. Do not allow your timesheets to
accumulate, as this can result in serious delays in getting
paid.
The hours reported on your timesheet must be rounded to
the nearest fifteen-minute interval. Your supervisor must
initial the hours worked each day and both you and your
supervisor must sign every timesheet. Timesheets will not
be accepted without a supervisor's initials and both signatures.
All timesheets must be submitted directly to your supervisor
in order to receive a paycheck. The payroll department will
not accept timesheets on an individual basis. Late timesheets
will not be processed until the following pay period. Your
supervisor will pick up your paycheck and distribute it
on the appropriate pay date.
*Any student who falsifies hours on timesheets during
any pay period will be automatically dismissed from the
Federal Work-Study Program.
If you are required to apply your Work-Study earnings toward
an account balance, you are responsible for delivering your
paycheck to the Student Accounts office.
Dress Code
Individual departments may have a dress code for safety
reasons and in situations where students are highly visible
to the community. The supervisor will notify the student
of any specific dress requirements at the time of hire.
Grievances
Any student who is experiencing problems with his or her
position should first discuss his or her concerns with the
Work-Study supervisor. Should a problem persist, both the
student and the supervisor should schedule an appointment
to discuss the situation with the Director of Financial
Assistance.
If at any time you wish to transfer from one Work-Study
position to another or terminate your current position,
you must do so in writing and you must provide two weeks
notice to your supervisor. A letter must be written to the
current supervisor to inform him or her of the action. A
copy of this letter must be forwarded to the Office of Financial
Assistance.
Frequently Asked Questions
- I worked during the last pay period but I did not
receive a paycheck. How do I find out what happened?
First, check with your supervisor to verify that hours
were submitted on a timesheet for you. If they were not
submitted, make sure your supervisor submits those hours
on the timesheet for the next pay period. If your hours
were not submitted because your name did not appear on the
timesheet, you did not complete all the required paperwork
with the Office of Financial Assistance (contract, W-4,
I -9). Check with the Office of Financial Assistance to
determine that your information can be entered into the
payroll system. If you find that your employment contract
was completed and your supervisor submitted your hours,
contact the Payroll Department to research and correct the
problem.
- Why are taxes deducted from my paycheck?
Income students earn on-campus is considered taxable income.
The Employee Withholding Allowance Certificate (W-4) determines
how much tax is to be withheld from the student's paycheck.
Contact the Payroll Office regarding questions about taxes
and withholding.
- How many jobs can I have during the year?
Students may only hold one work-study position at a
time. While you are free to change positions at any
time, you must first resign from your current position.
Please refer to the Grievances
section of this handbook.
- Do I have to keep the same job all year?
The Federal Work-Study Program has an employment at will
relationship; you or your supervisor may terminate your
employment at any time.
- If I've exhausted my work-study earnings, can I continue
to work?
If a student reaches their maximum Work-Study award, they
should inquire with the Office of Financial Assistance to
determine if the award amount can be increased. If this
option is feasible, then the student can continue to work
in the Work-Study Program. However, if the award amount
cannot be increased, the student's employment will be terminated.
If the position is terminated, a student can inquire with
their supervisor about continuing their employment in their
office or department. This option is only possible if funding
is available in the particular department's budget. If funding
is available then the student can continue their employment
with Newbury College. Please be advised that the student
MUST complete new I-9 and W-4 payroll documents (Employment
Eligibility Certification form and Employee Withholding
Allowance form), as they will now become an employee of
Newbury College and no longer an employee of the federal
government. The student must submit the new I-9 and
W-4 forms directly to the Payroll Office. However, if funding
is not available through Newbury College then the student's
employment must be terminated. There are absolutely NO exceptions!
If you have any further questions regarding the Federal
Work Study program, please feel free to contact the Office
of Financial Assistance at (617) 730-7100.
The staff at the Office of Financial Assistance wishes
you a rewarding work-study experience and a successful academic
year!
