Undergraduate Student Staff Hire and Extension/Separation Process
If you are interested in hiring a new Undergraduate Student Staff Hire or Extending the appointment of a current hire, please follow the instructions below. Students cannot begin work until they have signed new hire documentation and received approval to begin work from Student Employment.
Process Overview: For a broad overview of the process, please review the diagram below.
How to use this site:
- Hiring Manager: Whether you are a staff or faculty member, ensure you have completed Section 1 before moving to the next steps. In the case of faculty, once you have completed Section 1, contact the Academic Department Specialist working with your department, and provide them with the Section 1 documents. This documentation is collected by the Academic Department Specialists, but the documents themselves are completed by the Hiring Manager. Once completed and sent to the Specialist, they will complete the rest of the process. If you are a staff member rather than a faculty member, send all the completed information to Joe Swann jswann@ucmerced.edu.
- Academic Department Specialist: Follow the instructions for processing student hires below and contact the AP Team, specifically Joe Swann at jswann@ucmerced.edu, if you have any questions.
- Documentation: Ensure PDF copies of all approval emails, submission receipts, and any documentation used in the processing of the hire is saved in a file in the shared Undergraduate Student Hire Box Folder under the Student Hire’s name (Last, First).
Section 1 – Job Description and Funding: To begin the process please refer to the links below for all referenced documents.
- The Student Classification Guide will help you determine what level you want to bring in the student assistant.
- The Student Assistant Pay Schedule provides the hourly rate for each level.
- Once you know the student assistant level, please fill out the Undergraduate Student Hire Job Description and sign. If you already know who you intend to hire, please have them sign the bottom of the form as well and provide their student ID number.
- When emailing the completed documents please provide the following:
- Funding Source: Please provide COA or an accurate description of the account.
- Expected Start and End Date.
- Number of hours the student hire will work each week.
- Student ID number for your student hire.
- Phone number for your student hire.
- Physical Location where the student will be working on campus.
Section 2 – Document Review and Submission
- Funding Approval: Once you have the funding details described above, contact the Finance or Grant team (whichever is responsible for the funds being used) to confirm the COA is correct and there are adequate funds to support the position.
- Request Format ex: Please confirm funding and COA for (Hiring Manager)’s Student Hire, (Student Hire name). The position is (STDT 1-4), X dollars per hour, X hours per week, start date of XX/XX/XX, end date XX/XX/XX. Fund source is COA: XXXX.
- Funding Approval: Once funding has been confirmed, PDF the approval and add it to the shared Box Folder under the student’s name.
- Job Description Approval: Once you have the funding approval and the Job Description has been completed and signed by the hiring manager. Submit the form to Joseph Swann for review via the shared Box Folder (@Joseph Swann in Box). He will confirm the Job Description has been accurately completed and provide approval to move forward within Box.
- Intake or Job Posting: Once the above steps have been completed and all the documentation is prepared. You will submit to one of two places depending on whether or not a candidate has already been selected.
- Job Posting Request: In the case a position needs to be recruited for, because no student hire has already been selected for the position, the above details will be used to submit a Job Posting Request. Student Employment will handle the job posting and will contact the listed hiring manager with instructions on navigating Handshake. Once a student hire has been selected by the hiring manager. Have them sign the Job Description and submit everything to intake.
- Background Check: Unless already discussed, assume the positions you are posting will not need a background check unless the specifics of the position indicate one should be completed. Contact Joseph Swann via email (jswann@ucmerced.edu) or Box if you are unsure.
- Federal Work Study: Unless already discussed, assume the positions you are posting are not FWS.
- Applicant Reviewer: The applicant reviewer is the Hiring Manager and any additional reviewers they would like added. Select “Yes” for both “Notice of Each New Applicant” and “Summary of Candidates” unless asked by the Hiring Manager to do otherwise.
- Intake Request: Once the candidate has been selected either directly or through recruitment, the position will be submitted for Intake. After submitting the webform, Student Employment will reach out to the Student Hire to coordinate the signing of new hire paperwork. This email should come through in one to two days. If it does not, have your student hire check their email once more, checking their junk and trash folders. If an issue occurs, this is usually the cause. Once the intake appointment has been completed, the student hire, hiring manager, and webform submitter will receive the student’s “Clear to Work” email from Student Employment. Work cannot begin until the “Clear to Work” email has been received, regardless of the intended start date.
- Supervisor Employee ID and Position Number: If you do not already have access to these details, contact Joseph Swann via Box or email and he will provide them.
- Federal Work Study: Unless previously discussed, assume this position is not FWS.
- Backup TRS Approver: This will be Rebecca Smith for TRS troubleshooting purposes. If the Hiring Manager has another Backup TRS Approver in mind, Rebecca Smith should be listed as the Optional TRS Approver. Reach out to Joseph Swann via email or Box for necessary details.
- Submission Receipt: After submitting the webform, you will receive a receipt of your submission via email. PDF and save this email to the shared Box Folder under the student hire’s name (Last, First).
- Job Posting Request: In the case a position needs to be recruited for, because no student hire has already been selected for the position, the above details will be used to submit a Job Posting Request. Student Employment will handle the job posting and will contact the listed hiring manager with instructions on navigating Handshake. Once a student hire has been selected by the hiring manager. Have them sign the Job Description and submit everything to intake.
Section 3 – Extension and Separation
Separation and Extension: Three weeks prior to the student hire’s set end date, contact the hiring manager. At that time they can decide if they would like to extend the student hire’s appointment or separate as planned. If they plan to extend, follow the process below. If they plan to separate, no further action will be needed as undergraduate student hire appointments separate automatically at the time of their end date. Though there is no further step to initiate a separation, do ensure your student hire is aware of their approaching end date.
- Extension Process: Confirm the new end date, submit the appointment information including the COA to your fund approver, and save the funding approval within your student hire’s file in Box. Once funding has been confirmed, submit the Extension. Save the Extension submission receipt to the student hire’s Box Folder
- Separation Process: If a student hire needs to be separated prior to their original end date, document the reasoning for the separation and add it to the student hire’s file. Then submit the Separation. Save the Separation submission receipt to the student hire’s Box Folder.
General Information
Undergraduate Student Hire Appointments: Please note, undergraduate student hires cannot hold more than two appointments at the same time. If they will be separating from one of these positions prior to starting a new one. Confirm the necessary separation form has already been submitted.
Undergraduate Student Hire Hours: Undergraduate student hires can work a maximum of 18 hours per week during the semester. These hours are total, not per position. Meaning if they hold two appointments, they must still stay within the 18 hour max. The only exception to this limit is Summer and Winter breaks, where the allowed hours expand to 40 per week.
Direct Hires vs Recruitment: Whether you need to recruit for the position or if you already know who you intend to hire the same documentation will need to be completed. Student information and signatures will be completed after you have made your final selection.
Student Hire Benefits: Undergraduate student hire benefits are covered under SHIP. After an undergraduate student hire graduates these benefits continue through the day before the next academic term begins. However, if they graduate during the spring semester, their coverage continues through the summer up to the start of the fall semester.
Student Sick Leave and Separation: Students may earn sick leave occasionally during their employment period. Use of this sick leave is governed by UC Policy and the balance is not paid upon separation. Reporting sick leave on final timesheets with the intent of using up previous balance is not allowable. Absence from Work Policy.
Employment after Graduation: Undergraduate student hires cannot be hired after graduation. However, they can keep their position up to the start of the next semester after they graduate. Please note, if you intend for a student hire to work over the break after their graduation, make sure to extend their position to cover those days. If this is missed, and the graduated student is automatically separated, there is no way of rehiring them into an undergraduate position. Graduates can keep a position up to the start of the next semester, they cannot be hired into one.
NOTE: These are non-academic titles. If you are seeking an academic undergraduate student hire title, please contact Vanessa Woodruff.
