MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES
Policy and Procedure Statement 3.3.1
Student Employment

All student employment processing for the Libraries is done through the Libraries Human Resources Office.  

Student employment is of a part-time nature.  Student pay rates and personnel policies are based on this premise.  Excluding summer term, periods between terms, regular registration week and finals week, individuals on the student payroll cannot work over 29 hours per week.  No person may be simultaneously employed on Labor, Salary, and Student Payrolls.  However, a student may be simultaneously employed on the Graduate Assistant and Student Payrolls as long as his/her total hours worked do not to exceed 29 hours per week.

Procedure to hire a student:

A student wanting work in the Library may apply directly to the Library Human Resources Office for a particular job and the Library may hire such student workers to fill job vacancies.

Job vacancies that cannot be filled by the Library Human Resources Office or the Student Employment Office will be posted with the Student Employment Office listings. 

Procedure to place a student on Library Payroll

Each student must complete the Section I of the Student Employment Application Form.  The form is available in the Library Human Resources Office. The Department supervisor will complete Section II and send the student to the Library Human Resources Office.      Departments must be sure to designate the correct Classification and Pay Scale for the particular job.

The student completes a W-4 form and Employment Eligibility Verification, form I-9.   These forms along with the Student Employment Application, a copy of the student’s social security card and driver’s license, or other documentation required to accompany the I-9 form, are sent to the University’s Student Employment Office.

Amended W-4 forms are submitted directly to the Payroll Division.

Summer Session

An individual not enrolled for summer may be considered a student employee if he/she has been assigned a student number and will be enrolled fall semester.

Students who are to continue working during the summer in the same job they held spring semester DO NOT need to be reprocessed for employment

Student may work up to 40 hours per week.

Students must be paid time and one-half for all hours worked in excess of 40 hours per week.

Students who work for more than one department should not be scheduled to work for more than a total of 40 hours per week.  When a student exceeds 40 hours, the last department hiring the student is responsible for the excess hours and will pay the time and one-half rate.

Semester Break

Students may be employed and paid by the University on the Student Payroll during regular breaks between semesters.  A student may work more than 29 hours but not more than 40 hours during regular semester breaks.

Subject to the Director’s approval, students not enrolled during semesters or prior to enrollment may be processed for employment on the regular hourly payroll.

Work Study Program

The College Work-Study program provides federal subsidy on student wages.   The federal government pays 70%, the employing department pays 30%.    Responsibility for the allocation of these funds rests with the Office of Financial Aid.   Once a student has earned his allocated Work-Study amount the campus employer assumes responsibility for 100% of the student’s wages, if the student is still eligible to work.   The number of hours that a Work-Study employee may work is set by the Office of Financial Aid at MSU and must be in compliance with the Federal Law.

Hiring International Students

To be eligible for on-campus employment, International students must be pursuing a full course of study.  A full course of study is defined as 12 credits at the undergraduate level, 9 credits at the master’s level, and 6 credits at the doctoral level.

Eligible students may be employed during the academic year up to 20 hours per week
Eligible students may be employed during the summer up to 40 hours, whether enrolled or not enrolled.
 

Additional information about International students may be found online at http://isp.msu.edu/oiss/ .
 

Changing Job Classification or Status

Changes in job classification or status must be reported on the Request for Student Employment Change of Status to the Library Human Resources Office prior to a student working at the higher level.   The form must be submitted by the Monday before the end of any pay period.  The Library Human Resources Office will make these changes using a Student Employee Change of Status form.

The form is to be used for the following:

·         New account number(s) under which the student is to paid

·         Name change

·         Changes in grade level or title

·         Rate change

Injuries on the job - see Statement 3.1.3.

Unemployment Compensation

Students enrolled and regularly attending classes at Michigan State University while also employed by the University, are not in covered employment and may not receive benefits based upon such employment.

Students not enrolled in course work, employed for a summer, or during a similar non-enrollment period, are in covered employment.   More information is available in the Manual of Business Procedures .

Requests for References

Requests for employment verifications, employee references, and other inquiries by off-campus sources should be referred to the Student Employment Office disposition.  Individual departments should not respond directly to an off-campus inquiry.

Retention of Records

The Library Human Resources Office will keep the Student Employment Application until the student is terminated.  Section IV of the Application should then be completed by the student’s supervisor, and returned to HR, who in turn will send the form to the University’s Student Employment Office.