Student Employment Handbook - Employee Types

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Federal Work-Study and University Funded Students

University Funded Student Employees

Employing departmental budgets are charged 100% of the wages for all University Funded student employees.

Federal Work-Study Funded Student Employees

Students who are employed under the FWS program are awarded FWS by the Student Financial Aid Office (SFAO) as part of their total financial aid package. This federal program pays 75% of the student's wage, while the employing department pays 25%.  Students earning FWS funds may ONLY be paid on a hourly basis and can be employed on campus or off-campus through approved community service programs.

  • FWS Eligibility & Employment Requirements
    FWS is available to both undergraduate and graduate students who demonstrate financial need. To be considered for FWS, a student must submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and answer "yes" to the question: "Are you interested in being considered for work-study?" The FAFSA is available online at www.fafsa.gov. Since FWS funds are limited, students should complete the FAFSA according to the SFAO Financial Aid Timeline.
    • » As a FWS recipient, students must meet the credit hour enrollment requirement and maintain satisfactory academic progress. Federal regulations mandate that no exceptions be made regarding the minimum credit hour enrollment requirement.
    • » Students may work in a FWS AND University Funded position at the same time. Students may also work in more than one FWS position at a time, but should monitor earnings so that they know when they are nearing their FWS award  limit.
  • FWS Earnings Limit
    To determine if a student has been awarded FWS, the student must access their account in FlashLine via the Student / Finances page. Under the Financial Aid heading, the student must click on the Financial Aid Awards link.  The student must then click Financial Aid Awards and under Award Year, select the appropriate award year form the drop-down menu and Submit. The student can click on Award Overview to view if the FWS award exists. A student that cannot view a FWS award and would like to check on the possibility of being awarded FWS should contact the Student Financial Aid Office at 330-672-6000.
     

    The SFAO monitors the earnings of each FWS student employee for each employment period to ensure that FWS wages earned are consistent with those permitted under the provisions of Federal regulations. Students receiving FWS are required to record hours worked on a paper or online timecard. The SFAO will indicate to Career Exploration and Development when a student's earnings have reached the FWS award amount, and Career Exploration and Development will alert the employing department. The student's wages will be paid from University Funding unless Career Exploration and Development is notified by the employing department, in writing, that they wish to terminate the student's employment.

    Students should monitor their earnings with each paycheck so they will know when their earnings limit is approaching. FWS money is received as it is earned through a paycheck and it is not applied directly towards the tuition bill.

  • Adjustment of FWS Award Amounts
    The SFAO may be able to adjust a FWS award amount if a student has an "unmet financial need" and funding is available. If a student falls below half-time enrollment or receives additional financial aid which changes his/her total financial aid eligibility, student's employment may be terminated, or the FWS award amount reduced. If a change in FWS occurs, the SFAO will notify Career Exploration and Development in writing. Career Exploration and Development will then contact the employing department regarding whether it is possible to pay the student with 100% University Funding.
  • FWS Suggested Weekly Work Hours
    Hours are based on Minimum Wage ($9.30 as of January 1, 2022) over a 30-week Academic Year. (Example: $3,422.4/$9.30 = 368 hours, 368 hours/30 weeks = 12 hours per week.)
Students Semester Award Annual Award # Work Hrs/Week
New First-Year Students $1250 $2500 10 hours
Returning Students $1500 $3000 12 hours

Grant Funded Students

A Primary Investigator (PI) should review the policies and procedures for Grant Proposals that Include Funding for Student Employees (PDF) and submit the completed On-Campus Student Employment Position Information Form to Career Exploration and Development.  PI's should also be aware that students must 1) meet enrollment eligibility requirements, 2) complete required employment documents, and 3) agree to the Student Employment Certification Statement in order to be eligible for employment.

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High School Students

The employment of high school students provides work experience to potential Kent State students and employment for particular groups of high school students, including students with disabilities. Departments are also able to fill positions where Kent State student candidates have not been found or where little interest has been generated among the college student population. High school students employed by Kent State University are not required to meet the credit-hour enrollment requirement.

The employment of high school students must meet all of the requirements of Chapter 4109 of the Ohio Revised Code (ORC) and the State of Ohio's Minor Labor Laws, as well as the university policy regarding on-campus activities involving minors. High school students under the age of 18, interested in employment at Kent State should make sure to take the following steps:

  • Fill out the Application for Minor Work Permit.
  • Have it signed by the student’s initial on-campus employer.
  • Obtain an original Age and Schooling Certificate from either the student’s high school or The Board of Education of the student’s school district
    1. For ages 14 and 15, the certificate is required for Fall, Spring and Summer employment
    2. For ages 16 and 17, the certificate is required for Fall and Spring employment
      1. Unless the student has graduated high school
  • The Age and Schooling Certificate must be presented to Career Exploration and Development in order to establish permission to work as a high school student
  • The student will then be required to complete additional state and federal forms (employment paperwork) required to establish eligibility to work on campus.

High school students can NOT be hired through CampusWorks. Once the Age and Schooling Certificate is obtained, the hiring department must complete the Student Employment Hiring Form in Dynamic Forms, which is found in the Forms Library. The student will receive an email with a link to the form to sign it. Once the student signs the form, Career Exploration and Development will process the position.

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International Students

WORK HOUR LIMITS 

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) has limited part-time employment for international students to no more than 20 hours per week during the semester. Allowing an international student to work more than 20 hours per week could have serious implications for the student and the University. International students may work up to the 28-hour work week limit when classes are not in session (fall, winter, Thanksgiving and spring breaks) and during the summer. 

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS WITHOUT A SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER 

International Students may begin working without a Social Security Number (SSN). However, the student MUST apply for a SSN using the process outlined below in steps 4-6. Steps 4-6 do not have to be completed before moving on to steps 7-11. They can be completed simultaneously. Please note that failure to present the Social Security Card to Career Exploration and Development once received will result in termination of employment.

STEPS TO ON-CAMPUS STUDENT EMPLOYMENT 

1) Once the supervisor has identified a FIRST-TIME international student employee for employment, the supervisor must complete Section I of the Social Security Employment Verification Form, located in the Forms Library. Once the supervisor completes their portion of the form in Adobe Acrobat Sign, the student will receive an email with a link to view the document. The student will need to download a PDF of the document to complete step 5. We suggest supervisors retain the Adobe Acrobat Sign confirmation email they receive upon submitting the form, which contains a link to view the document. 

2) The supervisor must complete the Offer of Student Employment Form located in the Forms Library. This initiates the employment process and Career Exploration & Development’s communication with the student; however, students may NOT begin work until all required employment forms are completed and permission has been granted. 

3) The student must electronically sign the Offer of Student Employment Form via Dynamic Forms.

4) New students, including transfer students and those with a change of level (e.g. undergraduate to graduate), must also complete the following before proceeding to Step 5:

  • Update your LOCAL Address in FLASHline with the street address, including apartment/room number where you are physically residing in the United States. (Note: Students living on campus must use the GPS address, NOT the mailing address). To do this, login to FLASHline --> Settings --> scroll to ‘Secure Account Access’ --> click ‘Addresses and Phone Numbers’ --> click ‘Update Addresses and Phones’ in the middle at the bottom of the screen. 

  • Verify that your local address is correct in the ISSS Student & Scholar Portal. 

  • Register for a full course of study. 

  • Complete the ISSS Immigration Check-In Registration Form in the ISSS Student & Scholar Portal. 

  • Complete your scheduled Immigration Check-in Appointment with an ISSS Advisor. 

5) The student will login to the ISSS Student & Scholar Portal, select ‘Request Center’, and submit the Social Security Employment Verification Form and the Offer of Student Employment Form. An ISSS advisor will review the information and complete Section II of the Social Security Employment Verification Form. Once ISSS has completed Section II of the form, the request will say ‘COMPLETEDand the completed document will be uploaded to the documents section of the portal where the student can download and print it. 

6) The student can begin the online application for the SSN. Then, the student must visit a Social Security Administration office to present required documentation.

  • The student may call the Social Security Administration office in Ravenna (located at 444 Enterprise Parkway, Ravenna, OH, 44266) to schedule an appointment to complete this process. When calling to schedule an appointment, be sure to identify yourself as a “Kent State International Student.” To schedule, call 855-863-3562. If no one answers, leave a voicemail that includes your name, phone number, and state that you are scheduling an appointment because you are a Kent State international student.
  • DO NOT MAIL YOUR DOCUMENTS. To prepare for the appointment, be sure to bring physical copies of all the required documents listed below and take all original immigration documents with you:
    • Completed and printed SS-5 Form (Instructions and form available through the SSA website)
    • Unexpired foreign passport with F-1 Visa (or J-1 Visa)
    • Printed Form I-94 (Go to CBP webpage, click ‘Get most recent I-94,’ complete the fields, and print)
    • Printed Form I-20 or DS-2019 (Can be downloaded from the ISSS Portal)
    • Printed Offer of Student Employment Position form (Go to Dynamic Forms, select "My Forms" in the top right, select "Forms History" to find the form, click the PDF icon and download the form.)
    • Completed and printed Social Security Employment Verification form (See #1)
  • After your visit to the Social Security Administration Office, you will be provided with a receipt. You should retain the receipt until your official SSC is sent to you in the mail. You may take that receipt and move on to step 7. Within 2 weeks, you will receive your Social Security Card (SSC) in the mail. Your card will be sent to the mailing address you provided on the SS-5 form.
  • This is a very important card! You only get one SSN, so please keep your SSC with your other important immigration documents in a secure location. When you receive your SSC, please take the time to carefully read through the warning about scams. Please also review the section about Security Risks further down on this page.

7) Before the student comes to Career Exploration and Development to complete ID Verification, they must complete the employment paperwork forms received from Student Employment in Adobe Acrobat Sign (I-9, SSA, Ohio Tax Withholding, Federal Tax Withholding)

8) After completing the above steps, the student must visit Career Exploration and Development (261 Schwartz) to present the following: 1) Acceptable Photo Identification (i.e., Passport), 2) I-20 (or DS-2019), and 3) I-94.

9) Login to CampusWorks with their FLASHline username and password, and click the “Accept” button to sign the Student Employment Certification Statement. Once the employment paperwork is completed, the student should let their supervisor know. The supervisor will then formally offer the position to the student through CampusWorks.

10) The student will receive an email in approximately 1-2 business days about the offer. The student will need to login to CampusWorks and officially accept the employment offer.

11) The student will receive a final confirmation email when all requirements have been met and permission to work has been granted. The student MAY NOT begin working on-campus until they have received the final confirmation email. 

12) Once the student has received the final confirmation email, Payroll will contact them by email about setting up an account in Sprintax Calculus to finalize the employment process. One the Social Security Card (SSC) is received, the student must enter their SSC information in their Sprintax Calculus account. Then, the student must return to Career Exploration and Development in room 261 of the Schwartz Center and present their Social Security Card (SSC) and FLASHcard so that their Kent State University record can be updated. Failure to present your Social Security Card to Career Exploration and Development once received will result in termination of employment.

13) Direct deposit can be set up online 1-2 days after the student’s position start date. This can be done through FLASHline. Click on the ‘Employee’ tab, then on the Employee ‘Dashboard’, then click ‘Payroll Direct Deposit’ and enter your information. You MUST set up your direct deposit no later than 4 days before the payroll date or your payment for that pay period will be DELAYED. The biweekly payroll schedule can be viewed here in Flashline.

14) Additionally, the student will be contacted by OPERS around their start date with information on how to complete the optional request for exemption from contribution. This must be completed within 30 days of the student’s initial start date if they wish to waive contributions to OPERS.

SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS & SECURITY RISKS

Your Social Security Number (SSN) is private information. We do not recommend giving out your SSN to anyone via phone or email. Important government agencies, the IRS, and KSU will never ask you for your SSN over the phone or email. If you find that your SSN information was stolen or given to a fraudulent company, then you may want to file a police report with the local police. You should contact your bank and any credit card companies, the Social Security Administration, and the KSU cyber security team for any suggestions. You should also update all your passwords and PIN numbers.

This number is the only one you will have your entire life. If you leave the U.S. and come back, this is still your SSN.

 

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