For a prospective employee to be employed as a Graduate Assistant the following criteria must be met:
Candidate should be enrolled in at least 6 credit hours of graduate courses per semester.
Additionally, a Graduate Student may not be employed holding a dual title.
(i.e., Graduate Assistant –Teaching/Program Coordinator) regardless of the percentage effort worked or to be worked.
It is the hiring department's responsibility to interface with the Office of Human Resources in relation to the hire of Graduate Assistants.
To hire a Graduate Assistant, the following steps must be completed prior to the Graduate Assistants start date:
1
Graduate Assistant hires should have completed an online application using the “Create Application” link prior to the first day of work using the PV PATH Online Application System. Prospective Graduate Assistants should have printed, signed and dated the application and turned it in to the hiring department. There will not be a corresponding job posting for this type of hire. The department is responsible for routing the application to the Office of Human Resources.
2
Graduate Assistant hires should have included a copy of their detailed class schedule via PantherTracks to provide proof of enrollment in graduate courses. This document should have been routed to the Office of Human Resources along with the hard copy application.
3
Department should have submitted a completed Confidential Release Form to initiate a criminal background check on the prospective Graduate Assistant hire. The prospective employee may not begin working until the results of the criminal background check have been received.
Anytime there is a break in employment a new background check is required on the prospective employee.
4
A copy of the finalized offer letter should have been emailed to hrteam@pvamu.edu for review by the Office of Human Resources. The offer letter should not be extended to the prospective employee until the finalized offer letter has been approved by the Office of Human Resources via email.
Copy of the finalized offer letter should have been sent to the Office of Human Resources ten (10) business days prior to the effective hire date for review and approval. Standard response time for review and approval of the finalized offer by the Office of Human Resources is two (2) business days.
Written offer of emloyment should have been extended to prospective Graduate Assistant in accordance with offer template provided by the Office of Human Resources. All written offers of employment must be routed to the appropriate Vice President’s office. The written offer of employment will be sent out from the hiring department’s respective Vice President’s office. Please ensure that the mailing address for the prospective Graduate Assistant is correct. A corresponding department envelope should be attached to the written offer when routing to the respective Vice President’s office.
6
The prospective Graduate Assistant should have returned the accepted/declined written offer of employment to the hiring department. The hiring department should then have forwarded the accepted/declined offer to the Office of Business Affairs. The Office of Human Business Affairs will route all accepted/declined written offers of employment to the Office of Human Resources.
7
EPA should have been initiated for the Graduate Assistant with suitable employment beginning and ending dates (corresponding to one semester only or for the period between the effective hire date and May 31 of the current academic year). Please note that Graduate Assistants who are in Teaching and Research positions can work only up to 50% effort and Graduate Assistants who are in Non-Teaching positions can work only up to 88% effort.
8
EPA should have been routed for Graduate Assistant hire so that it is received by the Office of Human Resources three (3) working days prior to the prospective Graduate Assistant's start date. Employee start dates are the 1st and 15th of each month. If the 1st or 15th falls on the weekend, the employee may begin the following Monday. Approval of the EPA is contingent upon the prior completion of the above listed items 1-7.
9
New Employees are required to attend New Employee Orientation. Department will be notified by the Office of Human Resources that the new employee has been approved to attend New Employee Orientation.
*If Graduate Assistant received Federal or Texas Work Study funds then Graduate Assistant should process in through the Student Employment Office. Graduate Assistants being paid from 100% of the department’s budget should process in through the Office of Human Resources and adhere to the above listed steps.