Student Assistant/Academic Student Employees FAQs

Student Work Categories

• What Student Work Category does my student fall in? 

  • It is the responsibility of the Admin/contact who is completing the form to determine which work category to use. Note that you can add multiple rows and the total percentage must add up to 100%. Please use your best judgement as the President’s Office is collecting and reviewing this information. Also, refer to the UP Website for further details regarding each student work category.

• Can I request a job duty/responsibility to be added to the examples of the Student Work Categories webpage?

  • Please email university-personnel@sjsu.edu and we can elaborate on the examples for each Student Work Category. 

• If we have an additional position for a student, under the Student Work Categories, do we need to list the original hire category plus the new category, or just the categories for the additional position?

  • For the additional position, you will only list the categories specific to the additional position.

• What category does testing an application such as DocuSign fall under?

  • It is the responsibility of the Admin/contact who is completing the form to determine which work category to use. If a student is using a technology, then it would be considered Technical Support.

• I have a student doing "research" tasks. What is the best classification to hire this student?

  • An undergraduate level student can be hired as a Student Assistant or ISA. A graduate level student can be hired as a Student Assistant, ISA, or GA. If 50% or more of the student’s tasks are tutoring, grading, and/or teaching-related, the student should be hired as an ISA. The GA classification should be used for a graduate level student who will use their expertise with assisting a faculty member. Refer to the document tiled "Guidance for Choosing Student Appointment Classification" for more details.

• What specific tasks does "Research Related" entail?

  • "Research Related" encompasses a student’s ability to provide delimited services such as library retrieval, data entry, coding, equipment preparation and more. Also, any undergraduate research project and not assisting more than 50% with instructional duties.

• Should my graduate student be hired as a Student Assistant or GA?

  • If the student is providing expertise on a subject/topic and is a graduate level student, they should be hired as a GA. GAs are also paid on a salaried basis. If the student is assisting the faculty on their research by doing tasks such as clerical work (which includes data entry…etc) and should get paid on an hourly basis, they should be hired as a Student Assistant. If the graduate level student’s work (greater than half) consists of tutoring, grading, in addition to doing research tasks, they should be hired as an ISA. Refer to the document tiled "Guidance for Choosing Student Appointment Classification" for more details.

• On the ASE form what is the difference between the "Research" and "Research Support" work categories?

  • Research Support consists of assisting a faculty member. Research should be used when the student is the primary researcher.

Filling out the Form

• Does a new form need to be submitted when a student changes the number of hours they work per week or if their job responsibilities change? 

  • No, changes to Average Number of Anticipated Weekly Hours, Description of Duties, or Student Work Category do not need to be submitted on a new form. Changes that require a new form to be submitted include changes to new position number or hourly pay rate.

• If a form cannot be filled out and submitted immediately, is there a “save for later” feature?

  • No, forms must be submitted within 45 minutes of starting the form. After 45 minutes elapses and the form has not been submitted, you must start over.

• Is there a way to submit forms in bulk? My department hires over 100 students at a time.

  • Currently, the process is set up so that one student is inputted per form. A separate form must be submitted for each student you would like to hire.

• Can a form be cloned in order to hire multiple students in the same position?

  • Currently, the process is set up so that one student is inputted per form. A separate form must be submitted for each student you would like to hire.   

• Does another form need to be submitted to document a change in unit enrollment every semester?

  • No, forms don't need to be submitted when the number of units enrolled changes.  It's the department's responsibility to ensure that a student meets the enrollment minimum requirement every semester.  If your student no longer meets the minimum requirement, then your student can not work and must be terminated. 

• What is “MLML students only”?

  • This is only to be used by the Moss Landing Marine Labs department

• Does another form need to be submitted if my student works more anticipated weekly hours during breaks?

  • No, forms do not need to be submitted to document a change in working hours during breaks or when classes are not in session. Students can work no more than 40 hours per week when classes are not in session and not more than 20 hours per week when classes are in session.

• Can I enter a number range, such as 5-7 hours, for the Average Number of Anticipated Weekly Hours?

  • No, a whole number must be entered in this field. Please note that this should reflect an average number of hours a student will work in a week for your department.

• Can I still email Academic Student Employee packets to Tempfaculty-ase-appointment@sjsu.edu?  

  • No, all Academic Student Employee packets must be submitted via the new online On-Base form.

• For Academic Student Employee packets, do all attachments need  to be submitted individually rather than have one PDF with all files?

  • Yes, all attachments must be uploaded individually.

• Does this new OnBase process apply to TAs? 

  • Yes, this new OnBase process will apply to all Academic Students Employees which includes ISAs, GAs, and TAs.

Bridge Student Positions

• How are Bridge Student Assistants hired?
  • • Hiring a student in a Bridge position to work one term after they graduated:
      • Choose the Appointment Action of Rehire (if the student previously worked in a Bridge position in your department) or Additional Position (if the student has not worked in a Bridge position in your department)
      • Check the box titled "This is a Bridge appt" located in the Student Assistant Information section
      • Input a position number that maps to an 1874/1875/1876 Bridge job code
      • You are not required to submit a Student Appointment Letter if your student worked for your department and will continue in a Bridge position.
      • Complete the remainder of the form
    • Hiring a student in a Bridge position for summer work if your student worked for your department in the Spring semester:
      • Choose the Appointment Action of Rehire (if the student previously worked in a Bridge position in your department) or Additional Position (if the student has not worked in a Bridge position in your department)
      • Check the box titled "This is a Bridge appt" located in the Student Assistant Information section
      • Input a position number that maps to an 1874/1875/1876 Bridge job code
      • You are not required to submit a Student Appointment Letter if your student worked for your department in the prior Spring semester.
      • Complete the remainder of the form
    • Hiring a student in a Bridge position for the first time during the summer work and the student never worked for your department previously:
      • Choose the Appointment Action of New Employee (if this is the first time they are working on-campus) or Additional Position (if the student has not worked in a Bridge position in your department)
      • Check the box titled "This is a Bridge appt" located in the Student Assistant Information section
      • Input a position number that maps to an 1874/1875/1876 Bridge job code
      • You are required to submit a Student Appointment Letter if your student did not work for your department in the prior Spring semester.
      • If your student will continue working in your department in the fall semester, you must also submit another form to hire them in an 1870/1871 job code for the fall semester. Choose the Appointment Action of Additional Position and input a position number that maps to an 1870/1871 Student Assistant job code.
    • If you want to use an 1875 or 1876 Bridge job code, you are required to attach the Federal Work Study Clearance Form.
• Can I increase the pay rate for a student I am hiring in a Bridge position that is different from their pay rate during the regular semester?

  • Yes, you can increase their pay rate for their Bridge position. Please choose the Appointment Action of New Employee, Rehire, or Additional Position and check the box titled "This is a Bridge appt" located in the Student Assistant Information section when hiring a student in a Bridge position.

• Since Bridge students are not enrolled in classes, how many number of units enrolled do I enter on the form? 

  • When submitting a form to hire a Bridge student, check the box titled "This is a Bridge appt" located in the Student Assistant Information section and you will not be required to enter the number of units enrolled.

Notifications

• Can I receive a copy of the On-Base form I submit? 

  • Yes, the Admin/contacts who submits the form will receive an email with a link to a copy of the form once it is processed by the ESS Representative. In general, we encourage you to keep copies of any attachments you upload.

• How will I know if my form was submitted successfully?

  • After the form is submitted, the Admin/contact who submits the form will receive an email to confirm the packet was submitted and when the packet was processed. 

• Is there a repository for past submissions?

  • After the form is submitted, the Admin/contacts who submits the form will receive an email with a link to a copy of the form once it is processed by the ESS Representative. We encourage you to retain a copy of the form for your records.

• Can the Dean’s Office receive a copy of ASE packets, or can the Dean’s Office receive confirmation that paperwork has been submitted?

  • Currently, only the Admin/contact who submits the form will receive the email notifications. The Admin/contact can forward the confirmation emails accordingly.

Other

• Does UP have an "Offer Letter" template that international students can take to ISSS as proof of employment? 

  • For Academic Student Employees, departments should create their own template. For Student Assistants, departments can use the Student Appointment Letter [docx] template found on the UP website.

• Is this form used for Tower hires?

  • No, the process for Tower hires has not changed. This is for student hires that are paid through the university/state of CA. 

• If a student is in their last semester, is graduating and is not enrolled in 6 units, can they be hired as a Student Assistant? 

  • No, they cannot be hired in a Student Assistant classification because they do not meet the minimum enrollment requirement.

• Does a copy of the class schedule need to be submitted?

  • No, a copy of the class schedule is not required. You will enter the number of units that the student is enrolled on the form.

• Where can I find the position number?

  • Position numbers can be found by running the Active Position List.

• Do I have to fill out a form to get access to OnBase?

  • As long as you have access to OneSJSU, you will be able to access this form.

• Can anyone use this form, or is it restricted to department/college Admins?

  • The Admin/contact who currently submit forms to the UP ESS team should be the same Admin/contact submitting the online form. The process does not change; there is only a change from a paper process to an online process.

• When the form has been processed and submitted, is there an average estimated time before it is processed?

  • The ESS Reps process packets in the order they are received. Due to this, there is no estimated time we can give. We always recommend that packets be submitted early.

• Can I submit the TA Fee Waiver form after submitting the completed TA packet?

  • Yes, you can submit the TA Fee Waiver later by selecting the "Revision" Request Type and uploading only that document to the online form. It is encouraged that the TA Fee Waiver be submitted along with the rest of the packet.

• Is the Statement of Terms and Conditions required?

  • Yes, a signed copy of the Statement of Terms and Conditions [pdf] is required in order to successfully submit an ISA/GA/TA packet via the online form.