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Frequently Asked Questions

Student employees are an integral part of the daily operation of Vassar College.

The Student Employment Office assists all students in finding a job. Financial Aid students receive special assistance through priority consideration. The college has designated approximately 1,500 on-campus positions for students. Students receiving financial assistance from the college have priority consideration for placement in almost all campus jobs.

FUNDAMENTAL POLICIES
A. Students are limited in the hours they may work each week during academic periods. Freshmen may work eight hours per week; sophomores nine; juniors and seniors 10. The student work week begins on a Wednesday and runs through Tuesday. Most students should achieve their weekly limit in one position. When necessary a student may split his or her hours between two positions, given the consent of both departments and the approval of the DSE.

B. Students may be paid only for actual hours worked, rounded to the nearest quarter hour. Students are not eligible for paid leave or benefits of any kind. They may not receive pay for holidays, sick days, vacations days, lunch hours, or closures due to adverse weather and the like.

C. A student’s total annual earnings may not exceed his or her earnings limit. The Office of Financial Aid sets the earnings limit which pertains to all students regardless of their financial aid status. It varies by class year. For example, in 2002-03 freshmen could earn $1,540, sophomores $1,740 and juniors and seniors $1,930.

FINANCIAL AID LINK
Seventy percent of the students who work at Vassar are on financial aid. Many of the federal work-study policies concerning student employment are linked to financial aid. Policies stem from legislative mandates, federal financial aid regulations, institutional policies, and budgets. Vassar, however, mandates that all students who work be treated equitably, regardless of their financial aid status. Although financial aid students receive priority consideration for jobs, the policies are the same because the College has made a commitment to provide jobs to all those who are eligible. Beyond the priority, there is no distinction.

Financial assistance is awarded to students on the basis of need as determined by the college. Financial need is defined as the difference between the cost of education and the family’s assessed “contribution” toward the student’s education. A federally-approved formula is used to derive the family’s contribution. The college meets the financial need of students through a package of loans, a campus job, federal and/or state grants, and Vassar scholarships.

A campus job is offered as a part of most financial aid packages but is not guaranteed. In fact, students are not required to accept the job, but the burden of making up this portion rests with the family.

Who May Work?

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO BE A STUDENT EMPLOYEE?
Full-time matriculated Vassar students may work in campus jobs. Students who drop below full-time must wait until after the third week of the semester to apply and are limited to 8-10 hours of work per week. Students who are full-time but matriculated at other schools are also eligible while attending Vassar, but can only be placed after the second week of the semester when jobs open up to Vassar’s non-financial aid students. Special students, who are not matriculated, are not eligible. Language assistants, who are already employed by the college and who may be part-time students, are not eligible.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
International students with an F-1 visa status who receive financial aid may work but will need special assistance from the SEO to apply for a U.S. social security number. (Paychecks cannot be produced without one.) The F-1 or J-1 visa status allows the student to work on campus only. International students who are not on an F-1 or J-1 visa may not work unless they obtain special employment authorization through the INS. International students seeking first-time employment at Vassar should come to the SEO to request assistance. (International students seeking employment off campus as part of their academic training should contact the advisor to international students.)
International students who are not on financial aid may not work on campus, without permission from the DSE. Such students will need to document an academic need or financial hardship. The college may provide the Social Security Administration with a request to issue an official social security number.

REQUIRED HIRING DOCUMENTS
In order for a student to be employed by Vassar, certain documents must first be filed in accordance with federal laws. All students, including U.S. citizens, must file an Employee Withholding Allowance Certificate (W-4) for the IRS and an Employment Eligibility Verification Form (I-9) for the Department of Justice. The W-4 requires the individual to have a valid U.S. social security number. The I-9 requires proof of citizenship and valid identification. The college can be fined if a department allows a student to work without having first completed the W-4 and I-9. To demonstrate the student’s compliance, the SEO issues a (pink) Student Employment Status Change Form (SESCF) and a time sheet only after these forms are completed. Departments must not allow a student to work until they receive a time sheet and the (pink) SESCF. The college may not pay for work done before these forms are received.

I-9 VERIFICATION PROCESS
In order for the college to hire students, an Employment Eligibility Verification Form (I-9) must be filed. This form verifies an individual’s citizenship status. It insures that only legally eligible individuals work in the United States. The form is required by federal law administered by the U.S. Department of Justice. Students must go through this verification process once, before they begin working. Students should be prepared to provide the appropriate documentation at the time they sign up for their jobs or at freshmen orientation. Actual documents are required; we cannot accept photocopies or facsimiles.

A list of the most readily available required documents follows. A more detailed list is available through the SEO and on the back of the I-9 form.
US. Citizens:
1. A U.S. Passport. This can be an expired passport but it cannot be a photocopy.
OR
2. An official birth certificate and a photo identification card. The birth certificate must be an original or an official copy, bearing a raised seal. The identification card may be a Vassar ID card or state issued photo ID card or driver’s license, bearing a recent photograph.
OR
3. A Social Security card and a photo identification card. The Social Security card must be the actual card. The identification card may be a Vassar ID card or state-issued photo ID card or driver’s license, bearing a recent photograph.
Permanent Resident Aliens:
An Alien Registration Receipt Card, INS Form I-151 or Resident Alien Card, INS I-551. Either card must bear a photograph and be valid.
All Others:
Foreign passport with validated (stamped) Form I-94 and valid visa and I-20 issued by Vassar or an employment authorization card for students not on an F or J type visa.

What Kinds of Jobs Are Available?

JOB DESCRIPTIONS
The SEO has compiled a comprehensive roster of on-campus jobs which are found in over 100 departments and offices and fall into these major categories: desk attendant; clerical laboratory jobs; research technical, and supervisory intern positions. Descriptions for each campus job are kept in job books in the SEO and on-line through our Web site (http://studentjobapp.vassar.edu/). These descriptions provide students with details about specific jobs and identify the skills needed to do the job as well as what they will learn by working in that job. These features can be particularly helpful when working on a resume, an employment application, or reflecting on personal development.

THE JOB BOARD
The student job board is located outside of the SEO and is mainly used to provide on campus job information, including job vacancies. Cards which describe the department, job title, position, number, and the rate of pay are posted for each vacancy. Available jobs are also sometimes posted on our Web site but students must apply in person for a job. Some off-campus, casual positions such as child-care, tutoring, yard work, and house cleaning, are also posted. The SEO does not administer off-campus jobs. The information is posted as a courtesy to the community, and students who are interested must follow-up on their own. This employment is completely independent of Vassar and does not affect the student’s earnings limit or employment at Vassar.

COMMUNITY SERVICE JOBS
Paid community service jobs are available for financial aid students who have been awarded Federal Work Study (FWS). These are jobs in the greater Poughkeepsie area where students can do community service work as their financial aid job. The Office of Religious and Spiritual Life works with students to arrange the placements. The SEO coordinates the administrative and payroll process. Students are paid through Vassar. Students should check with the SEO if they are not sure of their aid status. These jobs are generally at non-profit agencies or public schools. Many involve tutoring as the emphasis of the program is literacy. For more information about specific opportunities, please contact the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life (437-5550).

DRESS CODES
Departments may have a dress code for safety reasons or in situations where students are highly visible to the community. It is important for the supervisor to make known any specific dress requirements before hiring students.

Hiring a Student: the Process

SEPTEMBER SIGN-UP
At the first semester opening, September sign-up takes place outside the Student Employment Office. The job books and application forms are available and the job board is posted with all the vacancies. September sign-up is for students who did not pre-register in the spring, those who did pre-register but whose requests could not be honored, and those who want to change their placements. Only financial aid students may be considered for job openings during the first two weeks of September sign-up. Thereafter, vacancies may be filled by non-financial aid students.

RETURNING FROM JYA
Job pre-registration notification for the upcoming academic year is sent to all Junior Year Abroad (JYA) students via e-mail. The same notice that goes to upperclass returning students prior to spring break is sent to JYA students and provides a link to the on-line job sign up Web site. JYA students have the same opportunity and deadline for job sign up as students on the campus. If a JYA student misses the on-line spring signup period he or she should plan to attend September sign-up. JYA students returning to Vassar between terms should come to the Student Employment Office in January to see what job opportunities are available. Financial aid students have priority for the first week during the January sign-up period.

Limitations on Student Employment

EARNINGS LIMIT
The earnings limit is the maximum amount a student may earn from a campus job during the academic year. Each year the Office of Financial Aid sets the standard earnings limits which pertain to all students regardless of their financial aid status. The earnings limit is based upon the weighted average pay rate, the number of weeks in the year, and the allowable number of hours of work per week. It varies by class year: in 2002-03 freshmen may earn $1,540, sophomores $1,740 and juniors and seniors $1,930. The schedule of eight to 10 hours per week allows students the opportunity to earn money without infringing on the time needed for academics and extracurricular activities. Occasionally, an individual’s earnings limit may be increased or decreased either by the Office of Financial Aid or the DSE.
The SEO monitors student earnings through bi-weekly reports of total wages on campus. Notices are sent to students and their supervisors when students are approaching their limit. Students who reach their earnings limit prior to the end of the academic year must discontinue their employment for the remainder of the academic year unless their earnings limit is increased. It is primarily the student’s responsibility to ensure that they not exceed the limit. Students may inquire about their total earnings at the SEO at any time.

What about Breaks?

EMPLOYMENT DURING BREAKS/VACATION PERIODS
Wages earned during breaks (winter, spring and summer) do not count toward the student’s academic year earnings limit. However, regular campus jobs are suspended during break periods and students may not work in their regular campus job.
There are a few on-campus jobs available during breaks. Priority consideration is given to international and financial aid students. Students who have worked a previous break and international students receive application forms from the SEO. All other students who would like to be considered should inquire at the SEO. Students may also review the job board for other break job announcements.
Students may work a maximum of 40 hours per week when classes are not in session but specific jobs may be further curtailed by budgetary restrictions. Most student break jobs are 37.5 hours per week for this reason. Break jobs during these non-enrollment periods (winter, spring, and summer) are handled differently from academic jobs, and regular academic year positions are inactive during non-enrollment periods. Students are not allowed to work in their regular campus job during these breaks.
Departments that have students work during these break periods must hire the student separately from the regular position by submitting a SEDHF to the SEO to establish the position and receive time sheets. Special budgeting is required. Students must have completed the I9 and W4.
If a student works more than 40 hours in a week, the college is required by federal and state labor laws to pay overtime. The overtime rate by law is one and a half times the hourly rate. It is the College’s policy to not allow overtime, and departments must ensure that their student employees do not work more than 40 hours in the Wednesday to Tuesday work week. If it happens, the individual department will be directly charged the overtime.

OCTOBER BREAK
October break is a break only in the regular meeting of classes. It is not a period of non-enrollment. The services which the college offers continue in the normal “class-in-session” mode. Regular student jobs continue. Supervisors of offices which provide full services during this “break” should inform their student employees of this fact at the outset of employment. Arrangements for a work schedule, other than the one worked out at the beginning of employment, should be addressed well in advance of the October break to avoid misunderstandings and unpleasant consequences. Students are not allowed to work beyond their eight to 10 hour weekly limit, and these earnings count toward the student’s academic year earnings limit.

Pay Issues

PAYROLL SCHEDULE
Students are paid every two weeks. Time sheets must be submitted to the SEO by 1 p.m. on alternate Wednesdays in accordance with the student employment payroll schedule. The schedule is published and distributed to students and departments annually and is available at the SEO throughout the year. Checks or (direct deposit notices) are placed in each student’s on-campus post office box on Friday mornings according to the payroll schedule. The last check of each semester is sent to the student’s permanent home address, unless the student provides the SEO with a forwarding address.

PAYMENT OPTIONS: CHECK OR DIRECT DEPOSIT
Students may receive a payroll check (drawn on HSBC) or have their pay directly deposited into a personal checking or savings account anywhere in the United States. A check will be issued unless the student completes a Payroll Direct Deposit Authorization Form opting for direct deposit. These forms are available from the SEO. Once authorized the direct deposit option will remain in place until the student formally discontinues it by filing a form to discontinue direct deposit.
Direct deposit is a truly wonderful option for students. It saves a great deal of time and energy, and it eliminates the problems of lost checks. We urge students to take advantage of the direct deposit option. It takes one complete payroll cycle to establish the direct deposit option. Therefore, the student will receive the first payment after submitting the authorization form as a check and the second will be directly deposited. We require 10 days advance notice to discontinue the direct deposit. Please note that closing a bank account does not terminate direct deposit. Students must also terminate the process with the college, otherwise the payroll system will continue the direct deposit process. Students on JYA and graduating seniors should be especially aware of this and carefully schedule the closing of their bank accounts to avoid payment delays.

LOST OR STOLEN PAYCHECKS
If a check is lost or stolen, the student should come to the SEO to request that a duplicate be issued. Most checks lost on campus are returned to the student’s box within a week’s time.

TIME SHEETS
Time sheets are the official records used to document students’ hours worked each month for payroll purposes. For student employment jobs, time sheets are completed bi-weekly following a Wednesday to Tuesday schedule. Hours must be reported with the month and day worked and should always be rounded to the nearest quarter hour. Students are only paid for hours actually worked. Paychecks are produced only when the time sheet is properly completed and handed in on time.

Income Taxes

W - 4 EMPLOYEE WITHHOLDING
The W-4 is used to determine how much (if any) tax should be withheld from a student’s pay. W-4 forms are available at the SEO. Vassar also withholds New York State income taxes based on the W-4. Students are not automatically exempt from having income taxes withheld. Even federal work study wages are taxable income. International students should check their country’s tax treaty status to determine if their earnings are exempt from U.S. taxes. Students should direct questions regarding the W-4 and taxes to their parents, an accountant, or the IRS (tax assistance hot line 1-800-423-1040).

W-2 FORMS
In accordance with the Internal Revenue Code, the college provides all students with a W-2 (Wage and Tax Statement) at year-end. This is sent by January 31 for the preceding calendar year’s earnings and is mailed to the student’s permanent home address. W-2 forms from Vassar should be used to file federal and state tax returns. A copy of the W2’s for current international students will also be mailed to their campus box.

INCOME TAX FORMS
By the beginning of second semester, federal tax forms (1040, 1040A and 1040EZ) are available on campus at the SEO and the library. Forms for international students (1040 N/R or 1040N/R EZ) are available at the same locations. It is the responsibility of the taxpayer to file the appropriate income tax forms annually.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How can I find out what jobs are available?
Visit our job board outside our office in Main (South Wing, room 182). We update it frequently with the latest openings.

2. How can I find out what each job entails?
Right there with the job board is a book that has descriptions of all campus jobs. You can also find them on our Web site: http://studentjobapp.vassar.edu/

3. What forms of identification do I need for an I-9?
U.S. Citizens:
1. A U.S. Passport. This can be an expired passport but it cannot be a photocopy.
OR
2. An official birth certificate and a photo identification card. The birth certificate must be an original, bearing a raised seal. The identification card may be a Vassar ID card or state-issued photo ID card or driver’s license, bearing a recent photograph.
OR
3. A Social Security card and a photo identification card. The Social Security card must be the actual card. The identification card may be a Vassar ID card or state issued photo ID card or driver’s license, bearing a recent photograph.
Permanent Resident Aliens:
An Alien Registration Receipt Card, INS Form I-151, or Resident Alien Card, INS I-551. Either card must bear a photograph and be valid.
All Others:
Foreign passport with validated (stamped) Form I-94 and valid visa and I-20 issued by Vassar or an employment authorization card for students not on an F-1 or J-1 visa.

4. Can I change my job during the year at times other than spring, summer, and September sign-ups?
Yes! New jobs are always opening up. Stop by our job board to see what’s new.

5. What happens after I sign up for a job?
In most cases, we give you a time sheet and a pink Student Employment Status Change Form (SESCF) that you take to your new department. These forms let them know that you are all set to work. Then you can discuss the details of the work schedule, rules, and duties with your new supervisor. Some jobs require interviews. In these cases you will have to get in touch with the hiring department to schedule an interview.

6. How many hours can I work per week?
It depends on your class. On average a freshman may work up to a maximum of eight hours, sophomores up to nine hours, juniors and seniors 10 hours. The weekly student work period runs from Wednesday to Tuesday.

7. Who turns in my time sheet?
Normally your supervisor will take care of that for you; they have to proof and sign it. Some of the smaller departments may ask you to turn it in when it is due. In either case it must be signed and returned to the SEO in the special, blue department folder.

8. Can I make up hours that I missed from previous work weeks?
Yes. The pay period is two weeks, so for example if a freshmen (who is normally allowed to work eight hours per week) only works six in the first week, it is OK if they work 10 hours the second week to compensate for the two hours missed in the first week. Your supervisor must be able to accommodate your make-up hours in the weekly schedule.

9. When do I get paid?
You get paid every two weeks. If you stop by our office you can pick up a payroll schedule.

10. Are taxes taken out of my check?
During the school year, a student’s pay is usually too small for taxes to be taken out because students only work part-time. However if the pay is large enough, federal, and state taxes will be deducted based upon your W-4 form. Over breaks longer than four weeks (basically only the summer), FICA taxes (social security and medical taxes) will also be taken out unless you’re doing research funded by a private grant (such as URSI or Ford). FICA taxes are about 7.5% of your gross paycheck. However, all summer student employees have federal and state income taxes taken from their pay. If too much federal or state income tax is withheld, you will get a refund when you file your tax return for the year.

11. How do I apply for Direct Deposit?
Stop by our office and pick up a form. You will need to know your account number and have a voided personal check or deposit slip if you want your pay to be deposited into a checking account. You will also need to know the street address of the branch. The transit routing number is on the bottom of the check. If you want to deposit to a savings account, the bank will have to give it to you.

12. Can I have more than one job?
In most cases, no. A second job must be approved by the DSE. If you are not working the maximum allowable number of hours per week, and if there is a part-time job available, then you might be able to have a second job. Both departments must also acknowledge your part-time status.

SEO home

payroll calendar

employer info

view jobs

apply online

forms