Student Employment:
Practices & Coping Strategies
Utilizing Resources and Strategies for an Effective
Employment Program
Gayle Dohrman, Central Washington University
Scott L. Elliott, The Evergreen State College
Funds Management
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Keeping track: CWU MS Excel spreadsheet
TESC Banner HR/FinAid
Planning strategies & scenarios
◦ Experiment with:
 Reimbursement rates
 Award amounts
 Awarding methods
Planning for Less Funding: Options
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Lower reimbursement rates to stretch funds
Tiered rates to maximize student opportunities
Reduce hours during breaks or summer
Eliminate/reduce full time summer employment
Assess employer match ability – can they still hire
with less Work Study support?
◦ Institutional “Work Study” program to fill gap?
◦ Assess value of the experience for students &
perhaps not fund certain jobs, considering:
 Related to major or career goals?
 Student satisfaction with position
Making Changes:
Regulations vs. Policies
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Know program regulations and your school’s
policies and the difference between them –
crucial when making changes.
Policies are usually, but not always, based on
regulations
Obtain buy-in from higher management when
making changes
Prepare for “but we’ve always done it that way”
Remember it is a student aid program
No surprises: inform the campus community
Over Spending Strategies
◦ Deny unearned WS carry forward to next term
or working full time during breaks
◦ Can student keep the job but switch to
institutional funds? Ask employers for help
◦ Don’t replace lost student employees
◦ Replace lost students but award fewer hours
◦ Reduce awards of under-earning students
◦ Develop more non Work Study jobs
◦ Consider applying for a grant – check with school
library, graduate studies, or development office
◦ Utilize FWS 10% carry forward/carry back
Under Spending Strategies
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Additional reimbursement if below maximum
Award more students (waiting list, etc.)
Increase awards for high earners
Switch eligible students to Work Study from
institutional funding.
Utilize FWS 10% carry forward/carry back
If near year end, can retroactively award eligible
students with unmet need who had eligible
institutional jobs, If and only if all required
elements were in place at the time the hours
were worked.
SWS: Strategies for Coping
Utilize program differences between SWS &
FWS to maximize student opportunity with
less funding
 Can reimburse below maximum rate
 Targeted placements – community service
 Funds management – closely monitor
 Standardizing FWS & SWS reimbursement
rates to stretch funds & position for any
available redistribution of SWS
 Awarding practices – changes can help
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CWU Awarding Practice
Problems solved by CWU approach
 Advantages for:
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◦ Financial Aid Office
◦ Students
◦ Employers
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How it works – a blended approach
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Most students awarded after they find a job except
for some freshmen who receive a modest initial
award and then find a job to utilize it
Tools & Forms
Problems Solved by CWU Awarding
Excessive over awarding to spend funds
Make awards & hiring forms for students
who don’t ever get jobs, then cancel awards
 Nag students to pick up forms & use awards
 Deny WS to transfer students & late admits
 Problems meeting community service %
 Payroll catch up when awarded students
work without a hiring form
 Struggle with funds management & earnings
forecasting
 Employers can’t hire the student they want
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Advantages: Financial Aid Office
CWU Awarding
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Funds management easier, over award only15-25%
Accurate earnings estimates help avoid surprises
Sort out earnings type before students work
instead of at the end of the year
Community Service: know how much you will
spend & encourage students to fill these jobs
Know who will work & how much they will earn
Award after the student is hired & tailor award
Minimize revisions and canceling awards
Can require supervisor training before they hire
More control over type of jobs funded – close off
awarding one type & direct students to fill others
Advantages: Students
CWU Awarding
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All eligible students have a chance to get Work
Study:
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Late applicants, late admits and transfer students
Missed indicating interest on FAFSA
Delayed in verification or other problems
Renewal process - can return to same job
Better career related choices and timing
More control over hours and other aid affected,
can award minimal hours
Only receive WS if actually hired, other aid not
displaced by unwanted/unusable WS award.
Doesn’t leave them under or over funded in loan.
Advantages: Employers
CWU Awarding
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Wider applicant pool – can hire any eligible
students, not just those who received an award in
1st or 2nd award round
Hire the students they want with the skills they
need any time funding is available
Renewal process - can rehire the same student
each year
More incentive to develop high skill and
community service jobs for qualified students
Can make minimal awards for students who only
want to work a few hours per week, such as
some reading tutors or lab assistants.
CWU Awarding Process
Students apply for financial aid as usual and
indicate Work Study interest on the FAFSA or
have Freshmen WS Award.
 The Work Study Personnel Action Form
(WSPAF) with instructions (the “hunting
license” for a Work Study job) is mailed to them
or included in initial award letter.
 Students can directly request WSPAF if did not
mark FAFSA
 The student finds a job, is hired, returns WSPAF
for award
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CWU Awarding Process con’t
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Award code reflects earnings type &
reimbursement rate
Award is made, amount is tailored to actual job
Formula: wage x hours/week x # of weeks =
Award amount
Request JD, I-9, W-4, etc. if needed before
approval
Approved, send notice to student & employer
Placed on payroll or reimbursement authorized
and timesheets, etc. sent to off campus
employer
Tools & Forms CWU Awarding
Work Study Personnel Action Form
(WSPAF) & instructions
 Funds management spreadsheet
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TESC Work Study Awarding
Traditional style of awarding based on
FAFSA need and priority filing deadline.
 Over award then recoup
 Less work in the beginning, but more
work later
 Constantly having to determine awards
and cancel and adjust
 Not optimal for employer/student job
engagement
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TESC – Evergreen Work Study
We have our own Institutional Work
Study award
 4% from tuition (includes Institutional
Need Grants)
 More flexibility - allows rolling to next AY
 Currently only available to WA Residents
 Possible to use off campus and summer
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Doing More With Less - Monitoring
◦ Spreadsheet of awards and expenditures
◦ Student earnings tracking form for employers
◦ Database for tracking off campus
reimbursements
◦ Keeping track of earnings
 Analyze earnings after each enrollment period to
calculate attrition rates and fine-tune earnings
estimates to make mid year adjustments.
Doing More With Less: Software
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MS Access to automate data tasks
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FWS Job Location & Development Database
Forms processing
Payroll entry uploads
Reporting
Add-on software programs for hiring
forms processing
 Job posting software or make your own
to save money
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Washington State Association of
Student Employment Administrators
Website: http://www.wsasea.org/
 Only state SE association in US
 Education, networking, support
opportunities
 List serve – Ask colleagues who
understand and reply quickly!
 Spring Conference 3 days, 2 nights
 Fall Town Meeting 1 day
 Student Employee of the Year
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WSASEA
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Spring Conference 3 days, 2 nights North Bend
– Less than $250 for everything- meals, lodging,
conference fee, even includes dues for the next year!
 Keynote speaker
 Invited speakers on specific topics
 I-9 & SS issues
 State HECB and Federal Updates
 Public / Private Breakout Sessions
 Roundtable Discussion / Best Practices
 JLD Strategies
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Fall Town Meeting 1 day – Free for members
 State HECB Update, Roundtable, invited speakers
Toolbox: Regulations & Resources
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State Work Study
Federal Work Study
Labor Rules
◦ Federal
◦ State
◦ I-9
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Public schools
◦ PERS
◦ Civil Service
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Other
Understanding SWS Program Rules
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Sources of information:
– Higher Education Coordinating Board:
http://www.hecb.wa.gov/
– SWS Program Manual (printed)
– State regulations from which the SWS
Program Manual is taken (WAC 250-40):
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=2
50-40
Understanding FWS Program Rules
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Sources of information:
– Information for Financial Aid Professionals (IFAP):
http://www.ifap.ed.gov/IFAPWebApp/index.jsp
– Federal Student Aid Handbook:
http://ifap.ed.gov/ifap/byAwardYear.jsp?type=fsaha
ndbook&awardyear=2010-2011
– Federal Register from which the Handbook
information on FWS is taken:
http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/textidx?c=ecfr;sid=577d804718864813e9504e05de9b
93c6;rgn=div5;view=text;node=34%3A3.1.3.1.38;i
dno=34;cc=ecfr
Labor Rules: State
Minimum Wage:
http://www.dol.gov/whd/minwage/america
.htm
 Wage and Hour:
http://www.lni.wa.gov/WorkplaceRights/
Wages/default.asp
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Labor Rules: Federal
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Federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA):
http://www.dol.gov/whd/flsa/index.htm
Volunteers:
◦ http://www.dol.gov/elaws/esa/flsa/scope/er16.asp
Digest of information
◦ http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/textidx?c=ecfr&sid=48d6ee3b99d3b3a97b1bf189e175
7786&rgn=div5&view=text&node=29:3.1.1.1.29&i
dno=29#29:3.1.1.1.29.2 Actual regulations
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Q & A:
http://www.dol.gov/elaws/faq/esa/flsa/toc.htm
Public Institutions
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PERS Regulations:
◦ http://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=41.
40 Membership
◦ http://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=41.
40 Overview
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Civil Service Rules:
◦ Student employee exemption:
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx?cite=357
-04-040 Student specific info
◦ http://apps.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx?cite=357
-04-015 Who is not covered
I-9 & Other Federal Information
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I-9
◦ http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/m-274.pdf
Handbook for Employers
◦ http://www.lawlogix.com/resources/webinarson-demand Free webinars on issues
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http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis
Main site for employment, taxation, and
immigration issues
Questions?
Please don’t hesitate to ask!
Thank you!
Contact Information
Gayle Dohrman
Assistant Director of Financial Aid
for Student Employment
Scott L. Elliott
Associate Director of Financial Aid &
Student Employment
Central Washington University
400 E. University Way
Ellensburg, WA 98926-7496
The Evergreen State College
2700 Evergreen Parkway NW
Olympia, WA 98505
voice: (509) 963-3054
fax:
(509) 963-1788
email: dohrmang@cwu.edu
voice: (360) 867-5521
fax:
(360) 867-6576
email: elliotts@evergreen.edu