TA Offer Letter
November 11, 2015 Revised
This is a required template for TA appointment and reappointment, as agreed upon by
MSU and GEU. Failure to send a letter of appointment or reappointment by the
deadlines (March 31 for SU appt, and April 22 for F plus SP appt or Dec 1 for SP appts)
and/or to respond to a reminder to do so will result in your unit providing penalty pay to
each TA affected.
IF you withdraw an appointment due to “unusual circumstances”, please note that
this requires notification of the GEU concurrently with the employee. In addition, a
special conference is required within 7 working days.
NOTE that the periods of employment in the 2015-2019 contract are:
Fall Semester: August 16 to December 31
Spring Semester: January 1 to May 15
Summer Semester: May 16 to August 15
The HireRight form noted on page 2 of this letter may be found here:
http://www.hr.msu.edu/hiring/hiring_docs/HireRightDisclosureandConsentForm_SS.pdf.
Units should send the GA the consumer disclosure and authorization form along
with the offer letter. Once the unit receives the completed form from the GA (we do not
need the original so it may be faxed or e-mailed) the unit may attach it electronically to
the appointment form in EBS. Our office will then complete all data entry into the
criminal background check system. We anticipate this change will ultimately reduce the
number of background checks that are delayed or incomplete. Please contact
graduateassistants@hr.msu.edu with any questions.
_______________________________________________________________________
<DATE>
To:
<STUDENT>
<DEPARTMENT>
<CAMPUS ADDRESS>
Dear <STUDENT>,
I am pleased to inform you that your assistantship will be renewed (or you will be appointed
as a Teaching Assistant) for the <FALL 201X> semester. Your appointment will begin
DATE and end 12/31/201X. You will be expected to work an average of <10/20/30> hours per
week during the length of the semester appointment. The assignment of duties and responsibilities
includes meeting all class sessions, office hours, and completion of grade reporting.
You are being appointed at position Level <1/2/3> . The stipend for this appointment period
will be <$$$> per bi-weekly pay period. If you have relevant teaching experience elsewhere,
please provide appropriate information to me as soon as possible, as this may play a role in
increasing your appointment level. This appointment may be withdrawn only in unusual
circumstances.
Details of your contractual rights and responsibilities as a graduate teaching assistant are in the
Graduate Employees Union collective bargaining agreement with MSU: This contract also
outlines MSU’s rights and responsibilities as your employer.
http://www.hr.msu.edu/documents/contracts.htm
A summary of your benefits is also included in the MSU-GEU contract noted above (Articles 20
and 21). For Fall and Spring semesters, MSU provides a tuition waiver of 9 credits each semester,
with 5 credits covered for a Summer semester appointment. You have access to the “TA Tuition
Pool” and may apply for additional required credits to be covered by the tuition benefit . Your
request must be approved by your department. You may also enroll in additional credits at the
resident tuition rate.
For information on the student health care insurance plan and health care options, please visit the
MSU Human Resources website: http://www.hr.msu.edu/students.htm. (Note: to opt for the
dental plan you must enroll by calling Delta Dental at 1-800-971-4108).
Programs/colleges with additional premium fee MUST add the following: For enrollment in
this program (or college, as appropriate), there is an additional fee of $XX that you will be
required to pay that is not covered by the assistantship.
Your specific teaching assignment for the <FALL> semester can be found <location—if
posted, or include in the letter or later email> and will be distributed no later than
<DATE—be specific>. The instructor <NAME, if known> for this course will serve as your
faculty supervisor and the faculty-of-record. S/he will outline your specific duties and
responsibilities within the scope of your contractual obligations. Course-specific professional
development, as required by Article 15 in the contract, is provided by <DETAILS—who and
what & DATE>.
In order to be compliant with federal employment requirements, every employee must have an I-9
form on file. This form is completed by you and your department at: www.hr.msu.edu/I9. Section
1 of the I-9 form must be completed by YOU, the new employee, on or before the first day of
employment. Section 2 must be completed within 3 business days of the start of the appointment,
if it is not completed by that time the appointment start date will be amended to reflect your
actual starting date (and will affect the first pay period). Another option to complete the I-9 is
available through the university’s Remote Hire Process. An MSU Authorized Representative will
complete a paper I-9 with you. Upon completion please send the original paper I-9 to the
department for review. The department will upload the paper I-9 into the electronic system.
http://www.hr.msu.edu/i9/i9_docs/RemoteHireProcessInstructions.pdf
MSU policy requires a criminal background check for every employee, including those on
assistantships. You will need to sign a paper consumer disclosure and authorization form
from HireRight that is included with this letter. Please return it to us along with this signed
letter if you accept the appointment. You must complete and submit this form to initiate
the background check. Your appointment as a TA will be contingent upon satisfactory results.
If you have questions about this process, please contact HR Solutions Center at 517-353-4434.
I look forward to your contributions to the teaching mission of our department. Please let me
know if you have any questions about this offer of employment.
Please sign the bottom of this letter and return it to <NAME> by <DATE>, to accept this offer of
employment. A copy of the signed letter will be returned to you.
Sincerely,
<NAME>
<TITLE>
I accept this appointment and agree to abide by the terms stated above. My HireRight form is
also attached to this signed letter.
_______________________________________________________
Signature
___________________
Date