Student workers are not meant to be ongoing or permanent workers of the District or to be utilized as replacements for regular classified positions. Employment opportunities for students are designed to provide a balance between the academic pursuits of a student and the operational needs of a department.
One of the challenging aspects of supervisor responsibility is balancing the special needs of students as employees with ongoing departmental needs. Supervisors need to be flexible with student work schedules, particularly during exams and extra-curricular activities. Always remember that a student’s primary purpose for being at RHC is their education. At the same time, it is important that students engage their FWS job responsibilities professionally. This posture of professionalism must be fostered by RHC Supervisors. One noteworthy aspect of fostering a professional environment is ensuring that they always have work to do.
A common misconception with the Federal Work-Study Program is that students should be allowed to “study while working”. This is not the objective of the program; students should not be paid for studying. Ideally, the work a student performs will have either a direct or indirect educational value, but that does not mean students should be paid to study. With proper planning, all FWS Student workers will have tasks to complete when they work. One suggestion is to maintain a list of tasks with low priority that always need to be done. The student can find work from this list when higher priority tasks and day-to-day functions are accomplished. If you find there is absolutely no work, it is acceptable to release a student for the day. This should not happen regularly. However. if a student continually has no work you may encourage the student to apply for other employment.
As a supervisor of a FWS student, you are a significant part of the program. The purpose of this guide is to inform you about the policies and procedures of the FWS Program.
Work-Study eligibility requirements: Work-Study financial aid awarding process: The Financial Aid award year begins July 1st and extends until June 30th of the following year. All FWS students must have a new financial aid application (FAFSA) in order to maintain eligibility for employment beyond June 30th. Continued eligibility is not a guarantee (See Who is Eligible for FWS below). FWS students do not get offered or awarded till late July/August. All FWS employment won’t begin till two weeks prior to the semester starting. Financial Aid Award/FWS Revisions Student awards are subject to change based on a student’s estimated financial contribution (EFC), which is determined by their FAFSA. A student’s EFC may be adjusted when awarded federal grants and/or department scholarships etc. As a result, there are times when a FWS Award may decrease because students become eligible for additional grants such as Cal Grant, Pell Grant, Scholarships etc. Departments will be informed as soon as possible when changes occur.
Once the student employee has been selected as the finalist for the position, they must complete and bring all of the following forms and documents to the financial aid office. Students must bring original documents needed for the I-9 form (see I-9 page 2 for list of acceptable documents) to the financial aid office. Scanned, imaged or laminated documents will not be accepted. The student may not begin employment until this step is complete. Supervisors may also access the forms in the P (Public) Drive: Work-Study Employment > 23-24 > Work-Study forms for supervisors.
Each FWS employee shall adhere to a consistent work schedule as authorized by the supervisor or designee. Work schedules are developed to address the needs of the worksite and the best interests of the customers served by the worksite. This encompasses the following:
Student employees are paid on the 10th and 25th of each month. Student timesheets are due to the Financial Aid Office on the 1st and 16th of each month at 12 p.m. If the due date falls within a semester break, then it is due the day before the break. Effective January 1, 2023, timesheets must be completed electronically. Blank timesheets may be accessed through the Public Drive>Work-Study employment>23-24>Work-Study Forms for Supervisors. Timesheets must be saved and “Save As” follows: Student Last Name, First Name, Month, Year, Pay Period X (1 or 2). Once it is saved, upload the timesheet to the Public Drive>Work-Study Employment>23-24>Work-Study Timesheet>(Corresponding Pay Period) Timesheets It is especially important to submit the timesheets promptly to ensure students get paid on time. If these dates should fall on a Saturday or Sunday, please submit the Friday. If the student will be working on the weekend, please submit it by noon on the following Monday. If the dates fall on a holiday or campus closure, the timesheet must be submitted by 12 p.m. on the day before the holiday. If a student elects to get paid by using the direct deposit option, a Direct Deposit Authorization form is required. This form is available in the Work-Study Employment folder for supervisors. A voided blank check is required. Supervisors must not “sign” any time sheet and should not submit any unsigned/incomplete timesheets in advance. Signing and dating the time sheet is your certification/affirmation that the student has worked and earned their FWS award. Signing time sheets in advance is a prohibited practice. According to federal regulations it is an act of fraud that could have legal consequences to the student, the supervisor, and the College.
SPRING 2023 Pay Periods
Pay Period Start Date
Pay Period End date
Timesheet Due Date
Pay Date
1/3/2023
1/15/2023
1/16/2023
2/10/2023
1/16/2023
1/31/2023
2/1/2023
2/25/2023
2/1/2023
2/15/2023
2/16/2023
3/10/2023
2/16/2023
2/28/2023
3/1/2023
3/25/2023
3/1/2023
3/15/2023
3/16/2023
4/8/2023
3/16/2023
3/24/2023
3/24/2023
4/25/2023
Spring Break
3-27-23 to 3-31-23
4/1/2023
4/15/2023
4/17/2023
5/10/2023
4/16/2023
4/30/2023
5/1/2023
5/25/2023
5/1/2023
5/15/2023
5/16/2023
6/10/2023
5/16/2023
*5-31-23
6/1/2023
6/25/2023
*5-25-23 is the last day of the spring semester
SUMMER 2023 Pay Periods
Pay Period Start Date
Pay Period End date
Timesheet Due Date
Pay Date
6/1/2023
6/15/2023
6/16/2023
7/10/2023
6/16/2023
6/30/2023
6/30/2023
7/25/2023
7/1/2023
7/15/2023
7/14/2023
8/10/2023
7/16/2023
7/31/2023
8/1/2023
8/25/2023
8/1/2023
8/15/2023
8/16/2023
9/10/2023
8/16/2023
*8/31/2023
9/1/2023
9/25/2023
*8-18-23 is the last day of summer term
*8-19-23 is the first day of the fall semester
FALL 2023 Pay Periods
Pay Period Start Date
Pay Period End date
Timesheet Due Date
Pay Date
*9/1/2023
9/15/2023
9/15/2023
10/10/2023
9/16/2023
9/30/2023
9/29/2023
10/25/2023
10/1/2023
10/15/2023
10/13/2023
11/10/2023
10/16/2023
10/31/2023
11/1/2023
11/25/2023
11/1/2023
11/15/2023
11/16/2023
12/10/2023
11/15/2023
11/30/2023
12/1/2023
12/25/2023
12/1/2023
**12/15/2023
12/15/2023
1/10/2023
12/16/2023
12/22/2023
12/22/2023
1/25/2023
12-25-23 to 1-1-24 is winter break
*8-19-23 is the first day of the fall semester
**12-9-23 is the last day of the fall semester
SPRING 2024 Pay Periods
Pay Period Start Date
Pay Period End date
Timesheet Due Date
Pay Date
1/1/2024
1/15/2024
1/16/2024
2/10/2024
1/16/2024
1/31/2024
2/1/2024
2/25/2024
2/1/2024
2/15/2024
2/15/2024
3/10/2024
2/16/2024
2/29/2024
3/1/2024
3/25/2024
3/1/2024
3/15/2024
3/15/2024
4/10/2024
3/16/2024
3/31/2024
3/22/2024
4/25/2024
Spring Break
3-25-24 to 3-29-24
4/1/2024
4/15/2024
4/16/2024
5/10/2024
4/16/2024
4/30/2024
5/1/2024
5/25/2024
5/1/2024
5/15/2024
5/16/2024
6/10/2024
5/16/2024
*5/31/2024
5/31/2024
6/25/2024
*5-24-24 is the last day of the spring semester
FWS awards is traditionally awarded for fall and spring semesters. However, students may request to work during periods of non-enrollment (i.e. winter and summer break). A separate Work-study Term of Non-Enrollment Form is required to be submitted to the Financial Aid Office prior to the break. Student employees may work up to 30 hours per week during those periods of non-enrollment. Students and Supervisors should keep in mind that if the student employee is planning to work during any breaks before, during, or after the spring semester, this should be factored in so that the student does not exceed their Federal Work-Study allowance. Any earnings from the winter break (between Fall and Spring semesters) is applied towards Fall and any earnings from the summer is applied towards the Spring. If the students current Federal Work-Study award amount is not sufficient, the student and supervisor may submit a Federal Work-Study Request Form to increase their award. In addition to the Work-study Term of Non-Enrollment Form and to qualify, students must intend to enroll for the subsequent term at least half-time, submit the FAFSA, and demonstrate financial need. Any wages earned during these break periods should be intended towards educational related expenses for the subsequent term. For the fall semester, continuing FWS students will be contacted in the month of July/August and new FWS students will be offered FWS before the Fall semester begins. Students who are transferring out of Rio Hondo College and are not returning may not continue employment beyond the last day of the term or June 30th for the summer.
In accordance with the State of California Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, the following applies to rest and meal periods: Sick Leave: For the purposes of this informational piece, the term “employee” shall refer to all hourly, short-term employees and student employees hired and processed through the human resources office and paid through the college’s payroll department. Eligible employees who work 30 or more calendar days (Each day they report to work counts as a day for purposes of the labor code within the fiscal year whether or not the employee works 1 hour or 8 hours in the day), are provided 24 hours (3 days) of sick leave. Student employees are allowed to accrue and use sick time. For every 30 hours worked a student will earn 1 hour of sick time only after working 30 days. Sick time will be reflected on their pay-stub but for hours to be reflected, the student must enter their time through the Kronos timesheet system. Please contact Mary Chen in Human Resources regarding any Kronos and sick time questions. She may be reached at machen@riohondo.edu or 562-463-5154. Meal Periods & Breaks Employees are entitled to a minimum thirty (30) minute duty-free, non-paid meal period for every five (5) hours worked. The employee cannot work more than five hours per day without a meal period. *The unpaid meal period, through mutual consent of both the employer and employee, may be waived if the employee does not work more than six (6) hours. (It must be indicated on each timesheet submitted if lunch is being waived)
0 to 5 Hours
No meal period required (15 minute unpaid break)
5.01 to 6 Hours
One unpaid 30 minute meal period (*may be waived if agreed upon between supervisor and student employee)
6.01 to 8 hours
One unpaid 30 minute meal period (may not be waived)
8.01 to 10 hours
One unpaid 30 minute meal period (may not be waived) + 2 unpaid 10 minute breaks
In general, most students are awarded up to $5,000 in Work-Study earnings for the year or $2,500 per semester. Based on a pay rate of $16 per hour, the student may work up to 156 hours for the semester. If the student employee works during any breaks before, during, or after the spring semester, this should be factored in so that the student does not exceed their Federal Work-Study allowance. Any earnings from the winter break (between Fall and Spring semesters) is applied towards Fall and any earnings from the summer is applied towards the Spring. Student workers have access to the balance of their hours after the Payroll hours are updated in Banner. Please allow up to 1 month (2 pay periods) after each pay period for the hours to be updated. The pay for each time period is entered into the student’s award by the Financial Aid office. Supervisors should check directly with their student employees on the balance of their hours. Students may access the information through their Rio Hondo student portal as follows: Step 1: Go to RioHondo website main page and click on AccessRio located at the top of the page. Step 2: Click on the Finances tab in the left column Step 3: Student should see the 2023-024 Financial Aid Requirements Box on the right side of the screen. They may need to scroll down. Below that, is the Student Work-Study Box which shows the amount awarded, balance and total hours remaining to work. To calculate the hours, add the amount listed on the website + earnings from the last two pay periods and subtract that from the FWS award.
Calculation of Remaining Hours:
SAMPLE
Federal Work-Study Award:
$5,000
SUBTRACT earnings listed on website:
-$2,640
SUBTRACT earnings from the last 2 pay periods:
-$900
EQUALS remaining eligibility:
$1,460
DIVIDE remaining eligibility by $16 (hourly rate of pay) = remaining hours
91.25
Student employees may inadvertently have access to student information. This information may be available to them through handling of student applications and files, copying records, and in your discussions with students about concerns or crisis. It is crucial that each student employee recognizes that student information cannot be shared with others outside the department. Student information is confidential and cannot be shared without the student’s written consent. A confidentiality violation can result in legal action against the college and employee. FERPA Training: https://studentprivacy.ed.gov/training/ferpa-101-colleges-universities To protect student privacy, every student employee should complete and sign the FERPA Work-Study Form as part of their on-boarding process. Student employees should be made aware of the following:
Code of Conduct Once hired, the student employee must become aware of the Standards, Expectations, Goals, Objectives, Processes, Procedures, and Code of Ethics in the department they are employed in. The following guidelines reflect a Code of Conduct that is expected of all student employees: Termination It is the expectation of Rio Hondo College that employees make personal decisions and commit to act in a responsible and accountable manner. Student employees are expected to exercise personal integrity and honesty when reporting employment related information. In the case of dismissal/termination, the supervisor must complete a Student Employment Warning/Dismissal Form. The form can be found in the Public Drive>Work-Study Employment>23-24>Work-Study Forms for Supervisors. Situations that are cause for termination from the program include but are not limited to: Ineligibility Students must stop working if any of the following occur: Unemployment Rio Hondo College is not required to pay these taxes for nontraditional, temporary employees, such as work-study student employees. Since work-study jobs are considered non-permanent jobs, work-study student employees are not entitled to unemployment benefits from their work-study job alone. If a work-study student held a full-time job prior to his work-study position and meets the requirements for unemployment benefits through that job, he can collect unemployment benefits while on a work-study program. EDD claims will still be filled out by our RHC Human Resources Department.
It is the supervisor’s role to ensure that the employment experience is educationally enhancing to the student. A Federal Work-Study position should provide a real-world work experience, even when it is not directly related to a student’s career goal. Students will need an opportunity to learn basic work ethics and skills essential to any work environment. Remember for some students this is his or her first work experience. It is important for the student to learn how an employee should perform in a work environment. Things ALL Supervisors Should be Aware of: