criteria/procedures for appointing/re-appointing/ending GA employment

Contingent upon the GA’s ability to maintain a satisfactory level of performance in his/her assigned responsibilities and to maintain an average of 3.0 or better in all graduate credit course work in which he/she is enrolled, GA positions are normally renewed for the second or third year of the student's program. Students requesting third year support who are not recommended for a three-year program must petition the Graduate Studies Committee. In addition, appointments and re-appointments are contingent upon the appropriation of funds to the Department of Dance. Graduate students not holding a GA position during their first year who wish to be considered for the next year, must follow the instructions and deadlines for application.

GAs are evaluated by the chair of the department each quarter, in consultation with their department supervisors and their academic program advisors. Continuation of such an appointment depends upon satisfactory performance of assigned duties along with reasonable progress in the academic degree program. Failure to meet these standards of performance may call for termination of the appointment at the end of the quarter, or, in exceptional circumstances, at any time during the quarter. The department process for handling unsatisfactory GA performance is the following. Once the chair’s office has been notified of a job performance problem: 1) a verbal warning and discussion with your supervisor; 2) the second time, a written warning and a discussion with your supervisor and possibly the chair; 3) the third time, a written warning and a meeting with the chair to discuss job performance, a probationary period with or without suspension of funding, and/or loss of funding.

period of appointments and summer quarter appointments

Most GA appointments are for the three-quarter period running from October 1 – June 30, with your duties beginning mid-September and ending mid-June (mid-December or mid-March) for 20 hours a week (for full-time, 10 hours a week for 25% FTE GAs and part-time). Summer positions are separate appointments, if funding is available. Contingent upon enrollments, a limited number of Summer Quarter appointments are assigned. In the past, 1 to 4 appointments have been made.

GA salary levels

There are 3 different salary levels for 1st year, 2nd year, and 3rd year GAs. Full-time GA appointments are 50% time (the other 50% is coursework and program study.) Salaries are monthly and run for a nine-month period, October-June. Fee authorizations are given for a fourth quarter beginning Autumn Quarter and continuing through the Summer Quarter.

Occasionally, 25% GA positions are awarded depending upon funds available and departmental needs. GAs holding 25% positions receive monthly payments equivalent to one-half (1/2) the amount of a full-time GA stipend, work 10 hours per week (October through June), and receive one-half (1/2) fee authorization for a four quarter period beginning Autumn quarter and continuing through the Summer quarter.

payroll

Your appointment begins October 1, and requires you to be set up as a monthly paid employee. Employees with direct deposit will not see pay slips. All pay slips can be accessed through the OSU HR website, ePayroll. Live paychecks will be mailed from the OSU HR Dept on campus directly to employee local home addresses. The monthly pay dates for your term are the last business day of each month.

As a result of a Paperless Pay initiative in 2004, no pay slips are issued. All employees access their pay information by going to http://paperlesspay.talx.com/osu. After you are hired into the OSU HR system, you will get an Employee ID number.

Monthly and biweekly payroll, employees will no longer use their Social Security Number (SSN) to access their pay and leave information when logging into the university’s Paperless Pay system, but instead will need to use their 8-digit employee identification number.

When employees reach the ePayroll website to access their pay information on or after September 30, they will be prompted to login using their Employee ID number and a temporary Personal Identification Number (PIN) based on a combination of birth date and Social Security numbers (see below). The new temporary PIN’s are four digits longer than previous ones, providing even more security for employees.

EMPLOYEE ID: 8-digit number
Temporary PIN: Birthday DD/YY + SSN (last four digits)

GA assignments, responsibilities, and duties

For the duration of the appointment, each GA is required to register for a minimum of nine (9) graduate credit hours per quarter. It is recommended that GAs carry a maximum load of twelve (12) credit hours per quarter. A 25% GA appointment must register for a minimum of seven (7) graduate credit hours per quarter. All Summer Quarter appointments must register for a minimum of seven (7) graduate credit hours.

The Chair, or faculty designee, depending upon departmental needs, makes GA assignments. Graduate Teaching Associates (GTAs) teach two or three 2-credit hour courses in the Non-major Program (modern, ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop, salsa, pilates, yoga), are TAs in the 5-credit hour GEC dance lecture classes, and depending upon the additional administrative duties assigned to complete their 20-hour a week workload (i.e., box office, special assignments). Additionally, GTAs are required to participate in a teaching workshop prior to the beginning of Autumn Quarter, which continues to meet as a weekly seminar during Autumn Quarter and on an as-needed basis during Winter Quarter.

All GAs with teaching assignments are under the supervision of the faculty TA supervisor. Other GA appointees (e.g., DNB, dance history, scheduling) are under the direction of his/her area supervisor or the Chair. Regular meetings are scheduled between each GA and supervisor at which time ongoing responsibilities and duties are clearly defined. At the beginning of each quarter, the department publishes the GA Workload, listing GA responsibilities and GA supervisors, subject to change. All GAs receive job descriptions of assigned responsibilities. (these are now online on the department financial and hr webpage)

All GAs are on duty and are to remain available through finals week of each quarter. There are no exceptions to this policy unless approved by the Chair (See the Application for Leave Forms section and policy).

Instructors who need special supplies, services, or personnel are to complete the Purchase Request Form outside of Chair’s Office, Room 024 and submit it to the fiscal offer. When requesting supplies, give as much information as possible concerning the materials wanted (color, size, quantity, model number, supplier and address of vendor with zip code). Completed request forms require signature of the supervisor before going to the Chair. The OSU Stores and other office supply catalogs are available in the Reception Office. Those needing supplies from off campus vendors will be given a department credit card after the initial request has been approved. Please allow 48-hour turn-around time for purchase approval.

additional pay and authorization for additional work within the university

As of 2007, all university employees must fill out a Supplemental Compensation Form for doing work and receiving additional pay beyond their appointment and from a unit on campus that is not the employing unit. This form is available through the department’s Human Resources Professional and online on the OSU HR website. The form must be signed by the employee, the head of the unit requesting services, and the employee’s employing unit. The form must be filled out by the requesting unit, and have all of the required signatures before any work begins. Per college and university policy, these forms will not be signed and authorized for payment after-the-fact.

This finished and signed form must be given to Odie, so the additional pay can be accounted for with the college fiscal officer. These procedures were implemented after the 2006-07 university financial and HR audits.

ga fee authorizations

The department is funding your education, while providing you employment. Fee authorizations are based on your percentage of FTE. Full-time GAs are at 50% FTE and receive full tuition fee authorizations. Half-time GAs are at 25% FTE and receive half of their tuition fees paid by the department. Tuition and fee authorizations waive resident/non-resident instructional fees, and the college’s computer technology fees for Autumn, Winter, and Spring Quarters. Any GA will receive a fourth-quarter fee authorization based on their FTE percentage, by completing three consecutive quarters as a GA during the academic year. For all quarters, all other university required fees are to be paid by the graduate student.

Before the start of every quarter, the department HR Professional submits a list of all GAs to the university’s Office of Fees and Deposits (University Bursar). Sometimes that department does not apply the fee authorizations until 1 or 2 weeks before the start of the upcoming quarter. If you have questions at any time on when the GA fee authorization will hit your student account, please contact Fees and Deposits directly at 292-3337. You may also contact the department HR Professional to see when the list was submitted to that office.

For more information on fee authorizations, please refer to the Graduate School Handbook on the Graduate School Website.

scheduling responsibilities

GAs are expected to coordinate the scheduling of their classes, rehearsals, performances, and research activities with their job assignments. This includes repertory class involvement and MFA graduate projects and theses.

grievance procedures within the employing unit

Discussion with the advisor, supervisor, the Graduate Studies Committee Chair, the department Chair, or the College Dean normally leads to resolution of a grievance. However, there may be instances in which recourse to these persons does not provide resolution. In such cases, the Council on Research and Graduate Studies has grievance procedures, copies of which are available in the Graduate School.

office space and supplies access

GAs are provided with a desk, chair, and mailbox. They also have access to an office computer, printer, copy machine, community telephone (intra-campus line, no voicemail attached, local calls only), and basic office supplies.

GA leaves and guidelines for absences

GAs do not accrue sick or vacation leave. The GA Advisor, Graduate Studies Committee Chair, and Chair of the department must give prior approval authorization for all requests for absence. You request this by filling out an Request for Leave – Funded Gradate Students form. These forms are in a folder in a bin outside the Chair’s Office.

If you are sick and know you will not be able to make it in to teach your classes, you can call the (614) 292-7977 office main number any time of the day or night and leave a message. Please do not send an email to any of the office staff. Usually, checking their email is not the first thing they do at the start of their work day. Leaving a message ensures that the Reception Office and Chair’s Office know of the absence.

Any time that you cannot fulfill your job duties, due to issues not related to illnesses (seminars, conferences, adjudications, performances, etc.), you need to request this ahead of time and get approval from the chairperson before making any arrangements. Basically, anytime you need to get a substitute teacher for your class, you need to fill out a form. (The university is liable and must know who is in charge of your duties and students if you are not present.)

If you are ill, you can fill out the form when you return to the office and check off the Sick Leave section. Give it to Mike Bruce to sign (being the GA advisor). He will pass it on to the Chair’s Office for Graduate Studies Chair and department Chair signatures for approval or denial. Leaves are recorded and kept in your department personnel file, and are faxed to the college office per the university auditor’s procedures.

Please check the most current Graduate School Handbook for the Guidelines for Short-Term Absences and Leaves of Absence for Graduate Students Appointed as GAs, Fellows and Trainees. These are the rules the department will follow if leave is requested.

When you are going to be absent from your class and your leave has been approved, you are responsible for finding another GA or dance graduate student to substitute for your class, and you are responsible for paying that person. The department will pay for a substitute teacher only if the department is sending you somewhere related to the curriculum. For further questions on this, see Jane or Susan Petry.

holidays

A list of university holidays is posted on the Registrar’s website. The holidays where OSU is CLOSED are: an Observance of Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, the day after Thanksgiving (Columbus Day Observed), sometimes Christmas Eve or the day after Christmas, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Memorial Day, July 4th Independence Day, and Labor Day.

hiring paperwork

Forms
You will need to fill out the following university forms in order to be hired into the OSU Human Resources system. Please fill these out and return them to Jane as soon as possible.

Hire Data Worksheets

Employment Verification I-9 Form
Fill out Section 1; turn the page over to see what kind of items to bring for verification. Section 2 will be filled out and signed by Odie with you present.

Tax Card

Terrorist Group Form

Direct Deposit
Enclosed is a form to set up direct deposit of your paycheck to your bank account.
You will need to attach a voided bank check or savings account slip, fill out the card and send via campus mail to the Office of Human Resources. If you want to change your bank of deposit, you can get this form from the OSU HR website.

Ohio Ethics Law
Ohio State faculty and staff are covered by the Ohio Ethics Law for public officials and state employees, and accordingly must receive and acknowledge a copy of this legislation. Please acknowledge receipt by signing and returning the cover sheet to Odie.