Dear

On behalf of the Board of Trustees of Illinois State University through its , I would like to offer you a graduate assistantship.

Assistantship Benefits and Information. Your assistantship offer includes the following:

Assistantship Information

Type of Assistantship

Percent FTE

Start of Assistantship

End of Assistantship

Last date for acceptance of offer of the assistantship

Hiring Department

* Note: The ISU Graduate School endorses the 1965 resolution by the Council of Graduate Schools, which provides clear guidelines for acceptance of graduate assistantship offers. This resolution can be found at: http://www.cgsnet.org/april-15-resolution During your appointment period you will also receive a full tuition waiver (excluding fees) during the appointment period. If your appointment is for a fall or spring semester, you will also receive a tuition waiver for up to 12 credit hours for the following summer session (if you have not yet graduated from your degree program). You are required to pay student fees for any semester during which you receive a tuition waiver. Contingencies. This offer is contingent upon the programmatic needs of the department and/or the allocation of funds for the position, and you must meet all the requirements for a graduate assistantship, including but not limited to minimum credit hours, GPA requirements, restrictions on additional employment on- or off-campus, English-language competency verification, and registration requirements as outlined in the Graduate Assistant Handbook. You will be expected to adhere to the calendar and departmental guidelines regarding Řŀȅǎ off. Your duties for this employment are described in the position posting.

1. All appointments are contingent upon proof of eligibility for employment at Illinois State University to perform the required duties described above on your scheduled start date. The Immigration and Control Act of 1986, Public Law 99-603, requires all new employees to file an I-9 in person and no later than three business days from the beginning of employment. This may be accomplished within the department or through Human Resources. A list of the types of documentation you will be expected to provide is available at http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-9.pdf. Failure to comply with this law will result in cancellation of your appointment.*

2. Illinois State University, as your employer, is required by federal law to ensure proper tax withholding from wages and to ensure that the required reporting of employee wages,

General Number of Hours per Week of Work

Graduate Student Offer Letter, Continued

withholding, and employment taxes is accurate. For this reason, every employee must have a valid Social Security Number registered with the University at the time of employment and/or as soon after as possible, but no later than 45 days from the start date.

3. Report to by the first day of your appointment. Failure to do so may cancel this

offer. If you are an international student, the rules/laws for your visa status may place limits on your employment eligibility. You are responsible for knowing and following all applicable visa status rules/laws. If you are not certain whether your visa status allows you to accept an assistantship or additional work hours, contact the Office of International Studies and Programs immediately for clarification. The University cannot grant any exception to visa status rules/laws.

Before You Start Your Employment. Please read each of the following four items and carefully follow the instructions. Send in or bring with you the necessary requested forms and documents. You must complete these steps before the first day of your appointment. Failure to do so may cancel this offer.

1. To accept this offer of a graduate assistantship please: a. Read the offer letter b. Read the Graduate Assistant Handbook www.hr.ilstu.edu/downloads/GA_Handbook.pdf c. Forward this e-mail with the attached original offer letter and a message stating

whether you accept or decline the assistantship to GAOfferLetter@ilstu.edu and . By forwarding this message you acknowledge that you have read this offer letter and the Graduate Assistant Handbook, understand its contents, and accept the terms and conditions as outlined in each. This email will be sent to Human Resources.

After Offer Letter Acceptance: 1. Complete and return the Graduate Assistant Health Insurance Certification to the hiring

department. Please refer to the Graduate Assistant Handbook for further information. You must complete this certification each semester you are employed by ISU.

2. If this position is designated as security sensitive or if you are subject to a criminal background investigation based on University policy, this offer is contingent upon the university receiving and approving before the first day of your contract the results of a satisfactory criminal background investigation.

3. Before the first day of your assistantship you must provide proof of eligibility for employment at Illinois State University. File an I-9 form in person with the appropriate documentation with the University. Please see http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-9.pdf for a list of the acceptable documents to include with this form. Original documents are required. You only need to file this form before your first employment at ISU. New domestic students can file the form either in the hiring unit or in Human Resources; new international student must file the form in Human Resources.

Your graduate tuition waiver may affect any loans you receive as part of your financial aid. When the tuition waiver is added to your financial aid package, your loan amounts may need to be reduced in order to stay under federal aid caps. If, on the other hand, you decline this graduate assistantship, your

Graduate Student Offer Letter, Continued

loan amounts may be increased. Contact Shawn Rigsby in the Financial Aid Office, 309-438-2744, to determine how your financial aid package might affect your loans. If you require any accommodation(s) in order to perform the essential functions of your new position, please contact the Employment Accommodations Coordinator at 309-438-8311. To the extent allowed by law, s/he will hold any information you provide in confidence.

Sincerely,