Student Supervisors:Student Supervisors:What We Need to KnowWhat We Need to Know

A presentation by Crystal Boyce, the Student Supervisor of the College of William & Mary’s Swem Library Circulation Department

Who are our student Who are our student employees?employees?

◦Interlibrary Loan

◦Circulation◦Administration◦Tech Services◦Serials,

cataloging, acquisitions

Student employees at Swem:◦IT◦Media◦Reference◦Special

Collections◦Development

But who are your student employees?

Please select a piece Please select a piece of candy from the of candy from the

center of the table.center of the table.

Group ActivityGroup ActivityWhen we go around the room,

please say:◦Name:◦Position:◦What your student employees do: If you have a….

Twix: best part about supervising students Starburst: most common problem when supervising

students M&M’s: thing you would like to see change

Financial AidFinancial AidThe Financial Aid

office coordinates employment opportunities available to students on campus.

Federal Work Study is a need based program awarded as part of the financial aid package.

Further, Work Study funds are allocated mostly to out of state students.

Financial aid packages indicate a particular dollar amount, but this is not a limiting factor.

Since campus departments are reimbursed by financial aid, the limit to the amount a student can earn would be determined by the hiring department.

Minimum WageMinimum Wage

Annual raises are based on budget availability.

Pay Schedule

Current Minimum

Wage

1st year $7.25

2nd year 7.50

3rd year 7.75

4th year 8.00

The Tier System The Tier System a la Swem…a la Swem…

Tier System: BasicTier System: Basic• Tier 1: the basic entry level position

at which all student positions are categorized by default

• Tier 2: responsibilities and training are more defined and more integral to daily functioning than Tier 1 SAs

• Tier 3: accountability to infrastructure is incorporated into job description

• Tier 4: the highest level of responsibility and accountability (also used for special projects)

Defining the Tier Defining the Tier SystemSystem

Tier assignment based on the following:◦ Complexity of work◦ Experience◦ Level of responsibility◦ Training◦ Broadness/reach of

responsibility◦ Decision

making/judgment◦ Consequence of

performance◦ Timeliness of problem

resolution◦ Impact of missing shift◦ Level of supervision

Individuals receive annual raises to account for increased experience and training.

This requires a finite description of position responsibilities and duties and requires that students not be asked to perform outside of their assigned position.

Tier System ProcessTier System Process Any new position would be

classified as Tier 1 by default. Supervisors must submit

written justification for a higher tier assignment to the Admin Assistant.

If job description is straight forward, Admin Assistant assigns an appropriate classification and notifies supervisor; otherwise the Student Employee Committee will meet to assign a classification.

Supervisor can appeal to Director’s Council to change a classification if they do not agree with decision.

Appeal must be in writing with a copy to the committee.

All documentation will be kept by Admin Assistant.

Campus PoliciesCampus Policies

Eligibility & HoursEligibility & Hours Eligibility

◦ Full time students@ W&M

◦ Fall and spring: enrolled full time

◦ Summer: enrolled full-time or planning to return in fall

◦ Cannot work past graduation

Limitations on Hours◦ 20 hours/week during fall and spring

◦ Individual departments can require a minimum or maximum number of hours

◦ Breaks, interims, summers: up to 40 hours/week

Schedules and Attendance - Flexibility and scheduling varies by department

Probationary Period – at least the first 30 days of employment

Active EmploymentActive EmploymentBreaksLounge

privilegesVisitorsComputersEquipmentAccess codes

and passwordsRaisesContinuation of

employment

Student PaperworkStudent Paperwork

Worker’s Worker’s CompensationCompensation

Take care of injuryNotify supervisor

of injury ASAPUse same

procedures for reporting staff on-the-job injuries

Most students will seek medical attention at the Student Health Center

Direct DepositDirect DepositAll new student

employees should sign up for direct deposit

Don’t need a VOID-ed check – can use bank statement with routing and account number

Checking or savings account

SunTrust Bank (with a branch right next to the W&M book store) brokered a deal with W&M to when all employees were required to have direct deposit – special deals for WM people

Contact Ms. Michelle Smith at SunTrust (564-1480) or WM Payroll Ops

Hiring FormsHiring FormsStudent

EmploymentFederal I-9

(online)W-4Virginia W4ConfidentialityDirect DepositEmergency

Contact

Dates on I-9 and Student Employment form must match and should be dated within 3 days of turning into Deloris/Financial Aid

Forms are on the Financial Aid webpage http://www.wm.edu/admission/financialaid/typesofaid/employworkstudy/downloadforms/index.php

Managing Student Managing Student Employees:Employees:

The Circulation VersionThe Circulation Version

Managing 30+ students per semester has taught us a

number of valuable lessons – here’s our chance to share

them with you!

RESPECTRESPECTTreat the students as you would have

them treat you.Further, expect them to show you the

respect you deserve.Remember that for many of our

students, this is their first job, so many of the job skills we might expect/hope our students to have will need to be developed.

Remember that we have work-related jargon that our students may not understand, so try to make instructions clear by avoiding jargon during training.

Balancing Work & ClassesBalancing Work & Classes

Most departments only offer student hours between 8-5, which leave the student evening open for studying and clubs/organizations.

However, all departments must consider the student’s academic course load when determining work schedules.

While it is not our responsibility to ensure our students are balancing their work and academic load, we also cannot expect incoming students (especially freshmen) to understand the new burdens they will be taking on.

We recommend freshmen work only 5-7 hours per week.

Common Student Employee Common Student Employee ProblemsProblems

The student employee who complains The student employee who procrastinates The student employee who resists change The student who is dishonest The student employee who violates library rules The student employee who violates university

rules The unmotivated student employee The student employee with low morale The disloyal student employee The student employee with absenteeism

problems The student employee with personal problems The student employee with personality problems

Common Student Employee Problems:

What this really means

The student who will no call/no showThe student who doesn’t have good work

etiquetteThe student who is constantly late for workThe student who calls out of work oftenThe student who does homework while at

work (instead of other work)The student who disappears or avoids work

in generalThe student who hangs out with friends

while working

Effective ManagementEffective ManagementMost unpleasant responsibilities of

management are disciplining and terminating student employees

Corrective discipline is designed to make employees aware of misconduct or poor performance and to give them the opportunity to correct their behavior or improve their performance◦Verbal warnings◦Written warnings◦Suspension◦Termination

PreventionPreventionRealize that many problem student

behaviors can be prevented by using proper training techniques and making sure that the student worker fully understands his/her job description.

Provide the student with written expectations to include job responsibilities, hours to be worked, and any information the student will be responsible for knowing while working.

Problem ResolutionProblem ResolutionSituations,

circumstances, and the people involved differ from one problem to another.

Evaluate everything individually and decide what actions are the most appropriate.

Know your own limitations.

Keep track of student’s work. This allows you to monitor (and thus reward) good behavior or to keep track of (and thus deal with) problem behavior.

Have a system in place that standardizes what to do when problem behaviors arise, so that no student can complain about special treatment.

ResourcesResourcesThe Swem Student Handbook (https://

swem.wm.edu/forms/student-employee-handbook-acknowledgement)

Complete Guide for Supervisors of Student Employees in Today’s Academic Libraries by David A. Baldwin and Daniel C. Barkley. 2007

Effective Management of Student Employment by David A. Baldwin, France C. Wilkinson, and Daniel C. Barkley. 2000

“Managing Student Employees” by Alberta Davis, Emily Okada, Rebecca Stinnett, and Bara Swinson. Indiana Libraries, vol. 24, no. 1