Salary & Payroll Procedures

Student Employees Federal and Longwood/College Work Study

The current minimum wage for employees in the Commonwealth of Virginia is $11.00 per hour.

In order to encourage consistent, equitable compensation campus-wide for student employees, the Student Employment Manager has developed guidelines, which you may use in determining wage rates and recommending increases. Adherence to these guidelines will ensure that your student employees are compensated in a like manner to employees with comparable skills and experience in other departments or on other payrolls.

• Student jobs are classified into one of three levels. The level and associated hourly rate is based on the level of responsibility and skills required to perform the job. Calculation of the level is accomplished by utilizing the 
  • In determining an appropriate rate, the supervisor must utilize the required skills on the . It is not acceptable to base the wage rate on need or any other factor not related to the student's skills or job description.
  • All student employees start at the first step of a level.
• Job Titles are created by each individual department. A job title should be specific and accurately reflect the scope of a position. Each position must have a corresponding job description of duties and the responsibilities as well as information relating to the eight (8) Factors on the . If you need assistance in analyzing job tasks and writing job descriptions, please contact the Student Employment Manager for assistance.
• Students are eligible for longevity raises (step increments) if they maintain satisfactory job performance and return to the same position or a similar position in the same department after having completed one full year of service in that department (not to include Summer sessions). This is an incentive for students to remain in the same areas of employment throughout their fours years at Longwood.
  • To receive a step increase, the student must be re-hired by the first week in September.
  • There are no increases for summer sessions.
  • The supervisor must submit a Job Performance Evaluation to the Student Employment Manager as an attachment to the Employment Authorization form. The evaluation will become a part of the student's employment file.
  • Rate increases are subject to the availability of funding as determined by Administration and Finance.
  • Please note that an increase in a Work-Study student's pay rate does not increase the amount of federal work-study awarded to that student, nor the department's work-study allocation. If the student's wage is increased, the award remains the same; therefore, the number of hours the student must work to earn the award decreases. Thus, recommending a wage increase will result in that student working fewer hours for you, and the department's allocation being used more quickly.
• After determining a department's need and verifying work-study funds allocated to the department, campus employers submit vacancies on a Position Announcement Form (with detailed descriptions) to the Student Employment Manager for posting.
  • The position description lists the duties and responsibilities associated with the job; includes information about the requirements necessary for an individual to obtain the position, and is also a useful resource if there was a question of discrimination.
  • In order to ensure that students have fair and equal access to jobs, all on-campus student employment opportunities available to undergraduate students should be listed with the University Career Center.
  • Position descriptions are posted in a Job Vacancy Notebook maintained in the Career Resource Room and on Handshake, an online jobs listing web site. This affords all students an opportunity to apply for available jobs, making the market more competitive and commensurate with their skills, etc.
• All student employees are evaluated by their supervisors at the end of the year and a copy of the evaluation is kept in the student's file for future reference for re-employment.
• Work-Study students are normally hired at one of the levels on the Wage Level sheet; however, the supervisor can request that the student is paid at a different rate when the position does not fit into one of the existing categories.
  • This can be done by writing a memo recommending a higher rate and providing justification/documentation. The request is submitted to the Student Employment Manager for review and approval by the Wage Advisory Committee. The Wage Advisory Committee shall consist of one individual from the Budget Office, one from Payroll, and the Student Employment Manager.
  • Requests should be made one month prior to posting the position.
• Students may not begin employment without prior authorization by the Student Employment Manager.

Student Earnings Level

Students employed under the FWS program have a maximum earnings level which is indicated on the Employment Authorization Form. The supervisors and the students should establish, at the beginning of the work period, a weekly work schedule that will enable each student to work throughout the academic year or summer program based on the student's allocation.

They will assist in determining how many hours per week each student may work throughout the academic year given the student's work-study award amount and/or your department's work study allocations.

From time to time there will be changes in students' financial aid awards. Often, students obtain outside scholarships or other assistance making it necessary for the Office of Financial Aid to adjust the work award. If this should occur, the supervisor will be notified of the award modification.

A federal work-study student may not earn over his/her allocated amount. Additional FWS eligibility or funds may not be available. If the student works over the FWS award, the amount earned over the award may be reallocated to college work-study. Both the supervisor and the student should keep a cumulative record of hours worked and dollars earned.

Garnishment Of Wages

A student's FWS wages may be garnished only to pay any costs of attendance that the student owes the school or that will become due and payable during the period of the award. Schools must oppose any garnishment order they receive for any other type of debt; paying FWS funds in such cases would not be in compliance with the Student Financial Assistance (SFA) requirements that funds be used solely for educational purposes