Graduate Union

Administrative Processes

Tuition Remission

At least 2 weeks before bills go out (generally bills go out mid-July for fall; for spring, generally mid-November), departments should typically send a list of students who are eligible for tuition remission to the Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS), who will then enter the exemption code in the student’s account in Banner. A nightly feed will update the student’s account.

Timeline: List of PhD students due to GSAS around July 1 and November 1. This needs to be done at least 2 weeks before bills go out (generally bills go out mid-July for fall; for spring, generally mid-November). It is also acceptable to send the list of students earlier than this timeline!

Health Care Subsidy

Per the CBA, all Graduate Assistants in doctoral programs on nine (9) month stipends performing unit work will be covered by the University student plan at a 100% subsidy.
Departments should typically send a list of students who are eligible for 100% of the health care subsidy to the Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies, who will then enter the exemption code in the student’s account in Banner. A nightly feed will update the student’s account.
If a student who is eligible for the health care subsidy and previously waived it has a qualifying event and needs to opt into health care coverage, they can contact Chris Bostek in Student Accounts. Chris will then direct them to University Health Plans to fill out the Qualifying Event form at info@univhealthplans.com.

Timeline: List of PhD students on stipends due to GSAS around July 1 and November 1. This needs to be done at least 2 weeks before bills go out (generally bills go out mid-July for fall; for spring, generally mid-November).

Employed Student Lists Provided to Union Stewards

Departments should provide a list of masters and PhD students who will be employed for the new academic year to their assigned union steward. It is understood that this is a tentative list. Union stewards will reach out to new employees to educate them about the union and to obtain a membership card for the union.

Timeline: The list should be sent by July 1 to the union steward for each department where feasible. Again, it is understood that this is a tentative list. A final list of all union employees will be handled directly between the Payroll Office and the Teamsters early in the semester.

Hiring Documentation for Graduate Student Union

Appointment Letters and Personnel Files

As noted in Article 10, if feasible, and except for students in a masters program, the University will endeavor to notify Graduate Assistants of their appointment at least one (1) month before the start of the semester in which their appointment begins. The University will endeavor to provide appointments for masters students as soon as they are known.

Timeline:

Typically 8/1 (fall) and 12/15 (spring) for appointments (i.e., funding) (admission letter can serve as the appointment letter)
Typically 8/15 (fall) and 1/1 (spring) for assignments (specific job assigned); for summer, 14 days before work begins

All appointment and assignment letters and contracts for union positions must be shared with Office of Student Employment per Article 13 (email them to oncampusemployment@clarku.edu).

Compensation

Compensation information is in Article 16 of the CBA. It stipulates at least a 2% increase, which for AY 24-25 will be a stipend of $29,719 for all departments except for the English department, which will be $12,400. The hourly rate will be $19.96 for AY 24-25. The Office of Student Employment will confirm the percentage increase for each new academic year to union departments each year, typically in June, after consulting with Human Resources.

Instructor of Record Assignments

For students who do not have 9-month appointments but are hired to teach a course, the CBA does not specify a rate of pay beyond being compensated at a rate no lower than the hourly rate, which increases each year (for AY 23-24, it is $19.57), and the Instructor of Record Pay ($1,500 per course) (reference Article 16). The pay will be $5,460 plus the $1,500 instructor of record pay, for a total of $6,960 for a 1-unit course.

Hire Forms (Formerly Payroll Authorization Forms)

Hiring information should be submitted to the Office of Student Employment. The Payroll Office will no longer process hiring for graduate/doctoral students. Process information is on our Hire a Student page; the TA/RA spreadsheet should continue to be used and should be emailed to oncampusemployment@clarku.edu. Other union positions (including work funded by external grants) must be submitted via Interview Exchange. Leave approvers will be designated by department.

It is preferable to submit hiring information for the entire year; if assignments change from semester to semester, that does not affect the job record information unless the pay changes (e.g., if a student is working as a TA one semester and teaching a course the next semester). It is easier to terminate a position early than to create a new job record.

Instructor of Record Hiring Process

Chief Budget Officer sends spreadsheet of approved funds for PT faculty for courses to departments.
The departments hire PT faculty (which can include doctoral students), and the department administrator populates a PT faculty spreadsheet that goes to the Provost’s Office listing the course being taught and the instructor teaching the course.
The Provost’s Office sends the student their contract, copying department chair and department administrator; students return their contract to the Provost’s Office.
The department administrator submits an Interview Exchange hire form to the Office of Student Employment. Instructors of Record are paid via 8 pay periods because they are not entered until after add/drop.

Pay Dates and Start of Employment Considerations

The Office of Student Employment and the Payroll Office are reviewing the salary pay cycles to better accommodate when students start and stop working for next year (AY 24-25). This year, the pay cycles are: 8/12/23 – 12/29/23 for 9.5 pay periods. The spring semester is 12/29/23 – 5/3/24 for 9.5 pay periods. The 0.5 pay period is 12/29 for both fall and spring semesters. Due dates for hire forms to come for AY 24-25 once salary pay cycles are determined.

Timeline:

Hire forms due to the Office of Student Employment no later than 8/1 (fall) and 12/15 (spring); for summer, hire forms are due 14 days before work begins.

Note about international students

The timing of when a new international student can work is related to when they arrive in the US and can apply for a Social Security Number (SSN). New international student staff should be provided with the guidelines on how to apply for an SSN. Students must secure and present an SSN in order to remain employed at Clark, per our Student Employment Verification Policy.

Contacts

Office of Student Employment: Julie Bolduc, director, and Savannah Plante, student employment administrator

Graduate Arts & Sciences Office: Sara Simeone, Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies in Arts & Sciences

Labor Management Committee (LMC): A 5-member committee that meets with 5 members of the Union at least once per semester and in the summer. Members: John Labrie, David Everitt, Julie Bolduc, Philip Bergmann, Kelly Boulay (alternates: Savannah Plante and Sara Simeone). If there are any issues or questions that should be addressed by the LMC, please email Julie Bolduc, jbolduc@clarku.edu.

Union Stewards: Geography, Clark Labs, MSGIS: Kwabena Antwi; Physics, Chemistry, BCMB, Biology: Thomas Roehl; HGS, History, English, Education, IDCE (non-MSGIS): MK Speth; Psychology and Economics: Maddie Logan