Graduate Assistants 

Graduate assistants assist with academic programs and research but are students first and foremost. Assistantships should aid in the orderly progression toward degree goals and not delay or hinder this progression. More complete information on Graduate Assistants is available through the Graduate School. 

Graduate School Policy 

The complete academic policy related to the appointment of graduate assistants is found on the Graduate Assistant Contract and the Graduate and Professional Bulletin. All graduate assistantship appointments include the following conditions: 

1. Students must sign a Graduate Assistant Appointment Certification Form (GAAC form) before duties begin. 
2. Appointments may be for one-fourth or one-half effort. Half-time assistants have assignments ranging from 26% and 50% and quarter-time assistants have duties covering 25% or less. 
3. Receive the minimum monthly stipend as specified in the Graduate and Professional Bulletin. 
4. Appointments are approved by the academic Department Head, the College and the Graduate School, with final appointment approval granted by the Provost Office. 

Leaves and Other Benefits 

Graduate assistants are not eligible for paid time off such as vacation or sick leave; however, they are eligible for parental leave. Between semesters, graduate assistants usually concentrate on their research or artistry and associated work. To the extent that the supervising faculty member and the department head concur, graduate assistants may use such periods for leave. Graduate assistants may elect to enroll in the Student Health Insurance Plan and are eligible for workers compensation insurance. They are not covered by unemployment insurance. 

CSU’s FAMLI  

CSU’s FAMLI plan provides for a portion of an employee’s weekly pay for up to 12 weeks of leave per year to care for themselves or a family member. Those who experience pregnancy or childbirth complications may receive an additional four weeks. FAMLI income replacement benefits are primary to any other leave program and runs concurrently with Family Medical Leave (FML) and any other leave program to mitigate duplication of income replacement benefits. FAMLI is available to all employees who work and live in Colorado, including faculty, staff and student employees. Employees receive job-protection through FAMLI after 180 days of employment. 

Parental Leave  

CSU is committed to promoting enhanced work-life integration by providing Parental Leave to Graduate Assistants who are enrolled in a Master’s or Ph.D. program. Parental Leave provides time off for new parents to care for and bond with their children while also supporting academic success. Parental Leave provides up to six weeks of paid time off for the Primary Caregiver and up to three weeks for a Non-Primary Caregiver. The provisions of the university’s parental leave policy run concurrently with the State of Colorado Family and Medical Leave Insurance Act (FAMLI) and the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). This means parental leave is not in addition to CSU’s FAMLI plan and FMLA.  

A Primary Caregiver is the one parent who has primary responsibility for the care of a child immediately following the birth or the adoption of the child into the custody, care and control of the parent for the first time. 

a. Parental Leave Eligibility 

An eligible graduate assistant must have been enrolled full-time (nine semester credits) with a minimum .25 FTE assistantship for at least one semester in a graduate degree program at CSU. During the semester when the Leave is requested, the graduate assistant must be appointed with a minimum .25 FTE graduate assistantship and be enrolled in the minimum number of Resident Instruction credits required to hold an assistantship.  

An eligible graduate assistant must also continuously be enrolled in the same graduate degree program in which they met the full-time enrollment requirement and be in good academic standing while making satisfactory progress toward completion of their degree. 

b. Leave Use 

Graduate assistants are not considered to be on a leave of absence during Parental Leave. All Leave, for Primary or Non-Primary Caregivers must be used in one continuous block of time.  

Primary Caregiver: eligible for up to six weeks of Parental Leave which must be taken within six weeks of the birth or adoption but may not extend past the end of the Graduate Assistant contract term. In the case of a spring birth or adoption, Leave may be taken during the following summer session if the Graduate Assistant is under contract. If a birth or adoption occurs prior to the contract term, any remaining balance of the six-week period may be taken in the next semester (a break may not occur between semesters).  

Non-Primary Caregiver: eligible for up to three weeks of Parental Leave. Leave must be taken while under contract in the same academic year, or, in the case of a spring birth or adoption, during the following summer session if the Graduate Assistant is under contract.   

Compensation 

1. No maximum compensation is established. 
2. The University sets a minimum monthly stipend. This minimum is determined by the University salary budget and changes from year to year. Assistants with quarter-time appointments must be paid at least one-half of the minimum stipend. 
3. During the period covered by the appointment, the base rate will remain constant unless a promotion or change in duty is involved, in which case an assignment change must be submitted through the Oracle Personnel/Payroll System and the reason for the change explained.  In cases where compensation is decreased, a new GAAC form must be approved by the Graduate School Vice- Provost. 
4. Payments will be made on the last state workday of the month except for the month of June, which is paid on the first working day in July. Payments will be deposited directly in a bank or forwarded to the address indicated on the Earnings Disposition/Address Form. 
5. Graduate Assistants are expected to devote full time to assistantship duties and graduate study; however, they may receive additional compensation on a student hourly basis once approved by the involved academic departments. 
6. In most all cases stipends for graduate teaching assistants are paid from 13 accounts and research assistants from 53 accounts. 

Hourly Work and Payment 

A graduate assistant may work additional time for hourly pay once approved by the involved departments. If hourly pay is to be received in addition to an assistantship, the individual should also complete the forms and comply with the procedures outlined in Section 5, Student Employees of this manual. Payments for hourly work will be assessed on time submitted bi-weekly and processed through the student employment system. Hourly pay will be made using the regular hourly pay cycle. 

Veterinary Residents 

Veterinary residents are post-graduate veterinarians (some of whom have completed internships) who are enrolled in a 2-3 year combined graduate and residency program resulting in an advanced degree (MS or PhD), which may ultimately prepare them for advanced board certification in a recognized specialty. Veterinary residents are licensed to practice Veterinary Medicine in Colorado. Post Doctoral Fellow Veterinary Residents are employees of the University. The appointment type is Post Doctoral Fellow (009990). 

Leaves and Other Benefits 

Post doctoral fellows with appointments of less than full-time, but at least half-time (0.5) earn sick leave each fiscal year prorated by the part time fraction of their appointment. Sick leave accrues and expires each fiscal year. No sick leave is earned by employees working less than half-time (0.5) or employed on an hourly basis.  

Post doctoral fellows are eligible to enroll in the CSU Benefits Plan (Cost Share) Healthcare program and are eligible for workers compensation insurance and University Holidays. 

Fellowship Grant Trainees (Pre Doctoral and Post Doctoral) 

Graduate research assistant predoc (GRAPD) are graduate level fellows being paid/sponsored on certain types of Federal training grants and continue to hold the title, fellowship grant trainee pre-doctoral scholar, with the awarding entity (e.g., federal, state, public or private department, unit foundation, etc.).  Post doctoral fellows typically have recently completed their PhD and are engaged to work primarily on research projects. Post Doctoral Fellowship Grant Trainees are post graduate level doctoral fellows who are paid/sponsored on certain types of Federal training grants, and thus are Post Doctoral Fellows. The appointment types are Graduate Research Assistant Predoc (GRAPD) (009980) with the Employee Group “Graduate Assistant” and the Employee Qualifier “GRA Predoc”) and Fellowship Grant Trainee Post Doctoral (009992). 

Fellowship grant trainees may be appointed for a period of up to 3 years and should be appointed whether or not compensation is paid. If no compensation is involved, only the Graduate Assistant Personnel Action Data Form, clearly marked “No Payment”, should be forwarded to the Human Resources Department. 

Leaves and Other Benefits 

Those Post Doctoral Fellowship Grant Trainees with appointments of less than full-time, but at least half-time (0.5) earn sick leave each fiscal year prorated by the part time fraction of their appointment. Sick leave accrues and expires each fiscal year. No sick leave is earned by employees working less than half-time (0.5) or employed on an hourly basis. Post Doctoral Fellowship Grant Trainees are eligible to enroll in the CSU Benefits Plan (Cost Share) Healthcare program and are eligible for workers compensation insurance and University Holidays. 

Personnel Actions and Data Forms Required 

New hire personnel actions are initiated by the department through the Oracle Personnel/Payroll System for electronic approval. Required forms must be submitted to the Human Resources Department before final approval of an action can be made. Data submitted should be kept current to ensure proper reports and pay. 

Graduate Assistant Appointment / Certification form (GAAC form) – Used for Graduate Assistants Only 

This form is printed from the Oracle Personnel/Payroll System for new hires and reappointments once the Personnel Action has been submitted for electronic approval. The form should be signed by the Graduate Assistant and filed with the employing department. 

Initial Employment Forms 

The Graduate Assistant or Other Salaried Employee Appointment Data Form, along with the Biographical Data Collection Form are the appointment documents that provide primary data for input to the personnel-payroll system. The Biographical Data form is to be completed by the new employee, and the Appointment Data Form is completed by the department and input into the personnel-payroll system for electronic approval as soon as possible after the hiring decision has been made. Changes to existing employees are keyed directly into the personnel-payroll system for approval as well. 

The University is obligated to collect certain biographical data (gender, ethnic origin, disability status, and veteran status) to meet various state and federal reporting requirements.  Since providing this information is voluntary on the part of the employee, the University does not penalize anyone for refusing to provide it, and an employee should not be asked to submit information against his will. Once information has been entered and verified for accuracy, the department should destroy and discard the form. 

Direct Deposit Authorization Form 

The Direct Deposit Authorization form should be completed in Employee Self-Service to indicate the bank to which an employee’s pay will be deposited. 

Withholding Exemptions 

Form W-4, Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate, must be completed by an employee to determine the amount of Federal and State income tax to be withheld.  Exemption W-4 certificates are valid for one year only and must be completed by February 15th of each year. 

When an employee is working out of state, they must also complete an Out-Of-State Work Location Information Sheet to ensure that the correct state income taxes are withheld. 

Individuals should contact their department to obtain this form, included in a packet of forms required to be completed by all new employees.  Departments should request the forms from the Payroll Section of the Human Resources Department to have them available for new employees. 

Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9. 

The I-9 Form must be completed within three days of commencing work. 

Policy on Rights and Responsibilities Related to Creative Works 

Employees must complete a Policy on Rights and Responsibilities Related to Creative Works as a condition of employment. 

Oath of Allegiance 

Employees are required by state law to execute a State Loyalty Oath.