Student Assistant series positions are for undergraduate students only, in most cases. *if the student is undergraduate/work study, please refer to Student Employment website: (Student Employment (ucdenver.edu))

Undergraduate student hourly employees are recommended to work 20 hours a week throughout the Fall, Spring and Summer semesters while classes are in session. The maximum number of hours a student employee may work during the fall and spring semester is 25 hours per week or 50 hours per biweekly payroll period, provided no single week in that period exceeds 40 work hours. However, the maximum number of hours a student employee may work during the summer is 40 hours per week
(Reference student handbook: student-hourly-employment-handbook.pdf (ucdenver.edu)

Searches are required for most University new hires, but student employees are exempt from required searches at this time. SEHD does have student “pool” postings for each student position (Student Assistant, Graduate, & Research Assistants) that supervisors can review prior to submitting for a new search.

However, if no match is found through the pool posting or a specific need for a program is necessary, SEHD HR can certainly run a search.

• Submit the Job Posting – Student Hire form (select it from the drop-down menu)
• Upon receipt of the form, the SEHD HR team will post your position to Handshake, UCD’s student and alumni job board.
• When selecting “Employment Type” review the Pay Matrix from the latest Student Employment Handbook for assistance.
• Note: Nothing you submit is set in stone, if anything looks incorrect, we will contact you for clarification.
• There is no formal process for vetting candidates, once you find a student you’d like to hire, proceed to New Hire Request.

Once you have a student in mind… Please anticipate up to two weeks for hiring paperwork processing – this includes completing a background check, employment verification, and other on-boarding steps (this time frame is suggested even if the student is a current employee.)

• Submit the Hire Request Form (select Student from the drop-down menu).
• The submitted form will automatically notify the SEHD HR team of your hire request
• Note: Nothing you submit is set in stone, if anything looks incorrect, we will contact you for clarification.

Denver minimum wage effective as of 1/1/2023 at $17.29/hour.

All Student Assistant positions (I-VI) must be paid on a biweekly basis. This includes submission of timesheets, and the student will receive payment biweekly (according to the pay schedule.)

Here is a link to the student biweekly schedule: 2022-2023-student-employment-bi-weekly-payroll-calendar.pdf (ucdenver.edu). We encourage all students and supervisors to set reoccurring reminders for deadlines.

For students being paid on a biweekly basis, we encourage them to review the MyLeave Guide (How to Use MyLeave - Student Guide.pdf) to set up preferences prior to their first timesheet deadline.

• Your new hire cannot start work until the following requirements have been met:
  • A background check has been passed
  • A new hire meeting has been scheduled to complete the I-9 hiring paperwork
  • Confirmation from SEHD HR with appropriate start date
• Upon receipt of the new hire form, the SEHD HR team will begin the hiring paperwork process with the new hire. As the supervisor, you will be copied on initial correspondence with the hire.
• Based upon the information submitted in your Hire Request form, the SEHD HR team will create a letter of offer for your student employee and will ask you to review and sign it.
• You will also be cc’d on the last piece of hiring email correspondence regarding timesheets (if applicable), required trainings (if applicable) and the student handbook.

If the position is grant funded, it is helpful to include a note that the position is contingent upon grant funding. In the past, SEHD HR has used this wording in the letter of offer:
This is a grant-funded position. Continuation of the position and tuition assistance is entirely dependent on the continued availability of the grant funds.

The SEHD approach to the hiring process for SEHD students who may take a position on another CU team is generally that the hiring steps (background check, I-9, payroll, etc.) will be done through the inviting school.

Each semester, SEHD HR will notify supervisors for confirmation of continued hiring of student employees. It is the supervisor’s responsibility to inform HR if there are any changes to their student employment status and details. This includes if the student is active, resigned, or graduated; accurate salary; correct speedtype; and hours per week.

Currently in SEHD, available resources regarding job descriptions are in the student handbook (student-hourly-employment-handbook.pdf (ucdenver.edu)) page 28. This provides an overview of the information that could be included in the job description. Additionally, on the Student Hire Formstack (found on SEHD Wiki page) where the job description upload is needed, an example is provided.

After a student resigns (or is terminated) from their position with SEHD, the best practice is to close out any access they may have been granted. If SEHD IT granted the access (ie: Q/T drives, or other programs), a email must be sent to remove the access (send to: sehdhelp@ucdenver.edu).

Additionally, the supervisor is responsible for submitting a checkout notification form. (*This is to be completed if a student is leaving University employment and does not hold a position with another team.)

For other applications/programs granted by the supervisor, the supervisor is responsible for removing the resigned student.

Supervisors should complete this form once a student resigns and/or is terminated.

Student Assistant series positions are for undergraduate students only, in most cases. *if the student is undergraduate/work study, please refer to Student Employment website: (Student Employment (ucdenver.edu))

Teaching Assistant and Graduate Part Time Instructor positions are coordinated by the program lead for each course area based on enrollment. Please refer to the SEHD Wiki Patter of Administration: https://wiki.cu.studio/handbooks/pattern_of_administration?s[]=teaching%20assistant#teaching_assistantssecondary_instructors

Graduate Assistants (GA): This position is focused on administrative work for a department and is not directly involved in instruction or research.

Research Assistant (RA): This position is focused on research, analyzing data, and writing technical reports.

The Job title (e.g. Student Assistant vs. Graduate Assistant or Research Assistant) is important to align with undergraduate or graduate status as best we can. The reason is because US News asks us to report our number of graduate students annually, and we track those using their job title in our payroll system.

Graduate student appointments must be enrolled full-time, as a regular degree-seeking graduate student on the CU-Denver campus.

(refer to student handbook: https://www.ucdenver.edu/lynxconnect/career-center/student-employment, see the section on “Work Hour Regulation”)

This resource is regularly updated and should be checked first, but as of January 2021 edition…

“Graduate and Professional student hourly employees are recommended to work 20 hours a week throughout the Fall, Spring and Summer semesters while classes are in session. The maximum number of hours a student employee may work during the fall and spring semester is 25 hours per week or 50 hours per biweekly payroll period, provided no single week in that period exceeds 40 work hours. However, the maximum number of hours a student employee may work during the summer is 40 hours per week.

International Students: In accordance with the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) regulations, international students may not work more than 20 hours per week—in total, regardless of the number of positions—while classes are in session during the Fall and Spring semesters. During the Summer semester, and when the University is on an official break and/or no classes are in session, international students may work on campus in a student hourly position, up to, but not more than, 40 hours a week. Additional employment for international students is prohibited under [8 CFR 214.2 (f)(9)(i) and at 22 CFR 62.23 (g)(2)(iii)].”

Common pay rates for SEHD graduate student positions in 2021 and 2022 are as follows.

For context, minimum wage in Denver increased from

$12.00 –> $12.85 in 2020 –>

$14.77 –> $15.00 in 2021 –>

$15.00 –> $15.87 in 2022 –>

$15.87 –> $17.29 in 2023

Masters level students tend to be more in the $18 + range

Doctoral level students tend to be more in the $20 – 22 range.