Student Financial Services
North Foundation Hall, Room 120
318 Meadow Brook Road
Rochester, MI 48309-4454
(map)
(248) 370-2550
Have your Grizzly ID ready
finservices@oakland.edu
M-F 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Student Employment

Student employment provides opportunities to enrich your academic experiences and gain invaluable experience for future career goals. Students can search for on campus and off campus positions through Handshake.
Finding
Jobs
Student employment provides opportunities to enrich your academic experience and acquire skills to help your career goals. Students can search for open positions through Handshake. Search for on-campus and off-campus positions, internships, and career related employment opportunities in one convenient location. Create a  Handshake account now.

One special program for off-campus student employment is Community Service Tutoring (formerly America Reads), in which Oakland University has partnered with the Troy public schools.  Students in the School of Education, or students with experience in tutoring reading are matched with Troy elementary schools.  Federal Work-Study is required.  Tutoring positions are posted on Handshake early in the fall.  Eligible students are interviewed first by Financial Aid, and then by the participating Troy elementary school.
Types
& Eligibility
A student employee is a student worker whose primary association with Oakland University is for the purpose of obtaining a degree. Student employment is temporary and secondary to the pursuit of a degree.  Students are paid every two weeks and are responsible for using the earnings to help pay their educational expenses. Student employment provides on-campus jobs for undergraduate and graduate degree seeking OU students; a few off‑campus jobs are also available.

Eligibility
Fall/Winter:
 During the fall and winter semester, students must meet the following eligibility requirements:
  • Enrolled in a degree seeking program
  • Required to be enrolled at least half time. Half time is defined as 6 credit hours for undergraduate students and 4 credit hours for graduate students. It is the student's responsibility to inform department of changes to enrollment.
Summer:
 While a student is not required to be enrolled for summer semester in order to work a regular student employment position, they must:
  • Be enrolled at least half time in the preceding winter semester and the upcoming fall semester
  • Have not completed graduation requirements
  • Have a valid I-20 on file with the International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO), if an international student.
Federal Work-Study funds are not available during the summer semester.

Summer Student Campus Corps Internship Program:
Pending yearly program and funding approval.  Continuing OU students must meet the following requirements:
  • Must be an undergraduate student in a degree seeking program
  • Must be a Michigan resident
  • Enrolled at least half time in the preceding winter semester and the upcoming fall semester

Community College Partnerships:
Students enrolled in an OU Community College Partnership program must have a combined enrollment of at least half time at both schools.

Graduate Assistantships:
Graduate Assistantships provide students an opportunity to gain professional experience.

  • Graduate students who receive a full-time graduate assistantship are required to provide an average of 20 hours per week of service during the fall and winter semesters, as described in their graduate assistant contract. They cannot take on any additional student employment assignments.
  • Graduate students who received a part-time graduate assistantship are required to provide an average of 10 hours per week of service during the fall and winter semesters, as described in their graduate assistant contract. They can take on up to an additional 10 hours of student employment assignments. 

Types
There are two types of student employment at Oakland University:
  • Federal Work-Study provides partial funding for wages for student employees who demonstrate financial need through required filing of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA); awards are made on a first come first serve basis. Eligibility to work in a Federal Work-Study position requires a Federal Work-Study award. Students who are requested by a hiring department to work via Federal Work‑Study must satisfy all general financial aid requirements before they will be eligible to work. Students selected for federal “verification” must submit all requested documents and be reviewed by the financial aid office before an authorization to work will be granted.
  • Regular Student Employment allows individual Oakland University hiring department funds to pay wages for student employees. The FAFSA is not required.

Maximum Work Hours
Students are not permitted to work during any enrolled class hours or exam times. The employment dates and employment hour limits are as follows:
 
    
Semester  Week Beginning Date Week Ending Date Employment Hour Limit* 
Fall 2016 August 29, 2016September 4, 2016 20 hours/week
September 5, 2016September 11, 201620 hours/week
September 12, 2016September 18, 201620 hours/week
September 19, 2016September 25, 201620 hours/week
September 26, 2016October 2, 201620 hours/week
October 3, 2016October 9, 201620 hours/week
October 10, 2016October 16, 201620 hours/week
October 17, 2016October 23, 201620 hours/week
October 24, 2016October 30, 201620 hours/week
October 31, 2016November 6, 201620 hours/week
November 7, 2016November 13, 201620 hours/week
November 14, 2016November 20, 201620 hours/week
November 21, 2016November 27, 201620 hours/week
November 28, 2016December 4, 201620 hours/week
December 5, 2016December 11, 201620 hours/week
December 12, 2016December 18, 201640 hours/week
December 19, 2016December 25, 201640 hours/week
December 26, 2016January 1, 201740 hours/week
Semester  Week Beginning DateWeek Ending DateEmployment Hour Limit*
Winter 2017January 2, 2017January 8, 201720 hours/week
January 9, 2017January 15, 201720 hours/week
January 16, 2017January 22, 201720 hours/week
January 23, 2017January 29, 201720 hours/week
January 30, 2017February 5, 201720 hours/week
February 6, 2017February 12, 201720 hours/week
February 13, 2017February 19, 201720 hours/week
February 20, 2017February 26, 201740 hours/week
February 27, 2017March 5, 201720 hours/week
March 6, 2017March 12, 201720 hours/week
March 13, 2017March 19, 201720 hours/week
March 20, 2017March 26, 201720 hours/week
March 27, 2017April 2, 201720 hours/week
April 3, 2017April 9, 201720 hours/week
April 10, 2017April 16, 201720 hours/week
April 17, 2017April 23, 201720 hours/week
April 24, 2017April 30, 201720 hours/week
Semester Week Beginning DateWeek Ending DateEmployment Hour Limit*
Summer 2017May 1, 2017May 7, 201740 hours/week
May 8, 2017May 14, 201740 hours/week
May 15, 2017May 21, 201740 hours/week
May 22, 2017May 28, 201740 hours/week
May 29, 2017June 4, 201740 hours/week
June 5, 2017June 11, 201740 hours/week
June 12, 2017June 18, 201740 hours/week
June 19, 2017June 25, 201740 hours/week
June 26, 2017July 2, 201740 hours/week
July 3, 2017July 9, 201740 hours/week
July 10, 2017July 16, 201740 hours/week
July 17, 2017July 23, 201740 hours/week
July 24, 2017July 30, 201740 hours/week
July 31, 2017August 6, 201740 hours/week
August 7, 2017August 13, 201740 hours/week
August 14, 2017August 20, 201740 hours/week
August 21, 2017August 27, 201740 hours/week
Semester Week Beginning DateWeek Ending DateEmployment Hour Limit*
Fall 2017August 28, 2017August 27, 201720 hours/week
*International students are limited to 20 hours per week during the fall and winter semesters when classes are in session and 40 hours per week during weeks when classes are not in session and during the summer.

Equal opportunity employment
Oakland University, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution, is committed to compliance with federal and state laws prohibiting discrimination, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. It is the policy of Oakland University that there shall be no discrimination on the basis of race, sex, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, age, height, weight, familial status, marital status, disability, creed, sexual orientation, veteran status or other prohibited factors in employment, admissions, educational programs or activities. Inquiries or complaints may be addressed to Oakland University, Director of the Office of University Diversity and Compliance, 203 Wilson Hall, Rochester, Michigan 48309-4401.

Relevant Oakland University Policies
It is recommended that all student employees exposed to confidential information, such as educational records, student financial information, health information, and social security numbers, sign the attached  Oakland University Employee and Student Intern Confidentiality Agreement form. The form should be presented to the student employee by the department supervisor. Departments will retain the signed copy in the student worker's employment file. 

It is the department's responsibility to ensure student employees understand confidential information is not to be used in any way, other than what is necessary as part of the job duties. Departments must also ensure that student workers review the following Oakland University's Information Technology and Security Policies:



Employment
Forms
Once you are offered an on-campus student employment position, you must complete and submit the following forms and documents to Student Financial Services before employment can begin. 

For payroll purposes, an original U.S. Social Security card must be presented for photocopy to Student Financial Services in person. The Supervisor and Departmental contact will be notified if additional information is needed or forms are incomplete. The Office of Student Financial Services will notify the Departmental contact via a Work Referral when the student can begin work. Students cannot begin working until the Departmental contact receives a Work Referral from Student Financial Services.
Information
For Hiring Supervisors
Types of Student Employment

 There are two types of Student Employment. Both forms of employment are available during fall/winter. The only form of student employment available during the Summer is regular student employment. Federal Work-Study is subsidized from federal funds.
  • Federal Work-Study - 75% charged to Work-Study account / 25% charged to department
  • Regular Student Employment - 100% charged to department
Please note, a student's allowable federal work study program earnings are subject to change. OU Financial Services is responsible for monitoring each student's continued eligibility for the federal award throughout the academic year. Many factors can impact a student's eligibility (e.g. receiving a new/later award or resource, dropping below half-time, not meeting satisfactory academic progress requirements, etc.). In most instances, any required decrease in a student's federal work study amount can be made before the funds are earned by the student. If a revised federal work study amount is determined, the hiring supervisor will be notified via an updated Work Referral. Less likely, but still possible, a decrease must be made after the federal work study funds have been earned by the student. In these cases, any amount the student earned in excess of the decreased federal work study award will be charged to the hiring department's account through an interdepartmental JV. The hiring supervisor will be notified via email and/or phone call if this occurs. 

How to Hire an OU Student
The following steps must be followed to hire an OU student employee.
  1. Create a Handshake account. Select "Employer" as the type of account you would like to create. You will receive an email when your account is approved.  

  2. Sign into Handshake as an employer and create a job posting. Postings must be active for at least three days before hiring a candidate, except when re-hiring returning students. Instructions for creating a job posting on Handshake are available by clicking Help > Knowledge Base. If you require a work-study eligible student, check the "Work Study Job" box on the Requirements page of the posting. You may now proceed to interviewing student applicants. 

  3. If you do not require a federal work-study student and plan to employ the student through departmental funding, proceed to Step 4.  Departments requiring students who have a federal work-study award are responsible for confirming the award by reviewing the FAWI Confirmed Work-Study Students list. The employer must include the requirement for work-study in the job description when the job is posted to minimize applications from students who do not have a federal work-study award. The preferred option is to restrict applicants to just those who have listed themselves as work-study eligible in their Handshake profile. 

  4. Verify the student has completed employment documentation: I-9, W-4s (Federal and State), and a direct deposit (optional).  The student must present their documentation to Student Financial Services in person.

  5. Submit a student requisition form to Student Financial Services.  All requisitions require a fund number and authorized fund signer name and signature.  Access Employer Forms here, including Student Employment Requisition, Work-Study Tracking Sheet, and Student Employment Process.

  6. Students may not begin working until authorized by Student Financial Services. This authorization comes in the form of a Work Referral. Employers will receive a Work Referral once Student Financial Services has determined the student's eligibility to work during the semester. Employers need to check the Work Referral for accuracy (i.e., fund number, work-study eligibility, pay rate). 

  7. Student may begin work.  View information on Departmental Time Entry and the Student Payroll Calendar.
Process and Employer Forms for Active Hiring Periods
The following links contain information explaining the process for hiring a student worker and Employer Forms (Student Employment Requisition, Work-Study Tracking Sheet, Student Pay Rate Change, FAWI Confirmed Work-Study Students list, etc.). 

 

Summer Student Campus Corps (SSCC - Internships)

Summer Student Campus Corps was created in 2009 to help students gain valuable work experience when the economic downturn was affecting the availability of off-campus student internship opportunities. Each year the Oakland University President considers a proposal to continue the program as funding permits. Information regarding Summer Student Campus Corps 2017 program availability and program submission deadline will be available winter 2017.
 
Employment Dates

Fall 2016: August 29, 2016 to January 1, 2017
Winter 2017: January 2, 2017 to April 30, 2017
Summer 2017: May 1, 2017 to August 27, 2017

Note that student employment periods do not align exactly with semester dates. These dates are adjusted to fit within Payroll  bi-weekly pay cycles. 
 
Maximum Work Hours
Students are not permitted to work during any enrolled class hours or exam times.The employment dates and employment hour limits are as follows:

Semester  Week Beginning Date Week Ending Date Employment Hour Limit* 
Fall 2016 August 29, 2016September 4, 2016 20 hours/week
September 5, 2016September 11, 201620 hours/week
September 12, 2016September 18, 201620 hours/week
September 19, 2016September 25, 201620 hours/week
September 26, 2016October 2, 201620 hours/week
October 3, 2016October 9, 201620 hours/week
October 10, 2016October 16, 201620 hours/week
October 17, 2016October 23, 201620 hours/week
October 24, 2016October 30, 201620 hours/week
October 31, 2016November 6, 201620 hours/week
November 7, 2016November 13, 201620 hours/week
November 14, 2016November 20, 201620 hours/week
November 21, 2016November 27, 201620 hours/week
November 28, 2016December 4, 201620 hours/week
December 5, 2016December 11, 201620 hours/week
December 12, 2016December 18, 201640 hours/week
December 19, 2016December 25, 201640 hours/week
December 26, 2016January 1, 201740 hours/week
Semester Week Beginning DateWeek Ending DateEmployment Hour Limit*
Winter 2017January 2, 2017January 8, 201720 hours/week
January 9, 2017January 15, 201720 hours/week
January 16, 2017January 22, 201720 hours/week
January 23, 2017January 29, 201720 hours/week
January 30, 2017February 5, 201720 hours/week
February 6, 2017February 12, 201720 hours/week
February 13, 2017February 19, 201720 hours/week
February 20. 2017February 26, 201740 hours/week
February 27, 2017March 5, 201720 hours/week
March 6, 2017March 12, 201720 hours/week
March 13, 2017March 19, 201720 hours/week
March 20, 2017March 26, 201720 hours/week
March 27, 2017April 2, 201720 hours/week
April 3, 2017April 9, 201720 hours/week
April 10, 2017April 23, 201720 hours/week
April 24, 2017April 30, 201720 hours/week
Semester Week Beginning DateWeek Ending DateEmployment Hour Limit*
Summer 2017May 1, 2017May 7, 201740 hours/week
May 8, 2017May 14, 201740 hours/week
May 15, 2017May 21, 201740 hours/week
May 22, 2017May 28, 201740 hours/week
May 29, 2017June 4, 201740 hours/week
June 5, 2017June 11, 201740 hours/week
June 12, 2017June 18, 201740 hours/week
June 19, 2017June 25, 201740 hours/week
June 26, 2017July 2, 201740 hours/week
July 3, 2017July 9, 201740 hours/week
July 10, 2017July 16, 201740 hours/week
July 17, 2017July 23, 201740 hours/week
July 24, 2017July 30, 201740 hours/week
July 31, 2017August 6, 201740 hours/week
August 7. 2017August 13, 201740 hours/week
August 14, 2017August 20, 201740 hours/week
August 21, 2017August 27. 201740 hours/week
SemesterWeek Beginning DateWeek Ending DateEmployment Hour Limit*
Fall 2017August 28, 2017September 3, 201720 hours/week
*International students are limited to 20 hours per week during the fall and winter semesters when classes are in session and 40 hours per week during weeks when classes are not in session and during the summer.
Time Reporting
The hiring supervisor must retain documentation of the day and time of day worked for each student employee. Students are paid for all time worked. Work time must be reported according to OU's Payroll Office work time reporting procedures. Students are not permitted to work during any enrolled class hours or exam times. Falsifying work time reporting is a violation of the U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and U.S. Department of Education regulations and University policy; this includes reporting work time on days and times the student did not work and/or exceeding the maximum hours allowed. Violations of the policy places the University at risk for federal fines and/or penalties and can jeopardize the visa status of international students. 
Termination of Employment
The termination of a student employee is a three-step process or clearly defined in the employer's student employee manual. The three-step process must include a verbal warning, followed by a written warning, and finally, termination. The employer must maintain termination documentation. In the event of an untimely departure of a student employee or mutual agreement to dismiss a student employee, the employer must notify Student Financial Services immediately.  Include the student name, last four digits of the Grizzly ID number, position number, and the termination date in an email to Laurie at alwarddiener@oakland.edu.
 
Relevant Oakland University Policies 
It is recommended that all student employees exposed to confidential information, such as educational records, student financial information, health information, and social security numbers, sign the Oakland University Employee and Student Intern Confidentiality Agreement form. The form should be presented to the student employee by the department supervisor. Departments will retain the signed copy in the student worker's employment file.  

It is the department's responsibility to ensure student employees understand confidential information is not to be used in any way, other than what is necessary as part of the job duties. Departments must also ensure that student workers review the following Oakland University's Information Technology and Security Policies:
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