Stateside Student Assistants

Posted on March 31, 2020

Dear Managers,

The below information applies to stateside Student Assistants including: Student Assistants (job code 1870), On Campus Work-Study (job code 1871), Off Campus Work-Study (job code 1872), and Non-Resident Alien Student Assistants (job code 1868). [Please contact Faculty Affairs regarding guidelines for represented student assistants in Unit 11 (GAs, TAs and ISAs) and Auxiliary Human Resources (nicolel@csufresno.edu) regarding guidelines for student assistants employed by our auxiliary organizations.]

In an effort to consolidate previous messages regarding pay for stateside student assistants, please be advised of the following:

For the time period between March 20 through April 5, the following applies:

• Student assistants who work in essential areas (as defined previously by HR), who are available, and who want to work on campus, may continue to work their regular schedule at their supervisor’s discretion and based upon the operating needs of the department.
• Student assistants are allowed to work remotely if an exception has been granted by the applicable division Vice President based on the nature of the work, and if their role is critical in supporting virtual instruction and student success services.
• Regarding student assistants who are ill, need to self-isolate, or if their job duties are impacted by transitioning to virtual education and on-campus work is not available, they will still be paid for the hours they would have otherwise worked through April 5.

ACTION: Student assistants are required to record their hours worked, or hours otherwise schedule to work, on their timesheets, as normal.

Starting April 6, the following applies:

• Student assistants who work in essential areas (as defined previously by HR), who are available, and who want to work on campus, may continue to work their regular schedule at their supervisor’s discretion and based upon the operating needs of the department.
• Student assistants are allowed to work remotely if an exception has been granted by the applicable division Vice President based on the nature of the work, and if their role is critical in supporting virtual instruction and student success services.

ACTION: Student assistants are required to record their hours worked on their timesheets, as normal.

• Beginning April 6, student assistants who are unable to work, on campus or remotely, will be provided with up to a maximum of 64 hours of COVID-19 Temporary Paid Administrative Leave (CPAL) for the following purposes:
• When an employee is unable to work due to the employee’s own COVID-19- related illness or that of a family member;
• When an employee is unable to work because the employee has been directed by their healthcare provider to not come to the worksite for COVID-19-related reasons;
• When it is not operationally feasible for the employee to work remotely; or
• When an employee is unable to work due to a COVID-19-related school or daycare closure, and the employee is required to be at home with a child or dependent, and it is not operationally feasible for the employee to work remotely or in conjunction with the childcare commitment.
• Student assistants who normally work up to 20 hours per week will be provided up to a maximum of 64 hours of CPAL, based on their work schedule during the current academic semester (the February 2020 pay period), prorated as follows:

• Student assistants may use their CPAL hours any time between April 6 through May 22, intermittently and with the approval of their supervisor. (They do not need to email Benefits to request touse CPAL.)
• Student assistants who are approved to work a reduced work schedule may use partial CPAL to offset the difference in hours they would have otherwise been scheduled to work.
• During the week of Spring Break (April 6-10), up to 20 hours of CPAL may be used.
• By April 3, HR/Payroll will send a report to each AVP/Dean to confirm the tier allocation that has been assigned to student assistants in their areas.

ACTION: Student assistants must record their CPAL usage on their timesheet using the applicable reason code. The CPAL code is not yet set up in the timesheet, so please standby for further instructions once the timesheet is updated by the CSU Chancellor’s Office.

What happens after the COVID-19 Temporary Paid Administrative Leave (CPAL) is exhausted? We expect that many of our student assistants will exhaust their CPAL on or around April 27. We are hopeful that we will have further guidance from the Chancellor’s Office about possible additional options available for our student assistants. We will keep you informed, if we receive further information.

Please share this information with the students who work in your department.

We sincerely appreciate your continued care for the well-being of our students who are faced with balancing virtual education with work and personal responsibilities. Our students continue to inspire us, and I know that, together, we are committed to supporting their academic success.

Best,
Marylou Mendoza-Miller, SPHR
Associate Vice President for Human Resources