Student employment guidelines

Dear Faculty and Staff Colleagues,

Since the decision to pivot to remote learning, we have been working diligently to adapt our employment practices to accommodate our student workers who will be learning remotely. There were multiple complex tax and legal considerations that we had to evaluate in order to provide the most opportunities possible for our students. We are pleased to share our plan with you.

Students may be offered jobs to be performed in person on campus or remotely. It is up to the hiring manager to determine how the job responsibilities will be carried out. Only students approved by Campus Life to be on campus are allowed to undertake work on campus.

• Students approved to live on/near campus: These students are permitted to work on campus and/or in remote jobs.  No other students should be traveling to campus for work.
• Students studying remotely from anywhere in the U.S.: These students are eligible for work as long as they possess a valid Social Security number and a U.S. bank account. This includes domestic and international students.
• Students studying remotely outside the U.S.: These students are permitted to work remotely only if they possess both a valid Social Security number and a U.S. bank account. If a student obtains both of these items during the semester, they are eligible to start working remotely at that time. 
• Students taking leave for the fall semester: These students are not eligible for employment. Student employment carries with it certain tax advantages, and this can only be realized if the student is actively attending the College.

As a result of the remote learning environment necessitated by the COVID-19 crisis, all income earned by students while temporarily performing work outside Pennsylvania will be considered Pennsylvania-sourced income (per guidance from the state’s Department of Revenue). This means that in addition to normal federal tax withholdings, Pennsylvania state and local taxes will be deducted, just as when the students performed the work on campus.

Supervisors should continue to post jobs for the fall semester through the College’s CareerSpot webpage. To submit opportunities for posting, email the information to Cathy Shankweiler, and make sure to indicate if the position can be performed remotely.

The listing of federal work-study and international work-study eligible students will be available by Monday. Priority hiring should apply to students who appear on this list. These students are eligible for both on-campus and remote work.

Starting this semester, we also are requiring all students to report their hours through online timesheets using Banner Self-Service. Many departments are already using this mechanism for reporting. The circumstances with so many students working remotely only reinforces the need for the College to make this transition. The Payroll Office has been reaching out to hiring managers to discuss this change and to offer training where needed. We anticipate students will grasp this new technology very quickly. They can log their hours from any computer or mobile device. The system also allows multiple approval levels for departments that have complex approval structures.

Additional questions regarding student payroll can be directed to Darlene Yost (ext. 5135) or Geoff Schoeneck (ext. 5142) in the Finance Office. 

Important documents
Student Payroll Calendar
Student Payroll Information
Student Payroll Notification
Employee Online Timesheet Instructions
Supervisor Online Timesheet Approval Instructions