POLICY NO: 1-09 
VCCS POLICY NO: N/A
EFFECTIVE DATE: 03/19/1991
REVISED DATE: 10/21/2021
  1. Purpose:

    To provide policy and guidelines for the basis upon which the college will consider and make awards to students for Federal Work-Study (FWS) opportunities.

  2. Definitions:

    Federal Work-Study (FWS): provides part-time jobs for students with financial need, allowing them to earn money to help pay education expenses. Reynolds Community College (Reynolds) receives a yearly allocation from the Department of Education to be expended in the FWS Program.

  3. Policy:

    The following policies shall apply for the operation of the FWS Program for the fall and spring semesters and for the summer sessions unless separate policies are provided:

    1. The Financial Aid Office shall determine the eligibility status for students who demonstrate financial need via the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and who complete an application for a federal Work-Study position.

    2. Students who are interested in Federal Work-Study employment must submit the FWS Application to the FWS coordinator in the Office of Financial Aid. Once a student's application has been received by the FWS coordinator, the financial aid status shall be reviewed to determine eligibility. In the event students are eligible for FWS, students shall receive an email confirming eligibility to participate in the FWS Program and explanation of next steps for placement in a FWS position.

    3. The college does not guarantee a FWS position to each student who is eligible to participate in the FWS Program.

    4. The FWS coordinator shall determine how many students can be sustained on the FWS payroll by dividing the total dollars allocated for the FWS Program by the hourly rate of pay for employment and further dividing that number by the average academic year FWS award amount.

    5. The FWS coordinator is responsible for authorizing placements, conducting orientation with new FWS participants, forwarding employment packets to the supervisors, and submitting completed employment packets to the Office of Human Resources for placement on the college's FWS payroll. If the work-study student is hired in a defined Reynolds security sensitive position, the FWS coordinator is responsible for obtaining the completed and signed Employment Background Investigation Authorization and Disclosure form. This signed form must be submitted to Human Resources prior to the first day of work along with the above-referenced employment packets.

    6. The FWS coordinator shall work with supervisors to identify potential students for jobs in their areas. Applications (and resumes, if provided by the student) for potential FWS students shall be forwarded to the perspective supervisor. The supervisor shall contact the potential students to set up interviews. The supervisor shall forward the name of the selected student to the FWS coordinator for hiring.

    7. The FWS coordinator is responsible for authorizing and approving all FWS placements in the FWS Program. In all cases, the supervisor must furnish the FWS coordinator with the name of the student they would like to hire. This is the point at which the supervisor is informed that the student's placement in the FWS Program is authorized. The FWS coordinator informs the supervisor of the number of weekly hours and maximum number of hours per semester the student may work based on the student's FWS award.

    8. As work-study jobs are filled by the FWS coordinator, the work-study pool hours shall be reduced by the number of hours assigned to each filled job. When all work-study hours are obligated, no further work-study positions shall be filled. If work-study jobs are vacated by students or canceled by the supervisor, the FWS coordinator shall be notified immediately and the remaining hours assigned to that job shall be returned to the work study pool.

    9. All successfully hired FWS Program participants shall be required to attend a mandatory orientation session prior to beginning their employment. The dates, times, and modality (in-person or virtual) of the orientation sessions will be communicated by the FWS coordinator to the selected student(s). During orientation, the FWS coordinator shall review and discuss the guidelines, procedures, authorized hours to be worked, and expectations associated with the FWS Program. All participants shall receive an employment package containing necessary forms to be completed for employment and payroll purposes.

    10. Group orientation sessions shall be held at the beginning of each semester. Students who have attended an orientation session during the fall term and will be continuing their employment during the spring and summer terms, will not be required to attend a spring or summer orientation session. If necessary, individual orientation sessions shall be held, by appointment only, once all group sessions have concluded.

    11. The FWS coordinator shall inform both the student employee and supervisor when the student employee has fewer than fifty (50) hours remaining to be worked. The student employee and the supervisor shall be notified in writing by email and/or U.S. mail, and by telephone. Once the FWS coordinator has communicated this information to the student and supervisor in a timely manner (remaining hours to be worked total fewer than fifty (50), any hours worked in excess of the authorized hours shall not be paid through FWS funding.

    12. FWS students are paid bi-weekly, as scheduled based on the Wage and Work Study Pay Calendar. On-campus students record their arrival and departure times daily on the HRMS system and submit the hours to their immediate supervisor. The submitted hours are reviewed weekly by the immediate supervisor for exceptions and approval.

      Students employed off-campus must complete and sign the Reynolds hard-copy timesheets of the hours worked and submit these to their off-campus supervisor for review and approval. The off-campus supervisor faxes the signed timesheet to the FWS coordinator. The FWS coordinator enters approved hours from the faxed timesheets into the HRMS system.

      Approved hours worked by off-campus students must be received in the Financial Aid Office no later than Friday of each week. If the deadline is missed, certification by the FWS coordinator may be delayed, which may also delay processing of the paycheck by two (2) weeks.

      The FWS coordinator monitors expenditures by means of the FWS payroll report. The report identifies each student worker, each student's hourly rate of pay, the semester award amount, the pay period end date, hours worked that pay period, amount earned that pay period, and the remaining amount the student has to earn for the semester. Following the bi-weekly certification of timesheets by the Human Resources / Shared Services Office, the FWS coordinator shall reconcile the report with the Student Information System (SIS).

    13. The college shall satisfy the on-campus needs for FWS students before it accepts FWS opportunities in off-campus public and non-profit settings, except as it applies to the community service requirement of FWS students.

      The college shall identify FWS work opportunities that provide meaningful work experiences for the students in those work positions. Supervisors shall be required to attend applicable FWS orientation and training sessions and adhere to all requirements and guidelines of the FWS Program.

  4. Procedures:

    N/A

  5. Other Information:

    Employment Background Investigation Authorization and Disclosure Form
    Work-Study Employee Handbook
    Work-Study Handbook for Supervisors