Retroactive and Non-standard GA Appointments

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Sent on behalf of Kent Holsinger, Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Dean of The Graduate School, and Alison Cutler, Labor Relations Associate, Labor and Employment Attorney, to Department Heads, Directors of Graduate Studies, and Department Graduate Admins

*****

Dear Colleagues, 

 

With rare exceptions, during the academic year Graduate Assistants (“GAs”) are appointed either for Fall or Spring semester or for the entire academic year. Fall and academic year appointments begin on August 23, and Spring appointments begin on or about January 6. Many benefits provided to GAs as part of the collective bargaining agreement, including tuition waivers and insurance, are tied to these appointment dates.

 

As the Fall 2021 semester approaches, we write to remind you that GA appointments with either a retroactive date of hire or a retroactive increase in percentage of appointment are prohibited. Appointment start dates must reflect the date employees begin their work assignments, including training and orientation. However, non-standard appointment dates can impact GA benefits, such as resulting in the GA losing some or all of their tuition waiver and/or affecting their eligibility for insurance coverage. Appointments for less than one semester also require advance approval from the union.

 

If a department believes that a non-standard, including a retroactive, start date is necessary, it should contact The Graduate School prior to issuing an offer letter. Among other things, this will allow for The Graduate School to work with the department and the GA to review the implications of the proposed non-standard start date.

 

Please remember that once you have issued an offer letter and it has been accepted by the GA, the University is obligated to honor the offer under Article 6 (Appointment Security) of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the Graduate Employee Union (GEU). Please also remember that GA assignments cannot exceed an average of twenty hours per week and that they not unreasonably exceed twenty hours in any given week (or the prorated hourly equivalent with a lower percentage appointment) under Article 10, (Workload) of the CBA.

 

Please contact us if you have further questions. 

 

Thanks,

 

Kent Holsinger

Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of Biology                     

Vice Provost for Graduate Education                                                   

   and Dean of The Graduate School                           

University of Connecticut                                                                        

www.grad.uconn.edu                                                                              

 

Alison Cutler

Labor Relations Associate, Labor and Employment Attorney

Office of Faculty & Staff Labor Relations

University of Connecticut

9 Walters Avenue, Unit 5075

Storrs, Connecticut 06269-5075

www.lr.uconn.edu

Come and join us for UConn’s 3MT competition final this Thursday evening

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After a year hiatus due to Covid, UConn’s 3MT competition is back, bigger and better than before.

We cordially invite you to join us this Thursday at 6-7pm EDT where 11 graduate student finalists will compete for the opportunity to represent UConn on the global stage. Please feel free to forward the following link (which contains the info to join the event) to your undergraduate and graduate student populations as well as interested staff and faculty. Come and cheer on the finalists! https://mailchi.mp/uconn.edu/youre-invited-to-support-uconns-3mt-finalists.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Onwards!

Stuart P. Duncan PhD DMA

Message from Payroll: Welcome, Graduate Assistants, to UConn Fall 2021

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The first GA payment will be on August 27, 2021 and will be prorated for the pay dates between 8/23/2021 and 8/26/2021 (4 days paid with the first check). UConn pays bi-weekly (every two weeks).  Payroll-Calendar 2021.pdf  The second pay day is Sept 10, 2021 and every two weeks thereafter for the full biweekly stipend payment (10 days paid).   

 

Keep in mind, your graduate assistant payments will vary depending on whether or not you elect health insurance GA-health-insurance/, if you elect to join the GEU-UAW union and pay union dues, or sign up for payroll fee bill deductions graduate Fee Bill-payroll-deduction.  General deductions do not begin immediately (with the first payment) so keep an eye on your pay statement to see the various deductions.  The first deductions for insurance premiums and Bursar’s fee bill deductions will be on 9/24/2021 so mark your calendars and review your pay stub if you signed up for these deductions. Your tax withholdings will be deducted from your first GA payment. 

 

The Rec Center Relief reimbursement payment will be paid in the second payment of September on 9/24/2021. Please refer to the GEU-UAW contract for more information on this relief payment. 

 

NEW HIRE GAs:  Once your payroll record has been set up and the fall semester has begun on 8/23/2021, you can log into Employee Self Service (ESS) portal as of 8/24/2021 (https://ess.uconn.edu/) to manage your personal data such as tax withholdings, name changes, address changes, and setting up or changing direct deposit accounts. Payroll’s direct deposit is separate from the Bursar’s direct deposit and should be entered separately through ESS. Also, ESS is where you will go to view your biweekly pay stubs and print out your year-end W2 when it’s available. If you prefer to upload your tax and direct deposit information prior to 8/24/2021, please use these links to send your documents securely:    

 

NEW HIRE GAs:  Your first payment will be mailed to the address that was listed in Student Administration (SA) at the time your payroll record was created. Therefore, if you have relocated and your address is different than your SA address you must let me know prior to 8/13/2021 so I can update the payroll system for your first payment. Updating your address in SA will NOT update Payroll-CoreCT. You must email your local address and write LOCAL ADDRESS in the Subject line to gena.twarz@uconn.edu. International GA’s who did not have a US address at the time your payroll was set up will have the first payments mailed to the Payroll office. As soon as you have a US address email gena.twarz@uconn.edu with your valid home/mailing address. 

 

RETURNING GAs, or GAs that were previously employed or are currently active at UConn on Student Labor, Special Payroll, or any other UConn payroll (or any other state agency) and were receiving a direct deposit payment – you do not need to submit a direct deposit form. If the existing direct deposit is a valid account, you do not need to do anything. If you are currently active on a UCONN payroll you can log into Employee Self Service ESS and make changes to your address or direct deposit if needed. If your prior direct deposit account is no longer active, please email gena.twarz@uconn.edu as soon as possible so your first payment does not go to an inactive account. 

 

Finally, for NEW hire GAs, if your SA account does not have your valid social security number, and consequently Payroll will not have your valid SSN, you need to update both the Registrar’s Office and Payroll with your valid SSN. DO NOT EMAIL your SSN or copy of your card to Payroll or the Registrar’s office. Instead, use the following links to update your SSN:   

  • Follow the instructions on the Registrar’s Biographical Information Update Request form (fax#860/486-0272; In-person office hours as of 8/16/21; or arrange to send via filelocker.uconn.edu). Do not send your Social Security Number in an email.   
  • Please send Social Security card to Payroll through OneDrive:  Upload SSN here  

  

Be well and best wishes for a successful year, 

Gena 

 

Gena Twarz 

Graduate Assistant Payroll Manager 

Gena.twarz@uconn.edu  

Payroll Department 

343 Mansfield Rd, Storrs, CT 06269-1111 

Available to Speak via Teams:  https://email.uconn.edu/what-is-microsoft-teams/ 

fax: 860/486-4296 

New Graduate Catalog, GFC Updates, and Online Final Exam form

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The 2021-2022 Graduate Catalog is now available. The new catalog includes the updates approved by the Graduate Faculty Council last year. A copy of the updates approved by the GFC and incorporated into this year’s catalog is attached for your reference, and the new catalog can be found here.

As a reminder, all changes to program requirements and other language in the graduate catalog must be processed through the GPAR system. Proposed changes need to be submitted well before the Registrar’s deadline (March 1, 2022) to allow sufficient time for needed approvals. The GPAR webpage can be found here, and Associate Dean Kathy Segerson (kathleen.segerson@uconn.edu) can be contacted with questions about changes.

We’re excited to share that an online Report on the Final Exam for Plan B master’s, DNP, and Sixth Year students is now available. This has replaced the previous PDF form and the need for “wet” signatures or emailed approvals. As a reminder, the online Defense and Final Thesis/Dissertation Approval form introduced last year eliminated the need to submit a paper Report on the Final Exam form for doctoral and Plan A thesis master’s students. At this point, both the PhD general exam and proposal defense forms still need to be submitted in paper form, although we are working on developing electronic workflows for those as well. Please contact Jenn Horan (doctoral), Sandra Cyr (master’s, Sixth Year), or the Degree Audit Office with any questions about these workflows.

International TA Orientation – registration open

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Good afternoon,

Registration for UCAELI’s online International TA Orientation on August 9th is now open. Please see the below message from UCAELI for more details and share with your grads as appropriate.

The deadline to register for the August microteaching test is July 27th. More information about testing and the testing schedule can be found here.

***
Who needs to attend ITA Orientation on Monday, August 9?
ITA Orientation is intended for international TAs who have never taught in the United States. International TAs with teaching experience from another university in the United States are welcome to attend, but their attendance is not required. Students who have been screened for TA via the microteaching test, waiver interview, or UCAELI proficiency assessment are strongly advised to attend. Students who have not been screened for TA but planning to are also invited to attend.

Please visit the ITA website, www.ita.uconn.edu for more information.

If you have any questions, please email Ana Colón at register-ucaeli@uconn.edu.

Important Information for Graduate Students Studying Outside the U.S.

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We are aware that travel to the US from some parts of the world is still difficult and that some of our international students may be considering whether to enroll in courses from their home country this fall. If the student will be engaged in research, their work may be subject to export control laws, which are federal regulations governing the sharing and use of certain information, technologies, and commodities overseas. I am writing to let you know that graduate students, whether domestic or international, who will be outside of the US for most or all of the semester and who anticipate enrolling in a course that is outside of the standard education abroad program content (e.g., GRAD 5950/6950/5999/6999, an independent study, or a departmental research course) should obtain approval before finalizing their fall enrollment. In some cases, export control review will be required for enrollment in these courses. Export control review can take several weeks—we advise that students plan with this timeline in mind. If a student proceeds without prior approval and export control review reveals a significant concern, they may need to withdraw from the course in question. If they are required to withdraw, there could be financial implications, including only a partial return of tuition according to the university refund schedule, a requirement to return a portion of any financial aid they received, or both.

To obtain approval, the student should contact graduatedean@uconn.edu with the following information:

  • Field of study
  • Proposed course enrollment (catalog number and course name)
  • Brief (one-two sentences only) summary of research topic
  • Country of citizenship
  • Country where courses will be taken/research conducted abroad
  • List of any special equipment/computer hardware/software that is not commercially available to be used while abroad

Conference Participation Award Applications Open

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Please note this message is expired as of June 30th, 2021.

The Graduate School is committed to helping graduate students achieve their academic, professional, and personal goals during their time at the University of Connecticut. In support of this goal, The Graduate School offers a Conference Participation Award to support students’ ability to present their research at national or international meetings and conferences, including both in-person and virtual events. This conference participation fellowship in the amount of $750 will be awarded for Fall 2021 and paid through the student’s fee bill. If awarded, students will be notified in August. Please review the eligibility criteria for the fellowship carefully before applying.

Students are responsible for knowing any and all travel advisories, restrictions, and relevant University policies and should plan accordingly. Students should stay up-to-date with information shared by the U.S. Department of State (https://travel.state.gov/travel/en.html/), State of Connecticut (https://portal.ct.gov/coronavirus/travel) and the University’s Travel Services office (https://travel.uconn.edu).

Eligibility Criteria:

  • The applicant must be a doctoral or MFA student.
  • The applicant must be enrolled in the semester for which the fellowship is awarded, e.g., fall semester for applications due in June.
  • The applicant must have successfully completed at least 30 credits toward their degree program prior to applying for this fellowship.
  • The applicant is not eligible if they have previously received a Doctoral Student Travel Award or Conference Participation Award.
  • The funds are intended to be used for participation in a conference at which the student is presenting their research.
  • Students at UConn Health and UConn Law are not eligible for this award.

Please note, fellowships are not guaranteed, as funds are limited and pending budgetary approval. We hope to provide funding to all eligible applicants, but eligible students who are not awarded in this cycle will be encouraged to apply in the next cycle.

The deadline for application is June 30th, 2021. Applications received following this date will not be considered. You can access the application form and more information here: Conference Participation Award | The Graduate School (uconn.edu)

For more information, contact: Abigail Campbell  at gradschool@uconn.edu.

Remote Work for GAs and Tuition Remission

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Colleagues,

I am writing with guidance about graduate assistants working while outside the U.S.

Remote Work

GAs provide vital teaching and research service to the University, and some of this work might be possible remotely. GAs who are here in the U.S. are able to work remotely, provided they have supervisor approval and that the responsibilities of the position can be completed from the remote location. Last year, the University made a one-time exception to allow a limited number of GAs to work from outside the U.S. during 2020/2021 because of the exceptional hardship associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. I anticipate that the University will require all GAs to be in the United States to hold an appointment in Fall 2021 and beyond.

The employment, labor, and tax obligations to which GAs are subject when outside of the U.S. are those of the country from which they are working, even if they are working on behalf of an employer like UConn that is located in the U.S. In some cases, accepting a paycheck from UConn could expose an individual to personal liability and potentially significant consequences in the country where they reside. As a result, the University has determined that graduate students must be here in the U.S. in order to work as a GA and are expected to remain in the U.S. for the duration of their appointment. (Please remember that GAs have a right to 10 days off for a 1-semester appointment or 20 days off for an academic year appointment. With the approval of their GA supervisor, a GA could leave the country before the end of their Fall appointment and return after the beginning of their Spring appointment, treating the days outside the U.S. as time off.)

Deferring Admission

Incoming graduate students to whom departments offered a graduate assistantship in Fall 2021 and who are unlikely to be able to arrive by the start date of their appointment are strongly encouraged to defer admission to a later date or to take advantage of the tuition remission option described below. Students may request a deferral through the Accounts & Forms area of their Application Status page. The request will then be routed to the program for review and approval. Please consult The Graduate School (gradadmissions@uconn.edu) with any questions regarding the deferral process.

 

Tuition Remission

The University will allow any graduate students that would be graduate assistants in Fall 2021 and are unable to arrive in the U.S. to enroll in courses without a tuition charge. Students who received tuition remission last year will be eligible for tuition remission again. Departments who want to offer this option must make it available to all GAs who would have held an assistantship in Fall 2021 and are unable to come to the U.S., and they should provide The Graduate School with a list of those students (name and 7-digit Student ID) and a copy of the student’s GA offer letter at graduatedean@uconn.edu by August 15th. Students receiving tuition remission are still personally responsible for remitting their student fees according to the deadlines published by the Office of the Bursar.

If you have any questions, please send them to graduatedean@uconn.edu, and we will respond as quickly as possible.

Kent Holsinger

—

Kent E. Holsinger
Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor
Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Dean of The Graduate School

3MT Competition 2021

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The Graduate School is excited to announce this year’s 3MT competition, to be held virtually on Thursday 12 August, 6-7pm (EDT) with a submission deadline of Friday July 30.

As you will note from the email below, we are offering graduate students the opportunity to attend short training sessions over the summer, to prepare for the competition; however, this year we are also adding an option for departments to have a custom virtual session specifically designed for your students. We would set up a time that would work for you and your interested graduate students and then tailor the content to your field / subject area.

If you are interested, please send me an email by the end of May so we can start working out specifics.

Please feel free to forward the information below to your graduate students or staff/faculty that might be interested in being a part of UConn’s competition!

Onwards!

Stuart

Stuart P. Duncan PhD DMA

Director of Fellowships, Outreach, and Programming

The Graduate School, University of Connecticut

Pronouns (He/Him & They/Them)

Graduate Dismissal Process

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At the end of May, the Department Head, Director of Graduate Studies, and faculty advisors will receive a list of students in their program who have failed to maintain the required minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 and/or who have received a grade of “D+,” “D,” “D-,” “F,” or “U” in any course. We will assume that the advisor’s intention is to continue the student unless the advisor or department specifies that the student should be dismissed. If the student should be dismissed on the basis of failing grades or low GPA, the dismissal recommendation should be submitted to graduatedean@uconn.edu no later than June 16, 2021. If the student will be continuing graduate study, the advisor should work directly with the student to create a mitigation plan for their academic performance.

If there is a student who is subject to dismissal based on other dismissal criteria (the full list can be found herein The Graduate Catalog), the department must notify The Graduate School that the student should be included in the formal dismissal process for Spring 2021. To do so, the advisor should email the following information to graduatedean@uconn.edu:

·       the student’s name

·       student ID

·       rationale for dismissal

·       the advisor’s understanding of the student’s academic plans (e.g., Will the student be exiting the university? Does the student plan to discontinue their current program and enroll in another UConn program?)

Please note, The Graduate School only notifies students that they have been dismissed—we do not notify students that they are subject to dismissal. Students notified of dismissal will have ten business days from the date The Graduate School sends them a formal dismissal letter to submit an appeal of the dismissal.

As a reminder, graduate students do not have the option to place courses on Pass/Fail or Pass/W-Audit for Spring 2021. All recommendations for dismissal should be submitted to graduatedean@uconn.edu by June 16, 2021.

Best,

Megan Petsa, M.A.

Director of Graduate Student Administration

 

The Graduate School

University of Connecticut

The Whetten Graduate Center, Second Floor 

438 Whitney Road Extension, Unit 1152 | Storrs, CT  06269-1152

860.486.0977 | www.grad.uconn.edu | Pronouns: she/hers