Graduate Assistant Orientation

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Graduate Assistant Orientation

• Professional Studies in Education Department
• Fall 2005

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Program Coordinators

• Dr. Frank Corbett, Jr.
• 132 Stouffer Hall
• fcorbett_at_iup.edu
• 724 357-7560
• 911 (Emergency)

• Dr. Mary Renck Jalongo
• 122 Davis Hall
• mjalongo_at_iup.edu
• 724 357-2417 (office)
• 724 349-5423 (home)

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Main Office Contact Information

• Professional Studies in Education Department
• 305-306 Davis Hall
• 570 South Eleventh Street
• Indiana University of Pennsylvania
• Indiana, PA 15705
• To call or leave a message
• 724 357-2400
• 724 357-2401

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A Graduate Assistant Is

• A full-time student. You must be enrolled in 9
  credits every semester in which you receive a GA
  stipend.
• A professional colleague. Our expectation is
  that you will behave in an ethical and
  professional manner at all times and keep any
  student problems of which you are aware
  confidential.

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Office Procedures

• IntroductionMailbox
• Work Request FormsPhotocopiesPay
  checksTestsPhoneMailOffice SpaceTravelHandou
  t

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Many of Our GAs in PSE

• Collaborate with the faculty on various
  professional projects in schools and communities
• Provide teaching support to the faculty mentor
  (but do not perform instructor of record tasks)
• Make presentations at professional conferences
• Co-author publications with PSE faculty members

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Purposes of the GA Program

• To offer mutual professional growth opportunities
  to the student and the faculty mentor
• To provide financial support to graduate students
  with outstanding academic credentials
• The goals of the assistantship program are to
  bring highly qualified graduate students to IUP
  and to enrich their educational experience
  through their assistantship. (IUP Policy on
  Graduate Assistantships Approved by Senate, May
  2002)

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Work Responsibilities

• 10 hour GAs work for 10 hours per week for a
  faculty mentor.
• 20 hour GAs work for 20 hours per week for a
  faculty mentor.
• There may be some weeks when you exceed this or
  do not meet it exactly however, the average
  across all weeks should be either 10 or 20 hours.
• No work duties are assigned in the summer (unless
  you have a summer assistantship).

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PSE Office Procedures

• Mrs. Eleanor Winsheimer,
• Administrative Assistant
• Professional Studies in Education

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Stipend

• A stipend is a small salary that is intended to
  defray the cost of your fees, books, travel, and
  so forth. It is taxable and is not sufficient to
  cover living expenses.
• The exact amount of your stipend is specified on
  your GA contract.

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Tuition Remission

• 20 hour GAs get a full tuition waiver in the
  fall, the spring, and the summer following their
  GA year.
• 10 hour GAs get a half tuition waiver in the
  fall, the spring, and the summer following their
  GA year.
• Summer assistantships are for tuition only for
  students who were GAs previously.

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Limitations on Clerical Duties

• No graduate assistantship description shall
  contain more than two hours per week for clerical
  work or similar tasks of a routine nature. All
  graduate assistantships must be provided with
  adequate work space to carry out their assigned
  tasks. From the IUP Policy on Graduate
  Assistants

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Procedure for Paychecks

• Go to the Student Payroll office in G-8 of
  Sutton Hall to sign up for your checks.
• 1. You must sign up by August 24th in order to
  receive your first paycheck on September 16th.
  Your check will be available in the PSE
  Department main office by 930 a.m. We are not
  authorized to give your paychecks to other people
  to pick up for you.

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More on Paychecks

• 2. You may request direct deposit into your bank
  account if that is more convenient that will
  take two pay periods (about 4 weeks) to go into
  effect. Your pay stubs will continue to come to
  the PSE Department.3. International students
  must take their Social Security card and passport
  the Student Payroll Office.
• Domestic students need their Social Security
  card and a photo ID.

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Monthly Reports

• On the form, provide a brief description of your
  duties each week and the amount of time devoted
  to each task. Obtain your faculty mentors
  signature and place it in my mailbox.
• For months in which you work just one or two
  weeks, squeeze them in on the full months form
  (e.g., August will go on Septembers report).

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Financial Matters

• Everyone gets billed for tuition. When you go to
  pay your bill, they will have a list of GAs and
  adjust the tuition accordingly.
• GAs are responsible for paying the fees.
• If you are a 10-hour GA in both the fall and the
  spring, one-half of your tuition is paid and you
  get a one-half tuition waiver in the summer.
• If you are a 20-hour GA in both the fall and the
  spring, all of your tuition is paid for fall,
  spring, and summer, up to 12 credits maximum.

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Advice

• Keep a calendar and stay organized. Store your
  assistantship materials in a separate folder or
  bag.
• Manage your timethere is always an
  end-of-the-semester rush that can be
  over-whelming.
• Stay in communication with your faculty mentor.
  Before you tackle a huge project, complete a
  portion of it and check to see if this is what
  your mentor was expecting.

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• If problems arise, here is the chain of command
  speak with your mentor first. If it still has
  not been resolved, talk with Drs. Jalongo and
  Corbett about the issue. We will arrange a
  four-way meeting as necessary with you, us, and
  your faculty mentor.

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Possible Issues

• Misunderstandings about responsibilities.
• Solution Communicate clearly, ask questions,
  check in periodically as work is being developed.
• Too much clerical work.
• Solution Refer to the IUP Policy2 hours
  maximum per week.
• Exceeding the maximum number of hours.
• Solution Refer to your contract.

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Contractual Obligations

• You have signed a contract to be a graduate
  assistant in the Professional Studies in
  Education Department. Our expectation is that you
  will honor that binding agreement.
• If, due to unforeseen/emergency circumstances you
  are forced to resign, please notify us
  immediately. When a student resigns, we usually
  are not permitted to replace him or her and the
  faculty mentor is without a GA for the year.

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Next Year

• Assistantships are not automatically renewed.
  Students seeking a GA position for next year must
  reapply.