Hiring TAs & GAs

+ TAGA Hiring Timeline

Processing Deadlines for Fall or All-Year TAGA Hires Hiring Departments have more flexibility when hiring students for the fall or entire year	Processing Deadlines for Spring TAGA Hires Spring hiring deadlines are unforgiving due to time constraints between the fall and spring terms.
School: June 15 Reviews & approves ARF Uploads it to the TAGA Team Site	School: November 15 Reviews & approves ARF Uploads it to the TAGA Team Site
GPIS: July 1 Reviews ARF for eligibility criteria (min GPA, account #, etc.) Adds students to shared scholarship spreadsheet Updates Banner Sends ARF to HRDI using the Teams Approval process.	GPIS: December 1 Reviews ARF for eligibility criteria (min GPA, account #, etc.) Adds students to shared scholarship spreadsheet Updates Banner Sends ARF to HRDI using the Teams Approval process.
HRDI: July 15 Sends out Fair Chance Hiring Form upon receipt of the ARF Sends out Appointment Letter upon receipt of Fair Chance Hiring Form Sends out Email w/login information for PeopleAdmin where TAGAs complete the rest of their hiring paperwork.	HRDI: December 15 Send out Fair Chance Hiring Form upon receipt of the ARF Sends out Appointment Letter upon receipt of Fair Chance Hiring Form Sends out Email w/login information for PeopleAdmin where TAGAs complete the rest of their hiring paperwork.
TAGA: August 11 Finalize hiring paperwork in PeopleAdmin	TAGA: December 31 Finalize hiring paperwork in PeopleAdmin
Payroll: August 15 Adds TAGA to Payroll 11 Student receives first check on September 11 Student receives last check for fall work on January 15	Payroll: January 1 Adds TAGA to Payroll 21 Student receives first check on January 29 Student receives final check on June 5
Fall Term: Assistantships begin the first day of classes for the term Assistantships end with the last day of finals for TAs and GAs and after grade submission for TRs	Spring Term: Assistantships begin the first day of classes for the term Assistantships end with the last day of finals for TAs and GAs and after grade submission for TRs

Processing Deadlines for
Fall or All-Year TAGA Hires

Hiring Departments have more flexibility when hiring students for the fall or entire year

Processing Deadlines for
Spring TAGA Hires

Spring hiring deadlines are unforgiving due to time constraints between the fall and spring terms.

School: June 15

Reviews & approves ARF
Uploads it to the TAGA Team Site

School: November 15

Reviews & approves ARF
Uploads it to the TAGA Team Site

GPIS: July 1

Reviews ARF for eligibility criteria (min GPA, account #, etc.)
Adds students to shared scholarship spreadsheet
Updates Banner
Sends ARF to HRDI using the Teams Approval process.

GPIS: December 1

Reviews ARF for eligibility criteria (min GPA, account #, etc.)
Adds students to shared scholarship spreadsheet
Updates Banner
Sends ARF to HRDI using the Teams Approval process.

HRDI: July 15

Sends out Fair Chance Hiring Form upon receipt of the ARF
Sends out Appointment Letter upon receipt of Fair Chance Hiring Form
Sends out Email w/login information for PeopleAdmin where TAGAs complete the rest of their hiring paperwork.

HRDI: December 15

Send out Fair Chance Hiring Form upon receipt of the ARF
Sends out Appointment Letter upon receipt of Fair Chance Hiring Form
Sends out Email w/login information for PeopleAdmin where TAGAs complete the rest of their hiring paperwork.

TAGA: August 11

Finalize hiring paperwork in PeopleAdmin

TAGA: December 31

Finalize hiring paperwork in PeopleAdmin

Payroll: August 15

Adds TAGA to Payroll 11
Student receives first check on September 11
Student receives last check for fall work on January 15

Payroll: January 1

Adds TAGA to Payroll 21
Student receives first check on January 29
Student receives final check on June 5

Fall Term:

Assistantships begin the first day of classes for the term
Assistantships end with the last day of finals for TAs and GAs and after grade submission for TRs

Spring Term:

Assistantships begin the first day of classes for the term
Assistantships end with the last day of finals for TAs and GAs and after grade submission for TRs

Payroll Calendar - Select "Administration - Lag"

+ Student Employment Types

Teacher of Record (TR)

Responsibilities include some combination of the following:

Duties: Serves as primary instructor of record, teaching classes which may include lecture, studio, laboratory, or other types of courses as required by the department. As a primary instructor, they automatically gain access to Brightspace for the course that they are teaching.

Providing direct instruction
Grading student assignments
Developing academic instructional materials
Maintaining office hours to provide instructional support.
Providing curricular and academic advice to students

Ongoing professional development is required for TRs.

Teaching Assistant (TA)

Select this type if your new hire will provide grading support for faculty.

Responsibilities include some combination of the following:

Duties:

Grading student assignments
Proctoring exams
Tutoring students
Leading lab or discussion groups
Developing academic instructional materials
Maintaining office hours to provide instructional or tutoring support.
Providing curricular and academic advice to students.

Graduate Assistant (GA)

Responsibilities include some combination of the following:

Conducting research
General office work/clerical/receptionist/scheduling
Advising, outreach and/or technical services
Website management/assisting faculty/staff with web pages.
Network administration/end-user support
Onboarding or training services
Assisting with event management
Marketing, social media and/or non-research publications
Lab/Studio/Equipment/Materials maintenance and/or organization
Providing consultation to students, guests, or clients
Providing curricular and academic advice to students

Graduate Student Assistant (GSA)

GSA positions are Temp Service. They are not equivalent to a GA

Responsibilities include some combination of the following:

As compared with the All-University Graduate Assistant(GA) position, Graduate Student Assistants(GSAs) are not unionized and receive neither a tuition scholarship nor a stipend.
They are hired through the Payroll department as temporary service.
They are paid an hourly rate and submit by-weekly timesheets via my.newpaltz.edu
They are hired using a Student Assistant Appointment Form

+ Cost

Graduate Assistantship Cost Detail by Appointment Type (Full vs Half) and Scholarship Rates

NOTE: Base stipends are subject to change depending upon GSEU-negotiated salary increases.

Load
All-University Assistantships may be offered as:

Full assistantships which include 20hrs of service, $2500 stipend*/term, and an Ashokan Scholarship (6 credits)
*English TRs receive $2500 for teaching Composition I and $3000 for teaching Writing & Rhetoric
Half assistantships which include 10hrs of service, a $1250 stipend/term, and a Mohonk Scholarship (3 credits)

Tuition Scholarships

Ashokan Scholarship (6cr waiver)
Mohonk Scholarship (3cr waiver)
Peregrine Plus Scholarship (Optional add-on award that covers the tuition differential between in-state and out-of-state tuition. (The Peregrine Plus Scholarship can only be used in combination with an Ashokan or Mohonk Scholarship.)

Reminder: Tuition Scholarships are calculated at the NYS resident tuition rate (GR and MBA). You can increase this support by checking the "Add Peregrine +" when completing the Graduate Assistantship ARF.

Tuition Scholarships in Action

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Duration
All-University Assistantships may be offered for the:

Academic Year (AY) – or – One Term (Spring or Fall)

Note: Departments are encouraged to hire for the full academic year since the abbreviated timeframe between the fall and spring terms results in delayed access to Brightspace, paychecks and benefits.

+ Hiring Process

Click image below to enlarge.

Hiring Documents

Students are hired through submission of a Graduate Assistantship ARF. We can provide you with a brief PowerPoint presentation Assistantship ARF Hiring PowerPoint) to walk you through it. You can also refer to the template ARF: ARF Template. If you have any questions, please e-mail Vika Shock at shockv@newpaltz.edu or Sue Ugricich at ugricics@newpaltz.edu

Hiring Process

Student fills out Page 1 of ARF
Department fills out Page 2 of ARF
Department Chair and Academic Dean sign ARF
Department submits ARF to GPIS
GPIS processes ARF and collects Fair Chance Form from Student
GPIS submits ARF and Fair Chance to HRDI
HRDI finalizes hiring paperwork with Student

Modifying an ARF

To revise a TAGA appointment, please submit a revised Graduate Assistantship ARF with the changes highlighted so that Human Resources may amend the appointment letter.
Click image below to enlarge.

To cancel a TAGA appointment, please submit a revised Graduate Assistantship ARF indicating with the student’s last day of service (if applicable) so that the student may be removed from payroll and the tuition scholarship waiver withdrawn.
Click image below to enlarge.

Orientation

Human, Resources, Diversity & Inclusion (HRDI) will schedule orientation sessions for new assistants. Students may also request an individual appointment with Vika Shock if they have questions regarding the hiring process, tuition scholarship or stipends.

Professional Development

We require that all Teachers of Record participate in an ongoing professional development program. Individual departments must offer incoming TRs an orientation before the semester begins in addition to tracking and evaluating their students’ progress. Departmental programming should be sufficient in scope to be directive and meaningful to a teacher-in-training.

Please note that participation in the departmental training program must be documented at the conclusion of the TR’s first appointment and that the mentoring faculty member should prepare a statement describing the training. This statement should be signed by the department chair and then forwarded with any re-appointment request. Failure to supply this statement will prevent the student from being rehired as a Teacher of Record (TR).

Remuneration

Students typically wait four weeks before receiving their first paycheck. An appointment letter is not generated until students respond to HRDI’s email request with a Fair Chance Hiring Form. Any delays in finalizing this step will postpone the student’s initial paycheck. If students submit their signed appointment letter and other hiring paperwork to Human Resources by late August, they will receive their first paycheck in mid-September.

Note: Students wait two periods (one month) before receiving their first check – any delays in returning documents may prolong the waiting period for paychecks.

+ Benefits

Full Assistants working 20 hours/week are eligible to enroll in health insurance coverage through the GSEU. Half assistantships are not eligible for benefits.

Students who are employed in spring and receiving health care benefits through the TAGA program can continue their coverage over the summer if they are offered continued appointments for the next fall semester.

Click the images below to enlarge.

+ TAGA Program Team Site (New Tracking System)

We launched a new Teams site where we will store approved ARFs, appointment letters, performance programs, HRDI approvals, tuition scholarship information, etc. At this time, we have restricted access to associate deans, budget personnel, department chairs, and select administrative assistants. Please contact Vika Shock if you are unable to access this Teams site, would like to add a member to your folder, or would like a tutorial on how to access and use the site.

Graduate, Professional & Interdisciplinary Studies