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GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIP / GAIN SYSTEM INFORMATION FOR HIRING OFFICIALS

VERSION: AY 2020/2021

EKU GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIP INFORMATION FOR HIRING OFFICIALS - AY 2020/2021 2

Academic Year 2020/2021

Greetings EKU Graduate Assistant (GA) Hiring Officials,

Thank you for your work at EKU in assisting graduate students obtain graduate

assistantships. As you know, the cost of graduate school can be prohibitive to some students.

The availability of graduate assistantships help to ease some of that financial burden. Of

possibly even more importance, a graduate assistantship can provide valuable experience in a

student’s field and could lead to professional recommendations and future opportunities.

EKU is fortunate that GAs are valued by the administration, who provides funding for

approximately 155 assistantships each year. This figure does not include assistantships

funded by departments or external grants.

The purpose of this guide is to serve as a resource for hiring officials on the various aspects

of GAs. While it is doubtful that all questions will be answered within these pages, it is

hopeful that many common areas are covered to facilitate GA employment and utilization.

Should you have any questions regarding GAs, please do not hesitate to contact the EKU

Graduate School staff member responsible for GAs:

Mrs. Kelly L. Fox

Graduation Coordinator

The Graduate School at EKU

Whitlock 313

[email protected]

(859) 622-1744

https://gradschool.eku.edu/people/fox

PLEASE NOTE: Please submit all GA nominations through the GAIN system by early

August 2020, which will allow the workflow to reach the Graduate School before the first

week of courses. The Graduate School will continue to process GAs throughout the semester,

but after the second week both the stipend and tuition waiver are prorated.

mailto:[email protected]

https://gradschool.eku.edu/people/fox


AY 2020/2021 - Graduate Assistant (GA) Guide for Hiring Officials Table of Contents

Section ID: Content Area: Page #:

A. Graduate School GA Allocations to Departments 4

B. GA Selection / Use by Departments 4

C. GA Requirements / Eligibility 5

C1. GA Continuation Requirements 6

D. Student Outreach Questions 7

E. FY 2020/2021 GA Logistical Information 7

E1. Stipends 7

E2. Tuition Waivers 8

E3. Work Hours 8

E4. Summer Graduate Assistantships 8

F. Awarding/Nominating a Graduate Assistantship 9

G. Hiring Official Related Information 10

G1. Tax Information for GAs 10

G2. Background Checks 11

G3. Missing Pay for GAs 11

G4. GA Academic Load 11

G5. GA Additional Employment 12

G6. Job Conflicts 12

G7. Termination 12

G8. Resignation 13

G9. Sick Leave and Absence from Work Assignment 13

G10. Vacations and University Closings 13

H. The EKU Graduate Assistant Information Network (GAIN) 14

H1. GAIN User Registration Form 14

H2. GAIN System Login Links 14

H3. System Login Format 15

H4. GAIN System for Returning GAs 15

H5. GAIN Instructions for New GAs 16

H6. Checking Status of Student in the GAIN System 20


A. GRADUATE SCHOOL GA ALLOCATIONS TO DEPARTMENTS

In April 2020, the EKU President’s Council decided to hold

GA positions harmless in AY 2020/2021 funding.

Therefore, the number of graduate assistantships funded by

the EKU graduate school will not change (per college)

from those awarded during the 2019/2020 academic year.

• Hiring officials / Chairs please contact your Dean/Associate Dean for more information on GA allocations. Many departments fund their own GA positions from their departmental budgets (in addition to EKU Graduate School funding).

• Deans/Associate Deans, please contact Dr. Ryan Baggett if you have any questions regarding your allotment of EKU Graduate School funded assistantships.

B. GA SELECTION / USE BY DEPARTMENTS

While allocated by the EKU Graduate School,

Graduate Assistants will be selected and

supervised by the EKU academic departments.

Obviously, the candidates must meet eligibility

criterion presented in section C below, but

assistantships should only be awarded to EKU's

strongest graduate students who are enrolled

full-time. Additionally, GA positions should be used to attract perspective graduate

students to departments. Finally, it is the expectation of the EKU Graduate School that

students on assistantship appointments complete their degree requirements and graduate

within the normal two years of support provided by the assistantship. Unfortunately,

departments/programs that do not adequately assure timely progress toward degree

completion for their graduate assistants may see their allocation of assistantship positions

reduced in subsequent years.

Concerning the use of GAs, appointments should be directly related to the student's

program of study. The use of GAs to perform general clerical or administrative functions

is discouraged and appointments of this nature will not be approved.

mailto:[email protected]?subject=Graduate%20Assistantships%202020%20/%202021


Departments/Colleges must provide an educational justification for ALL GA positions

within the GAIN System. Position requests that do not include an appropriate educational

justification will not be approved.

Further, faculty/staff supervisors should emphasize

to GAs that they have a professional role in their

capacity at the university. All GAs are subject in

their teaching and research activities to the ethical

precepts and code of the academic profession.

Graduate assistants should be familiar with

applicable policies, regulations, and benefits. This includes all academic regulations of

the Graduate School (published in the Graduate Catalog under Section 4) and any

regulations of your department or program. Additionally, a graduate assistant agrees to

abide by all University rules and regulations pertaining to students, and to maintain

satisfactory progress toward their degree. In the event of a violation of such rules and

regulations, any assistantship can be terminated at the option of the University.

Acceptance of the assistantship is construed as acceptance of the foregoing conditions.

C. GA REQUIREMENTS / ELIGIBILITY

Students nominated for a graduate assistantship must meet the following requirements:

• Admission into a graduate degree program: GAs must be clearly or

provisionally admitted into a master’s degree program at Eastern Kentucky

University.

• Full-Time Enrollment in a Graduate Degree Program: GAs must be registered

for a minimum of nine (9) credit hours of graduate courses during the fall/spring

terms (6 hours in summer). Enrollment in undergraduate courses may not be used

to meet the full-time enrollment requirement unless the undergraduate courses

have been specifically identified at the time of admission as required to meet

program prerequisites.

• Graduate GPA Requirement: GAs must maintain a minimum graduate GPA of

3.0 at all times.


• Academic Overloads: Because of the demands of an assistantship appointment

and that of full-time enrollment in a rigorous graduate degree program, academic

overloads (more than 12 graduate hours/term) are not permitted for students

holding a full-time graduate assistantship.

• International Students awarded teaching assistantships must demonstrate

fluency and command of the English language.

Students NOT eligible for graduate assistantships:

• Students enrolled as non-degree, certification or rank only programs are NOT

eligible for graduate assistantships.

• Students who have probationary admission status or who are on academic

probation may NOT hold an assistantship until they have met the requirements

for Clear Admission to the program.

• Undergraduate students are NOT eligible to hold appointments. 3+2 graduate

programs should contact Kelly Fox on exclusions.

C1. GA CONTINUATION REQUIREMENTS

Graduate assistantships are appointed for

one semester at a time with the

possibility of renewal. In programs that

require less than 40 hours for

completion, a GA may hold an

assistantship appointment for a

maximum of two academic years (four

semesters), not including summer

semesters. The EKU Graduate School does not fund summer GA positions.

Continuation of the assistantship is contingent upon the following:

• Satisfactory progress toward the degree.

• Maintaining a 3.0 or better cumulative GPA.

• Maintaining full-time enrollment status (9-13 hours), and

• Fulfillment of duties as determined in the assistantship appointment.


To continue an assistantship within the same department, your department must renew

your nomination form via the GAIN system EACH semester.

D. STUDENT OUTREACH / QUESTIONS Students interested in a GA position at EKU

are encouraged by the EKU Graduate School

to take two initial steps:

1. Contact the department they are

interested in working for to obtain

detailed information on available

assistantships and on how to apply.

These calls will likely be directed to

the hiring official / department graduate coordinators. Also available on the EKU

GA website is a directory to graduate program coordinators.

2. Next, students are encouraged to search available Graduate Assistant postings by

going to EKU Human Resource’s Employment page and clicking on “Job

Seekers/View & Apply for Job Opportunities.” The student can then apply

directly for the position, via the website.

The EKU Graduate School has developed an FAQ webpage for interested students

https://gradschool.eku.edu/ga-frequently-asked-questions-faqs as well as a GA

Operations webpage https://gradschool.eku.edu/GA-Operations.

E. AY 2020/2021 GA LOGISTICAL INFORMATION

E1. 2020/2021 Graduate Assistant Stipends:

• The stipend levels will remain at $11,200 for full-time GAs / $5600 for half-time

GAs for the 2020-21 Academic Year. Please review all stipend levels to make

sure they are correct before submitting nominations for fall 2020.

• GA stipends are paid out in semi-monthly paychecks on the 15th and 30th of

every month.

https://gradschool.eku.edu/graduate-program-coordinators

https://gradschool.eku.edu/ga-frequently-asked-questions-faqs

https://gradschool.eku.edu/GA-Operations


• For the spring semesters the first checks are paid on January 31st (providing all

paperwork has been processed) and the last check is paid on May 15th. For fall

semester the first and last pay checks are August 31st and December 15th.

• Should there be a delay in adding a GA to payroll, causing the student not to

receive his/her first paycheck, the stipend will be pro-rated over the remaining

pay periods.

E2. 2020/2021 Graduate Assistant Partial Tuition Waivers:

All GA positions funded by the EKU Graduate School (200100 ORG Code) will

receive a partial tuition waiver.

• Full time GAs will be granted a tuition waiver of Six (6) credit hours of

graduate tuition.

• Half time GAs will be granted a tuition waiver of Three (3) credit hours of

graduate tuition.

Please Note: In cases where GA positions are supported by grants, departmental, or other funds the funding source is expected to provide the tuition waiver as well as the stipend. Approved exceptions may be made under exceptional circumstances. Contact the Graduate School if you have questions about the impact of the tuition waiver on departmentally funded GA positions. Programs that are unable to provide funding for the tuition waiver should consider hiring students as student workers through HR, rather than as Graduate Assistants.

E3. 2020/2021 Graduate Assistant Work Hours:

• Graduate assistants are expected to begin working the first week of classes and

continue working work through the last week of finals.

• Full-time GAs are expected to work 20 hours each week while half-time GAs

work 10 hours per week.

• Graduate Assistants should work with their faculty/staff supervisor to schedule

their hours each week.

E4. Summer Graduate Assistantships

The Graduate School does not fund summer GA positions. Departments who wish to hire a

GA for the summer semesters must pay the GA’s stipend out of their departmental funds. A


typical fall/spring semester is about 16 weeks. This works out to roughly $350 per week based

on the $5600 per semester stipend. For the shorter summer semester, a fair stipend is $3500

for the entire semester (350 x 10 weeks). This is the minimum amount a student should be paid

for working the entire summer semester.

F. AWARDING / NOMINATING A GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIP

The EKU Graduate School and Office of Human Resources have implemented a two-

stage electronic system for approval of all graduate assistantship appointments. Please

use the following procedure to process assistantships:

1. ALL NEW GA Positions must be posted through the HR Online Employment

System (OES).

• Posting the position in the online system provides a position number and

background information on candidates applying for the position.

• Please see the EKU Human Resources Student Employment Services webpage for

more information.

• This process expedites the background check and activates the student in payroll

for the semester. For help using this system contact HR at 622-8046.

2. The EKU Graduate Assistant Information Network (GAIN) System

• Following the identification of the student(s) to fulfill the GA(s) positions, the

hiring official must enter data into the GAIN System. GAIN is EKU's digital

student employment hiring tool for Graduate Assistants (GAs).

• Faculty/Staff users new to the GAIN system, please complete and submit the

electronic form for access to the system.

• After access has been granted to the GAIN system, faculty and staff and strongly

encouraged to visit the content located on the GAIN information page for login

information as well as instructions on the use of the GAIN System.

o Additional information at the conclusion of this guide will be provided on

the use of the GAIN system.

https://hr.eku.edu/student-employment-services

https://gradschool.eku.edu/eku-graduate-assistant-information-network-gain

https://gradschool.eku.edu/gain-registration

http://gradschool.eku.edu/eku-graduate-assistant-information-network-gain


3. EKU Graduate School Verification

• Following the data entry nomination into the GAIN system by the hiring official

from the hiring department and the subsequent approval by the chair/department

head of the work assignment and the college dean/unit head, the EKU Graduate

School verifies the students’ eligibility and forwards the nomination to EKU

Human Resources.

4. FINAL Step in Hiring / Nomination Process - EKU Human Resources:

• EKU Human Resources confirms the student is set up as an EKU employee and

adds the student to payroll.

PLEASE NOTE: Graduate assistants should NOT begin working until they have been

officially approved for the appointment. The Graduate School also regularly reviews the

records of assistants to determine their eligibility for continued appointment.

G. HIRING OFFICIAL RELATED INFORMATION

G1. Tax Information for Graduate Assistants

Upon approval of their nominations, graduate assistants must provide evidence

employability, complete a background check, and submit an I-9 Form. Federal income

tax and state income tax will be withheld from each payment. Graduate assistant benefits

include Worker's Compensation. Coverage is provided for illness or injury that is work

related. Hospitalization, medical expense, and a portion of any lost pay is included in the

coverage.

Tax information is provided by the Payroll Office. Additional information on current tax

laws can be found on the IRS website. A helpful guide is Tax Information for American

Scholars in the U.S. and Abroad, Publication 520, revised edition, published by the

Department of the Treasury, IRS. You may obtain a copy from the Superintendent of

Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402.


G2. Background Checks Background checks are required of all graduate assistants. Students nominated for graduate

assistantships must submit their information via the Human Resources Online Employment

System to authorize initiation of the background check. Students are typically notified

within 7 to 10 days of the background-screening outcome.

G3. Missing Pay - GA

If a GA does not receive a paycheck:

• Check to make sure a nomination form has been submitted by logging into the

system and clicking on “View by Term.”

• Check that the nomination has been fully approved by logging into the system. If

the nomination has been submitted, make sure it has been approved. If it is

missing a “Chair” or “Dean” approval, contact that person to have it approved. If

it is missing a Grad School approval, contact Kelly Fox (information below). If it

is missing an HR approval, contact HR.

• If the nomination has been fully approved, check to make sure the student has

filled out their payroll paperwork by calling HR.

G4. GA Academic Load

• Graduate assistants are expected to enroll only in course work directly related to

the completion of their degree requirements.

• Students who withdraw from classes during the term and fall below the minimum

number of hours will have their assistantship revoked.

• Students holding instructional assistantships should not carry a combined teaching

and course load in excess of fifteen semester hours.


G5. Additional Employment

• Graduate assistants who wish to seek additional employment beyond their GA

position must complete and submit a Request for Additional Employment Form.

• Graduate students holding full-time assistantships, and who have completed 18 or

more graduate hours in their program with a GPA of 3.5 or higher, may be

approved for up to 7.5 additional hours per week of on-campus employment.

• Half-time GAs who have completed 18 or more hours with a GPA of 3.5 may

work an additional 17.5 hours of on-campus employment, subject to approval.

• Permission to work additional hours is granted solely by the Dean of the Graduate

School.

G6. Job Conflicts

If problems or conflicts arise in the performance of duties, the graduate assistant should

discuss the situation with his/her immediate supervisor. If the problem is not resolved at

that level, then the problem should be taken through the following levels until a

resolution is reached: the department chair, the appropriate college dean, the Dean of the

Graduate School and the Graduate Council.

G7. Termination

The GA appointment may be terminated before expiration of the specified time under

certain conditions:

1. Incompetence, inefficiency, or neglect of duty

2. Misconduct that is job-related

3. Delinquency in academic work

4. Moral turpitude

5. Financial exigency

6. Discontinuance of the work in which the appointment is made

7. Chronic physical or mental ailment or defect which interferes with the

performance of required duties

8. Voluntary mutual agreement

https://gradschool.eku.edu/graduate-assistantship-additional-employment-request-form


Assistantships already awarded will be cancelled when the appointee's grade point

average falls below the required minimum for retention. Masters students must maintain

a minimum of 3.0 GPA.

G8. Resignation

When a graduate assistant resigns, a written notification of the resignation must be

submitted to the Graduate School office and department chair or supervisor. The

termination date should be included in the written notification. If the graduate assistant

resigns an assistantship in one department to accept an assistantship in another

department, the graduate assistant must obtain the written permission of the chairs of both

departments.

G9. Sick Leave and Absences from Work Assignment

The general policy of the University is that all classes will meet as scheduled. No

graduate assistant has the individual authority to cancel classes. Graduate assistants are

not eligible for sick leave credit.

Anticipated absences: When an absence is anticipated, GAs must request approval and

propose a plan for the work assignment to be met. It is to be approved by the

departmental chair. The forms for this procedure for a teaching assistant are available in

departmental offices.

Emergency absences: When GAs are unable to work because of an emergency or illness,

the departmental chair or head of the administrative unit must be notified of the plans for

that day so that proper arrangements can be made.

G10. Vacation and University Closings

Graduate assistants are not eligible to accrue vacation time; however, graduate assistants

are entitled to the same legal holidays and breaks between terms as other University

academic personnel. If their assistance is required by faculty supervisors during such

periods, arrangements should be made to compensate them by relief from duties, when

necessary, during subsequent periods.


Scheduled closings: Notices of official closings and holidays are in the University

calendar (Schedule of Classes) or provided through official channels.

Emergency or unscheduled closings: Other than for scheduled holidays, Eastern rarely

closes. However, if inclement weather or other events should cause a closing, official

word is channeled from the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Research to the

academic deans and chairs. If in doubt, instructors and their commuting students may

contact the appropriate departmental office between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Graduate

assistants are not required to make up hours missed during emergency or

unscheduled closings.

H. The EKU Graduate Assistant Information Network (GAIN)

GAIN is EKU's digital student employment hiring tool for Graduate Assistants

(GAs). The individuals who post the nominations in the system are referred to as “Hiring

Officials.” Once posted, the nomination will have to be approved by the

“Chair/Department Head.”

H1. GAIN User Registration Form

As noted on the GA Hiring/Nomination webpage, the first step for a new user/hiring

official is to complete the online GAIN Registration Form.

H2. GAIN System Login Links

Following the granting of access to the system, click on the links below to log In to the

GAIN System:

• Hiring Mangers

• Chairs & Deans

• Graduate School Admin

• Human Resources Admin

https://gradschool.eku.edu/gain-registration

http://gsapp.eku.edu/%7Ega/managers/default.php

http://gsapp.eku.edu/%7Ega/cdadmin/login.php

http://gsapp.eku.edu/%7Ega/gsadmin/default.php

http://gsapp.eku.edu/%7Ega/hradmin/default.php


H3. System Login Format

• User names will be the employee’s EKU email without the “@eku.edu”

(typically their firstname.lastname) all lowercase letters.

• If a password is forgotten, go to the appropriate login page (“Hiring Managers” or

“Chairs & Deans”) and click on the “forgot password” link. Type in your login

and the system will email you your password. You must be using the correct login

screen for your job assignment and your login must be in all lowercase letters.

Please make sure that information regarding the funding source is entered correctly in the

GAIN system. For positions funded by the Graduate School, please make sure to identify

the Graduate School as the Funding Source and 200100 as the Funding Organization

Code. Because of reductions to operating funds, the Graduate School will no longer be

able to correct funding for GA positions erroneously charged to departmental budgets.

H4. GAIN Instructions For Returning GAs

• GA nominations must be renewed each semester through the GAIN System.

To do this, log into the GA nomination website and click on “Renew

Nominations” in the left-hand menu bar. Make any updates necessary and submit.

• Please note that students whose GA positions are being renewed, without

changes, do not have to go through the Human Resource process again (as long as

there has not been a lapse in their employment). Questions regarding this process

should be directed to the Human Resource Office (859-622-5094).


Eligibility for Returning GAs

GAs are eligible to hold a position for a maximum of four (4) terms if they are in an EKU

graduate program that requires 41 hours or less.

Exceptions will be considered for programs which require more than 41 hours to

complete (e.g. Clinical Mental Health program requires 60 – 66 hours; therefore the

graduate school would allow the student to work as a GA for an additional 2 semesters,

provided that they meet all other requirements).

• GPA must be 3.0 or higher – if a GA is placed on academic probation, he/she will

be dismissed from his/her GA position

• GA’s must maintain full-time status (unless an exception has been requested and

approved by the Graduate School) – otherwise, if a GA drops below 9 hours,

he/she will no longer meet the requirements to hold his/her GA position

• Indicate whether this is the student’s last term before graduation. Yes or no

• Make sure that the student is registered for 9 hours or more, before submitting

his/her renewal form (GAs are given a one-time exemption and may register for

less than nine (9) hours is it is their last semester before graduation – must be

indicated on the renewal form).

H5. GAIN Instructions For New GAs

Make sure the new GA’s application has been/are being processed through the HR OES.

New GAs must have both the Grad School nomination through GAIN and the HR OES

completed.

For more information on EKU OES, please see the resources available on this page.

https://hr.eku.edu/student-employment-services


BEFORE submitting a nomination for a NEW Graduate Assistant, please make sure the

following information is available:

• Student’s EKU ID number

• Job posting requisition number – this number can be found on the job positing

• Verify student’s GPA – must be 3.0 or higher (students who are beginning their

graduate program the first semester that they are hired will not have a GPA. Enter

“N/A.”

• Verify that the student is registered for 9 graduate hours or more (max hours

allowed is 13)

• Average Hours/Week – (is this position a “FT” position or “HT” position?)

• Student’s degree program – this field is asking for the program that the student is

currently pursuing. We need the correct program information to ensure the tuition

waiver is correct (e.g., the doctoral rate is different than the master’s degree rate)

• Last Term – Yes or No. (Students who are in their last term may use their one-

time exemption from full-time status, if needed. This means that they can still

meet the GA requirements if they are registered for less than 9 graduate hours – if

they have not already used their exemption)

• Educational Justification – Do not leave this box blank (nominations will be

returned if this information has not been completed)


Example of a GA Nomination Form in the GAIN system


Please make sure that you complete all fields listed on the form.

Important information when completing a new nomination or renewing a nomination:

• The student may not have a GPA if he/she is in his/her first semester – if this is the

case, type N/A in the GPA field

• Start date/end date - a start and end date will automatically populate when you create a

new nomination, but if the student is hired after the first week of classes, you will need

to change/update the start date, and the Graduate School will prorate his/her stipend

and tuition waiver accordingly

• Full-time or half-time – make sure you indicate whether the student is working a full-

time (20 hrs per week) or half-time (10 hrs per week) position

• Funding Source – Indicate if the GA position is Graduate School funded/department

funded/grant funded or other

• Last Term Information – Under “Eligibility” enter “Yes” if the student is in his/her last

semester before graduation


H6. To Check the Status of a Student’s Nomination:

Log into the GAIN website and click on “View by Term.”

This will display a list of all students nominated by your department. The column

titled “Status” indicates whether the student has been fully processed

(see example below). User ID: jane.smith

Dept Code: SSEM

Unit Code: J_S

Position Num Student ID Name Status FT/PT ORG Stipend

SSEM-16-027 901555555 Doe, Jan approved FT 222222 5600

SSEM-16-028 901666666 Smith, Joe pending FT 222222 5600

SSEM-16-030 901777777 Lee, Jason approved HT 222222 2800

When Human Resources has completed the students’ files and added them to payroll, their status

will show “approved” in the status column.

If the student’s status is “pending” click on the student’s nomination link and scroll to the bottom

of the page. At the bottom of the page is the list of people who are processing the nomination

beginning with the person who submitted it. As the nomination passes through the approval

process, each person’s name with the date and time they “signed” the nomination is listed. This

allows anyone with access to view whose approval is needed for the nomination to advance to

HR.


Important Reminder: GA Nominations must be renewed every semester. Hiring officials must

login and click “Renew” on any returning GA.

The Graduate School Eastern Kentucky University

310 Whitlock Building / CPO 68

521 Lancaster Avenue

Richmond, KY 40475

(859) 622 – 1742

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]