Cleveland State University
College of Graduate Studies
2121 Euclid Avenue
Parker Hannifin Hall 218
Cleveland, OH 44115-2214
Campus Location
Parker Hannifin Hall, Room 218
2258 Euclid Avenue
Phone: 216.687.9370
Fax: 216.687.9214
Web Content Contact
Charles Newton
grad@csuohio.edu
Graduate Assistantship Policy and Procedures
Academic Year 2007-2008
Purpose
Cleveland State University provides three types of Graduate
Assistantships: teaching, research
and administrative. Each type
provides the student with opportunities to develop professionally while
providing service to the University.
Graduate Assistantships are regarded as apprenticeships during
which students become more effective members of their professions
through formal instruction, interaction with faculty, research and
administrative experiences. Graduate Assistants are regarded by the
University as students first and as University employees second.
Other Financial Assistance
In addition to Graduate Assistantships, limited financial aid is available in the form of fellowships, student loans, federal work/study support, and non-work/study employment. Interested students should contact the graduate program in which they plan to enroll and the CSU Financial Aid Office at (216) 687-5411.
Types of Assistantships
Teaching Assistantships are provided to assist departments in carrying out their undergraduate instructional programs. Teaching Assistants aid faculty members in assembling classroom materials, leading discussion groups, supervising laboratory sessions, evaluating student performance, and carrying out other related instructional activities. Only assistants holding a master’s degree, with exemplary academic records, may be assigned primary responsibility for instruction of lower division undergraduate classes.
International Teaching Assistants whose native language is
other than English may not be assigned direct instructional activities
until they have taken the "Speak
Test" to be assessed and certified as proficient in spoken English.
Assessment and certification are conducted by the University Testing
Center.
Research
Assistantships are provided to assist faculty and staff members in
conducting research. Whenever possible, Research Assistants are
assigned to persons working in a variety of areas in order to extend
the research experience and professional development of the graduate
student.
Administrative Assistantships are
provided to assist departments, divisions, institutes, colleges and
other offices of the University to manage their respective units.
Administrative Assistants are exposed to a variety of administrative
experiences and tasks to prepare them for future professional roles.
Terms of Assistantships
Assistantships are awarded only to graduate degree-seeking students with superior academic records and who qualify at the time of their enrollment as regular graduate students as defined in the CSU Graduate Bulletin: Graduate Catalog. Students must have an undergraduate grade point average of at least 3.00, a graduate grade point average of at least 3.00 (where applicable), and a CSU Law School grade point average of at least 2.5 (where applicable) to qualify for, and to retain, an assistantship.
Graduate Assistants receive contracts with specific conditions and duties detailed, including the stipend amount and tuition support noted in the Table.
Each contract is signed by the academic officer authorized to
initiate the appointment of the Graduate Assistant and by the academic
officer authorized to expend funds for assistantships. The contract
must be approved by the Graduate Dean and signed by the student before the individual may assume
assistantship responsibilities. Working as an assistant without an
approved contract is not permitted.
Graduate Assistants are provided a tuition scholarship and a
stipend by the contracting department.
Graduate Assistantships are awarded based on University service of 20 hours, 15 hours or 10 hours per week, during the academic term. Students holding a 20-hour assistantship may not hold any other form of employment either within the University or off-campus without receiving prior written approval from the Graduate Dean.
The term of appointment for a Graduate Assistantship is
normally for one or more academic term(s), with the semester schedule
adhering to the official University calendar. When assistantships do
not follow the academic term schedule, the beginning and ending dates
must be stated in the Graduate Assistantship contract.
Graduate assistants and tuition grant recipients are not
required to make up the work hours for the days that the University is
closed for observed holidays.
All Graduate Assistants are required to attend the University’s Graduate Assistant Orientation Program (GAOP) during the first academic term of employment. GAOP information is available from the College of Graduate Studies Office.
Students may be retained as Graduate Assistants as long as they are currently registered for the appropriate number of credit hours, have earned less than a total of 173 semester hours of graduate credit, are in good academic standing (cumulative graduate GPA of at least 3.00, and CSU Law School GPA of at least 2.5, if applicable), are performing their duties to the satisfaction of the units in which they hold the appointment, and are making acceptable progress toward the completion of their graduate degree programs.
The number of academic terms that a student may be retained as a Graduate Assistant is determined by the unit sponsoring the assistantship; however, normally master’s degree students do not receive more than four semesters of assistantship support while doctoral students normally receive a maximum of twelve semesters of assistantship support, including all assistantship support received as a master’s degree student within any Cleveland State University program(s).
Minimum stipend levels for Graduate Assistantships, by degree status of the student, are determined by the Provost at the beginning of the fiscal year.
Maximum Work Hours
All student employees of the University, including Graduate
Assistants and Tuition Grant recipients, are limited to a maximum of 20
hours of service per week during the academic term. Graduate Assistants
and Tuition Grant recipients working 10 or 15 hours per week must,
therefore, limit other University employment for a total work
commitment not to exceed 20 hours per week. Graduate assistants and
tuition grant recipients observe University holidays and break periods.
Otherwise, retain student through Student Employment or extend the
contract.
Payroll Information
Graduate Assistants are paid every other Friday. Payroll dates
may be obtained from the Payroll
Department at (216) 687-3611. Appropriate state and federal income
tax forms, I-9 employment verification forms, and waivers must be
submitted with the contract to the Graduate College Office before
payment is possible.
Parking Information
Graduate Assistants are eligible for Daily Usage Parking
Permits which are available from the Parking Division located in
Chester Building, Room 2023, (216)
687-2023.
Contract Processing Procedures
Graduate Assistant Agreement for Services contract forms are available from the College of Graduate Studies Office. The contract is initiated by the graduate department chairperson. The Agreement for Services form should not be released to a prospective Graduate Assistant until the contract has been approved by the department, college dean, and the Dean of Graduate Studies.
The duties section of the Agreement for Services form should provide a detailed description of the activities and expectations of the Graduate Assistant as well as the name of the student’s supervisor. The contract should avoid vague descriptions of activities such as "to perform duties as assigned" and "to work with faculty members on their research."
The contract, with all required information provided, is forwarded to the College of the Graduate Studies who verifies that academic criteria are satisfied for Dean’s approval. Along with the contract, completed I-9, PERS waiver form (optional), and federal and state withholding tax forms, social security form, and homeland security form must be submitted to the Graduate Studies for all new Graduate Assistants before their first contracts are approved.
Upon approval by the department chairperson, college dean, and the Graduate Dean, the graduate student, if in agreement with the contract duties as outlined, signs the Agreement for Services form and retains the student copy. Graduate Studies distributes copies of the contract to the other appropriate parties.
Students should not begin performing assistantship duties until the Graduate Assistant Services Agreement form has been signed by all parties.
Changes in Terms or Cancellation of a Contract
A department may change or cancel a Graduate Assistant appointment by issuing a superseding contract. Superseding contracts must be filled out completely. Effective dates must be noted, including the final date for services to be rendered and the reason(s) for the cancellation. This will assure that all offices receiving a copy of the initial contract will be notified of changes and/or cancellations.
In the event that a Graduate Assistantship is terminated before the end of the academic term, the amount of stipend and tuition support awarded the student is prorated based upon the amount of service provided before the termination date (i.e., a superseding contract is required to terminate stipend payments before the end of the contract term).
To remain eligible for the award, a graduate assistant must maintain the 9 credit hour minimum registration requirement for the duration of the academic term(s) noted on the contract. The student also must maintain a minimum graduate GPA of 3.0, and a CSU Law School GPA of at least 2.5 (if applicable) to remain eligible for the award.
If there are any questions regarding the Agreement for Services contract, the procedures for approval, or the terms of Graduate Assistantships, please contact the College of Graduate Studies Office, at (216) 687-9370.
Table
Cleveland State University Minimum Graduate Assistant Stipend
and
Tuition Levels - Academic Year 2007-2008
|
Pre-Master's |
Post-Master's |
|||||
| Service hours required per week | 10 | 15 | 20 | 10 | 15 | 20 |
| Minimum stipend level per academic term | $1,740 | $2,610 | $3,480 | $1,950 | $2,925 | $3,900 |
Tuition scholarship per
academic term* 9 to 12 credit hours
* All assistants are required to register for a minimum of 9
to
12 credit
hours of graduate level courses (courses at the 500-level or above)
each academic term including summer. Individual programs shall
determine whether the minimum registration should be 9 or 12 credit
hours per academic term.
Hours worked per week are based upon the standard of a 40-hour
work
week, as defined by State uniform accounting procedures, and the
consideration that a full-time graduate assistant must spend at least
20 hours per week on his or her academic studies.
Current graduate tuition fees are listed by the Office of Treasury Services.
Graduate Tuition Grant Program
In addition to the Graduate Assistantship Program, the Cleveland State University Graduate College administers the Graduate Tuition Grant Program, which provides graduate tuition support to qualified students. To be eligible to receive a Graduate Tuition Grant a student must have been admitted to a graduate degree program and have a minimum GPA of at least 3.00 in previous undergraduate studies, a 3.00 in graduate work (if applicable) and a 2.5 in work taken in Cleveland Marshall College of Law (if applicable).
Graduate Tuition Grants are available to provide tuition support for 1 to 16 graduate credit hours (500-level or above), as determined by each student’s program director. Graduate Tuition Grant recipients are required to provide service to the department. The maximum number of service hours to be provided to the department by the Graduate Tuition Grant recipient cannot exceed ten per week. Work hours are prorated according to the number of credit hours of support provided. Tuition grant recipients observe University holidays and break periods, otherwise retained through Student Employment or contract is extended. A portion of the Graduate Tuition Grant is subject to withholding of all applicable federal, state, and local taxes.
For additional information, please contact your graduate program director or the Cleveland State University College of Graduate Studies at (216) 687-9370.
Cleveland
State University
is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity
institution. No person will be denied opportunity for employment or
education
or be subject to discrimination in any project, program or activity
because of
race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age,
handicap
or disability, disabled veteran or Vietnam era veteran status.
College of
Graduate Studies
Parker Hannifin Hall. Room 218
Cleveland State University
2258 Euclid Ave.
Cleveland,
Ohio 44115
Telephone (216) 687-9370 * Fax (216) 687-9214
http://www.csuohio.edu/gradcollege