Student Employment

1. Employment Overview

Handshake is the College’s centralized platform for all on-campus student employment, as well as experiential and leadership opportunities.

Student Employment Posting Policy: Offices and departments needing to hire for new or open hourly-paid, student employment roles are required to post the job description for at least 7 days to allow interested and qualified students to apply. Students can apply to any position for which they are qualified for, regardless of Federal Work Study eligibility (exception: Financial Aid postings for community-based opportunities).

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Statement

Gettysburg College, an equal opportunity employer, complies with all applicable federal, state, local laws and regulations regarding nondiscrimination. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and admission. The College prohibits discrimination and harassment, and provides equal opportunity without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, marital/familial status, possession of a General Education Development Certificate (GED) as compared to a high school diploma, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, sex, age, or genetic information in all aspects of employment, educational programs, activities, and admissions. Pursuant to Title IX of the Education Amendment of 1972, Gettysburg College prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex (i.e., which includes but is not limited to the prohibition of sexual misconduct and relationship violence, including sexual assault and harassment) in all of its educational programs and activities.

2. Compensation and Pay

Any student providing services to an office or department from which the College benefits is considered an employee and must be paid hourly via CNAV timesheet through Payroll.

Note: Payment through Payroll does not apply to the following campus-based experiences:

  • Resident Assistant, Resident Coordinator, or Community Advisor positions through the Office of Residential Education
  • Campus Fellowship programs (i.e. X-SIG, Kolbe, etc.)

Pay Scale

  • Campus minimum wage: $8.00/hour
  • Student Employee pay range: $8.00 to $12.00/hour
  • Pay increases are determined by supervisors and typically based on:
    • Year-to-year retention in role
    • Increased responsibilities
    • Successful performance evaluations

Pay Schedule

  • Student employees are paid every two weeks
  • Direct deposit is encouraged
  • Tax Information: Student employees are responsible for understanding their tax obligations. Consult with Financial Aid or a tax professional regarding potential impacts on financial aid or tax filing requirements.

 

Work Hours and Scheduling

Due to the rigorous academics and extracurricular involvement of students, most student employees at the College work an average of 10-20 hours per week during the academic year.

International Students

International students must comply with federal regulations:

  • During classes: Maximum 20 hours/week total (all campus jobs combined)
  • During breaks: Maximum 40 hours/week total (all campus jobs combined)
  • Students must track their hours across all positions and maintain records (pay stubs, timesheets) for potential visa inquiries
  • Working beyond allowed hours may violate F-1 status and jeopardize visa standing

General Limits

  • Maximum hours per week: 40 hours (all campus jobs combined)
  • Maximum hours of work per calendar year (Jan. - Dec.) cannot exceed 1,500 hours total
  • Overtime is not permitted for student employees

 

4. Timesheets and Record Keeping

Student Responsibilities

  • Enter hours worked daily on CNAV timesheets
  • Review and approve timesheets by posted deadlines each pay period
  • Maintain accurate records of all work performed

Deadlines and Consequences

  • Pay period deadlines available on the Payroll website
  • Late timesheet policy: Repeated failure to meet deadlines may result in progressive disciplinary action
  • Falsifying time records is grounds for immediate disciplinary action

Break and Meal Periods

  • Breaks and meal periods are not required, but are permissible and up to supervisors to determine with student employee(s)
  • Short breaks (under 15 minutes) are permitted and can be included in paid work time
  • Designated meal periods: 30-60 minute unpaid meal breaks may be scheduled for longer shifts; unpaid meal breaks must be recorded on timesheets

 

5. Special Employment Categories

Event Employment and One-Time Services

Students providing event services (musicians, performers, technical support) must:

  • Classification: Considered employment requiring hourly pay through Payroll
  • Submit timesheets for all work time, including rehearsals and preparation

On-Campus Internships

  • Classification: Considered employment requiring hourly pay through Payroll
  • Academic credit: Students seeking academic credit must:
    • Discuss requirements and get approval with their academic department
    • Register the experience as for-credit internship in Campus Experience and have a faculty advisor

 

On-Campus Fellowships

A fellowship recipient is a matriculated student that performs research or activities to develop skills and aids in their pursuit of study or research that will help them gain knowledge and experience to apply in a professional field of interest. 

  • Classification: Fellowship requiring payment through Accounts Payable (no timesheet).
  • Typically, independent and working on projects at an advanced level
  • The project and research belong to the student and not a faculty member or office/department.
  • Research or activities should be related to the student’s program of study.
  • Payment is intended to allow a student to undertake a role in connection with educational studies or research that would normally be uncompensated. The payment is meant as a subsistence allowance to help defray related expenses (i.e. accommodations, etc.) during the fellowship experience.

 

Work Environment

Remote Work

Student employees may not work remotely. Student employees must be based on campus for their campus employment roles.

Holiday Closures & Inclement Weather

Student employees may not work when the College is officially closed for holidays or due to inclement weather unless designated as essential employees. Only student employees working in Campus Safety, Dining Services, and Facilities Services can be approved to work during a campus closure. Supervisors should speak with student employees to discuss their work schedule during inclement weather. Students and casual employees working in these three departments will be paid Emergency Pay (2.5 times their regular hourly rate) during the designated period. All other student employees should not report to work during a campus closure.

https://www.gettysburg.edu/offices/human-resources/guidelines-procedures/inclement-weather-policy

 

7. Training

Required Training

All student employees must complete:

  • General student employment onboarding through the Center for Career Engagement
  • Job-specific training as determined by hiring department or other College Department or Office
  • Safety training relevant to position duties
  • Confidentiality training with hiring department when handling sensitive information

 

8. Rights and Accommodations

Workplace Accommodations

Students requiring workplace accommodations should contact the Office of Student Success to discuss needs and available options.

Benefits

Student employees are not eligible for standard employee benefits (including but not limited to healthcare, dental insurance, vision insurance, retirement contributions, paid time off and paid parental or family leave) through Gettysburg College.

Grievances and Concerns

Students experiencing workplace issues should:

  1. First step: Discuss concerns directly with immediate supervisor
  2. Second step: Contact the Center for Career Engagement

 

9. Disciplinary Procedures

Progressive Discipline Philosophy

Gettysburg College employs educational and corrective disciplinary procedures designed to establish compliance with work rules and standards rather than punitive measures.

Disciplinary Steps

  1. Verbal warning - Discussion of issue and expectations between student employee and supervisor
  2. Written warning - Formal documentation of concerns and improvement plan
  3. Last opportunity - Final warning before termination
  4. Termination - End of employment relationship

Grounds for Disciplinary Action

  • Tardiness or early departure without permission
  • Failure to comply with confidentiality agreements
  • Falsification of time records or other documents
  • Inappropriate use of office equipment or supplies
  • Insubordination or unprofessional conduct
  • Inappropriate remarks about employees, supervisors, students, or the College
  • Possession, use, or working under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs
  • Repeated failure to meet timesheet deadlines
  • Theft of physical items or electronic/database information
  • Threatening or attempting harm to others
  • Unauthorized building entry or digital content access

Student Conduct Integration

As students first, any violation of College policies and community standards, including those in the work environment, will be handled by the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities or other appropriate College department in coordination with employment supervisors.

10. Resources and Contacts

Key Offices