Federal Work Study, Student Employment and COVID-19

In light of the changes related to the Coronavirus, the following policies have been established as it relates to student employment:

• Many students who remain enrolled and wish to continue working will be able to do so and will get paid for the hours they work.
• For departments that are authorized to continue employing students on campus, only students who continue to live on campus can be employed in on-campus location positions.
• All other students may continue working as remote employees if the department has work that can be assigned to a remote employee.
• There is no change to the process for submitting hours worked, supervisor approval or paychecks being processed.

Guidelines for Federal Work Study Students

• Students who are able to, can maintain their current work schedule; additional hours will not be supported by the Federal Work Study Program.
• Students should not work more than 10 hours per week.
• Students are still restricted to the amount of their academic year award and cannot exceed the award posted on their NEST portal. We will not make increases to any student’s award; when they have earned their allotment, they will have to cease working or be moved to a University-funded budget.
• Students may work remotely only if the department supervisor has assignments that they determine students are capable of performing remotely.
• A remote student’s activities must be documented. The department must maintain a record of hours worked and tasks completed for students on a daily basis. Departments will not be asked to provide such documentation to the Financial Aid Office unless requested, but it is expected that the information will be compiled and retained.
• If a department has Federal Work Study student employees who wants to work but are unable to work, either on campus or remotely, current guidance from the US Department of Education permits the University to continue paying the student for hours they would otherwise have worked. Please inform the Financial Aid department of those students and we will review their financial aid status.
• All departments are asked to submit a list of the Federal Work-Study students working in their department indicating if the student is working on campus, working remotely or unable to continue working. Departments should submit the names, CWIDs and work status of all Federal Work-Study student employees by Friday, March 27, 2020, to the FWS Coordinator, George Maize at maizeg@montclair.edu.

Guidelines for University Funded Student Employees

• Students are expected to maintain their current work schedule and not add hours unless given approval to do so by the supervisor.
• Students should not work more than 20 hours per week.
• Students may work remotely only if the department supervisor has assignments that they determine students are capable of performing remotely.
• If a department has University funded students who are unable to work, either on campus or remotely, the students will not be paid. If the department is aware of a student who faces a financial hardship due to the loss of employment, they should submit the name and CWID of that student to the Financial Aid Office for review. If the student has demonstrated unmet need, they may be assisted in some other fashion. Such referrals should also be sent to George Maize at maizeg@montclair.edu.

With your support, we will get through this difficult time.

Thank you
Financial Aid Office