Graduate Teaching and Research Assistants
NUMBER: II-6 (Formerly Policy
II-C-7)
Graduate students may be employed as teaching and/or research assistants by
members of the faculty to enhance the quality of instruction or research.
1)
Definitions and Qualifications
A.
A Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) or a Graduate Teaching Assistant
(GTA) is first a student, and the student status is the most important role in
the graduate assistant/faculty supervisor relationship.
B.
GRA and GTA appointees (henceforth referred to as GAs) must meet the
academic requirements established by the Graduate School for admission and
remain in good academic standing. The institution will seek to award
assistantships to the best qualified students available to perform the tasks
required. Students awarded assistantships must be enrolled as full-time
students, as defined in South Dakota Board of Regents guidelines, and have at
least a 3.0 GPA (see below for credit hour requirements). The Council on
Graduate Education will establish the minimum number of credits for which
students must be enrolled to receive a graduate assistantship during the summer
term. The current minimum is 2 credit hours.
C.
In addition to meeting the minimum 520 TOEFL score required for
admission, international students receiving an assistantship must have
sufficient English proficiency to perform the duties assigned. Ordinarily, this
will be interpreted to mean TOEFL scores at or above 560; however, it may also
involve further assessment and observation by a department head relative to a
classroom teaching role.
D.
The GA is a "professional in training" who follows and learns from a
faculty supervisor/mentor. The faculty mentor is clearly identified, and
this person serves as a guide to the GA as he or she fulfills the
responsibilities assigned as a condition of the assistantship. The faculty
mentor provides continued guidance (e.g., through regular interactions and
feedback sessions) throughout the assistantship. The mentor and the student are
jointly responsible for achieving, in the student, increased maturity and
professional autonomy in carrying out assistantship duties.
E.
Assistantships will be designated as “teaching” or “research” (defined
below) according to assigned duties and funding sources.
F.
An individual student may receive a combined teaching and research
assistantship and will be compensated for the equivalent of up to 20 hours per
week of service during the academic year, as for a full-time assistantship.
Assistantships may also be awarded for half time and three-quarter time (defined
below).
G.
Assistantships for terms other than those set forth herein must be
individually approved by the Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs prior
to opening the position. Compensation for any combined research/teaching
assistantship may not exceed the maximum awarded for a full-time research or
teaching assistantship.
H.
Departments/Programs are strongly encouraged to establish a fixed amount
for their full-time GA stipends, so that all students at the same GA level are
compensated at the same rate. The maximum award amount for MS students
receiving a GA should be 12% less than the PhD GA rate (e.g., if the full-time,
annual PhD rate is $25,000, the full-time, annual MS rate should be $22,000).
I.
Graduate assistantships may also include reduced tuition (see below).
Only those courses defined by the student’s graduate advisory committee and
approved by the executive administrator with responsibility for Graduate
Education, as necessary for his or her program of study, shall apply toward the
credit-hour eligibility requirement for reduced tuition. Remedial work toward a
graduate degree can count for reduced tuition if they are included in the
student's approved Program of Study.
J.
Types of Graduate Assistant Roles
1)
Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) Role
The Board of Regents personnel system describes three broad types of GTA roles.
a.
Instructor (Position Classification 01056)
i.
Engaged in direct teaching via a
lecture/discussion and/or laboratory portion of a course
ii.
May assign grades, but with direct
or indirect faculty or department head supervision
iii.
May be assigned a percentage instructor responsibility for master class
and faculty workload purposes
b.
Instructional/Laboratory Support (Position Classification 01057)
i.
Serve in an instructional support
role to the instructor or lead teacher in a team teaching situation
ii.
May be responsible for such duties
as proctoring exams, preparation of course materials, and lab set-up
iii.
May be physically present during the delivery of instruction, but only to
support rather than replace the instructor
c.
Paper/Assignment Grading or Other Paperwork Support (Position
Classification 01058)
i.
Serves in a grading/paperwork support capacity only
2)
Graduate Research Assistant Role (Position Classification 01052)
a.
Assigned to research projects or researchers and assists in the research
function/process
b.
Does not have direct teaching or instructional lab responsibilities
2.
Workload and Salary Policy
A.
The Board of Regents establishes
minimum GA stipends that qualify for reduced tuition at their spring meeting.
These stipends take effect at the end of the spring semester. Current stipend
rates are set by the Board of Regents yearly and are available in the catalogue
and the Graduate Office.
B.
During the fall and spring academic terms, GRA workload is based on a
hypothetical 20-hour work week, as per Office of Human Resources requirements,
for stipend calculation. However, GRA work assignments are not based on hours,
but percent of overall effort. It should be noted that the GRA experience is
part of a student’s educational and professional preparation; therefore, it is
not practical or desirable to account for work in terms of hours. In fact, the
partitioning of effort is best expressed as a percent of effort divided between
research and work associated with classroom activities. The following GRA
definitions are averages, expressed as percentage of effort, over the course of
the academic year.
1)
Full-time GRA = average 50% research, 50% academic
2)
Three-quarter-time GRA = average 37.5% research, 62.5% academic
3)
Half-time GRA = average 25% research, 75% academic
C.
During the summer term, the GRA workload uses a hypothetical 40-hour work
week as a basis and the average percentages above are adjusted, accordingly
(i.e., Full-time GRA = average of 100% research). An academic course may be
taken during the summer without affecting the GRA status.
D.
In addition, in order to qualify for a GRA the student must register for
the following minimum credit hours during the academic semester in which the GRA
is in effect.
1)
Full-time GRA = 9 credits (2 credits
in summer)
2)
Three-quarter-time GRA = 7 credits (1 credit in
summer)
3)
Half-time GRA = 5 credits (1 credit in
summer)
E.
For the student to receive reduced tuition, a minimum of 9 credit hours
must be maintained during any academic semester that the GRA is in effect and a
minimum of 2 credit hours during the summer.
F.
Implementation Guidelines
1)
Workload percentages apply to all GAs
2)
The department head/program manager, in consultation with the faculty
supervisor and with the approval of the Provost/Vice President for Academic
Affairs, determines the degree/nature of the GA's responsibility within the
awarded GRA/GTA.
3)
Faculty supervisors are responsible for monitoring GA performance and for
providing the requisite level of mentoring, support, and guidance.
4)
GA workload shall include meetings with supervisors, office hours, and
other such work-related expectations requiring the time of the GA.
5)
Academic Loads for Graduate
Students
Full-time graduate student status requires a
minimum of 9 credit hours of course work per semester, and 2 credit hours during
the summer term. The maximum credit hour load during the academic year is 12
credits (per BOR policy) per semester and 6 credits during the summer. Any
registration above the maximum requires approval of the student's advisory
committee and/or department head, and the executive administrator with
responsibility for Graduate Education. All graduate students, regardless of GA
status, must meet these requirements for the purpose of continuing registration.
3.
Other Guidelines
A.
Academic Breaks: All GRAs are expected to report for work during academic
breaks, unless otherwise authorized by the department head/program manager in
writing.
B.
Benefits: GAs do not accumulate sick leave and annual leave (SDCL Chapter
3-6), nor do they qualify for health insurance (SDCL Chapter 3-12A) or
retirement benefits (Chapter 3-12). This applies regardless of percent
appointment.
C.
Appointments: GAs will be appointed using a single Payroll Authorization
Request (PAR). The PAR is prepared by the Graduate Office. If paid from
multiple sources, all sources must be included on the PAR. The funding
department/faculty mentor prepares and submits the Assistantship/Fellowship
Authorization form to the Graduate Office for processing. Changes to funding
sources that occur during the appointment will require a new authorization and
PAR that will be prepared that shows all funding sources. Placing the GA on
hourly payroll is not permitted.
D.
Reduced Tuition (Regents Policy 5:22): To allow the universities
to compete effectively when recruiting highly qualified prospective graduate
students, the Board has adopted a special tuition rate for graduate assistants
and graduate fellows for state-support courses (see Policy 5:5 Tuition and
Fees). The graduate assistants and graduate student fellows shall be assessed
one-third (1/3) of the resident graduate tuition rate for all state-support
courses (Policy 5:17).
1)
Eligibility for the special tuition rate is limited to GAs and fellows
who are:
a)
unconditionally admitted to a graduate degree program and are registered
at the university for its required minimum number of credit hours; and,
b)
awarded an
assistantship or fellowship at or above
the minimum rate established annually by the Board.
Students who have received a qualifying graduate assistantship or fellowship for
the preceding fall and spring are automatically eligible for the special
graduate assistant tuition rate for the following summer.
2)
If a student’s assistantship terminates prior to earning the minimum
stipend, she/he will be responsible for the full tuition rate.
3)
A GA whose employment performance does not meet expectations may have his
or her assistantship terminated, with no further stipend payments and will be
responsible for remitting the full tuition accrued for that semester.
4)
All GAs and fellows not meeting these eligibility requirements, for any
other reason, shall be charged the appropriate regular tuition rate established
by the Board.
5)
When a graduate degree program is offered jointly by two or more
institutions, the Board may provide that GAs and fellows who are eligible for
the special tuition rate at one institution are also eligible at the other
institution(s). This would be addressed in the program approval process.
6)
All GAs and advisors are expected to consult with Human Resources
concerning Social Security and Internal Revenue Service regulations and
guidelines for graduate students
4.
Graduate Assistantships and Academic Probation
A.
GAs are meritorious awards provided to students who have demonstrated
outstanding academic achievement. Such awards may be given to students on
academic probation (GPA below 3.00) only in restricted cases, under unusual and
justifiable circumstances.
B.
To be eligible for consideration for a GA, students who have been
enrolled as a degree-seeking graduate student for a minimum of one semester
carrying a minimum of six credit hours of course work, must maintain a GPA of
3.0 or higher in all courses at the 300 level or
above. Should an assistantship be awarded, the minimum credit hour policy
denoted in Section 2 must be followed, as long as the assistantship is in force.
C.
Only under special circumstances will a GA be awarded to students on
academic probation, and only if the student has a GPA between 2.75 and 2.99.
Justification from the department head/program director for GA awards to
students on academic probation is required in all cases, and must be approved by
the executive administrator with responsibility for Graduate Education.
D.
Exceptions to this policy (award of a GA to a student with a GPA below
2.75) must be approved by the Council on Graduate Education.
E.
Award of a GA to a student with a GPA below 3.00 does not waive the
requirement that the student achieve a final GPA of 3.00 or higher to graduate
from their graduate program.
5.
GA Tuition Remission Policy
A.
GAs carrying the appropriate number of credit hours per semester and
receiving at least the minimum stipend are eligible for the GA reduced tuition
rate. For those students receiving reduced tuition, tuition remission must,
under most circumstances, be recovered.
1)
Tuition remission for assistantships must be charged to an
externally-funded research activity or graduate program, whether funded through
SDSM&T or the SDSM&T Foundation.
2)
Scholarships and fellowships funded from private funds, including those
funded through the SDSM&T Foundation, do not qualify a student for the GA
tuition rate, and hence, will not be charged for tuition remission or used in
the ratio for calculation of tuition remission charges.
3)
A review will be made of the source or sources of salary funds for each
graduate student receiving the GA tuition rate. The review will be conducted
separately for each of the following three academic periods: summer, fall and
spring. The review will be designed to analyze the composition, by source, of
funds in the total salary disbursement to each GA.
4)
At the conclusion of the salary review, direct charges for the applicable
share of the GA tuition benefit will be made to all funded projects based on the
ratio of non-state-appropriated salary to total salary. Direct charges for
reduced tuition benefits will not be made to state-appropriated funds (unless
the graduate program has funds specifically designated for tuition remission) or
to funds used to support teaching assistantships.
5)
Research fellowship eligibility requirements and restrictions are
parallel to those for research assistantships. A fellowship award may not
always include reduced tuition as a benefit.
SOURCE: Graduate Office,
Dec. 2009
BOR
Reference: Policy 5:5, Policy 5:17, Policy 5:22
Contact: SDSMT Policy
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