STUDENT PERSONNEL
This policy is compliant with the Tennessee Board of Regents Policy 03:04:01:00 Student Scholarships, Grants, Loans, & Financial Aid Programs.
The following information details Pellissippi State Community College’s student employment opportunities, collaboratively handled by the Office of Financial Aid, the Business Office, and the Office of Human Resources. Guidelines for hiring student personnel are detailed immediately after.
Federal Work Study Program (FWSP) – Only students who are eligible based on Federal Regulations can be hired for the FWSP. For work-study, the student must file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and have need determined by comparing available resources with the student’s cost of attendance at Pellissippi State. Students with need may be offered federal work-study. Upon the student’s acceptance, the Financial Aid office sends the student to an interview for a work-study position. Students not accepted on the first or second interview may be automatically assigned to a department. Once a student is assigned to a supervisor, they remain on that assignment for the duration of the award, normally an academic year, unless a transfer is requested by either the supervisor or the student. The student is assigned a certain number of hours to work each semester, which cannot be exceeded without prior approval from the Financial Aid office. The wage per hour is at or above minimum wage, and students are paid on the last working day of each month.
The number of work-study positions is determined by the federal allocation for the FWSP for each fiscal year from July 1 to June 30.
Institutional Work-Study Program (IWS) – Students must file a Work-Study application for IWS. This award does not require financial need. IWS awards and work assignments are made based on the combined needs of the student and Pellissippi State. Full-time, ¾-time, and ½-time students are eligible for IWS and must commit to 120, 90, or 60 hours of work, respectively, during the semester.
Student Employment Program (SEP) – The purpose of the SEP is to develop a consistent pipeline of student employees to fill temporary part-time positions at Pellissippi State and to influence the development of students’ passion for working in higher education.
To qualify for the program, students must be enrolled in at least 6 credit hours and have a 2.0 GPA or higher. Students employed in the summer will only need to be enrolled in at least one course during the summer. Students who do not meet those requirements are not eligible for the SEP program.
Student employment contracts begin on the first day of classes of the semester and end on the last day of classes of the semester (Requests for students to work outside of these dates, including, but not limited to, semester breaks, must be approved by the Vice President, Administrative Affairs. Hiring managers must initiate this request with the Human Resources Specialist, Employment, and/or the Executive Director, HR).
The college will fund all qualifying students for the SEP. Students seeking employment on campus who do not qualify for the SEP will be compensated at the lowest hourly rate offered by the SEP. If the student does not meet the qualifying standards for the SEP at any time (e.g., withdraws, drops out, etc.) during employment, the respective department will be responsible for funding the remainder of the student’s contract. Compensation for the SEP is determined by Administrative Affairs, and the hourly rate applied to the student position is determined by the respective hiring manager. Hiring managers will use the student’s resume and application to determine the amount of relevant experience toward the student employee’s hourly rate (ex., no relevant work experience – $14/hour; 6 months relevant work experience – $15/hour; 9 months or more – $16/hour). Prior work experience can be included if it is deemed relevant to the role. Students will receive 6 months’ work experience credit if they complete a semester contract. Students will need to complete the current semester before a new contract can be created with a new rate.
The Student Employment Program is reviewed annually, and its continuation is at the discretion of the president.
Student Personnel Hiring Guidelines for All Programs
- It is unacceptable to ever require or allow a student to begin working on a contract without notification/approval from the proper hiring official (ex., Financial Aid, Human Resources, etc.). All employment documentation must be on file before a student can start work. If a hiring manager is found to have started a student working without an official contract, the disciplinary process will be engaged between the hiring manager, their supervisor, and/or division-level VP, and the Executive Director, HR. This is an employment requirement for all Pellissippi State employees, including full-time, regular part-time, temporary full-time, temporary part-time, adjuncts, contract employees, interns, etc.
- Students who are eligible for the FWSP will be compensated accordingly before any other type of funding can or will cover a student contract (ex., institutional funding provided by the SEP). This is an administrative determination. Hiring managers do not have the ability to make changes to this administrative determination.
- Dual enrollment student employees (high school students enrolled in college courses) are limited to the following roles/responsibilities listed below. This decision is consistent with TBR Policy 5.01.00.05 Employment of Minors and PSCC Policy 06:12:03 Employment of Minors. Questions regarding whether a student employment role is acceptable for a dual enrollment student should be submitted to the Human Resources Specialist, Employment, or the Executive Director, HR.
- Administrative work (Examples: office assistant, library assistant, etc.)
- Tutor (examples: TRIO, Academic Tutoring Center, etc.)
- Student Activities Board (SAB), Student Recreation Center (SRC), Student Assistant, Student Orientation Leader, etc.
- Advising Peer Mentor, Studio Art Assistant, Video Production Assistant, AudioProduction Assistant, etc.
- Students are not allowed to work more than 20 hours max/week – no matter the position or program, including students who are ineligible for the SEP.
- Managers are not to promise student employees increases in pay. This applies to all Pellissippi State employees.
Please contact the Office of Human Resources at humanresources@pstcc.edu or 865-694-6607 for more information regarding student employment guidelines, best practices for effectively hiring and supporting student employees, and fostering a productive work environment, including FERPA, confidentiality, progressive discipline procedures, and workplace accommodations.
Approved: Executive Council, March 4, 1991
Reviewed/Recommended: President’s Council, May 8, 1995
Approved: Allen G. Edwards, President, May 8, 1995
Approved: Allen G. Edwards, President, November 12, 1997
Approved: Allen G. Edwards, President, January 24, 2005
Reviewed/Recommended: President’s Staff, January 18, 2011
Approved: Allen G. Edwards, President, January 18, 2011
Reviewed/Recommended: President’s Council, November 21, 2016
Approved: President L. Anthony Wise, Jr., November 21, 2016
Review/Recommended: College Council, June 2, 2025
Approved: President L. Anthony Wise Jr., June 2, 2025