The policies set forth by the Department of Chemistry are to be followed by all Teaching Assistants in the Department. The Department reserves the right to revise and implement any policy at any given time. Hiring of Teaching Assistants A student may apply to become a Teaching Assistant (TA) for the Department of Chemistry if he/she meets the following conditions: • The student must have earned a B or higher in the course for which he/she wishes to TA. A student may still TA if a lower course grade was earned if he/she has obtained written permission from the instructing professor. Written permission by email must be sent from the instructing professor to the Lab Coordinator to be hired f or the lab section. • The student must have a Chemistry GPA of 2.5 and an Overall GPA of 3.0. A student may still TA if the GPA requirements are not met if he/she has obtained written permission from the instructing professor. Written permission by email must be sent from the instructing professor to the Lab Coordinator to be hired for the lab section. • A student may apply to become a TA if he/she has received credit for the course he/she wishes to TA for at another institution. The student must have earned credit for the course with a CR or a final grade of a B or higher on his/her transcript. The final hiring decision is up to the Lab Coordinator and the instructing professor. • The student cannot be employed as a TA if he/she is under academic probation or academic alert. • A student returning to TA the following semester may apply if he/she is in good academic standing and has maintained a Chemistry GPA of 2.5. • If the student is employed by Housing, he/she cannot be employed by Chemistry. A student may work for Housing and Chemistry simultaneously only if he/she was hired by the Department prior to Spring 2018 and has maintained employment since. Employment of Teaching Assistants General Hiring Conditions A student may be hired by the Department of Chemistry if the he/she has met the conditions listed in Hiring of Teaching Assistants and has also met the following conditions: • The student cannot work in more than two departments on campus simultaneously at a given time. • The student is allowed to work in another department other than Chemistry as long as the other position does not conflict with their work as a TA or the student does not exceed a total of 20 working hours a week unless given permission by the Department Chair. • If the student is an international student, according to federal regulation CFR 214.2(f)(9), he/she cannot exceed 20 working hours a week regardless of whether he/she is given permission by the Department Chair. • If the student is solely working for Chemistry, he/she cannot TA more than five sections, which is equivalent to 20 working hours a week, unless given permission by the Department Chair. • A student may TA during the summer session if he/she was enrolled in the previous semester (the Spring) and is planning to enroll in the next semester (the Fall). It is not required for the student to be enrolled in summer courses to become employed. Orientation and Training A student may be allowed to begin working if he/she has met the conditions listed in Hiring of Teaching Assistants and General Hiring Conditions and has met the following conditions: • A student must submit all of the required hiring paperwork and/or documents. • When a student is hired for the first time by the Department, he/she must attend a one-on-one orientation with the Lab Coordinator to discuss the duties and responsibilities of a teaching assistant, common laboratory procedures, and time sheet protocols. • A student returning to TA the following semester is not required to schedule a one-on-one meeting with the Lab Coordinator. • The student must sign an agreement stating he/she will follow all teaching assistant employment policies set forth by the Department as described in this document before beginning his/her employment as a TA every semester. The student may not begin TAing until the policy agreement is signed. • The student must sign a laboratory safety agreement for undergraduate teaching assistants before beginning his/her employment as a TA every semester. The student may not begin TAing until the safety agreement is signed. • The student must receive safety training from the Chemical Hygiene Officer and/or Lab Coordinator and be familiar with common laboratory procedures, safety protocols, and safety equipment. A student will receive safety training: o When he/she is hired for the first time by the Department. o If the student has not been employed by the Department in more than two semesters. o At the beginning of each academic year. o When new hazards are introduced into the teaching labs. Maintaining Employment A student may maintain employment in the Department of Chemistry if the he/she has met the conditions listed in Hiring of Teaching Assistants, General Hiring Conditions, and Training and has met the following conditions: • If the student is already employed by Chemistry and decides to apply for employment in a second department, he/she must receive consent from the Lab Coordinator to work in the second department. The Lab Coordinator will be in contact with the other department. • The student must submit his/her time sheet on time. In a given semester, on the first offense, a student will be placed on probation for one week. During probation, a student will not be allowed to perform any work for the Department including but not limited to TAing or grading. On the second offense, the student’s employment will be terminated. o A time sheet is considered late if: the student completes a paper time sheet or if the Lab Coordinator or Human Resource Analyst submits the time sheet. • The student must indicate where the hours are being spent when logging hours in MyUCA. For example, if the student is grading, this must be indicated in the comments section of his/her time sheet. This will include time spent reviewing for lab, in lab, grading, or tutoring for the department. • The student cannot “carry over” hours from one pay period to another pay period. The Lab Coordinator reserves the right to remove these hours from the student’s time sheet before final approval. • The student cannot record hours incorrectly by entering more hours than what was worked. The Lab Coordinator reserves the right to remove or edit any incorrect hours before final approval. On the second offense of entering hours incorrectly, the student’s employment will be terminated. Termination of Teaching Assistants A student’s employment with the Department may be terminated if he/she has met the following conditions: • The student has been absent for two consecutive lab periods without proper notification. Proper notification requires the student to notify the instructing professor and the Lab Coordinator of planned absences at least 24 hours prior to the scheduled lab period. For emergencies or unforeseen circumstances, the student must notify the professor as soon as possible. All absences will be handled on a case by case basis at the discretion of the instructing professor and/or Lab Coordinator. o If the student informs the instructing professor and the Lab Coordinator of a planned absence, another student may serve as a substitute. The student substituting must be on the department payroll and will be chosen by the instructing professor and/or Lab Coordinator. • The student repeatedly disregards or does not comply with the safety protocols set forth by the signed safety agreement, the chemical hygiene plan, and the Department. • The student does not follow the policies list in the Teaching Assistant Employment Policies. • The student does not follow time sheet protocols. • The student is unfair with the grading of students’ papers. Unfair grading includes intentionally grading papers harshly or giving students higher or lower grades based on a students’ attitude or feelings toward particular students in lab. The fairness of grading is determined by the instructing professor. • The student does not maintain confidentiality with student grades or records. • The student loses lab students’ handouts or does not return graded handouts in the time allotted by the instructing professor. • The student is continuously disrespectful or unprofessional towards any lab students, faculty, or staff of the department. The instructing professor or faculty or staff member reserves the right to determine what is considered disrespectful or unprofessional. • The student is insubordinate. Degree of insubordination is determined by the instructing professor or the faculty/staff member. The instructing professor reserves the right to terminate the employment of the student as a TA for their section. Final termination is determined by the instructing professor, the Lab Coordinator, and the Department Chair.
