Contract Eligibility
To be eligible to receive a graduate assistantship award a student must be fully admitted to a graduate degree program, enrolled as a full-time student (9 or more credits in fall and spring semester and 6 over the summer sessions), maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00, progress toward completing degree objectives, perform graduate assistantship duties satisfactorily, maintain standards of academic conduct, honor the terms of the contract agreement, and Teaching Assistants must meet oral English proficiency requirements.
Forms
Paychecks will not be issued until the completed I-9 and DMA forms are received in the Graduate School. Instructions for completion are on the reverse side of the form and documentation must be verified by a university staff member with the graduate assistant applicant in person. The original completed Form I-9 must be forwarded to the office of the Associate Dean of the Graduate School with the Graduate Assistant Agreement/Appointment contract or within three days of the effective date of the appointment. Graduate Assistant contracts must arrive with the completed DMA form attached or they cannot be processed. If a student answers “Yes” to any question on the DMA, they will be denied the graduate assistantship.
- Payroll Self-Service Tutorial
- W-4 Form
- Direct Deposit Form (must also attach a voided blank check)
All Payroll forms must be submitted to the Payroll Office.
Location:
Administrative Services Building (ASB) Room 112
185 Mill Street
Mailing address:
302 Buchtel Common, Akron, Ohio 44325-6210
*Graduate Assistants are paid on a bi-weekly basis. Pay schedules are available on the Payroll website.
Retirement Plan
As a State of Ohio institution, we do not pay Social Security; instead, we contribute to a state retirement system. As a student employee you must choose whether or not you will participate in the School Employees Retirement System. Your contribution is 10% of your earnings and the University will supplement this with a contribution equal to 14%.
If you plan to work in the future in any area of public service in the state of Ohio, it is recommended that you participate as the time worked while being employed with the University of Akron will go towards your retirement later.
You must complete either the Exemption or the Membership Record form. If you choose to complete the Membership Record, state law makes parents possible beneficiaries; therefore, your parents' birth dates are required (note deceased if applicable). Visit the SERS website for more information.
SERS Exemption
SERS Membership (complete both forms)
*If you are a Graduate Teaching Assistant, an active member in State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio (STRS) and you are not on a leave of absence from a teaching position covered by STRS Ohio, you may apply for exemption from contributions to STRS Ohio. Please consult the STRS Ohio website at https://www.strsoh.org/Employer/pubs/1k04.html for more information and an exemption form.
* If you are a Graduate Teaching Assistant, an active member in State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio (STRS) and on a leave of absence from a teaching position covered by STRS Ohio, or wish to contribute to STRS Ohio, you must complete a New Hire Notification for College and University Employees form. The form is available on the STRS Ohio website at https://www.strsoh.org/Employer/pdfs/50-279b.pdf.
Sexual Harassment Prevention Training
Sexual Harassment Prevention Training is a mandatory requirement for all University employees. This training discusses topics relating to sexual harassment and other forms of discrimination. Discussion will include relevant federal and state laws as well as UA rules and policies. Important contact information is also included.
All Graduate Assistants must sign up for the online Sexual Harassment Prevention Training in August at the beginning of the academic year. Completion of the training must occur in your first semester of Graduate School. To sign up, please e-mail your name and student ID number to eeocompliance@uakron.edu, along with a request to be enrolled in the online Sexual Harassment Prevention Training. If you have questions regarding this training, please contact Belinda Parker in the EEO/AA Office, (330) 972-7300, bparker@uakron.edu.
Plagiarism
Academic honesty is fundamental to the activities and principles of any university. All members of an academic community must be confident that each person's work has been responsible and honorably acquired, developed and presented. The assumption that your work is a fair representation of your actual ability, knowledge, and skills form the basis of institutional quality and the quality of its graduates.
For more information please view The University of Akron's policy on Plagiarism and Academic Integrity.
Institutional Review Board
All students and faculty engaged in research are subject to the oversight and guidelines of the University’s Institutional Review Board (IRB). The IRB is a part of the Office of Research Services & Sponsored Programs.
All individuals conducting research involving human subjects must be certified. All researchers must take and pass the core modules in the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) curriculum. Application forms and deadlines are available online. Tutorials are available for Researchers Submitting a Protocol to the IRB and for Students taking the CITI Training to satisfy course requirements. After completing the tutorials, researches must complete the CITI course online.
Guidelines and samples for obtaining informed consent, as well as ethical principles and Federal laws are also available online.
General University Information and Services