Adopted on January 24, 1994
by the Faculty Senate

FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
GRADUATE ASSISTANT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

PURPOSE- To address SACS guidelines on policies and procedures for the administration of graduate assistants.

SECTION I

Definition and Categories of Assistantships

Graduate Assistants (GA) may be classified into the four categories described below:

Graduate Research Associate - Class Code 9181*

Graduate Research Associates shall be degree seeking graduate students who have completed 30 graduate credit hours (see Section 2.4. 1. of the Graduate Policies & Procedures Manual on the transfer of graduate credits) and who perform research duties related to his or her academic
program. The appointees must be fully admitted to a graduate degree program, and be under the supervision of an appropriate faculty member.

For some positions assigned to this class, special qualifications may be added to the minimum such as admission to doctoral candidacy.

Graduate Research Assistant - Class Code 9182*

Graduate Research Assistants shall be degree seeking graduate students who perform research duties related to his or her academic program. The appointees must be fully admitted to a graduate degree program, and be under the supervision of an appropriate faculty member.

For some positions assigned to this class, special qualifications may be added to the minimum such as completion of a specified number of graduate credit hours or a master's degree.

Graduate Teaching Associate - Class Code 9183*

Graduate Teaching Associates shall be degree seeking graduate students who have completed 30 graduate credit hours (See Section 2.4. 1. of the Graduate Policies & Procedures Manual on transfer of credits) and perform teaching duties related to his or her academic program. The appointees must be fully admitted to a graduate degree program, and be under the supervision of an appropriate faculty member.

For some positions assigned to this class, special qualifications may be added to the minimum such as admission to doctoral candidacy.

Graduate Teaching Assistant - Class Code 9184*

Graduate Teaching Assistants shall be degree seeking graduate students who have completed 18 graduate credit hours and perform teaching duties related to his or her academic program. The
appointees must be fully admitted to a graduate degree program, and be under the supervision of
an appropriate faculty member.

For some positions assigned to this class, special qualifications may be added to the minimum such as completion of a master's degree.

Graduate Assistant - Class Code 9185*

Graduate Assistants shall be degree seeking graduate students who assist in the teaching and/or research function, but do not have primary responsibility for teaching and/or research. The appointees must be fully admitted to a graduate degree program, and be under the supervision of a faculty member.

For some positions assigned to this class special qualifications may be added to the minimum such as completion of a master's degree or a specified number of graduate credit hours.

*Based on BOR nomenclature

SECTION II

Length of Service:

A GA may hold an appointment for one or two semesters, and for the Summer semester. All appointments may be based on a percentage of effort, as defined by the full-time FTE formula.

Weekly Hours of Service:

Graduate Assistantships cannot exceed twenty (20) hours of service per week. (.50 FTE)

SECTION III

Appointment Criteria:

Students must be pursuing a graduate degree and maintain a 3.0 cumulative grade point average in their particular program in order to be eligible for a graduate assistantship. To be appointed to an assistantship a student must be enrolled full-time for nine (9) semester hours of graduate courses (6 during the Summer), which is considered to be the equivalent of three (3) hours a semester, and be able to work a minimum of ten (10) hours per week. (.25 FTE.)

These criteria are minimum University requirements. Individual departments may set higher standards.

A person assigned as Teaching Assistant (TA) must have successfully completed 18 graduate semester hours in his or her discipline before being assigned classroom responsibilities. This includes teaching a course for credit and assigning final grades. Persons not meeting this minimum requirement must: a) be under the direct supervision of a faculty member experienced in the discipline, b) receive certification by the Academy for the Art of Teaching as having attended workshop, and, c) be evaluated every semester by the department chairperson.

In exceptional cases, outstanding professional experience and demonstrated contributions to the teaching discipline may be presented in lieu of formal academic preparation. Such exceptions must be justified by the department on an individual basis.

Institutions may appoint graduate teaching assistants for whom English is a second language only when a test of spoken English, or other reliable evidence of the applicant's proficiency in oral and written communication and speech, indicates that the appointment is appropriate.

The department chairperson must recommend to the academic Dean the cancellation or
reduction in a student's award if the student fails to maintain satisfactory academic standing.

International graduate student applicants whose native language is not English will be required to submit a minimum score of 50 on the Test of Spoken English (TSE) if they wish to be employed as a teaching assistant.Individual departments may have higher requirements.Consult your individual department for its minimum requirement.

Students applying for financial aid, and who receive graduate assistantships, may also be considered for any other financial aid.

Other Conditions of Appointment

A student receiving a GA/TA/RA must agree not to accept employment outside of the University without departmental approval. Additionally, if a student accepts an appointment as an assistant he or she must agree to enroll for the minimum number of courses. (see Section V.)

Minimum stipend Level

Hours Level Minimum Rate Per Semester
(10 hours per week) .25 FTE: $ 1,875
(15 hours per week) .375FTE: $ 2,850
(20 hours per week) .50 FTE: $ 3,750

SECTION IV

Minimum Stipends

The minimum graduate assistant stipend will be $7,500 for the two-semester academic year
(plus in-state and out-of-state tuition waivers) for assistants working 20 hours per week (.5 FTE).

The $7,500 figure works out to approximately $9.62 per hour using 9.75 pay periods and 40 hours of work per pay period. Stipends offered for other than .5 FTE will be prorated based on either the $7,500 per academic year figure or the $9.62 per hour minimum rates.

Reappointment

The department may reappoint a student to a graduate assistantship if the student maintains at
least a 3.0 gpa in all coursework taken and he or she has demonstrated satisfactory performance
based on the department evaluation system.

Evaluation

Each graduate assistant will be evaluated by the department based on a general university instrument.

Accreditation Guidelines
Employment Criteria - Graduate Teaching Assistants
SACS

4.4.2 Academic and Professional Preparation

For the purpose of applying the Criteria, a full-time faculty member is one whose major employment is with the institution, whose primary assignment is in teaching and/or research, and whose employment is based upon a contract for full-time employees.

Both full-time and part-time faculty must meet the following criteria for academic and
professional preparation.

4.4.2.2 Baccalaureate.

Each full-time and part-time faculty member teaching credit courses leading toward the baccalaureate degree, other than physical education activities courses, must have completed at least 18 graduate semester hours in the teaching discipline and hold at least a master's degree, or hold the minimum of a master's degree with a major in the teaching discipline. In exceptional cases, outstanding professional experience and demonstrated contributions to the teaching discipline may be presented in lieu of formal academic preparation. Such exceptions must be justified by the department on an individual basis.

4.4.4 Graduate Teaching Assistants

The employment of graduate teaching assistants is a well-established practice in higher
education, but should be carefully monitored. An institution must avoid heavy dependence on graduate teaching assistants to conduct classroom instruction. Each institution employing graduate teaching assistants must provide a published set of guidelines for institution-wide graduate assistantship administration, including appointment criteria, remuneration, rights and responsibilities, evaluation, and reappointment.

Graduate teaching assistants who have primary responsibility for teaching a course for credit and/or for assigning final grades for such a course, and whose professional and scholarly preparation does not satisfy the provisions of Section 4.4.2 must have earned at least 18 graduate semester hours in their teaching discipline, be under direct supervision of a faculty member experienced in the teaching discipline, receive regular in-service training, and be regularly evaluated.

The above requirements do not apply to graduate teaching assistants who are engaged in assignments such as laboratory assistance, teaching physical education activities, attending or helping prepare lectures, grading papers, keeping class records, and conducting discussion groups.

Institutions may appoint graduate teaching assistants for whom English is a second language only when a test of spoken English, or other reliable evidence of the applicant's proficiency in oral and written communication and speech, indicates that the appointment is appropriate.