Graduate Catalog
Table of Contents

Graduate Assistantships at Western Illinois University

Graduate assistantships are academic merit-based award programs which provide students with work opportunities in a job closely related to their academic field of study. Students with full-time assistantships are required to work up to 20 hours per week or teach 5 to 6 semester hours per semester, and will receive a monthly stipend and waiver of tuition. Assistantship applications received prior to March 15 may be given priority consideration.

Categories of Assistantships

1. Graduate Assistant – Graduate Assistant duties are varied and are designed to support the administrative and operational functions of the University or approved external agencies. Assistants whose primary (i.e. greater than 50%) duties consist of one or more of the following types of activities will be classified as Graduate Assistants:

2. Research Assistant – Research Assistants are usually assigned to faculty members to assist with their research. Research Assistants may be funded with departmental monies, but frequently are funded through externally obtained grants and contracts. The duties of the Research Assistant vary by discipline and can involve a variety of responsibilities. Assistants whose primary (i.e. greater than 50%) duties consist of one or more of the following types of activities will be classified as Research Assistants:

3. Teaching Assistant – The duties of a Teaching Assistant are to conduct or support instruction. Assistants whose primary (i.e. greater than 50%) duties consist of one or more of the following types of activities will be classified as Teaching Assistants:

Contract percents will be based on the credit hour teaching assignment as follows: 100% = teaching assignment of 5-6 semester hours; and part-time = teaching assignment of 3-4 semester hours.

The current full-time monthly stipend and maximum required work hours of each category are listed below. The monthly stipends listed are minimums. Please note, assistants will be granted an increase in pay at the same time the faculty receive an increase.

Full-time Stipends and Work Assignments

Application Process

To apply for an assistantship, an Application for Assistantship (available from the School of Graduate Studies or at www.wiu.edu/grad) must be submitted along with three letters of recommendation (some programs require specialized recommendation letters) and a statement of personal goals. The application, letters, and statement must be submitted to the School of Graduate Studies before an assistantship contract may be written.

Tuition Waiver Benefit

Graduate assistants with at least a two-month contract receive a waiver of tuition (upon receipt of a signed contract) for the period of appointment plus a maximum of one summer session adjacent to (preceding or following) the employment period. If eligible, the summer tuition waiver is automatically applied for the summer following the end of the contract period; students must notify the Graduate School at the time of signing a fall contract if they choose to use it the preceding summer. The waiver does not include insurance costs or student fees. Tuition waivers may be revoked if the assistant does not fulfill at least two months of the regular contract.

Payroll Schedule

Full paychecks for fall contracts with semester-long employment dates will be issued in Ocotber, November, December, and January. There are five paychecks issued to those with spring semester-long contracts: 1/2 check in February; full checks in March, April and May; and 1/2 check in June. Payday is the first of the month unless that day is a weekend or holiday, in which case payday will be the weekday before the first. Assistants are required to participate in direct deposit of wages using the financial institution of their choice.

Eligibility Requirements

Students must meet all of the conditions listed below in order to hold an assistantship position:

1. Must have a graduate assistantship application, personal statement of goals, and three letters of recommendation on file in the Graduate School.

2. Must be a degree-seeking graduate student regularly accepted into a master’s program. Probationary students, non-degree students, and second bachelor’s degree students are not eligible to hold assistantship positions.

3. Must have a graduate GPA of at least 3.0 if graduate courses have been completed at the time the contract is initiated.

4. Must be enrolled in at least nine semester hours of graduate coursework or undergraduate deficiencies if holding a graduate or research assistant position for fall/spring; or at least six semester hours if holding a teaching assistant position for fall/spring; or three semester hours for summer (any position). If it is the assistant's last semester of coursework (as verified by the degree plan), it is acceptable to be registered for only the remaining required courses.

5. Sign an assistantship contract and complete all required employment paperwork.

Selection of Assistants

Employing departments are responsible for conducting interviews and selecting the most qualified candidate for the position. University policy requires the following hiring records to be retained in department/unit offices for a minimum of three years:

1. Selection criteria for each assistantship position

2. List of candidates in each selection pool

3. Documentation relative to each candidate’s qualifications

4. Interview notes (if applicable)

5. List of reasons for selection and non-selection of candidates

6. Copies of correspondence sent to candidates awarded assistantship position and those not awarded the position

Appointment Procedure

In order for an assistantship contract to be written, the following must occur:

1. Employing department sends completed Graduate Assistantship Contract Request to the Graduate School.

2. Student meets eligibility requirements listed above.

3. Contracts are written for at least 66% time. Departments may split a graduate assistant, however, contracts are not written until both employing departments submit requests.

4. Adequate funds must be available in a graduate or teaching assistant position line in the employing department’s budget.

5. Externally Funded Assistantship Agreements must be on file in the Graduate School before a contract will be written for an external graduate assistant.

Administration of Assistantship Contracts

Once a contract is written, it is sent to the mailing address as listed on the Graduate Assistantship Contract Request unless it is within one week of the start of the employment period. Students must sign the contract and return it to the Graduate School prior to beginning work. All employment paperwork is administered by the Graduate School. Other required employment documents are:

1. I-9 Form – verifies identity and employment eligibility; must be completed within three days of the start of the contract

2. W-4 Form – employee tax withholding statement

3. Authorization of Deposit – employees are required to participate in the direct deposit of wages as a condition of employment

4. Ethics Training – state law requires annual training of all state employees

Employment Requirements

All graduate assistants must complete an Authorization for Deposit of Recurring Payment form which allows assistants to receive monthly stipends electronically from WIU. Additionally, if this is the student's first period of employment at WIU or if changes are necessary, an Employment Eligibility Verification (I-9) form and an Employee's Withholding Allowance Certificate (W-4) must be completed in the Graduate School within three days of the contract's begin date.

All graduate assistants under contract to the University will be assessed the student health insurance fee. A brochure explaining the coverage of the student health insurance program is available at the Student Health Insurance Office, lower level of Beu Health Center, 309/298-1882. Student health insurance may be waived if the student provides proof of equal or better deductible.

Gradute assistants must adhere to the same standards of professional ethics as regular faculty. All graduate assistants must conform with the Ethics Act of Illinois by either completing the online test, or by reviewing the WIU Ethics Orientation for Employees brochure and submitting to the Graduate School the certification sheet attached to the brochure.

In accordance with state statute, teaching assistants engaged in oral instruction in the classroom should be people who possess adequate competence in spoken English (unless the language of instruction is not English). For students whose native language is not English, this competence must be evaluated by the department chair. Certification of such evaluation is required on the Graduate Assistant Contract Request which the department chair must submit to the Graduate School.

Graduate assistants must meet their normal assigned duties but should not be asked or required to perform additional duties without supplemental pay (see Lump Sum Payment below).

It is recommended by the Graduate School that graduate assistants not hold employment other than the assistantship.

Termination/Resignation

Resignation/termination of an assistantship by a student or by a department/unit must be made to the Graduate School in writing. The employing unit or the Graduate School may terminate an assistantship contract for cause or if eligibility requirements are not met. As soon as a graduate assistant has been terminated or has resigned, an email notification will be sent to the department’s fiscal agent, the supervisor, and the student (using WIU email address).

Lump Sum Payment Request – Graduate Assistant

Periodically, graduate assistants may perform duties in addition to their regular contract responsibilities. Supplemental pay for graduate assistants are processed by Lump Sum Payment Request – Graduate Assistant form available online at: www.wiu.edu/grad/forms/lumpsumform.pdf. This form of payment is not intended for continuous payments.