All positions must give the students direct experience with research or scholarship, at a level that is consistent with the student's skills and interests. These are not intended to be secretarial or other administrative support positions. We expect that you will treat the UROP Federal Work-Study Research Assistant as a full member of your research group or creative team.

A good position description will:

• Include approximately five sentences describing the project and qualifications for the position
• Include specific tasks and duties
• Use reasonably nontechnical language geared toward undergraduate students
• Include contact information, in case a student has direct questions about the position
• Include the location at which the research will take place

Before your job posting can be approved in Handshake, you must complete the annual training quiz specific to WSRA/UROP faculty.

• Review Training Slides
• You must score at least 80% (retakes available).
• Once completed, your FWS job posting will be approved within Handshake.

After submitting your position description, UROP will post RA positions to the Handshake website and publicize the position via our own websites. We will send you the Handshake position number within a week of posting. We also recommend that you share this position information with your students, but please be sure to communicate Work-Study eligibility requirements. You can announce the position in class, and send the description through your department student listserv. Make sure to include the Handshake position number with the description. All students must officially apply through Handshake to be hired under Federal Work-Study requirements.

Through Handshake, we can adjust settings so that faculty will receive applications via email from students immediately, as they apply.

Please feel free to interview all, some, or none of the applicants sent. These applicants have already demonstrated their eligibility and have been awarded Federal Work-Study funds. Any other requirements are included in the position description by the faculty.

Once faculty have interviewed and decided on a student for their position, please send an email to urop@vcu.edu and the team will assist students in completing all the necessary Human Resources paperwork.

UROP RAs can be awarded up to their respective, maximum work-study award per academic year through Financial Aid. As faculty make decisions on who to employ, please have each student share with you their individual award amounts as we do not have access to that information. Students can look up their award information by signing into their VCU eServices account and referring to the Financial Aid tab.

Schedules should be worked out between the student and the faculty member, but no student should be working later than midnight Monday through Friday. Weekend work is not permitted. Please keep in mind that the UROP RAs cannot exceed more than 20 hours per week and will be paid $12/hour. Student employees are paid every two weeks and may earn up to the amount of their total award. If students earn more than their award, the overage will be charged to the department that the faculty member works in. Thus, it is essential that supervisors monitor their students’ earnings. Traditionally, supervisors have required students to help them monitor the hours they work.

Either the faculty mentor or the appropriate staff person in their home department must approve work-study students’ hours in VCU RealTime.

Our office will facilitate the hiring process of your work study student. This requires a federal background check in accordance with the policy of the Federal Work-Study Program and can take up to two weeks, though is typically completed much sooner.