The University of St. Thomas

Mission


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I. Mission, Advantages, Eligibility, International Students

1. Student Employment Mission Statement

  • The mission of the Student Employment program at the University of St. Thomas is to support the education of University of St. Thomas students while providing:
    • An educational employment experience
    • An opportunity for students to earn money to fund their education-related expenses, particularly students who qualify for Federal and State Work-Study funds

2. Advantages of Student Employment

  • There are many benefits to working on campus.
    • FICA Tax Exemption:
      • Students working on campus are exempt from paying FICA tax. This means that being paid $7.00/hr on campus is equivalent to being paid $7.54/hr off campus.
    • Flexibility:
      • Supervisors at UST understand that your first priority is as a student.
    • Convenience:
      • Your campus job will be convenient to your classes - less travel means more time and more money in your pocket.
    • Campus Connections:
      • You work with professional staff members who are vital to the UST campus and may be able to assist you with many aspects of your life at UST.
      • Many students meet some of their best friends through a student employment position.
    • Financial Aid:
      • The amount of income you earn in Federal Work-Study or State Work-Study is not counted as income when you apply for financial aid for the following year.
    • Learning Experience:
      • No matter where you work on campus, UST supervisors strive to make your job the best learning experience it can be. Whether you work on the grounds crew, at the Print Center, or do research with a professor, you will learn vital job skills - from interviewing to customer service to computer skills.

3. Employment At Will

  • Student employees are considered to be extremely valuable, and it is the intent of the university to provide a work environment that promotes learning opportunities. Student employees may resign their employment from the University at any time, for any reason. The university has the right to end the employment relationship under the same conditions. Nothing contained in this student employee handbook nor any other materials provided to the employee in connection with their employment prohibits the University from terminating an employee at any time for any reason.

 

4. Student Employment Eligibility

  • You do NOT need a financial aid award in order to be eligible to work on campus but you DO need a Student Employment Form.
  • Students who have applied for financial aid and have been awarded either federal or state work study funds are given priority when applying for most on-campus positions.
  • The Student Employment Form is submitted through Murphy Online.
  • For further questions about eligibility, please contact the Office of Student Financial Services at (651) 962-6550.

5. International Students

  • An F-1 visa student may accept employment at the university without prior approval from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). 
  • International students on an F-1 visa must be enrolled for a full course of study in order to be eligible for student employment at UST.  Students must be enrolled in the subsequent semester in order to be employed during j-term and summer.
  • On-campus employment is limited to 20 hours per week during the required fall and spring semesters and 40 hours per week during periods of non-enrollment (summers or academic breaks).  A work week is Sunday through Saturday. 
  • Additional information concerning USCIS employment regulations may be obtained by contacting the Office of International Student Services.