Strict policies for online timesheets because of pressure from auditors

The student employment office will continue to enforce its strict policies and procedures for all work study and non-work study student employees, as well as their supervisors. Keri Powers, the acting assistant vice president of human resources, and Jane Thomas, the assistant director for human resources, spoke to the Student Government Association on Tuesday to clarify the college's policy on late and incorrect web time entry.

The policy states that after a student submits a late or incorrect timesheet online, the student receives an official warning and must go to the student employment office to fill out a correct timesheet. The student also receives a verbal counseling, in hopes that any misunderstandings will not happen again.

Upon a second offense, the student will lose student employment for the rest of the academic year.

The Student Employment Office transitioned to the web time-entry system because the college has been cited in an audit finding in each of the past three years.

"Because of the findings, the college is now in a position where we are at risk of losing our federal financial aid program," Powers said. "If the college loses its federal financial aid, there would be a myriad of students that would not be able to attend college. If there were no students to teach, there would be no need for faculty. So on and so forth, there would really be no need for this school any longer."

Because of errors in the paper timesheets used in years past-use of pencils, use of white out on the forms, six hours or more worked without a break, or over 20 hours worked in one week-the college elected to go with the electronic time sheets, which are supposed to reduce errors. However, many students and supervisors have had difficulties in dealing with the new technology.

Students are now held completely responsible for ensuring their web time entry is accurate and submitted to their supervisor on time. Supervisors are accountable for ensuring the students' sheets are accurate and then must forward them to student employment. Supervisors who fail to comply with the policies will lose their privilege to employ students in that office. The vice president of that department will then become the supervisor.

A fourth audit citation would most likely guarantee that BSC would lose its federal financial aid.

"This has been a very difficult ordeal for us," Powers told the SGA during her talk that lasted over an hour. "I truly ask that you all respect the policies and procedures that we implement and the position that the college is facing in terms of audit and the future risk of financial aid."

The student employment office employs over 1,500 student employees. By the end of the last pay period, 30 students failed to submit their hours on time.

Some solutions the SGA suggested were mandatory training for every student employee and more pressure on the supervisors rather than the students to submit the hours. The SGA suggested ideas to get deadlines publicized to all student employees in order to minimize late submissions.

Powers said that because of a small percentage of students who don't bother to pay attention to their time entry, all students face these strict policies.

SGA president Mario Pires said that he feels there has been a lack of communication between the student employment office and the students in terms of explaining the importance of attending training workshops to ensure compliance with procedures.

"I received notice of the workshops the day before the final training session," Pires said. "As someone who is very involved on campus, I should have had plenty of notice to go to one of these 'mandatory' training sessions."

Pires said that supervisors should be held more accountable in ensuring supervisors have more communication with their workers through e-mail, which is the number one form of communication on campus.

Glenn Barrows, SGA secretary, urged to Powers that a student's job on campus is not a privilege, but a necessity. "It's not a privilege to some students, it is a resource that they need from the school in order to continue to be a student here," Barrows said.

Powers said that she and her office have tried many different ways of stressing to students that they must submit their web time sheets in accordance with the college's rules.

"This is a directive from President Dana Mohler-Faria and he is unwavering in his position," Powers said