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| Graduate School > Publications > Graduate Assistant Guide | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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T H E G R A D U A T E A S S I S T A N T G U I D E |
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“Teaching, research, and service,” three activities that have
shaped the course of The University of Alabama since its inception are
reflected in the role of the Graduate Assistant at the University. The state’s oldest university remains dedicated
to discovering, disseminating, and applying knowledge. In responding to societal change, the University
strives constantly to identify carefully and to pursue vigorously new academic
goals, while continuing to honor previous commitments. A special emphasis of the University is graduate
education. Your appointment as a
Graduate Assistant can involve you deeply in the innovative and ambitious
graduate program at The University of Alabama.
UNIVERSITY GRADUATE ASSISTANTS As at other universities nationwide, Graduate Assistants at
The University of Alabama function both as students and as professionals,
enhancing their education by playing this important dual role. While studying to meet academic requirements
for advanced degrees, Graduate Assistants also complement their formal
studies through research, teaching, or administrative work under the supervision
or tutelage of faculty or staff. As a Graduate Assistant, you will need a clear understanding of your dual status, being aware especially of the requirements, responsibilities, and privileges of your position as both student and professional. The Graduate Catalog is the official source of all information pertaining to graduate students, including general academic policies and specific requirements in your area of concentration. As a supplement to the Graduate Catalog, this online Graduate Assistant Guide is designed to provide easy access to important information about your position as a Graduate Assistant at the University.
I. INFORMATION FOR ALL GRADUATE
ASSISTANTS Qualifications of Graduate Assistants Departments
may award a teaching, research, or administrative assistantship to a student
with regular or conditional admission by the If you are a prospective graduate student applying to the University, on your application you should express your interest in an assistantship. You may also benefit by corresponding with the department or program head of your particular area, indicating your desire to become a Graduate Assistant. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools requires that all graduate teaching assistants with primary responsibility for teaching a course for credit and/or assigning grades first must have a master's in the teaching discipline or 18 completed graduate semester hours in the teaching discipline, direct supervision by a faculty member experienced in the teaching discipline, regular in-service training, and planned and periodic evaluations. If you are an international graduate student or a non-native
speaker of English who desires an assistantship, you will be required to
complete successfully the International
Teaching Assistant Program (ITAP) conducted by the English Language Institute (ELI) to assure your
competence in English. International graduate
students not holding assistantships also may take advantage of the program.
Categories
of Graduate Assistants Graduate Assistant (GA)
The term Graduate Assistant refers generally to all graduate
students enrolled at the University who are employed to assist a faculty
or staff member in the areas of administration and research or to serve
in some instructional capacity.
Graduate Administrative
Assistant (GAA) A Graduate Administrative Assistant assists the University’s
administrative staff or that of a specific department within the University
by collecting, ordering, and interpreting various kinds of administrative
data. A GAA may assist at registration,
help with departmental exhibitions, or work on special projects of a wide
variety. Minor activities may include
attending seminars, doing library research, and holding conferences.
Graduate Research Assistant
(GRA) A Graduate Research Assistant assumes research-oriented responsibilities such as library research, computer programming and analysis, fieldwork, laboratory experiments, scientific investigations, writing and editing material, and averaging and assigning grades. Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) A Graduate Teaching Assistant serves an instructional role
in a class or laboratory within a specific department of the University,
performing pedagogical (teaching) functions such as preparing lectures,
conducting classes, constructing and grading tests, holding student conferences,
and assigning course grades. Because
the majority of Graduate Assistants are GTAs, you will find that a major
portion of this Guide is devoted to specific information about teaching. When you serve as a Graduate Assistant, you must enroll as
a full-time student; however “full-time” means from
Students with regular or conditional admission status may hold graduate assistantships. A minimum GPA of 3.0 must be maintained while holding any assistantship, except during the first 12 graduate semester hours earned at UA. Students who have earned academic warning or are in non-degree status may not hold graduate assistantships. A conditionally admitted student whose graduate GPA falls below 3.0 at any time during the conditional status will not be allowed to hold a graduate teaching assistantship until such time as the GPA has increased to 3.0 or better. A student with provisional language admission status may hold only an assistantship that is externally funded through a contract or grant; he or she may not hold a permanently budgeted UA assistantship. For fall and spring semesters, a graduate student must be enrolled in classes to hold an assistantship. For interim and/or summer, it is not required that a graduate student be enrolled in classes to hold an assistantship. Please note that full-time status here is not the same as that required for other registration and financial situations. For example, fellowships, financial aid regulations, resident visa rules, UA System Cooperative Exchange Program, INS and IRS regulations, and other academic policies use different status definitions with regard to full-time. For more information, please refer to the department(s) administering these other programs.
If
you are an international student, immigration regulations limit you to
a maximum of 20 work hours per week, including any combination of on- and
off-campus jobs for pay. If you
are a nonresident foreign student (holding an F-1 or J-1 visa), you must
make sure your visa is current in order to maintain work eligibility status. Students may hold up to 1.00 FTE assistantship plus up to 3 semester class hours without Graduate School approval. However, formal approval of the Graduate School is required when class hours exceed 3 at the 1.00 FTE level. Please note that combined FTEs approaching 1.00 may negatively affect a student’s full-time status with the IRS, funding agencies, health insurance carriers or others. The FTE from ALL assistantships, plus any other on-campus employment, must be combined when determining full-time equivalent status. The table below is a guide to determine whether or not Graduate School approval is required for typical combinations of FTE (assistantship) hours plus course hours the student is taking.
Appointment/Reappointment
and Duration of Appointment Policies determining your appointment or reappointment to a
Graduate Assistantship are made within your department. The first formal step in your employment as
a Graduate Assistant is a letter or memorandum of confirmation to you from
the department chairperson or director of graduate studies. This communication should specify the type
of assistantship you are being offered, its job description, the amounts
of the stipend, tuition grant, and any health benefits to which you will be entitled, the beginning
and ending dates of the appointment, and the name of your supervisor. You should receive a similar written communication for notification
of reappointment, which is based primarily on satisfactory evaluations
and recommendations from your supervisor. You will be expected to respond in writing
to letters of appointment and reappointment.
Award of an assistantship of 0.50 FTE or greater that is funded
as a permanent budget line entitles you to a grant equal to the cost of
your in- and out-of-state tuition. If
your assistantship is less than 0.50 FTE, your grant is reduced proportionately. An assistantship of 0.25 or greater that is paid from temporary
or sponsored research funds exempts you from the out of-state tuition charge
only. However, some departments
also have funds available to cover your in-state tuition charges. The awarding of a tuition grant is dependent upon the Graduate
Assistant’s meeting the criteria contained in the Memorandum of Appointment
and the You can obtain precise information regarding your stipend (salary)
from your academic department or from the
Additional
On-Campus and Outside Employment
Most departments discourage employment in addition
to your assistantship because your dual responsibilities as a graduate
student and as a Graduate Assistant will make great demands on your time
and energy. Overextending yourself
is likely to affect the quality of your work in every area and may be detrimental
to your health. Fellowships
or Scholarships do not include any work or service requirement and therefore
may be ignored when assessing overloads.
The University offers two low-cost payment plans: The BAMA Plan and the deferred tuition payment plan. The BAMA Plan, “BAMA’s Affordable Monthly Alternative,” is a simple monthly budget approach to paying tuition, residence hall costs, Dining Dollars, and optional campus meal plan charges for the academic year (fall and spring semesters). Participating in the BAMA Plan is interest free with a $55 annual participation fee. If
you have already paid all previous semester charges in full and pay at
least one-half of the current semester charges at registration for the
current semester, you can defer the remaining half of the charges. Check with the Office of Student Receivables to
learn the payment date (approximately mid-semester) and to sign a deferment
agreement. There is a $30 fee for
this service. Please
visit the Graduate Financial Aid
Resources page for detailed information. You can also obtain information about
student financial aid by contacting
the Financial Aid office at Room 106 Student Services Center, phone (205) 348-6756, email:
financialaid@ua.edu. There
you can learn the necessary procedure to follow for meeting and maintaining
eligibility for financial aid, including help with
FAFSA (Free Application for
Federal Student Aid). The University does not have an institutional financial
aid form and can process most needs analysis forms. Incoming students can speed up the process
by obtaining forms from nearby lending institutions. Applications for aid filed before March 1 receive
priority. For more financial assistance information, refer to the Financial Assistance
Handbook, which is published by the The
Teaching Awards Your eligibility for one of the teaching awards is based on
your unconditional admission to the Graduate School, maintenance of a 3.0
grade point average or higher, and nomination by a divisional Awards Committee. A committee of the Graduate Council reviews
the nominations. The committee then
assesses the credentials of the finalists and selects the two winners,
who will each receive a certificate and a monetary award from the Graduate
Dean during Honors Day ceremonies held within the appropriate divisions.
Research Awards Your department may recommend your ongoing graduate research,
not necessarily related to the completion of your thesis or dissertation,
to the members of your divisional committee. A Graduate Council committee
reviews the nominations. The committee assesses the credentials of the
nominees and selects the two winners. Each
winner receives a certificate and monetary award from the Graduate Dean
at the annual Honors Day program in his or her division.
Thesis/Dissertation
Awards Your department may recommend your completed thesis or dissertation
to the members of your divisional Awards Committee, provided you have met
the
Since your reappointment is based on the quality of your work,
you should know how it would be evaluated. Depending on your department or division, supervision
and performance review of your work may be the direct responsibilities
of your departmental chairperson, usually aided by a faculty member or
a committee. Assessment of your work is likely to include formal student
evaluations, informal observations by supervisors, and even peer evaluations. Your department chairperson may confer with
these sources in determining whether you are to be reappointed and may,
in some cases, discuss your evaluation with you. Each
of these aspects of performance review can furnish you with valuable feedback,
enabling you to improve your performance. From your own experience as a student, you may already be sensitized
to the need to avoid any appearance of sexual harassment of your students. Nonetheless
you should know that sexual harassment is prohibited by the UA
Policy on Sexual Harassment. Because
of the seriousness of this matter, official policy is paraphrased below: The University is committed to maintaining a positive and productive
environment in which the dignity and worth of all of its members are respected. Sexual
harassment is damaging to this environment and will not be tolerated. Sexual harassment is defined for purposes of
this policy as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and
other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when: (1) submission
to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition
of an individual’s employment or education; (2) submission to or rejection
of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for academic or employment
decisions affecting that individual; or (3) such conduct has the purpose
or effect of substantially interfering with an individual’s academic or
work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive learning
or employment environment. Sexual
harassment is unacceptable conduct within the University and shall subject
the offender to possible disciplinary action up to and including suspension
or dismissal. Students with complaints of sexual harassment against faculty
members, graduate assistants, or staff members in academic departments,
schools, or colleges should contact the Designated Harassment Resource
Person in their college or school, or in the college or school in which
the alleged offender is employed. A
faculty member to whom a student has come with a complaint of sexual or
other harassment should recommend that the student contact the Designated
Harassment Resource Person. Institutional policy also prohibits amorous or sexual relationships
between instructional personnel and students for whom they have professional
responsibility, even though both parties might seemingly consent to the
relationship. Such a relationship
may lead to a charge of sexual harassment or make the objectivity of the
instructor questionable and his or her evaluations suspect. The University strongly recommends that you complete the online Preventing
Sexual Harassment Training prior to interaction with students in
the classroom.
Official
Handling of Complaints Both as a student and as a Graduate Assistant, you will need
to familiarize yourself with two documents pertaining to conduct. The Code of Academic Conduct
and Academic Misconduct Procedures, outlined in the UA Faculty Handbook,
Appendix C, deals with cheating, plagiarism, fabrication, and misrepresentation. As a GTA you could be the subject of an academic grievance
filed by a student. The University-Wide Academic
Grievance Procedures are found in the UA Faculty Handbook, Appendix
D. If a student has a grievance,
you should confer immediately with your department head, because there
is already in place a system for handling such situations. The grievance is handled, not by you, but by
a divisional academic misconduct monitor or a divisional dean, with final
resolution by the Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs when necessary. The
UA Policy on Confidentiality
of Records recognizes the privacy rights of students in matters such
as the posting of grades and release of information about students, as
outlined in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of
1974 and as in amendments to the Act.
Protection
of Human Subjects for Research Scientific research involving human subjects has produced substantial
benefits for society, but it also has posed some troubling ethical questions. The
mission of the University’s Institutional Review Board for Protection of
Human Subjects is to assure that research involving human subjects is conducted
ethically. University and federal policies require that
review and approval to use human subjects in research precede the research. In the case of thesis or dissertation research
that involves the use of human subjects, the principal investigator is
responsible for contacting The University of Alabama Institutional Review
Board (IRB) to obtain approval for the planned research.
Retirement
and Social Security Benefits Although the University is a part of the state retirement system,
as a part-time employee you are not a part of that program. Your social security benefits, however, accrue
as they normally do for any employee.
Vacation,
Sick Leave, and Unemployment Compensation As a part-time employee, you are not eligible to accumulate
vacation time or qualify for sick leave. However,
in case of illness, normally you can expect someone in your department
to fill in for you, as you would do for others in the same circumstance. Notify
the department secretary so that, for instance, a class can be canceled. You will observe the same school holidays as
regular faculty members and students unless other contracts have been agreed
upon in the department. Since unemployment
compensation does not apply to full-time students, Graduate Assistants
are not eligible for such compensation. If you are injured on the job, report the incident immediately
to your supervisor. It is the policy
of The University of Alabama to protect employees from undue financial
hardship resulting from injury or disability incurred as a result of their
performance of official duties. Graduate Assistant Health Benefit The University of Alabama provides single coverage health insurance at no cost to all of its qualifying graduate assistants who are funded from permanently budgeted GA lines, if the graduate assistant applies for this benefit by the specified deadline. Qualifying graduate assistants who choose to remain covered by another insurance policy are not required to participate in this program. Graduate assistants who otherwise qualify but are not funded from permanently budgeted GA lines may have the cost of their single coverage paid from other University sources. The period of coverage will be for a semester and will be renewed as long as the Graduate Assistant meets the eligibility requirements. This program will not affect the provision of the Student Health Insurance Plan offered by the University, which will continue to be available for other qualifying students to purchase independently. Graduate assistants who qualify for single coverage insurance under this program will have the option to extend the coverage to their family, as defined in the policy document from the insurance provider. The additional cost must be paid directly to the Student Health Center. This benefit is paid by the Graduate School only for assistants supported on permanently budgeted GA lines. These are funds allocated from Academic Affairs to colleges, which may be used only for paying assistantship stipends, and are based on a fixed number of full time assistantships and the university’s minimum stipend rates. While the student may be qualified to receive the benefit under the terms of his or her appointment, the student is still required formally to enroll in the program through the Student Health Center. Generally, in qualifying to hold graduate assistantships, the students will satisfy the academic enrollment requirements for the health insurance program. Enrollment forms will be distributed by each department with the Memorandum of Appointment. Additional copies of the form can be obtained from the Student Health Center website. The Student Health Center will coordinate these forms and administer enrollment. The student must complete the form and submit it to the Student Health Center. The
Student Health Center is
a modern facility with an outpatient clinic, laboratory and X-ray departments,
a licensed pharmacy, counseling center, health promotion, travel services,
women’s health, and administration staff. Referral for consultation with appropriate
specialists is also available; charges for specialized care are the responsibility
of the student. Outpatient care is available at the
All regularly enrolled students taking over four semester hours
pay a per-semester health fee that serves as the primary source of the
operating budget for the Center, and so most services incur a nominal fee
per visit. Charges are made for
pharmacy, laboratory, and a few other services, but they fall far below
charges for comparable services obtained in the community. The University at a nominal cost provides students with diagnosis
and treatment of speech, language, and hearing problems. In addition to providing a wide range of hearing,
speech, and language tests, the
Speech and Hearing Center dispenses
hearing aids and provides individual therapy to students, faculty, and
their dependents who have speech and language problems such as stuttering,
articulation disorders, language disorders, and voice disorders. Faculty and staff members of the Department of Communicative Disorders supervise
the Center. The
Psychology
Clinic (Tel. 348-5000,
email:
melissa.jackson@ua.edu) provides psychological testing and counseling
services. Its facilities are used in the clinical training of graduate
students. Faculty members of the
Department of Psychology supervise
the Clinic.
Counseling
Services
The University offers professional counseling to all students
through CAPS
(Counseling and Psychological Services) located in room 225 in the
Visiting the
Career Center (330
ACTion
Cards
The student ACTion card is essential for participation
in many University services. Being
able to check out library books, buy student tickets, use the University
recreation facilities, and buy a parking decal all require an active ACTion
card. In addition, you may apply
BAMA Cash to your card,
which can be used in University dining areas, parking decks, and even at
the hair salon. You also may access
your Bama Dining account with your ACTion card. Cards for spouses or dependent children are free. This is especially useful if your family members
wish to use the recreational facilities. However, if a card is lost or stolen, a $25
reissue charge is assessed. If your spouse is unable to pick up the card,
arrangements can be made for you to pick up the spouse card. Cards can be obtained at the ACTion Card Office at 104 Student
Services Center. The University’s total library system contains more than two million volumes and over three million microform units to provide you with resources helpful in both research and teaching. In addition to an extensive collection of print materials, researchers may freely access a growing number of electronic resources in each of the libraries. Reference librarians will assist you in using both print and electronic resources.
University Libraries includes Amelia Gayle
Gorgas Library (housing collections supporting the humanities and social
sciences), Bruno Business Library, McLure Education Library, Rodgers Science
and Engineering Library, and Hoole Special Collections Library. Other libraries
on campus, under separate administration, include the Bounds Law Library
(on The libraries’ catalog can
be accessed through public workstations distributed throughout the facilities
and on the web. All libraries provide assistance in forming
search strategies while using the catalog. Other services available in the libraries include circulation,
reserves, interlibrary loans, library instruction classes, photocopiers,
and reader spaces for group study or quiet study. Information about library hours, tips for search
strategy, and explanations of library resources and services are available
on display stands throughout the libraries. Each of the libraries provides
specialized services for users with disabilities; an adaptive technologies
workstation is available in several of the libraries. You must have an active student ACTion card in order to check
out materials from the library.
UNIVERSITY LIBRARIESAmelia Gayle Gorgas Library
Gorgas Library provides materials
and access to resources supporting the humanities and social sciences. It
also serves as a regional depository for federal publications. The Interlibrary
Loan Office (ILL) locates and borrows materials not accessible at the University.
Requests can be made online at the library website. In
addition, Gorgas Library has laptop computers available for use within
the library only. These can be obtained
from the Circulation Desk on the second floor. Angelo Bruno Business Library
Bruno Library is located on McLure Education Library
McLure Library is located
on University Boulevard and contains elementary, secondary, and higher
education resources, as well as materials to support programs in educational
leadership, athletic training, health studies, counselor education, educational/school
psychology, educational research, education computer technology, educational
foundations, fine arts education, human performance, and special education. Laptop
computers are available at the Circulation Desk. Eric and Sarah Rodgers Library for Science
and Engineering
Rodgers Library is located on
Hackberry Lane and accommodates studies in aerospace, chemical, civil,
electrical, industrial, mechanical, metallurgical, and mineral engineering;
computer science; biology; chemistry; geology; geography; nursing; mathematics;
physics; and related fields. Laptop
computers are available at the Circulation Desk. William Stanley Hoole Special Collections
Library
Hoole Special Collections Library is
located on the second floor in the Scientific Collections Facility on
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