Project Assistant Sample Appointment Letter (Revised 12/22/08)

UW-MADISON, COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

NEW PROJECT ASSISTANT APPOINTMENT LETTER--SAMPLE

(REV 11/7/2014) ProjectAssistantSampleApptLtr-New.doc

DATE

NAME
ADDRESS

CITY, STATE ZIP

Dear FIRST NAME:

On behalf of the DEPARTMENT NAME, we are happy to offer you a PERCENTAGE percent time appointment as a Project Assistant. This appointment is for the period beginning START DATE through END DATE. At the full-time annual pay basis of $CURRENT PA RATE, your stipend for this appointment will be $MONTHLY RATE per month. Project Assistants are expected to enroll for a minimum of NUMBER OF CREDITS graduate credits, unless they are dissertators who must enroll for a minimum of three dissertator credits. The first six months of this appointment constitute a probationary period.

This offer of employment is conditional pending the results of a criminal background check, as required by the Board of Regents policy. If the results are unacceptable, the offer will be withdrawn or, if you have started employment, your employment will be terminated.

Although there may be some variation and change in responsibilities as the appointment proceeds, your duties in this appointment will be BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES. I expect that you will be able to complete these responsibilities satisfactorily in NUMBER OF HOURS PER WEEK hours per week during the period of the appointment. PROFESSOR/SUPERVISOR NAME will provide you with information on the scheduling of your responsibilities.

This appointment earns paid vacation at the full-time rate of 22 ½ days per fiscal year. Vacation must be used during your appointment period or it will be lost. Any remaining vacation time will NOT be paid at the end of the appointment. Other than periods when you receive approval to use earned vacation time, the appointment extends throughout the entire period noted above, with the exception of holidays when State offices are officially closed. You are also eligible to earn sick leave. At the beginning of this appointment period, you will be credited with a bank of NUMBER OF SICK DAYS sick leave days. Sick leave may not be used in less than one half day increments. Any remaining sick leave can be carried over if you receive another project assistant appointment in this department/center.

You may be eligible for remission of the nonresident portion of your tuition as well as all in-state fees, except for segregated fees. To qualify, you must be a graduate assistant and your PA/TA/RA earnings must total at least 33.3 percent of the full-time, annual rate during each semester. This remission is conditionally awarded at the beginning of the semester, based on your anticipated earnings.

If your total appointment (TA/PA/RA) is 33.3% or greater, this appointment also provides benefits such as eligibility for an excellent health insurance program. Staff benefits information and enrollment forms available to you are described on the following web site: http://benefits.wisc.edu. A chart summarizing benefits available to you can be found at: http://www.ohr.wisc.edu/benefits/new-emp/grad.aspx. You may contact PAYROLL COORDINATOR NAME (LOCATION) for further information; you should plan on doing this as soon as possible after you start, as there are enrollment deadlines for some insurance options. Failure to take these steps could result in the loss of important benefits.

This offer of employment is contingent upon verification of the appropriate identity and employment eligibility documentation on the Form I-9, as required by the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. For information on the Form I-9 and the list of acceptable documents, please see the Forms section of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service website: http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis. If you accept this offer of employment, you will receive an email from your hiring department with login instructions and a link to UW-Madison’s electronic I-9 system (COMPLI-9 which is run by the company GIS). Section 1 of the electronic Form I-9 must be completed by the employee on or before the first day of employment. The system will provide the list of acceptable documents and detailed instructions on how to complete the electronic Form I-9. The required documents must be presented to your employing department, in person, within three days of your employment start date. If you do not have the necessary documents, you must present a receipt from a U.S. government agency for replacement document(s) within the three day limit, and you must present the required document(s) within 90 days of your employment start date. The law prohibits the University from employing or continuing to employ an individual who has not provided the required documents within the relevant time period.

This employment relationship is governed by and subject to the provisions of a collective bargaining agreement negotiated by the Teaching Assistant's Association. Although this agreement is no longer in force, the university is continuing to use the terms of the contract until final university policies are adopted. Contents of this agreement were the direct result of collective bargaining with the TAA prior to Act 10 in 2011. As a result of Act 10, the TAA no longer has a collective bargaining relationship with the state. For this reason, sections of the contract referring to union rights and responsibilities are no longer in effect. Although it is not a certified union, the TAA remains a resource for Graduate Assistants.

The current contract can be found at: http://oser.state.wi.us/docview.asp?docid=7113

UW-Madison prohibits discrimination against applicants, employees, students and visitors to campus who wish to participate in University programs or activities. Information about relevant law, policies, resources, complaint procedures and protected bases, including how to contact theTitle IX and Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinators and on nondiscrimination on the basis of sex in federally assisted programs is available at: http://www.oed.wisc.edu.

All employees, faculty and staff are strongly encouraged to help make the University a drug-free workplace. You can do this by learning about substance abuse (its dangers and warning signs), encouraging others to avoid substance abuse, and getting help if you need it—either for yourself or for someone you are concerned about. Please review the “UW-Madison Compliance with the Drug-Free Schools & Communities Act”, which is provided to all employees as part of their orientation to the University community. This document can be found at: http://eao.wisc.edu/policies-drug-free.htm.

You are required by State of Wisconsin Executive Order #54 (EO 54) and campus policy to immediately report child abuse or neglect to Child Protective Services (CPS) or law enforcement if, in the course of employment activities, you observe an incident or threat of child abuse or neglect, or learn of an incident or threat of child abuse or neglect, and you have reasonable cause to believe that child abuse or neglect has occurred or will occur. For more information, please see the UW-Madison Office of Equity and Diversity website: http://www.oed.wisc.edu/childabuse/.

Please indicate your acceptance of this offer by returning a copy of this letter with your signature to SUPERVISOR'S NAME at LOCATION. If for any reason you don't plan to accept this appointment, please notify me in writing immediately. We look forward to working with you in the near future.

Sincerely,

PROFESSOR/SUPERVISOR NAME

ACCEPTANCE DATE: ______

SIGNATURE: ______