[Insert Date]
[Insert Name]
[Insert Address]
[Insert City], [Insert State] [Insert Zip]
[Insert Student ID Number]
[Insert Employee ID Number]
Dear [Insert Name]:
As [Insert Title], I am pleased to present to you this formal offer of employment with the University of South Florida for the [Insert Department Name], department number [Insert Department Number] . The employment consists of a Graduate Assistantship, Class Code and Title: 9185, Graduate Assistant ([Insert Masters or Doctoral] level). It is expected that your appointment will begin [Insert Start Date] and will be effective through [Insert End Date]. Your appointment is for [Insert #] FTE ([Insert #] hours per week) and provides an hourly rate of $[Insert Hourly Rate]. As a Graduate Assistant, you will be required to maintain good academic standing (min 3.0 GPA or min GPA required by your program) and maintain full time enrollment during each semester in which you are appointed. Full-time enrollment is a minimum of 9 graduate course hours in the fall semester, 9 graduate course hours in the spring semester, and 6 graduate course hours in the summer semester, or more depending on the requirements of your program. You will be expected to perform satisfactorily the assigned duties of the position, which shall be given to you by your immediate supervisor, [Insert Supervisor Name and Empl ID]. Your supervisor may or may not be the same person as your academic advisor or committee chair. No department or university representative may make a binding agreement to reappoint you for longer than the term of this contract. Research grants, advisor’s promises, and departmental agreements are not binding. Please note that you may be required to work during Spring Break, Holidays, etc. Check with your supervisor regarding required work schedules for your department. You are entitled to access your official evaluation file, which will be located in the Human Resources Department, SVC2172.
If you will be working at least 10 hours per week (.25 FTE ) in the 9185 job code you may be eligible to receive a GA Health Insurance Subsidy to help pay part of the premium for USF Student Health Insurance. Visit the Graduate School website at www.grad.usf.edu, click on “Graduate Assistantships” and then on “Health Insurance” for information on how to sign up before the deadline. You will also be sent pertinent information about health insurance via email. Graduate Assistants may be appointed up to a maximum of 0.50 FTE for a single assistantship. Programs who desire to appoint a Graduate Student, in any classification, more than 0.50 FTE up to 0.73 FTE, for single or multiple appointments, must submit justification to the Office of Graduate Studies for approval. Students hired in non‐GA positions on campus must also not exceed 0.73 FTE for the combined position and assistantship appointments.
If you are appointed for at least .25 FTE, you are eligible, but not guaranteed, a tuition payment. Check Oasis as you are responsible for student fees. To be eligible for a tuition payment, you must work the minimum number of required hours during each semester in which you receive a tuition payment: Fall=150 hours, Spring=150 hours, and Summer=100 hours. You will be notified in a timely manner whether you will receive tuition payment under the University tuition payment program. The balance of the charges will be your responsibility. Tuition payments will be revoked for failure to: work the minimum number of required hours per semester, maintain .25 FTE, uphold good academic standing, and/or dropping below 9 credit hours of graduate course enrollment (for summer: dropping below 6 credit hours of graduate course enrollment.) Tuition payment is considered a resource in the awarding of need based financial aid. Any changes made in employment and enrollment must be reported to your program and hiring department.
On January 1, 2014, key parts of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) went into effect and federal law requires employers to provide notices to all active employees regarding health insurance marketplace coverage options. The coverage offered through the Marketplace may not impact the benefits you may be eligible for through the University of South Florida. However, the notice should be carefully read, as it provides some basic information about the Marketplace and employment-based health coverage offered by USF. We have attached the Marketplace Notice to this offer letter for your convenience.
It is your obligation to report outside activity and conflict of interest under the provisions of Article 7: Outside Activity/Conflict of Interest of the USF-UFF/GAU Collective Bargaining Agreement (http://usfweb2.usf.edu/human-resources/pdfs/collective-bargaining/gau-agreement-2014-2017.pdf).
Special Conditions of Employment:
§ For Graduate Assistants conducting research, please refer to USF 12.003 (http://regulationspolicies.usf.edu/regulations/pdfs/regulation-usf12.003.pdf) regarding Inventions and Works.
§ If the appointee is a non-resident alien from a country in which English is not the primary language, appointment to the 9185 job code does not require a SPEAK test or iBT score. However, the duties of the 9185 job code prohibit direct contact with students in a classroom or laboratory setting.
§ The duration of this appointment is contingent upon the scheduled course section/s in which this appointment is assisting. This appointment can be terminated early if related scheduled course sections are cancelled.
This appointment is contingent upon you providing the required documentation of employability. If you have any questions about the terms outlined above, contact me at [Insert Phone Number].
We sincerely hope that you will accept this offer and look forward to having you as a part of this Department. If any changes are deemed necessary, we will notify you in writing.
Sincerely,
[Insert Name]
[Insert Title]
My signature below indicates my acceptance of the offer as outlined above. I acknowledge I have received the optional invitation to self-identify Veteran Status and/or a Disability included on the attached Post Offer Steps.
Please return a signed copy via US Mail or fax (XXX)XXX-XXXX no later than [INSERT DATE NO LATER THAN 10 DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THE LETTER].
Signature Date
This appointment is subject to the Constitution and the laws of the State of Florida and the United States, the rules of the Florida Board of Education and the University of South Florida, and the provisions of the Florida Board of Education/Graduate Assistants United Collective Bargaining Agreement.
All graduate assistants at the University of South Florida work under a contract negotiated by Graduate Assistants United (GAU) and the University of South Florida Board of Trustees. GAU is the labor Union certified as the exclusive bargaining agent for the Graduate Assistants at the University of South Florida.
(Your signature hereon shall not be deemed a waiver of the right to process a grievance with respect hereto in compliance with Article 11, Grievance Procedure.)
cc: Human Resources
Mailpoint: [Insert Bldg. and Room #]
Location: [Insert Bldg. and Room # of physical location of office]
Phone: [Insert Work Phone number]
Pay Distribution: [Insert GEMS account Code and %]
Principal Place of Employment [Insert Location]
Pay Envelope # [Insert Number, if applicable]
Release of Campus Email Authorization
Pursuant to article 2.1 (O) of the Graduate Assistants United (GAU) 2008-2011 Collective Bargaining signature below indicates consent by the student the release of his or her campus email address to GAU upon request,” please indicate below if you do or do not authorize the release of your campus email address to the GAU.
If you are authorizing the release of your campus email address to the GAU, please check YES below, then print your name and campus email address in the spaces provided, as well as sign and date the form.
If you are not authorizing the release of your campus email address, please check NO below, then print your name in the space provided, as well as sign and date the form. Do not print your email address for this option.
YES - I authorize the University to give my campus email address to the GAU
NO - I do not authorize the University to give my campus email address to the GAU
PART A: General Information
When key parts of the health care law take effect in 2014, there will be a new way to buy health insurance: the Health Insurance Marketplace. To assist you as you evaluate options for you and your family, this notice provides some basic information about the new Marketplace and employment-based health coverage offered by your employer.
What is the Health Insurance Marketplace?
The Marketplace is designed to help you find health insurance that meets your needs and fits your budget. The Marketplace offers "one-stop shopping" to find and compare private health insurance options. You may also be eligible for a new kind of tax credit that lowers your monthly premium right away. Open enrollment for health insurance coverage through the Marketplace begins in Oct. 2013 for coverage starting as early as Jan. 1, 2014.
Can I Save Money on my Health Insurance Premiums in the Marketplace?
You may qualify to save money and lower your monthly premium, but only if your employer does not offer coverage, or offers coverage that doesn't meet certain standards. The savings on your premium that you're eligible for depends on your household income.
Does Employer Health Coverage Affect Eligibility for Premium Savings through the Marketplace?
Yes. If you have an offer of health coverage from your employer that meets certain standards, you will not be eligible for a tax credit through the Marketplace and may wish to enroll in your employer's health plan. However, you may be eligible for a tax credit that lowers your monthly premium or a reduction in certain cost-sharing if your employer does not offer coverage to you at all or does not offer coverage that meets certain standards. If the cost of a plan from your employer that would cover you (and not any other members of your family) is more than 9.5% of your household income for the year, or if the coverage your employer provides does not meet the "minimum value" standard set by the Affordable Care Act, you may be eligible for a tax credit.1
Note: If you purchase a health plan through the Marketplace instead of accepting health coverage offered by your employer, then you may lose the employer contribution (if any) to the employer-offered coverage. Also, this employer contribution -as well as your employee contribution to employer-offered coverage- is often excluded from income for Federal and State income tax purposes. Your payments for coverage through the Marketplace are made on an after-tax basis.
How Can I Get More Information?
For more information about coverage offered by your employer, please visit myFlorida.com/myBenefits or
call People First at 1-866-663-4735, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern time.
The Marketplace can help you evaluate your coverage options, including your eligibility for coverage through the Marketplace and its cost. Please visit HealthCare.gov for more information, including an online application for health insurance coverage and contact information for a Health Insurance Marketplace in your area.
1 An employer-sponsored health plan meets the "minimum value standard" if the plan's share of the total allowed benefit costs covered by the plan is no less than 60 percent of such costs.
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PART B: Information About Health Coverage Offered by Your Employer
This section contains information about any health coverage offered by your employer. If you decide to complete an application for coverage in the Marketplace, you will be asked to provide this information. This information is numbered to correspond to the Marketplace application.
3. Employer NameState of Florida / 4. Employer Identification Number (EIN)
59-3458983
5. Employer Address
PO Box 5450 / 6. Employer Phone Number
1-850-921-4600
7. City
Tallahassee / 8. State
Florida / 9. ZIP Code
32314
10. Who can we contact about employee health coverage at this job?
People First Service Center, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern time.
11. Phone Number (if different from above)
1-866-663-4735 / 12. Email Address
N/A
Part-time and full-time employees as defined in Section 110.123(2)(c) and (f), Florida Statutes, are eligible for health coverage under the State Group Insurance Program. Pursuant to this statute, you may become eligible for health coverage if you work an average of 30 hours or more each week over the defined measurement period. If you become eligible following the measurement period, you will be notified.
For details regarding the Program’s terms of eligibility, including exceptions and dependent coverage, see the Benefits Guide for a summary program description at myFlorida.com/myBenefits.
Health plans offered under the Program meet the minimum value standard, and the cost of this coverage to you is intended to be affordable, based on employee wages. Even if your employer intends your coverage to be affordable, you may still be eligible for a premium discount through the Marketplace. The Marketplace will use your household income, along with other factors, to determine whether you may be eligible for a premium discount. If, for example, your wages vary from week to week (perhaps you are an hourly employee or you work on a commission basis), if you are newly employed mid-year, or if you have other income losses, you may still qualify for a premium discount.
If you decide to shop for coverage in the Marketplace, HealthCare.gov will guide you through the process.