Student Appointments FAQ

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General

Q: Is anything changing from the student side?

A: Students can now view status of their transactions from View Student Transactions in the Student Appointments group in Atlas. They will also receive an email notification once the transaction is processed in SAP. In the old system they received an email notification when the eSPAF was submitted, but no notification was sent once the transaction was processed in SAP.

Q: Can you use transaction # to see where the transaction is in the process?

A: Yes, select View Student Transactions from the Student Appointments group in Atlas.

Q: Is the student prevented from filling out a timesheet if they don't have an SSN?

A: No, the student is not prevented from filling out a timesheet if they lack an SSN, but HR-payroll has a separate process to monitor these and ensure that students without an SSN secure it promptly.

Q: How soon will a time sheet be available to the student?

A: Immediately upon receipt of notification to the student of successful creation of the appointment.

Start/End Dates

Q: What is the recommendation for entering an end date if I know that a student is going to be working on a job for a long duration, e.g. 1+ years?

A: The recommendation is that you enter an end date for the appointment through the period you are certain that the student will work in that position. If the student does continue beyond that date, you can always extend the appointment using the Changes transaction. If the student comes back after a gap (e.g., summer) to work in the same position, the recommendation is to create a new appointment through Create Non-UROP.

Keep in mind that this applies only to Non-UROP appointments, as UROP appointment cannot be extended beyond the end date of the term for which the UROP was approved.

Q: If I put in an end date, why do I need to do a termination?

A: You only need to process a termination if the appointment is ending earlier than the original expected end date of the appointment when it was created. If the appointment is ending on the date you entered when you created the appointment, then you don't need to do anything.

Q: I currently enter an end date a few weeks later than the "real" end date of the appointment, so that the student has time to enter their time sheet. Can I still do this?

A. You no longer have to continue this practice because students can enter time sheets up to 6 months in the past. It is best to put the real end date on the appointment so there will be no conflicts or restrictions based on the planned hours validation.

Q: Can we reinstate a terminated appointment?

A: Yes, a termination is simply a change to move the end date to an earlier date. The end date can be changed again after a termination has been processed.

Q: Can I create a non-UROP that crosses terms?

A: Yes you can create a non-UROP that crosses terms. As long as the student is registered or eligible to register within the appointment time frame, you will be able to create the appointment.

Q: How far back can you enter the appointments?

A: As early as student's start date at the university, or 1/1/2007, whichever is later. Please note that if the start date of appointment is more than 1 yr in the past, final processing will take place only after the Service Center has reviewed the appointment.

Planned Hours

Q: Why can't I enter more than 20 hours per week for an international student?

A: Immigration law restricts international students from working more than 20 hours per week. MIT is accountable for enforcing compliance with this requirement.

Q: I don't know the number of hours (planned hours) the student is expected to work. What should I do?

A: 'Planned hours' is a required field in the application. Request the planned hours from the student's supervisor.

Q: Does the planned hours validation include monthly paid positions such as TAs or RAs?

A: Yes, the planned hours validation calculates the combined total of all the positions held by the student within the appointment time frame. Full-time (100%) TA and RA positions are considered to be the equivalent of 20 hours per week; graduate resident tutors are considered the equivalent of 10 hours per week.

Q: What if I just put any number of hours so I can enter the appointment?

A: It is advised to put the hours you expect the student to work since a validation will be performed once you hit continue on the details page of the application. Also, a new data warehouse report will be reviewed by designated offices (SFS, ODGE) to ensure that the hours actually worked by students comply with MIT policy and immigration law.

Q: Can I see other appointments that the student holds if I get a planned hours error?

A: Yes, you can use the Student's Appointments link (in the upper-right corner of the window) to view other appointments that may be conflicting with the appointment you are trying to create or change.

Q: If I see the 40 hours warning, does that mean the student being paid for overtime?

Overtime will be charged only if the student actually works more than 40 hours. It also does not mean that the department that gets the message will be the one to which the overtime is charged. The last hours worked in a week get assigned overtime.

Rate of Pay

Q: Why is approval needed if the hourly rate is greater than $25 if the department already approved it?

A: The maximum hourly rate for student appointment is determined by Student Financial Services (SFS). Any appointment exceeding the maximum must be approved by SFS.

Notifications/Confirmations

Q: I was told that appointments are created within 5 - 10 minutes of submission (if no approval is needed). Why didn't I receive the email notification?

A: In general you will receive email notification within 5 - 10 minutes after submitting an appointment; however, the SAP application is not available for during payroll processing, Mondays from 5:00 PM to Tuesday at 3:00 PM

Q: I received notification from the UROP office that a UROP project was approved, but when I try to create the appointment, why do I receive a message that no approved UROP projects exist for the student?

A: UROP projects are sent from MITSIS to SAP daily in the morning. Your approved project should be available the day after it is entered in the UROP system. If it is not, please contact the HR Payroll Service center at payroll@mit.edu or 3-2455.

Q: In the current (eSPAF) system, if a student does not have an I-9 or the correct registration status, a sternly worded email is generated automatically, and appeared as though it was coming from me. Does this email still get generated?

A: During requirements gathering users routinely mentioned that they did not like the I-9/reg status email being automatically sent from them. While an email is still generated, you have the option to send it or not. You will be able to see the wording of this message before you send it, and although you cannot edit the wording, you can choose whether to send it. If you choose to send it, it will be addressed from you.

The only exception is the SSN message, which is sent automatically, and is now addressed from the HR-Payroll Service Center.

Comments

Q: Will students see the comment I type in the Comments field?

A: Students will not see the comments entered by the administrator or approvers unless the appointment is rejected.

Q: How are the Comments used? Should I put information there for the Payroll Service Center?

A: The Comments are for administrator notes, and information relevant for approvers. The Service Center does not review or act on instructions in the Comments area.

Student Appointment (Cognos) Reports

Q: Why does the supervisor information says "Not available" in the Cognos report?

A: Usually this means that the appointment was created prior to the implementation of the new SHA application, when this information was not required.

Q: Can I send the report results to someone else?

A: Yes, you can send the results of a report to another person by following these steps:

1. After running the report, select the button circled on the image below, and select 'View in PDF Format'
   
   
   
   
2. Then, once the PDF format report opens, select the 'Keep this version' button, and choose 'Email Report'.
3. An email window will open, addressed to you by default; add to or change the addressees.
4. Ensure the 'Attach the report' checkbox is selected.
5. Click OK to send the email.
   
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