FWS Supervisor Guide

The Mounties Work! Supervisor Guide to Student Success

SOP: EOU Student Employment and Federal Work-Study (FWS) Workflows

1. Executive Overview & Strategic Context

For the 2026–27 academic year, Eastern Oregon University is implementing a fundamental strategic shift in student employment management. We are transitioning from a reactive, decentralized hiring model to a proactive, framework-aligned system designed to maximize the institutional value of Federal Work-Study (FWS) funds. This shift ensures that student roles are not merely administrative placeholders but are structured as developmental pathways that align financial need with professional trajectory. Strict adherence to these workflows is required to maintain the university’s eligibility for Title IV funding and to protect individual departmental budgets from the financial liability of non-compliance.

The Placeholder Allocation Logic

A critical update to our fiscal strategy involves the “placeholder” mechanism for financial aid offers. Eligible students will initially see a baseline placeholder value of $1 (or $0) on their aid offer. This remains static until a confirmed job offer is submitted. Once a hire is finalized, the Financial Aid Office triggers the actual allocation—up to a maximum of $6,000. Final amounts are determined by Career Services’ evaluation and the FAO’s formula, which balances the job’s classification with target allocation bands. This mechanism streamlines the Financial Aid Office’s workload by preventing “overawards”—where a student’s total aid exceeds their financial need—while ensuring that funds are only deployed for active, verified employment.

The Tiers of Trek: Professional Framework

All student positions are now categorized under the “Mounties Work!” framework. Supervisors must align their expectations with the overarching “vibe” of these three tiers:

Category A: Basecamp (Monitoring & Presence)
- Focus: Foundational roles centered on operational availability and reactive tasks (e.g., Desk Attendant, Gallery Guard).
Category B: Ridge-Line (Active Service & Coordination)
- Focus: Continuous engagement and execution of established operational processes (e.g., Tour Guide, Event Setup).
Category C: Summit (Project Ownership & Initiative)
- Focus: High-autonomy roles mirroring professional internships where students drive long-term deliverables (e.g., Marketing Coordinator, Research Assistant).Achieving these strategic goals requires precise departmental preparation, beginning with the standardization of position documentation.

2. Phase 1: Pre-Submission Preparation (The Setup)

The foundation of institutional compliance rests upon the accuracy of position descriptions. Detailed descriptions provide a defensible audit trail, ensuring students are compensated fairly based on their responsibilities rather than arbitrary assignments. This rigor is necessary to ensure “equal pay for equal responsibilities” across the university.

Documentation Standards

Supervisors are required to follow these protocols before seeking position approval:

Template Usage: Access the Student Employee Posting Template . You must make a copy of this document; editing the master template is prohibited.
Storage: Finalized descriptions must be saved to the DESCRIPTIONS-Positions by Dept./College Google Drive folder. This centralized repository is the primary source for federal program reviews.

Wage & Schedule Classification

Positions must be classified using the following EOU wage scale and defined schedule types:

EOU Wage Levels (2026–27)

Level	Hourly Rate
Level 1	$14.55
Level 2	$15.05
Level 3	$15.55
Level 4	$16.05
Level 5	$16.55

To verify EOU’s current wage scale, visit Payroll’s website.

Defined Schedule Types

Fixed: Consistent days and times.
Flex: Agreed-upon hours that may vary by week.
Seasonal: Work limited to specific months or weather events (e.g., snow removal).
On-call: Employment strictly as needed.
Freelance: Short-term, project-specific engagements.
Split-shift: Multiple distinct work blocks within a single day.

Experiential Learning & Development Mandates

Supervisors must complete the “Experiential Learning” and “Professional Development” sections of the template. These sections must articulate what the student will learn and how the role connects to their industry or employability skills. Note that paid training is capped at 20 hours per student. These summaries are not optional; they provide the necessary documentation for auditors to verify that FWS roles are being used for their intended developmental purposes. Once these details are finalized, the position must enter the formal evaluation workflow.

3. Phase 2: Position Submission & Evaluation Workflow

To ensure rapid hiring, Career Services and Financial Aid operate under a 2-business-day Service Level Agreement (SLA) for position reviews. This collaboration removes subjectivity from wage assignments and guarantees institutional equity.

Step-by-Step Submission

Finalize the Posting Template and Position Description.
Email both documents to Mollie Rockafellow at mrockafellow@eou.edu or careers@eou.edu .

The Scoring Rubric & Categorization

A 15-criteria rubric may be used to evaluate each position. Criteria include:

Primary purpose (Monitoring vs. Project outcomes)
Downtime activity
Task duration and shift continuity
Decision-making authority and initiative required
Problem-solving complexity
Impact of a missed shift
Success measurement (Availability vs. Deliverables)
Creation of original work and professional judgment frequency

Categorization Mapping

Total Score	Job Category	FWS Allocation	Homework Policy
15–24	Category A: Basecamp	$1,000 – $2,000	Permitted
25–34	Category B: Ridge-Line	$3,000 – $4,000	Not Permitted
35–45	Category C: Summit	$5,000 – $6,000	Not Permitted

Supervisor Self-Assessment: The “One-Question” Filter To predict your category, ask: “If a student sits for 2 hours with no visitors/issues, what are they doing?”

Category A: Sitting quietly or studying after ad-hoc tasks. (Homework Permitted).
Category B: Fulfilling continuous physical workflows or checklists. (Homework Prohibited).
Category C: Actively planning or advancing a long-term project. (Homework Prohibited). By utilizing this rubric-based scoring, the university creates a defensible record for wage assignments, mitigating risks associated with federal pay equity audits. Supervisors may proceed to the appropriate action pathway once this review is finalized.

4. Phase 3: Post-Review Action Pathways

Upon receiving the approved job category and allocation value, supervisors must follow one of three operational paths to finalize the hiring process.

Pathway A: The Direct Hire (Student Already Identified)

If you have a specific student ready to begin work:

Generate an official offer letter.
Email the letter to scholarships@eou.edu or fao@eou.edu .
Mandatory: Financial Aid will not allocate FWS funds from the $1 placeholder until this letter is received.

Pathway B: Active Recruitment

If the position must be advertised to the student body:

Navigate to the EOU Support Ticketing System .
Select “intranet student job posting” from the drop-down menu.
Attach the approved template and position description.
Critical: Ensure the position is clearly marked as “Federal Work-Study” on the posting to attract eligible students. Active jobs are listed on the EOU Job Board .

Pathway C: Post-Hire Take-Down

To prevent student frustration and maintain an accurate campus job inventory, supervisors must remove filled positions:

Return to the EOU Support Ticketing System .
Select “intranet student job posting.”
Specify the exact Job Title and request its removal. Efficiently managing these pathways ensures the university maintains an accurate live job board, though ongoing compliance remains a primary responsibility once the student begins their tenure.

5. Phase 4: Compliance, Oversight, & Remote Work Guardrails

Supervisors are the primary legal stewards of federal funds. Under federal regulations, if an overaward occurs or if work is not properly supervised, the university is required to reimburse the FWS program. In cases of departmental negligence, these reimbursements will be charged directly to the individual department’s budget.

Regulatory Prohibitions

Class Time: Students are strictly prohibited from working during scheduled class times. Exceptions (e.g., a cancelled class) must be documented in writing.
Academic Credit: Under 34 CFR 675.20(c) & (d), students may receive credit and pay (e.g., for an internship), but they cannot be paid for receiving classroom instruction or for religious construction/maintenance.

Remote Work & Telecommuting Protocols

For roles performed via telecommunications technology, the following guardrails are mandatory:

Telecommuting Agreement: A formal agreement, using language approved by HR, must be signed. It must detail the Schedule, Duties/Performance Measurement, Communication Expectations (e.g., shift start/end emails), and Equipment/Security requirements.
Triple-Layer Documentation: To satisfy federal auditors under 34 CFR 675.19, supervisors must maintain:
- Shared Task Trackers: Use of Asana, Trello, or shared spreadsheets.
- Email Logs: Mandatory check-in and check-out emails for every shift.
- Digital Footprints: Submission of work products (documents, code, logs) at the shift’s conclusion.

Oversight & Records Retention

Monthly Timesheet Verification: Pursuant to 34 CFR 675.19(b)(2), supervisors must verify and approve timesheets every month via Ellucian Experience . Your digital signature is a legal certification that work was performed and supervised.
Retention: All employment records, including remote work logs and agreements, must be retained for three years following the student’s final academic year of attendance. Rigorous documentation, particularly for remote roles, provides the clear audit trail required by the Department of Education. We thank you for your partnership in maintaining the integrity of our student employment programs and ensuring the professional success of our students.