Student Employee Pay Process Affected by the Coronavirus (COVID-19)

While during a pandemic, we can expect some student employees may be exposed to or contract the virus, triggering a required quarantine or isolation of at least 14 days.  The purpose of this proposal is to set a University-wide response to student employees’ compensation during a required quarantine or isolation period. 

University Student Employee Values

1. The University values individual, as well as community, health and encourages everyone to make sound decisions that preserve their own and our community’s health. This will require individuals to make the active decision to notify supervisors in a timely manner and to not report to campus at times. 
2. The University needs to maintain services to students, employees, and visitors. A vacancy can require compensating someone else to do the needed work.
3. The University empowers budget managers to make sounds fiscal decisions with regards to staffing.

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Proposed Approach to Student Employees’ Compensation During the Pandemic

1. A student employee who believes they may have COVID-19 or been exposed to someone who has been diagnosed as having COVID-19, should contact their primary health care provider. As with any illness, stay at home and report your absence using the standard process for your unit.  
2. Student employees will be compensated for work performed at the direction of a supervisor, whether that work is on-campus or off-campus.
3. If a student employee is exposed to a person with COVID-19 while at work, then the Supervisor will compensate that student employee for regularly scheduled work during their quarantine period.
4. If a student employee contracts COVID-19 while at work, then the Supervisor will compensate that student employee for regularly scheduled work hours during their self-isolation.   
5. If a student employee is exposed to a person with COVID-19 or contracts COVID-19 while not at work, then the Supervisor will compensate that student employee for regularly scheduled work hours during the quarantine or self-isolation period.
6. No additional staffing dollars will be provided to budget managers for compensating student-employees not able to perform work due to COVID-19 exposure or illness.       

Adding COVID19 Hours for Student Employees

Through the Student Payroll Supervisor application, supervisors can record scheduled hours to be paid, but not worked if a student employee needs to isolate or has been diagnosed with COVID19.  The supervisor would select “unable to work-sick with COVID-19” option.  This option is available for Student Help positions.

 If a Federal or State Work Study funded student has been diagnosed or needs to isolate, the COVID19 pay will need to be paid from institutional funds.  The department will need to submit a student help work authorization form to Student Payroll so supervisors can record scheduled hours to be paid, but not worked under the student help position.

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If you have any questions, please contact Jeanie Clement in Student Payroll at 507-389-2265 or studentpayroll@mnsu.edu.