{% extends "appointments/cs-letterhead.html" %} {% load static %} {% block letter_text %}
Dear {{ legal_name }}:
On behalf of the Department of Computer Sciences, I am pleased to offer you a teaching assistantship for the Spring 2018 semester. For payroll purposes, this appointment begins January 5 2018 and extends through May 20, 2018. Classes begin on January 23, 2018. Your assignment for this period, at the level of {{ appointment_percent }}% time, will be to assist in a class to be determined under the direction of the course instructor. Teaching assistants, as all graduate assistants, are required to be graduate students in good standing by university and department criteria in order to hold an appointment.
{% if guarantee_semester %} This appointment represents semester {{ guarantee_semester }} of support under your initial guarantee of {{ support_guarantee_semesters }} semesters. {% else %} This appointment is for the stated period only and carries no presumption of reappointment. {% endif %}
{% if non_native_english %}If you are a non-native speaker of English this appointment is contingent on your meeting our standards for spoken English proficiency; if you are unable to meet the required level of proficiency, it may be necessary to cancel this appointment.
{% endif %} {% if probationary %}The first semester (or two separate two-month summer appointments) of a teaching assistantship is probationary for service as a teaching assistant in the Department of Computer Sciences. If you have service as a TA or PA in another payrolling unit that might serve to fulfill probationary service, it is your responsibility to notify {{ notify_email }} within two weeks of the date of this letter so we can determine its potential effect on your probationary period.
{% endif %} {% if initial_appointment %}This offer of employment is contingent upon verification of your identity and work authorization as required by the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Please refer to the “Employment Eligibility and Verification” section of the enclosed “Terms for Teaching Assistants Appointments, L&S 2017-2018” for an explanation of the process. 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 offer letter is conditional pending the results of a criminal background check. If the results are unacceptable, the offer will be withdrawn or, if you have started employment, your employment will be terminated.
{% endif %}Please refer to the enclosed “Terms for Teaching Assistant Appointments, L & S, 2017-18” for additional information about this appointment.
The amount of time you are expected to work is reflected in the percentage of time of your appointment. The {{ appointment_percent }}% appointment is based on {{ appointment_hours }} hours of work during the course of the semester. Please discuss the distribution of your time with your supervising faculty or staff member before the beginning of the semester; your supervisor will then provide you with a completed worksheet for the distribution of the hours in your appointment. This form must be signed by both you and the supervising faculty or staff member and returned to the graduate program staff at the mailbox labeled “TA Workload Forms” (on the 5th floor of the Computer Sciences Department) by the end of the first class week or four working days after you receive it. If you have questions about the time expectations during the course of the semester, be sure to discuss them promptly with your supervising professor or staff member.
According to our records, you will be paid at the {{ appointment_level }} rate, and your stipend for the semester will be ${{ stipend }}. You should contact the CS payroll staff (hiring@cs.wisc.edu) in room 5355 for information about benefits, enrollment deadlines, payrolling procedures, and the Immigration Reform and Control Act requirements. Health insurance applications must be received by the departmental staff benefits coordinator no later than 30 calendar days from the begin date of your first eligible appointment. In addition, health insurance applications must be received by the departmental benefits coordinator on or before the first of the month for coverage to be effective the first of the month (for example, by September 1 in order for you to be covered in September). However, coverage cannot begin before the appointment payroll begin date.
If you are accepting an additional graduate appointment in this or another department, you must inform me of this in writing before this appointment can become effective.
Please accept or deline this offer online by {{ offer_deadline }}.
Sincerely,
Prof. Gurindar S. Sohi
Chair,
Computer Sciences Department
Enclosures:
Terms for Teaching Assistant Appointments, L & S, 2017-18.xc: Department of {{ other_department }}
{% endif %} {% include "appointments/sigblock.html" %}This is a summary of some key elements of University policies governing teaching assistant appointments. Employees should consult their department for full details.
Classes for the Spring semester begin January 23, 2018; for payroll purposes the semester extends from January 5, 2018 – May 20, 2018. Teaching assistants are not normally expected to work on holidays when University offices are officially closed, but some rescheduling of duties could be necessary, and teaching assistants may need to carry out some of their responsibilities during periods when University classes are not in session.
Teaching responsibilities will include such activities as training, preparation time for in-class meetings, grading, and lecture attendance if needed. Appointment levels are established with the full expectation that the time is sufficient for an average teaching assistant to perform the expected duties in a competent and satisfactory manner. Teaching assistants will receive a description of how the time provided in the appointment is expected to be spent. A teaching assistant who does not have this information should inquire at the department office at the start of the appointment. In the event of departmental need or special circumstances, please be aware that teaching assistants may be reassigned to other teaching duties.
The amount of time a teaching assistant should expect to spend on responsibilities of the appointment is reflected in the appointment level. The expectation for a full-time appointment for a semester is 720 hours. The number of hours associated with different appointment levels can be found by multiplying the percentage time of the appointment by 720 hours. For a one-third time appointment, the expectation is 240 hours over the course of the semester, and for a half-time appointment it is 360 hours. Since teaching assistantships are professional positions, there may be some fluctuation above and below the expected number of hours. Although time fluctuations are inherent in the academic calendar, a teaching assistant should monitor time spent and consult immediately with the supervising professor or department chair at the earliest indication of potential time difficulties; they will offer suggestions for keeping time spent in line with the appointment level.
Teaching assistants who face a conflict between duties and the observance of a religious holiday will be given an alternate means of meeting the requirements of their work, provided that the teaching assistant notifies the supervisor in the first two weeks of the appointment period (within the first two weeks of each semester for an academic year appointment) of the specific day or dates that will be needed for these observances. If the religious observance falls within the first two weeks of appointment, the teaching assistant should provide as much advance notice as possible to his/her supervisor. Supervisors may set reasonable limits on the total number of days granted for religious observances to an individual teaching assistant.
Full-time rates for 2017-18 are:
Standard: $32,392
Payment is made at the percentage of the appointment level, as specified in the appointment letter and for the time period specified in the appointment letter.
Teaching assistants, as all graduate assistants, are required to be graduate students in good standing by university and department criteria in order to hold an appointment. Teaching assistants may not be reappointed more than once as TAs without having attended approved workshops addressing diversity issues. For non-native speakers of English, teaching assistant appointments are contingent on meeting departmental standards for spoken English proficiency; if the teaching assistant is unable to meet the required level of proficiency, it may be necessary to cancel the appointment.
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: https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/acceptable-documents/list-documents/. If you accept this offer of employment, you will receive an email from your hiring department with a link to UW-Madison’s electronic I-9 system and login instructions, which is run by the company GIS/Compli-9. 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 list of documents is also attached to this letter for your easy reference. 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.
For first-time appointees and those with a one-year break in employment, this appointment is conditional, pending the results of a criminal background check required by UW 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. 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.
All teaching assistants and project assistants with combined graduate assistant appointments of one-third time or more will receive a remission of out-of-state tuition as well as a remission of in-state fees. They must still pay segregated fees and special fees approved by the Legislature. This remission is awarded prospectively based on anticipated earnings, and earnings at the conclusion of the appointment must equal or exceed 33.33% of the appointment’s full-time rate for the award to be final. A remission earned for the spring semester will also qualify the graduate student for a remission in the following summer.
This appointment also provides benefits such as sick leave and, for a graduate assistantship at a level of at least one-third time for a full semester, eligibility for a health care coverage program. Some of these benefits have deadlines for enrollment and it is very important that graduate assistants enroll at the beginning of the appointment. The payrolling office in the appointing department can provide information about benefits and payrolling procedures. Health insurance applications must be received by the departmental staff benefits coordinator no later than 30 calendar days from the begin date of the first eligible appointment. If appointees are returning after missing a semester (summer excluded), they must re-enroll. In addition, health insurance applications must be received by the departmental benefits coordinator on or before the first of the month for coverage to be effective the first of the month (for example, by September 1 in order to be covered in September). However, coverage cannot begin before the appointment payroll begin date.
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 the Title 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.
It is the policy of UW-Madison departments to provide reasonable accommodation for qualified employees with disabilities. Teaching assistants needing accommodation to perform the essential functions of their positions should contact their supervisor or Brian Bubenzer, the Division Level Representative, at 265-0603 (brian.bubenzer@wisc.edu).
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