Graduate Employee Organization -- University of Massachusetts, Lowell / Workload
From CGEU
ARTICLE X
Workload and Work year
10.01 The Assistant workload distribution shall be determined by the department chairperson/head/center director/ principal investigator or his/her designee with approval of the college dean.
10.02 The work year shall consist of two discrete employment periods corresponding to the fall and spring semesters beginning with the first day of classes and ending with the last day of final examinations as defined by the University Registrar’s Office. In the graduate School of education, the assignment of TAs and RAs shall conform to its instructional calendar. The Administration will send out a notice of exact dates each semester.
10.03 The workweek shall be eighteen (18) hours for full assistants and nine (9) hours for half assistants during the fall and spring semester employment periods.
10.04 The Assistant may hold other employment during the fall and spring employment periods if in compliance with policies governing University employment. TAs and RAs additional employment during the specified fall and/or spring employment periods will be paid at hourly rates prorated from their current TA or RA stipend.
10.05 There are no TA or RA contractual obligations during the intersession (between fall and spring semesters), during the one week break during the spring semester and during the summer months, except for TAs or TAs from the Graduate School of Education who may be employed according to its instructional calendar.
10.6 Students who hold TAs and RAs during the contractual employment period may hold additional employment during the intersession, spring break and during the summer at hourly rates determined by their employers.
10.07 Assignments to graduate student employees will be such that they can be reasonably expected to discharge them within the number of hours specified in the individual’s contract. Significant changes in features of a graduate student employee’s workload (such as class size, number of sections or courses taught, or number of students advised) shall be structured in a way as not to increase the graduate student employee’s contract (e.g. switching from essay to multiple choice, adding graders). The department chair shall discuss any such restructuring with the graduate student employee(s) involved. Department-wide changes shall be discussed with all affected graduate student employees.
