A guide for new student employees
First Week
During your first week, you should meet with your manager to build knowledge of internal processes and performance expectations. This is also a great time to engage with your new team members. Also, continue to work on the onboarding items assigned to you in Workday.
Helpful Information by Topic
Health Coverage
Undergraduate students are only eligible to participate in Ohio State’s Student Health Insurance unless they are eligible for the Faculty and Staff Health Plan through the Affordable Care Act, previous full-time employment with Ohio State or other current benefits-eligible employment with Ohio State.
Graduate Associates in at least 50% appointment are eligible to participate in Ohio State’s Student Health Insurance and the Faculty and Staff Health Plan. Graduate associates have 30 days from their start date if they wish to elect the Faculty and Staff Health Plan. As a GA, you have several options for health coverage.
- Student Health Insurance
- Ohio State Faculty and Staff Health Plan
- Student Health Insurance website
- Student Health Insurance FAQ’s
- Graduate Associate Benefits
Retirement – OPERS and STRS
As a new graduate or undergraduate student employee, you have 30 days from your date of hire to take action on your retirement benefits. When you are employed in a student position and meet criteria, you have a choice about your retirement options:
- Making contributions and earning service credit; or
- Opting out of participation in retirement (minimum course hours)
- GTAs review QR code regarding STRS participation
To learn more about state retirement plans OPERS/STRS:
Employees (including student employees) of Ohio public institutions do not participate in the federal Social Security system, other than to contribute to Medicare. Instead, Ohio State employees contribute to the state’s retirement system, Ohio Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS).
A Graduate Teaching Associate (GTA) with a previously established State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) account is required to contribute to STRS instead of OPERS, unless they submit an exemption form within the first 30 days of the GTA appointment. More information on student employee retirement is on the HR website.
- Finalize all onboarding tasks in Workday.
- Discuss your first week’s schedule and confirm meetings with your leader.
- If you have not already, schedule your appointment to complete the I-9 Employment Verification Form. The Workday onboarding portal will provide instructions on how to schedule your appointment and what documentation you need to complete the verification process. All new employees need to complete this within the first three days of employment.
Undergraduates Student Assistants and Summer Graduate Student Associates positions are paid on a bi-weekly basis and are required to track time using one of the three Ohio State timekeeping methods:
- Workday Timekeeping
- External TimeClocks – Student Life, Athletics, FOD
- Kronos TimeClocks – Wexner Medical Center
You must enter/submit time upon required deadlines in order to be paid. Please discuss with your manager the appropriate way to enter your time and deadline for entry.
Additional information regarding timekeeping can be found on the Payroll website or in the Time Tracking Overview job aid on our Administrative Resource Center (ARC). A link to WMC Kronos can be found by visiting the HealthBeat Hub.
Graduate Teaching, Research, Admin Associates, Graduate Fellows and Undergraduate Trainees/Fellows are Paid via Period Activity Pay and receive pay monthly. Tracking and recording of time is not required for these positions.
Additional resources can be found on the payroll website:
- Meet your team and review the unit directory (including important telephone numbers).
- Introduce yourself to others in the workplace.
- Chat with your leader or colleagues about the department to increase your understanding of unit goals and initiatives and the unit’s purpose within Ohio State.
- Set up individual meetings, informal lunches or coffee with team members to get to know them personally. Some things to discuss can include job duties, how your job roles interact, how you might work together in the future, past experiences, and hobbies and interests.
- Identify appropriate contacts to ask for additional information.
- Obtain building or workspace access from leader or human resources professional.
- Receive department or building-specific safety and emergency information.
- Set up personal work space.
- Pick up Ohio State or Wexner Medical Center ID badge (if applicable).
- Take a tour of your building and learn about key areas:
- Restrooms, mail rooms, copy machine, bulletin boards, parking, printers, office supplies, water coolers, break rooms, vending machines, emergency exits, conference rooms and nearby food and services
- Pick up parking pass from Campus Parc (if not completed online or prior to your start date).
- Take a quick tour of campus (virtually or by walking around). Some special locations to visit on main campus include Orton Hall, the Oval, the Ohio Union and Thompson Library. See visit.osu.edu.
- Activate your Ohio State digital identity, including email address and BuckeyePass authentication (if not already completed).
- If you have multiple Ohio State email accounts, either student or Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, be sure to go to my.osu.edu to link your accounts to avoid missing HR and/or other emails.
- Meet with IT in your area for an orientation.
- Set up Outlook (or other email tool) and additional software on your work computer (if applicable).
- Set up voice mail (if applicable).
- Ask your manager or colleagues what tools are used for communication and collaboration in your area. CarmenZoom or Microsoft Teams are often used for audio and web conferencing.
- Visit the Administrative Resource Center (ARC) . This site provides guides, job aids, videos, and training for commonly used resources include Workday and Office 365.
BuckeyeLearn
Visit BuckeyeLearn, the university’s learning management system that has instructor-led and online learning courses offered at Ohio State. You can explore BuckeyeLearn for trainings that align with your personal and professional goals and interests, and your manager may also assign training to you. Your manager will share with you which training is required and which training is optional. As a student employee you may be required to take some training courses in Buckeye Learn. Courses may include:
- Introduction to BuckeyeLearn
- Institutional Data Policy
- Report = Support: Identifying and Responding to Sexual Misconduct (required online course)
- This course is automatically assigned to employees between September and April each year. If a new employee starts outside of that window, they will not be assigned the course and will have to wait until September when the assignment window opens up again.
It is the responsibility of all individuals to identify and familiarize themselves with all applicable university and unit policies. Listed below are a few key university policies that should be reviewed during the early days of your employment. Please note, the top of each policy indicates if the particular policy applies to faculty, staff and/or student employees.
Work Environment
- Tobacco Free Ohio State
- Alcohol and Other Drugs
- Drug-Free Workplace
- Non-Discrimination, Harassment, and Sexual Misconduct
- Affirmative Action & Equal Employment Opportunity
- Workplace Violence
Technology and Information Security
Special Situations – Do these apply to you?
- Youth Activities and Programs (for those who interact with minors)
- Privacy and Release of Student Education Records (for those who handle student education records)
- Student Employment (for student employees and those who supervise student employees)
- Intellectual Property (for those who create intellectual property)