Allocation of Student Labor

Allocation Process

During the Fall term, the Labor Program Office will begin the allocation process on campus. Provided budgets and student enrollment support any increased adjustments in allocations, the Labor Program may solicit requests for labor positions for the upcoming summer and academic year. Department supervisors return a form stating whether they will need more, fewer, or the same number of positions as currently allocated. Requests for increases must be accompanied by an explanation of need. Preliminary calculations are performed by the Program and Operations Manager in consultation with the Dean of Labor who then convenes a committee (made up of the divisional VPs) to consider allocation requests/adjustments for the upcoming academic year.

The number of available positions is determined by anticipated enrollment and overall labor budget. The College attempts to maintain an even ratio of students to primary labor positions so that budgets can be easily managed and necessary positions can be filled. As such, additional positions cannot be allocated to one department without creating vacancies in another. For this reason, requests submitted after allocations are finalized are typically denied unless the case is truly exceptional.

Departments who identify new labor needs that cannot be accommodated through an increase in primary allocation may request a secondary allocation. Secondary allocations are easier to approve because they do not impact a student’s existing labor assignment; however, secondaries are not unlimited, as they affect the overall labor budget.

It is important to note that a portion of the total labor allocation is always reserved for community service-oriented positions. This is not only central to our mission, but a requirement of the Federal Work Study Programs (FWS Program and Work Colleges Program).

Budget

The budget for student labor direct scholarship payments typically exceeds $4.3 million.  The scholarship payments were funded from the following sources:

A student labor budget is assigned to each department based on the number of students assigned and the hours required for each position; additional hours are budgeted for break periods and summer. Departments are expected to adhere to their budgets by ensuring that students do not consistently exceed the assigned hours budgeted for the position. There are features in place through the TRACY UltraTime system that assists supervisors in this task.

Special Projects

Special funds, if available*, are set aside during the allocation process for one-time summer projects initiated by departments for on-campus work. Funds can be requested through the Labor Program Office. * Special project funds have not been available since 08-09.

Labor Pool

Labor departments occasionally have short-term production or service needs that cannot be met by regular staff. For those instances, supervisors can hire students for one-time use for up to ten (10) hours through a designation called “labor pool.” This designation allows a student to continue his or her regular labor position without interruption while pursuing extra hours for a short period of time in another department. The Labor Program and Student Payments Office can assist in identifying students, which are paid out of the department’s regular budget at the labor pool rate. A status form is not required, and labor pool hours are reported by the supervising department as "unrecorded time" using the form found at labor.berea.edu/forms.

Departments are encouraged to collaborate less formally by sharing students with similar skills to allow for times when one department is busy and one is not. This type of work-sharing does not require additional paperwork, and hours should be reported as part of the student’s usual primary assignment.