Administrative number: 3-10
Responsible office: Academic Affairs
Responsible officer: Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Graduate Assistants Policy

Purpose:

This policy defines the categories and eligibility for graduate assistants.

Policy:

Related Documents

Related definitions:

[3-10] Eligibility:

Graduate assistants must:

  • be admitted to a graduate program;
  • maintain a 3.00 grade point average at minimum and 66.66% cumulative completion rate for all credits attempted. Colleges, departments, community groups, and service areas may require a higher GPA; and
  • at minimum, be registered for at least one (1) graduate course and a minimum of three (3) credits per semester of their assistantship.

Failure to either follow the code of ethics, position description provided by the hiring department or program, or adhere to all stated conditions, will result in termination of the graduate assistantship.

[3-10] Graduate Assistant:

From Minnesota State Minnesota State Board Policy 4.5, Human Resources, Student Employees:

Graduate Assistant: A form of employment at a system college or university for graduate students enrolled at a system university. Usually a graduate student assists in instruction, research, or other activities related to his/her graduate program. Positions may be funded by any appropriate source of campus funds and are processed through the campus student payroll system.

Specific to Winona State University:

A Graduate Assistant is a person who serves in a support role (assistantship), usually while completing post-graduate education. The individual typically assists professors with instructional responsibilities as teaching assistants (GTA) or with academic research (GRA) responsibilities as research assistants, or provide service (GSA) to colleges, departments, units, or community agencies in an entry level capacity. These persons may be hired in graduate program areas as well as areas not offering a graduate program. Graduate Assistants may work in university and community organizational units.

[3-10] Graduate Research Assistants (GRA):

Graduate assistants assuming research-oriented responsibilities such as library research, computer programming and analysis, fieldwork, laboratory experiments, scientific investigations, writing and editing material, and averaging grades.

[3-10] Graduate Service Assistants (GSA):

Graduate assistants providing service to a department, unit, or community entity providing the student with meaning professional or academic development. A GSA may, for example, serve as an assistant athletic coach, assist at registration, help with departmental exhibitions, or serve special projects.

[3-10] Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTA):

Graduate assistants serving an instructional role in a class or laboratory within a specific department, performing pedagogical (teaching) functions such as preparing lectures, conducting classes, student assignment evaluation, grading tests, holding student conferences, and assigning course grades.

Subsequent Procedure:

History:

Date & subject of Revisions: 1/10/1992; 4/19/1996; 10/28/1999; 4/21/2008; 1/23/2017

Adoption date: 02/01/2019
Implementation date: 02/01/2019