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| Peter Larkins| The
Appalachian |
| Banner project team member and
Student Employment administrative officer Kathleen
Q. Graham discusses December pay checks. Students
classified as temporary employees are not affected
by the payroll changes. |
T he holiday payroll schedule has minor changes this year,
but the Banner project team chose to stay with tradition
and issue December paychecks mid-month.
“The December paychecks for all permanent employees
will be paid on Dec. 19 rather than Dec. 31. We’ve
always had mid-December paychecks,” associate vice
chancellor for administration Gregory M. Lovins said.
“Work performed Dec. 16 through Jan. 15 by permanent
employees will be paid on Jan. 30, 2004,” he said.
“All temporary employees will be paid Jan. 9, 2004
instead of Dec. 31 for work hours from Dec. 1 through Dec.
15. Work hours from Dec. 16 through Dec. 31 will be paid
Jan. 15, 2004,” Lovins said.
Temporary employees include students, non-students, and work-study
students holding part-time jobs on campus.
Kathleen Q. Graham, member of Banner project team and administrative
officer of Student Employment, said there are three reasons
for changing the temporary employees’ payroll date.
“First, most students aren’t here over the break
to receive those [Dec. 31] paychecks because they go to their
ASU mailboxes or are direct-deposited. Second, historically,
we’ve always paid early in December so to give the
payroll-processing employees the same benefit the rest of
us enjoy. In terms of being off for the holidays, it’s
better to do payroll before the break. Third, there are very
few student or non-student temporaries working over the break
anyway. Most departments are closed, so it doesn’t
warrant generating a payroll for that time period,”
Graham said.
Graham said when Banner was implemented, there had been some
discussions regarding the payroll schedule.
“We took into consideration to pay at the end of the
month versus what we’ve always done, and that was to
pay in the middle of the month. If it was at all feasible
to stay with tradition, that was the best way to go,”
she said.
Graham said minor changes in the payroll system have been
adequately adjusted.
“The Banner system affects everyone a little differently,
and with that comes some anxiety. People want to know what’s
happening since we have made such a huge change in our system,
but I think things are going smoothly,” Graham said.
The first change in this holiday’s schedule is the
final November paycheck, Lovins said.
“The last day of the month falls on a Sunday, and the
university is closed before that day for Thanksgiving break,
so November paychecks for all employees will be Wednesday,
Nov. 26,” Lovins said.
Lisa M. Cook, senior elementary education major and hourly-paid
employee, said the new holiday schedule should not affect
too many people.
“It knocks you off a week or two with your paycheck
schedule, but it’s not a noticeable difference for
me,” she said.
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