Requirements for Tutor Employment

In order to be a paid tutor for Rend Lake College and/or the STARS or Special Populations Programs, a student must:

1. 1. Have completed the course(s) in which he/she will be tutoring and have received at least an "A" or "B" in the course.
2. Be recommended by an instructor.
3. Attend the Tutor Orientation at the beginning of each semester.
4. Have a GPA of 2.5 or better.
5. Complete all appropriate financial paperwork before tutoring begins.

Attendance Policy

Rationale: In order for the student to receive the best possible assistance for his/her classes, the tutor must adhere to a strict attendance policy. If a tutor does not abide by the rules of the tutoring program, he/she will not be paid and can be terminated from employment.

1. Orientation
All tutors are required to attend an orientation session before tutoring can begin. If a tutor joins the program after the scheduled orientation sessions, he/she must meet with both the Tutoring Coordinator and the STARS Academic Specialist to receive all orientation information.

2. Absences fall into two categories: excused and unexcused.
An EXCUSED absence is one in which proper notification was given to the student OR the Tutoring Coordinator before the scheduled time of the tutoring session. These absences can be when you are sick or when you have other college/class business to attend. Excused absences are allowed, but are to be used on a limited basis.

• If you have the telephone number of your student or their e-mail address, try to contact him/her. If you have tried to contact him/her with no success, call the Tutoring Coordinator.
• If you are unable to attend a tutoring session, you must contact the Tutoring Coordinator before the next tutoring session at (618)437-5321, ext. 1343 or 1236 and leave a message or send an e-mail.

An UNEXCUSED absence is one in which proper notification was NOT given to the Tutoring Coordinator or to the student. Two (2) unexcused absences from tutoring sessions will result in dismissal as a tutor.

• Because Rend Lake College and the STARS and Special Populations Programs insist on the highest quality of tutors, if a tutor’s GPA drops below 2.5, he/she will be put on probation in the tutoring program.

Lateness Policy

You are expected to arrive on time for all tutoring sessions. Tutors are REQUIRED to wait 15 minutes for a student. Continued lateness to sessions will result in dismissal as a tutor.

Pay Periods and Procedures

1. Application for Student Employment must be completed.
2. Hours must be assigned by the Financial Aid Department (Doug Carlson, Director).
3. Return RLC Student Work Study Authorization and Assignment sheet to the Tutoring Coordinator.
4. The Student Employment Time Report will indicate the dates that time sheets must be turned in to the Tutoring Coordinator.

Requirements for Payment

1. Turn in Student Employment Time Reports with accurate hours on the due date.
2. Turn in the Attendance Sheet with accurate information.

If either of these requirements are not met, payment will not be approved.

Record Keeping

Every tutor is required to keep and turn in an Attendance Sheet for ALL students. Students should sign the sheet at the end of every tutoring session. Tutors should not sign in for students – we need to keep accurate records and the tutor and student should both be responsible for recording their time.

Student-Tutor-Staff Relations

An attitude of respect toward the student is to be maintained. The relationship between tutor and student is not open for discussion outside the field of interest. The tutor will NOT comment negatively on an instructor’s grading policy, style of teaching, or personality.

If a tutor suspects that a student will not receive much assistance from the study session, contact the Tutoring Coordinator immediately. The Coordinator or Academic Specialist for the STARS program will then re-evaluate the student. If a tutor has a grievance about a student or staff member, he/she needs to contact the Tutoring Coordinator immediately. The problem will be evaluated, and, if possible, resolved.

Sexual Harassment

Rend Lake College is committed to a policy of creating and maintaining a campus that is free from all forms of sexual harassment. Sexual harassment is a form of discrimination which is a violation of federal and state laws and is contrary to the operating philosophy of the College. The College will not tolerate sexual harassment in any context. For further information concerning the College’s policies on sexual harassment, consult the RLC Student Handbook.

Dismissal Policy

Any tutor may be dismissed from the Rend Lake College Tutoring Program on the following grounds:

1. Failure to follow the rules and regulations set in this document.
2. Refusing to follow the instructions of the Tutoring Coordinator.
3. Using illegal drugs.
4. Using alcohol during any tutoring session.
5. Consistent lateness or absence.
6. Consistent failure to improve behavior, performance, or attitude per evaluation by the Tutoring staff.
7. Behaving inappropriately or unprofessionally.
8. Sexual harassment.
9. Verbal harassment.
10. Physical harassment.

Any tutor dismissed from the program will no longer be eligible to be a paid tutor at Rend Lake College and the Financial Aid office will be notified. The Tutoring Coordinator will determine if accumulated hours should be paid.

If a tutor must leave the program for personal reasons, all accumulated hours will be paid and, as long as the tutor follows regulations, he/she will be reconsidered when it is convenient to return.

Evaluation Policy

At the close of every semester, tutors are required to evaluate their students and their students’ progress. Forms will be given to the tutors when final pay sheets are turned in. If a tutor does not complete an evaluation of every student tutored, the final hours accumulated will not be paid. Forms are to be completed and returned immediately to the Tutoring Coordinator. At the end of each semester, tutors are evaluated by their students.

Also, at the end of the semester, students are asked to evaluate the performance of the tutors. These evaluations will be used to help determine rehiring of tutors.