Q&A for Research Assistant Appointment Letter

Who should sign the letter?
- Ideally the Department Chair. In large departments it can be delegated to the Graduate Studies Chair or individual faculty.
How long should the appointments be?
- RA appointments should match the University's academic terms. A summer appointment or a semester appointment are the minimum lengths of time. If funds are available, academic year or twelve month appointments should be used (see also No. 3 below).
How can I avoid writing a letter every time the funding source changes?
- Separate the appointment process from the payroll process. Appointment letters should be written for the duration of an academic term (see No. 2 above) the student should not be involved in the payroll and accounting details. Appoint students for a summer, a semester, an academic year or a twelve month period depending on the likelihood of available funds. Use a different method to instruct the department payroll staff where to pay the stipend from month to month or year to year.
The standard letter tends to be cold and impersonal, can I change it?
- At the present time, you cannot modify the basic components of the letter but can wrap your own words around the standard letter. An introductory paragraph has been used successfully by some programs. Another approach would be to separate the offer of student aid from the official appointment letter. The offer of support for new students could be included in the admission letter and then followed up with a standard appointment letter.
  
  Remember, however, any modification needs to be reviewed and approved by your college dean's office prior to implementation. Changes that will not be approved include: 1) a percent appointment; 2) hours to be worked per week or month; 3) the word "wages" instead of stipend; 4) a specific work assignment with or without specific deadlines; and 5) references to split effort between "your research project and my research project."