COMMENT:  I suggest that using the phrase "Research Assistant Stipend" can
lead to confusion.  Research Assistants are EMPLOYEES, and receive a
"salary" or a "wage".  "Stipend" is usually better associated with
fellowships than employment.  Yes, I know you and I  (and most on this
Listserve) know the difference, but many faculty members, payroll
operatives, and even research assistants don't, so confusion increases.

Illustrative war story:  a few years ago our governor cut all state
employee salaries X%.  Payroll applied that to fellowship stipends (which
were then, and are now, distributed by the payroll department because they
have a system for getting a regular check to the recipient on time every
time).  It took a threat to cut off all NIH funding to make our
administration believe that "stipends" were not salaries/wages, subject to
the employer's discretion, but fellowship awards NOT EMPLOYMENT and not
changable at the whim of the governor.

Chuck

At 10:53 AM 3/2/99 -0600, you wrote:
>Hello everyone,
>
>Happy Tuesday! Below is ANOTHER survey request regarding research
>assistant stipends.  Please reply directly to me if you have any input.
>If anyone is interested in the results, please let me know and I will
>send them to you.
>
>Thanks for your help!
>
>Deanne
>
>-----------------------------------------------------------------------
>For those of you who work at a college which has a Materials Science and
>Engineering Dept. (or similar dept.), could you please tell me what is
>the minimum stipend that you are paying your research assistants?
>
>If you have other engineering depts., could you tell me what is the
>minimum stipend for research assistants in these depts. and the name of
>the depts.?
>
>If in either of these scenarios, there is not a specific answer (i.e.
>there are different stipend levels based on student's education level,
>etc.), could you please explain your stipend policy and how the amounts
>are determined?
>
>Thanks again!
>
>Deanne Hoenscheid
>Materials Science and Engineering
>Lehigh University
>(610)758-3863
>xxxxxx@lehigh.edu
>
>
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Herbert B. Chermside, CRA
Director, Sponsored Programs Administration
Virginia Commonwealth University
PO BOX 980568
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