Student Employee Account Requirements

When to Use?

Student workers need a separate account for student employment.  At GVSU, this is referred to as an s_account.  A student-employee account is required, and shared accounts are not permitted.  

Rationale

When students take on employment within their educational institutions, they typically have pre-existing student accounts used for academic purposes, such as accessing course materials, submitting assignments, and communicating with faculty. However, student workers require a separate account specifically designated for work duties. This separation serves important security, privacy, and operational needs that benefit both the student worker and the institution.

1. Security and Access Control
    
   1. Role-Based Permissions
      
      A student’s academic account is designed with specific access rights for educational purposes. A separate work account allows IT departments to assign role-specific permissions tailored to the job duties of the student worker. These permissions may include access to sensitive data, internal systems, or administrative applications that are not relevant or appropriate for a student’s academic role. By creating a separate work account, institutions can effectively implement role-based access control, ensuring students only have access to what they need for their job.
       
   2. Minimizing Security Risks
      
      Student accounts typically hold personal information, coursework, and grades, while student worker accounts may access confidential institutional data, financial records, or protected student information. Keeping these accounts separate minimizes security risks. If one account is compromised, the other remains unaffected, thereby preventing unauthorized access to sensitive data and reducing the impact of potential security breaches.
       
2. Privacy Considerations
   
   Student workers engage in multiple roles: as students and as employees. A separate account helps maintain the boundary between their personal academic information and work responsibilities. When accessing work-related platforms, supervisors and administrative staff may need to interact with student workers’ accounts. Keeping a separate work account prevents inadvertent exposure of personal academic information, grades, or any unrelated student activities to work supervisors, ensuring the student's privacy is maintained.
    
3. Audit and Compliance
    
   1. Data Tracking and Accountability
      
      Many student worker positions involve handling institutional data, and it's crucial to maintain proper records of how data is accessed and used. A separate work account allows for better tracking of activities and user actions. Logs tied to the work account provide a clear audit trail that details who accessed what information, which is essential for compliance with regulations such as FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) or HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act).
       
   2. Distinction of Responsibilities  
      
      A separate work account makes it easier for institutions to audit actions performed by student workers. It helps distinguish between activities carried out in their capacity as employees versus their role as students. This distinction is useful not only for compliance purposes but also to establish clear accountability in case of errors or misuse of resources.
       
4. Operational Efficiency
    
   1. Life Cycle Management
      
      The life cycle of a student worker’s employment is often different from their academic life cycle. A student may graduate or leave the institution, but their employment as a student worker may end before or after this event. Having a separate work account enables IT staff to deactivate work access independently of the student’s academic account, ensuring that former student workers no longer have access to institutional resources after their employment ends.
       
   2. Separation of Duties and Resources
      
      Managing tasks related to work duties separately from academic responsibilities makes both roles easier for the student to handle. Emails, calendar events, and task lists related to employment do not interfere with academic responsibilities and vice versa. A separate work account helps student workers avoid confusion, keeping work-related communications and resources distinct from their studies. This separation improves productivity, prevents miscommunication, and supports a healthier balance between work and academics.