There are four training videos as GESS resources for spring 2026:
  1. TA Offer Letters video
  2. New TA Appointment video
  3. Grad Re-Appointment System video
  4. Position Numbers & Transfers - in progress

If you do not have access to the videos through Teams, please email Graduate Affairs Manager, Erika Christiansen.

 

Additional information is written below for the CLAS Graduate Assistant Appointment and Reappointment System for Spring 2026

  1. In Self Service (https://hris.uiowa.edu), go to Human Resource Systems, under HR Transactions, select Grad Assistant Reappointments
  2. In the Search by Department drop down, select the Department
  3. Select Continue (By Dept)
  4. On the Graduate Assistant Listing page, you can:
    1. Sort on each column by clicking on the column heading
    2. Review/Modify a Graduate Assistant Reappointment

 

Definitions:

ID

Employee ID

RCD

Appointment record number

NAME

Graduate student’s name

DEPT

Employing department

JBCD

Job Code

PG

Pay group (7 = Academic, A = 1st semester, B = 2nd semester, F = Fellowship)

LAST ACTN

Date and time record last updated

BY (HAWKID)

HawkID of last person to update record

FINAL?

N = no one has finalized record

Y = reviewed and correct at this point (changes can still be made until it is pulled into Payroll system)

#CMNTS

Indicator of how many comments have been made (must enter record to view comment details, highly recommended to use for historical purposes and to note why record not finalized)

  1. To modify or review a record, select a radio button next to employee
  2. Select Continue
  3. To navigate to other records, select Prev at upper left or Next at upper right
  4. Check name on record to verify it is record to be updated
  5. Check every field for accuracy
  6. When making comments,
    1. Select Add New Comment
    2. Enter information into field
    3. Select Save Comments

Note: No comment can be deleted, but comments can be added to the record. All comments can be seen by others in the application.

  1. In the JOBCODE drop down, select one of the following job codes which best fits the employee (these are the most likely codes that will be used)
    1. FT19-Graduate Teaching Assistant
    2. FR19-Graduate Research Assistant
    3. FF52-Graduate Fellow

 

Position Number Management Guidelines and Transfers

  1. First check for open position numbers in your department
  2. In Self Service (https://hris.uiowa.edu), go to Human Resource Systems, under HR Transactions, select Position Management Reports, Open Positions

  3. Enter ORG, DEPT, SUBDEPT, EFFECTIVE DATE. 

    You may want to ORDER BY: JOBCODE to keep all the Graduate Teaching Assistant position numbers grouped together.

  4. If no open position number is available that fits the criteria of the appointment record that needs a unique position number assigned to it, you can request a new position numbers
  5. To create a new position number click Create a New Position, pick STAFF TYPE, hit next, enter Effective Date (which for spring semester would be January 1, 2015), find Jobcode, this will populate the Position Description field, complete Organization:, Department:, Sub Department, hit Update. Complete Percent-Time field (this will automatically populate the Calculated Standard Hours field. Pick Paygroup. Hit +ADD button to populate MFK – add Comments if you desire and View Summary. This allows you to Edit Position before clicking on Save for Processing. You will then receive an email letting you know when your new position number is ready to be used (usually the day after the request is made).