It's Time to Take Action on Graduate Funding

It's Time to Take Action on Graduate Funding

Noon
Tuesday, February 19th
Front Foyer of the Regenstein Library


Join the Graduate Council's Committee on Graduate Funding and
Graduate Students United in calling on the U of C
administration to take meaningful action on Graduate Funding.

After gathering at the Regenstein Library at noon, we will be
walking over to the Administration Building to show that more
work needs to be done on these issues. Using an apple, a
symbol of education, each of us will be able to leave a
message about how important it us for us as students and
teachers, workers and neighbors, to see change on these issues.


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For over a year, we have been patiently waiting for the U of C
to take meaningful action on graduate funding, yet current
graduate students remain grossly underfunded. While
Northwestern University extended the benefits of a new aid
package to its current doctoral students, last year's Graduate
Aid Initiative left roughly half of us with less than $12,000
a year in stipend support and a quarter of us with less than
$5,000.

As Teaching Assistants, we have been waiting for more than
eight years for a raise. Yet TA pay remains the lowest among
peer institutions at $1,500 and teaching positions lack
healthcare and other basic benefits. While wages have remained
the same, the out-of-pocket tuition for advanced students has
consistently increased to where it is now more than half of TA
pay.

On Wednesday, February 13th, the Working Group on Graduate
Student Life in the Humanities, Social Sciences and the
Divinity School publicly released their long awaited report.
With one voice, graduate students will be calling on Provost
Thomas F. Rosenbaum to go beyond the Working Group's
recommendations to address key issues like stipend equity,
teaching pay, health insurance, summer funding, advanced
residency tuition, and support for international students.

We are also calling on Provost Rosenbaum to release his action
steps at a public forum open to all graduate students and to
continue to attend such forums to ensure that progress is made
on these issues. As graduate funding directly affects our
lives, we need to have a direct and ongoing dialogue with
those who are ultimately making decisions on these issues.

Please meet us at noon in the front foyer of the Regenstein
Library, 1100 E 57t street on February 19th.

Media contacts:

Duff Morton duffmorton@yahoo.com 773-562-3364

Toussaint Losier tlosier@uchicago.edu 215-837-4071