LTE re graduate student funding at UMass

[Bill McBlueState]

I'm working on an LTE to the Greenfield Recorder. I'm a grad student at UMass, where we've been battling the administration for almost a year now to get a new contract. I'm looking for feedback before I send this. Does it convince you to support the grad students? Since I've been in this battle for so long, I'm probably lacking the perspective of an outsider who's just being introduced to the situation. Do I get my point across effectively?

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To the editor:

For almost an full year, graduate students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have been bargaining with the administration for a new contract. Graduate students do a significant portion of the teaching and research at UMass, so it is essential that we be paid fairly for our efforts. However, the current effort to win a new contract has been met with resistance from the administration at every turn.

The university's bargaining committee has argued that graduate employees should not expect to support themselves on their stipends. This is completely unrealistic. Students in graduate school generally have no other means of support: Academic demands make it almost impossible to hold a job outside the university, and the typical graduate student is no longer in a position to borrow from Mom and Dad when finances get tight. Further, many graduate students have their own families to support.

As the flagship campus of the state's public higher education system, UMass Amherst has a responsibility to make graduate education accessible and affordable. When the campus relies on graduate students to teach its classes and staff its research labs, the administration must compensate us fairly. A recent study showed that, when compared to six similar universities, UMass ranked above only the University of Maryland in terms of pay and benefits for graduate employees. Surely Massachusetts, a state known for centuries as a powerhouse of higher education, can treat its graduate student employees better.

[skids]

1. A bit of an edit...

...from a grad of, student activist at, and an ex-employee of UMASS.

"For almost an full year" s/an/a/

Make sure Univeristy is capitalized when referring to UMASS (second paragraph, perhaps elsewhere.)

I'd say that UMass has more than a "responsibility", rather an "obligation".

And you are straight on message. Think about comparing the workload of a grad student to that of an UMass administrator. Do so politely, but firmly (and don't go near talking about the faculty, make it very clear you are talking of administrators) -- you want to make a veiled threat to hit them publicly for being lazy bastards, but not actually start punching, just fire a warning shot. "If people knew" might be a good phrase to work in there.

Then, to counteract the "yeah, but we are in the middle of our careers and yours hasn't even started" line, point out to them that if the grad students have to choose between being able to support themselves and gaining a higher degree, there will be less and less people that choose to be grad students and instead enter the workforce with undergraduate degrees. Imply, but do not say, that if that happens, they will have to hire more faculty (you want to keep the faculty unions passive in this.)

PM me if you want some ideas on how to approach the administration.

[Bill McBlueState]

2. thanks for your comments

"For almost an full year" s/an/a/

oops.. thanks!

Yes, I'm being careful not to antagonize the faculty. Since they're unionized as well, I think most of them are sympathetic to our cause. The trouble is with these administrators who have to put the fiscal bottom line ahead of educational needs. That's as much the fault of the Romney administration as it is anyone's.