Dear University President Michael Schill, Provost Kathleen Hagerty, Graduate School Dean Kelly Mayo, and Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences Dean Adrian Randolph,
We write to you as the collective body of Northwestern University Graduate Workers to stress our dismay at NU’s unilaterally slashing of Advanced Student Quarter funding for over 100 advanced graduate students. The decision to abruptly and silently dismantle the expectation that departments and administrators will work with their advanced graduate students to secure additional sources of funding carries devastating consequences that are already coming to fruition. Countless doctoral candidates rely on these department funds to allow them to remain enrolled as full-time graduate students, promptly complete their dissertations, defend their research and enter the job market without the additional responsibilities of teaching or graduate assistantship work. More urgently, these funds guaranteed that advanced students would keep their healthcare, have access to graduate student benefits and maintain their immigration status. However, international students now face the shameful reality of being forced out of the country and are left scrambling to secure visas or liquidate their lives in the United States. Many other advanced graduate students are left wondering how we will finish our degrees, not to mention pay our rent along with other living expenses.
Forcing advanced graduate students to choose between going without income or putting their studies aside to focus on affording basic needs is shameful and regressive. How can Graduate School Dean Kelly Mayo claim that he will continue to do everything possible to support the academic success of graduate students when the University does not consider our voices even in decisions that affect our lives and work? Moreover, how can the University identify as a global leader in graduate education while graduate program funding is on a constant decline? It is apparent that the University has objectively moved away from education and toward austerity.
Let us be clear, the decision to curb ASQ spending will impact NU’s reputation and ability to recruit and maintain the next generation of passionate scholars, scientists and educators. As Dean Mayo affirmed in his denial of restoring ASQ, NU will abide by the bare minimum requirements as asserted in the Collective Bargaining Agreement with NUGW-UE Local 1122. In this sense, NU is shooting for a “passing grade” in their relationship with graduate students. Why would an aspiring generation of graduate students and faculty put their faith in a university that regularly shifts milestones and chips away at its support structures? What is the motivation for students to go above and beyond for the University when this gesture is not reciprocated? We are not demanding “unlimited funding” as Dean Mayo asserted in his July email. We ask for consistent transparency regarding decisions that force graduate students to suddenly and drastically alter their lives, if not drop out entirely.
The negligent timing of this decision, given mere months before international student visas are set to expire and after deadlines for other sources of funding have passed, combined with the University’s refusal to consider student input prior to curbing ASQ sends a clear message that NU believes graduate students are not partners or community members worthy of being heard. By informing advanced students that their funding options are depleted mere months before their school funding is set to expire, NU harms its reputation while throwing advanced graduate research into doubt. These cuts prevent graduate scholars from maximizing the potential impact of their scholarship and threatens their ability to secure employment in the future. The message is clear: NU is no longer willing to invest in supporting the best research from its graduate students.
Responses from the University have been predictable platitudes about “concerted efforts to bridge PhD students to completion,” while offering no solutions nor space for dialogue. President Schill wrote in a statement on Aug. 20 that he is “(looking) forward to a year of what Northwestern does best: academic pursuits, research advancements and engaging in dialogue about the world’s most pressing issues. To enable the environment where this is possible, we need to ensure every member of our community feels safe and supported.”
Unfortunately, the University continuously fails to provide a safe and supportive environment for its graduate students by refusing to ensure guaranteed funding necessary for our academic pursuits and research advancements. We urge the administration to return to their stated mission “to support the academic success of all our graduate students” by making good-faith efforts to expand interdisciplinary graduate assistantships, establish clear timelines regarding the allocation of funding and return to the precedent of extending banked quarters. To support our efforts and join the struggle for graduate student rights, please sign our petition by going to our Instagram page (IG: nugradworkers) and visiting the link in the bio.
In Solidarity,
Graduate Workers of NUGW UE Local 1122
Editor’s Note: This letter may not represent the views of every individual member of NUGW.
NUGW UE Local 1122, is an antiracist, feminist labor union fighting for better working and living conditions. NUGW can be contacted at [email protected]. If you would like to respond publicly to this op-ed, send a Letter to the Editor to [email protected]. The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all staff members of The Daily Northwestern.
