Hank Morgan/Matthias Wave (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
matthias_wave) wrote2009-11-15 06:53 pm
matthias_wave) wrote2009-11-15 06:53 pm
SRS BIZNESS POST U GAIZ
Okay, so. The TAs at U of I have been having a disagreement with the school. And I mean serious disagreement. If I've managed to extract this properly, the TAs are being paid less than a living wage - especially since they're generally grad students, and whoever makes these decisions has apparently decided that a) grad students can live on nothing and b) as such, it's no harm if we skim out of the TA salary for other stuff.
Well, over the course of the past few weeks, the TAs have been threatening to strike. They've been talking to the students about it, and many of the teachers support them. They have, however, been getting threatening letters from the Provost - including threats that he couldn't actually carry out, like deporting international grad students (who, as grad students, are in the country legally) or even firing professors who support them. This information came from the TA who handles my discussion section for Asian Mythology, who has been the most forthcoming on the subject (and is also one of the said international students). This discussion occurred on Friday, the day before they were due to vote on whether to strike.
They managed to compromise on some issues with the University at the meeting yesterday, but according to the email sent out by my linguistics teacher, the University would not provide security for their tuition waivers. As a result, the TAs are striking on Monday and Tuesday, and possibly longer - there's another bargaining session on Tuesday which will decide that. As a result, I am aware that I do not have at least one class tomorrow, if only because that class (linguistics) is held in one of the buildings on campus being picketed (I'm pretty sure there are at least four). I don't know about the status of any of my other classes that occur on those two days, although I'm fairly certain my Calc discussion will also not be held and that my Physics lecture will.
The major problem occurs if the strike continues into the week, as I have two exams scheduled Wednesday and Thursday and exams are generally administered and graded by the TAs, since they're divided up by discussion section. I have no idea what will become of this if the strike continues. Let's hope two days are enough to bring the University around.
Well, over the course of the past few weeks, the TAs have been threatening to strike. They've been talking to the students about it, and many of the teachers support them. They have, however, been getting threatening letters from the Provost - including threats that he couldn't actually carry out, like deporting international grad students (who, as grad students, are in the country legally) or even firing professors who support them. This information came from the TA who handles my discussion section for Asian Mythology, who has been the most forthcoming on the subject (and is also one of the said international students). This discussion occurred on Friday, the day before they were due to vote on whether to strike.
They managed to compromise on some issues with the University at the meeting yesterday, but according to the email sent out by my linguistics teacher, the University would not provide security for their tuition waivers. As a result, the TAs are striking on Monday and Tuesday, and possibly longer - there's another bargaining session on Tuesday which will decide that. As a result, I am aware that I do not have at least one class tomorrow, if only because that class (linguistics) is held in one of the buildings on campus being picketed (I'm pretty sure there are at least four). I don't know about the status of any of my other classes that occur on those two days, although I'm fairly certain my Calc discussion will also not be held and that my Physics lecture will.
The major problem occurs if the strike continues into the week, as I have two exams scheduled Wednesday and Thursday and exams are generally administered and graded by the TAs, since they're divided up by discussion section. I have no idea what will become of this if the strike continues. Let's hope two days are enough to bring the University around.