Whether to increase the number of teaching assistants or to increase their pay was addressed at a forum hosted by the MSU Council of Graduate Students on Thursday night.
“COGS Town Hall - Addressing the Potential Reduction of Teaching Assistantships for the 2001-2002 Academic Year” was held to allow students to voice their concerns and opinions on the issue.
“The primary role of COGS is to be an advocate for graduate student concerns,” said Sam Howerton, president of the group. “To that end, it is imperative that we make sure we are receiving those concerns.”
COGS is MSU’s graduate student government.
Howerton said during the last few months, the group has received more information about the possible changes being made in the graduate teaching assistantship program.
This year TAs received an 11 percent increase in their stipend - the largest increase in history.
But while TAs receive the increase, universitywide budget constraints are threatening to decrease the total number of positions offered.
Howerton said COGS would like to see a fair stipend package - not necessarily one with high increases - that would allow more students the opportunity to be TAs.
As TAs, graduate students can serve as resources to professors and gain practical experience in their field.
“A lower number of high-paid TAs means that some departments will make their TAs work more than they are supposed to,” Howerton said. “That makes for a very bad situation.”
But the condition is something to be expected with any budget changes, said Karen Klomparens, dean of the Graduate School.
“The pot of money MSU has is finite,” Klomparens said. “So generally a large increase in one part of the budget means smaller increases elsewhere.”
Klomparens said it is also important to keep in mind that the total number of graduate students is decreasing. She attributes that to students finishing their degrees at a faster than normal rate.
“The actual percentage of graduate students supported is slightly better this year than in past years,” Klomparens said. “So if the number of graduate assistantships slightly decreases next year, the percentage of students supported will probably remain close to the same because the total population is still decreasing.”
Doctoral student Dan Nappo shares COGS’ view and doesn’t think the number of TA positions should be reduced.
“I understand there are financial issues,” Nappo said. “But if that is the situation, instead of buying the championship basketball court they should concentrate on academic issues if they are going to call themselves a research institution.”
