Two ASMSU representatives are hoping to identify problems that exist between teaching assistants and undergraduate students.

Tom Morse, the College of Communication Arts and Sciences representative, and Dan Weber, the College of Natural Science representative, both members of ASMSU's Academic Assembly, have been meeting with faculty and graduate students since the beginning of November to discuss the initiative.

"We're just trying to find out what undergraduates think about their TAs," Weber said. "We hope to maybe set groundwork to see if there is a problem with TAs and students."

If they find there is a problem, Weber said they will inform MSU's administration so they can address the issue.

"It's in the very early stages right now," he said. "We'll find out if there is a problem, and if there is, we'll create some sort of procedure."

Weber said the idea came when members of the assembly were talking candidly about problems they had experienced with language barriers between themselves and teaching assistants.

"We've been getting complaints from a couple of our constituents," Morse said.

They are currently working on a survey to administer to students through college list-serves ASMSU representatives have access to. Morse said the survey may take as long as three months to go through the correct processes.

Weber and Morse identified the research as a goal at the beginning of the school year, but only recently began to work on it after they met about a month ago with Kevin Johnston, director of the MSU TA Programs.

"He was really helpful," Weber said. "He really got us going on the direction we're going in now."

They hope to meet with Johnston at least once a month until they complete their goal, Morse said.

"Really all we want is a conversation with everyone about it," he said.

Some students said they've experienced a language barrier between them and their TAs.

No-preference sophomore Tara Middleton said she had a TA in a math class she couldn't understand, but was able to do well because many of the notes were the same as a high school calculus class.

"Sometimes the way he would put words and phrase, it would be confusing," she said. "It was a problem, and it hurt some students in my class."

Telecommunication junior Ryan Johnson said he's had about four TAs that were difficult to understand.

"Pretty much the only problem that I've ever encountered is the language," he said. "It's something that just doesn't go away."