For a group of more than 1,000 strong, MSU's Graduate Employees Union is quick to respond to a call to arms. To be fair, though, the past few years have given graduate employees plenty of practice in rallying behind the cause to keep their jobs. For all the hard work and dedication teaching assistants give to the university, GEU is looking to be spelled more and more like "Rodney Dangerfield."
Which is why last week, the TAs' figurative slogan changed from "I get no respect" to "Hell no, we won't go." Convinced that Provost Lou Anna Simon's vision for streamlining MSU's liberal arts colleges would include job cuts for TAs, about 40 teaching assistants held classes inside the Administration Building - not only clogging the hallways for MSU brass, but also raising visibility of their on-campus presence.
The State News traditionally has supported the GEU for its dedication to students and the positive enrichment student teachers provide in the classroom. But in certain cases, when TAs raise visibility to administrators by staging protests that hinder a student's pursuit of knowledge, we're forced to draw a line.
By holding classes in the Administration Building with hopes of convincing the administration of their value, teaching assistants become teaching obstructions. Granted, teaching a class in the Administration Building is more beneficial than not teaching class at all, but the tactic is on par with hiring protesters for no other reason than sheer numbers.
Students are given no option but to attend when a TA decides to teach in the Administration Building. Stay home, and the day's material needs to be made up. Attend, despite better wishes to be involved in a protest, and the student becomes an unwilling participant in the TA cause.
It's an exploitation of the very same group of people TAs are paid to nurture.
We unequivocally support the role teaching assistants play at this university. They are often the men and women behind the curtains, pulling all the right levers to make class run smoothly. In cases when they're given the opportunity to teach, the nobility of their efforts and the power of their talents aren't doubted for a moment. But when education is sabotaged in the name of protest, the university at large is losing.
We urge the GEU to fully address and investigate the possibility that Simon's liberal arts reorganization could affect TA jobs, but we also advise the group not to act on speculation before a decision is made. To be sure, it places the GEU in a delicate balance - act too brash, and the brass puts on the squeeze, but act too soft, and the cause never gets off the ground. But in this case, the cause to keep TAs inside MSU classrooms needs to wait until, and if, the university decides to put them on the outs.
There's too much to lose when students' educations are sacrificed based on speculation of another cutback. The GEU does not receive as much respect as its efforts warrant, and that has been made abundantly clear in the recent past. But until the scare to a TA's livelihood really is established, keep assisting the pursuit of knowledge - and not hindering it.
