It’s the one envelope a graduate student teaching assistant never wants to receive — one with a letter informing them a job within their college won’t exist next year.
But depending on how the budget shakes out within particular colleges, it could take weeks before anyone finds out whether positions will open.
This is the uncertain situation some graduate students face every year when they receive their appointment letters, said Sandra Schmidt, president of the Graduate Employees Union.
Although some departments, such as the anthropology department, have been late sending out appointment letters, Schmidt said the economics department sent an appointment letter to graduate students stating that TAs within the department did not have a job, but could in the future once the department budget is finalized.
“They might have to send out some (firing letters), but generally speaking, few departments really don’t think they’re not going to hire some TAs,” she said. “This is kind of a safety mechanism for them.”
According to the union’s contract with the university, graduate students must receive appointment letters by March 31.
The contract also requires a letter of agreement that specifies the type language to be used in the appointment letters, said Karen Klomparens, dean of the Graduate School.
“MSU employing units have an obligation to follow those templates, as they are based on the language that we provide,” Klomparens said.
She wouldn’t comment as to whether the economics department’s letters violated the contract because the union had not brought them to her attention, she said.
The wording in those letters is a safety measure that needs to be taken, said Paul Menchik, director of graduate studies for the economics department within the College of Social Science.
“We’ve sent that for years because of the requirement,” Menchik said.
“We don’t know what our budget is. We don’t know until late spring, early summer. It’s a pro-formal letter — people have not lost their jobs, we’re just constrained from promising jobs until we see our budget. What would we do if we couldn’t pay?”
The wording creates tension and concern for students, Schimdt said.
“It leads to uncertainty, concern and fear,” she said.
Menchik said the wording in these letters is nothing new, and no students have complained to him thus far.
“This is not new, not a consequence of new bargaining,” Menchik said. “This has gone on for a number of years.”
Support student media! Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
