Negotiations began in February and the GEU would like to bring them to a close, he said.

“The major thing that we’re looking for is trying to meet President Simon’s goals of being in the middle of the Big Ten,” Cooper said. “They don’t seem to want to give us middle of the Big Ten compensation.”

About 20 GEU members held a “We Aren’t Fooling Bargaining Tailgate” on Friday afternoon outside the Nisbet Building — where negotiations were in progress. Taking the April Fools’ Day theme to heart, some members were dressed in jester hats while they grilled hot dogs and showed support for their bargaining team.

The GEU represents more than 1,300 teaching assistants on campus.

GEU President Sam Otten said both the GEU and university officials have presented a proposed contract, but compromises still need to be made on both sides.

“We feel we could end (negotiations) tomorrow,” he said. “It’s both in our interest and the university’s interest to have a new contract set.”

An MSU human resources spokesperson said the department does not comment publicly on the status of active negotiations or release information related to the bargaining process until they have concluded.

Doug Schraufnagle, a second-year master’s student in rhetoric and writing, said he would like to see stipend increases and better health care benefits in the new contract.

Although the university has suffered budget strains in recent years, he still feels an effort should be made to keep graduate student benefits as a priority, he said.

“Just because the university has cuts doesn’t mean the university doesn’t have money,” Schraufnagle said.

Anna Feuerstein, a second-year doctoral student in English, said she hopes the contract will include tuition waivers for summer classes for teaching assistants, adding she doesn’t think MSU can stay competitive without them.

Prospective professors are drawn to universities that have high-quality graduate programs and graduate students, she said.

According to recent U.S. News and World Report rankings, MSU has 13 graduate programs that rank among the top 10 in the nation, including No. 1 rankings in nuclear physics and elementary and secondary education.

If a new contract is not established before the current one expires, the union can decide to continue working under the current contract benefits or cancel the contract and work without one, Cooper said.

Although the tailgate had a festive spirit, the event was intended to show administrators the GEU is concerned with the outcome of the negotiations, Cooper said.

“This is a serious issue, but we don’t think the university has taken it with the degree of seriousness that maybe they should,” he said.