The petition
We, the graduate students of the University of California, Berkeley, bring attention to our dissatisfaction with the Graduate Division’s current Dean’s Normative Time Fellowship policy. The policy states:
“This fellowship is intended to allow you to make substantial progress on your dissertation without the need to work. For this reason, you may not hold employment when utilizing this award.”
We, the undersigned, take particular issue with the words "without the need to work" because the current DNTF does not provide funding adequate to render other employment unnecessary. We also oppose the blanket restriction (not stated in the formal policy but practiced nonetheless) against combining the DNTF with other fellowships beyond an arbitrary cap (25K).
Drawing on data from the California Budget Project, an independent fiscal and policy analysis firm, we find that the current DNTF stipend does not provide a livable wage to graduate students that would allow them to focus all of their time on dissertation work. Data from the CBP indicates that the livable income for a single adult in Alameda County is $27,138; a livable income for a family of three (single parent household) in Alameda County is $56,043; a livable income for a family of four (two working parents) in Alameda County is $65,656, we, the undersigned raise the following issues:
=>The current amount of the DNTF stipend of $16,000 does not correspond with the Graduate Division’s own “2007-08 Graduate Student Budget” of $20,012. Nor does the DNTF stipend amount correspond to the livable income for even a single adult presented by the California Budget Project.
=>The Graduate Division’s estimated student budget is based on 'single' graduate students, even though 10-15% of the graduate population supports dependents.
=>The arbitrary cap (25K) for combining the DNTF with other fellowship stipends falls well below the livable income for families, as presented by the California Budget Project.
=>Given that many graduate students supported by the DNTF have no other source of funding, the restriction against working while on tenure imposes a serious financial burden on many students.
We, the undersigned, are convinced the problems stated above could be remedied by the Graduate Division taking two equally important actions:
**The DNTF stipend should be increased to no less than the livable income standard presented by the California Budget Project for a single adult. If the purpose of the fellowship is, as it states, “to allow you to make substantial progress on your dissertation without the need to work”, then the award amount should correspond to this intent.
**In place of the current blanket restrictions imposed by the Graduate Division against part time work and combining fellowships, we expect the DNTF guidelines to be more responsive to the diverse financial and family scenarios that characterize the lives of graduate students. Specifically, students supporting dependents should be exempt from work and stipend cap restrictions that present a serious financial burden on them and their families.
We, the undersigned, feel confident that our request is reasonable and reflects the values and commitments of the University's Administration. These proposed reforms to the current DNTF policy support the overall “family friendly climate” that the University has been striving to foster, and which serves as a model for other institutions nationwide. As graduate instructors, research assistants, and the informal PR channels of the University, we are confident that our value to the campus community will spur thoughtful attention to and action around the issues raised.
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