Dear Dean March,

We are the graduate employees of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Rutgers. With this letter we would like to engage you in a conversation about our current dire financial situation. Its impact on the graduate body, and by extension the entire physics department, needs to be addressed and remediated quickly.

Physics graduate employees are teachers, who are integral to Rutgers’ undergraduate education. Courses offered in our department are not only indispensable to all STEM students, but are also commonly attended by students with majors in humanities and social sciences. In physics classes, students learn practical problem solving skills, that are valued in all fields, hence the necessity for a large offering of physics classes at all levels. However, without the contribution from graduate workers, this demand would not be met. At the moment, the equivalent of half of a graduating year of PhD candidates, all in their fourth or fifth years, is hired on part-time lecturer (PTL) contracts instead of teaching assistantships (TA). A PTL is obligated to perform exactly the same duties as a TA for half the salary, no tuition remission and no health benefits. Overall, the compensation for a PTL is grossly insufficient to live on, especially in the New Brunswick area. This inexplicable financial division of graduate teaching staff is a blatant injustice and therefore needs to be addressed without further delay! From the perspective of our undergraduate students, their instructors are forced to increase their teaching load to make ends meet, thereby decreasing the quality of education. We find it very disheartening to not be able to efficiently teach our classes. Currently, 100 physics classes are taught by PTLs – this number must decrease for our alma mater to keep its reputation of excellency in undergraduate education.

Physics graduate employees are researchers and therefore, one of the driving forces behind Rutgers progress in research. Advanced PhD candidates are expected to spend most of their time every week doing research, not only because it is necessary for the completion of their degree, but above all, because it is crucial for the advancement of their principal investigator’s (PI) research. It is our experiments and hard work that appears in publications, making the Rutgers physics department one of the best departments for physics research worldwide. The work we do however, is not met with the pay we need and deserve. In fact, insufficient pay forces graduate workers to take on additional teaching loads or other external jobs, if residence status permits, thereby making research progress and timely graduation unfeasible. Furthermore, in a cruel irony, graduate employees on PTL contracts have to pay out-of-pocket for the ability to complete their own research work. This situation cannot persist without consequences for the reputation of the department.

Physics graduate employees are humans. Most of us are young adults, about to lay the foundation for our future lives. Many of us moved from countries all across the globe to pursue this graduate degree and now have to fear not being able to meet our visa requirements. Some of us come from a challenging social background and do not have the comfort of financial support from family or relatives. Many of us would like to start a family or already have children. The financial jeopardy we are being subjected to is taking an enormous toll on our physical and mental wellbeing, as well as significantly hampering our ability to conduct research and teach effectively. We consider this an inhumane treatment of graduate employees, which does not meet Rutgers’ self-conception.

We hope this letter demonstrates clearly how gravely the situation is affecting the graduate employees of Rutgers. Please, be assured that our criticism does not come in spite of, but because of our wholehearted commitment to the mission of Rutgers University. We impress upon you that immediate steps need to be taken to prevent further damage, which we would like to discuss in a personal meeting. We appreciate your time and understanding. Please find attached a list of supporters.

Sincerely,

The Graduate Employees of the Department of Physics and Astronomy