February 24th, 2016
Dear Provost Dutta:
Although at first glance, the proposed changes to the teaching assistantships in the College of Liberal Arts look like improvements, we graduate students in the School of Languages and Cultures have some serious concerns.
Of course we would welcome more money and a lower teaching assignment, but we are concerned with the future of our programs. In the short term, better conditions are long overdue, but looking ahead, we fear that this reduction in graduate student numbers means that very soon there will no longer be enough students to make up a cohort or offer classes that will fill. This would be to our great long-term detriment.
There is much less prestige in graduating from a defunct program. This would likely seriously hamper our job search. Moreover, if classes are not offered in our target languages, but instead are clumped together and taught in English (as has happened in some universities faced with similar cuts) student proficiency will be lower and our degrees will be worth less.
We disagree that our programs are less valuable than those in the six departments that are receiving increases. Market value is cited as the reason for these decisions, but that appears to be anecdotal. Where are the data proving this assertion?
We would like you to give adequate Graduate Assistantship money to the School of Languages and Cultures so that our degrees will continue to have the high value associated with Purdue.
Sincerely,
Updates
February 26, 2016
I honestly never thought this would gain this much steam when I first typed it out but the momentum feels real and kind of overwhelming right now. It is genuinely wild to see so many people who actually care about the future of our programs because usually it feels like we are just shouting into the void about these funding cuts. Maybe someone at the top will finally have to stop and look at this since everyone is talking now.
Reached 100 supporters
February 26, 2016
31 Comments
Real people are being hurt, professionally as well as financially, by the new CLA initiative. We are not "tradeoffs."
As a PhD student soon about to be seeking gainful employment, I don't think that we, graduate CLA students, should be asked to accept a minor increase in stipends at the expense of the long term deterioration of the value of our degrees. I am definitely in accord with SLC.
I'm in the English department, and I stand in solidarity with SLC. We work hard as graduate students, the work we do is meaningful and important, and these budget cuts both harm us now and impair our future job prospects.
My support of the place that gave me so many opportunities has to stop. The "reallocation" of funding undercuts what I admire about the English Program and what it does for grads.
I would be interested in seeing the data that claims that our graduate students are not getting jobs upon graduation. We have had a very high placement rate over the years, close to 100%.
I am not opposed to shrinking some of the graduate programs categorically, but the way it is being done is bad for grad students, undergrads, and Purdue's research and teaching missions.
PhD in English from Purdue, 2015.
Sign Petition
We never post to your account. Social sign-in is used only to verify your signature.
Add a comment?
Your signature will be added via . Tell others why you're signing — it's optional.
By signing, you accept our Terms and Privacy Policy and agree to occasional emails about petitions. Unsubscribe anytime.
Share this petition
Share this petition to help it reach more people.
Your share link
February 24th, 2016
Dear Provost Dutta:
Although at first glance, the proposed changes to the teaching assistantships in the College of Liberal Arts look like improvements, we graduate students in the School of Languages and Cultures have some serious concerns.
Of course we would welcome more money and a lower teaching assignment, but we are concerned with the future of our programs. In the short term, better conditions are long overdue, but looking ahead, we fear that this reduction in graduate student numbers means that very soon there will no longer be enough students to make up a cohort or offer classes that will fill. This would be to our great long-term detriment.
There is much less prestige in graduating from a defunct program. This would likely seriously hamper our job search. Moreover, if classes are not offered in our target languages, but instead are clumped together and taught in English (as has happened in some universities faced with similar cuts) student proficiency will be lower and our degrees will be worth less.
We disagree that our programs are less valuable than those in the six departments that are receiving increases. Market value is cited as the reason for these decisions, but that appears to be anecdotal. Where are the data proving this assertion?
We would like you to give adequate Graduate Assistantship money to the School of Languages and Cultures so that our degrees will continue to have the high value associated with Purdue.
Sincerely,
Updates
February 26, 2016
I honestly never thought this would gain this much steam when I first typed it out but the momentum feels real and kind of overwhelming right now. It is genuinely wild to see so many people who actually care about the future of our programs because usually it feels like we are just shouting into the void about these funding cuts. Maybe someone at the top will finally have to stop and look at this since everyone is talking now.
Reached 100 supporters
February 26, 2016
31 Comments
A slightly higher stipend (for some) and more time for research are attractive points of the dean's plan. However, fewer students in SLC means fewer opportunities for growth in graduate courses. Although the memo stated that the rule for a minimum of five students per class could be reconsidered, classes with just a few students do not allow for discussion or the exchange of ideas as should be the case in graduate education.
Real people are being hurt, professionally as well as financially, by the new CLA initiative. We are not "tradeoffs."
As a PhD student soon about to be seeking gainful employment, I don't think that we, graduate CLA students, should be asked to accept a minor increase in stipends at the expense of the long term deterioration of the value of our degrees. I am definitely in accord with SLC.
I'm in the English department, and I stand in solidarity with SLC. We work hard as graduate students, the work we do is meaningful and important, and these budget cuts both harm us now and impair our future job prospects.
My support of the place that gave me so many opportunities has to stop. The "reallocation" of funding undercuts what I admire about the English Program and what it does for grads.
I would be interested in seeing the data that claims that our graduate students are not getting jobs upon graduation. We have had a very high placement rate over the years, close to 100%.
I am not opposed to shrinking some of the graduate programs categorically, but the way it is being done is bad for grad students, undergrads, and Purdue's research and teaching missions.
PhD in English from Purdue, 2015.
Help this petition grow
Share it with friends to help reach 250 signatures.
Sign Petition
We never post to your account. Social sign-in is used only to verify your signature.
Add a comment?
Your signature will be added via .
Tell others why you're signing — it's optional.
Signing with Google or Facebook verifies your signature instantly — no email needed.
By signing, you accept our Terms and Privacy Policy and agree to occasional emails about petitions. Unsubscribe anytime.
Share this petition
Share this petition to help it reach more people.
Your share link
Petitions like this
Other petitions you might want to support
Scan to share
Anyone who scans this can sign the petition.
A slightly higher stipend (for some) and more time for research are attractive points of the dean's plan. However, fewer students in SLC means fewer opportunities for growth in graduate courses. Although the memo stated that the rule for a minimum of five students per class could be reconsidered, classes with just a few students do not allow for discussion or the exchange of ideas as should be the case in graduate education.