TELL PRESIDENT BARCHI: WHAT ARE YOU "SICK OF" WHEN IT COME TO YOUR WORKING CONDITIONS AT RUTGERS?

I am sick of hearing about PhD candidates who are losing funding after 3 or 4 years of hard work on their dissertation research. We need more TA/GA lines and guaranteed 5 years funding for all admitted PhD students, minimum!

Graduate workers haven't had a cost of living increase since 2013. I'm essentially making $1,800 less than I did when I started at Rutgers, while New Brunswick rents have gone up by nearly 30%. We need a raise NOW!

A cost of living increase needs to be reflected in our salary. We should not have to worry about paying bills while working on a TAship and dissertation.

7 years ago Featured

Grad workers and PTLs teach over 50% of Rutgers’ undergrad courses. Only 1.4% of RU’s budget goes to our TA/GA salaries. We need a raise NOW!

My program requires me to do a year of research away from campus. Why do I have to pay $2,000 in tuition when I’m not even in New Jersey? We need zero tuition for PhD students!

My program requires me to do a year of research away from campus. Why do I have to pay $2,000 in tuition when I’m not even in New Jersey? We need zero tuition for PhD students!

I'm sick of being overworked and underpaid! Graduate workers haven't had a cost of living increase since 2013 while New Brunswick rents have gone up by nearly 30%. We need a raise NOW!

My program requires me to do a year of research away from campus. Why do I have to pay $2,000 in tuition when I’m not even in New Jersey? We need zero tuition for PhD students!

7 years ago Featured

I have a baby. Daycare costs literally half of my GA salary. It is impossible to feed my child and pay rent with the other half. Something needs to change now!

I am sick of being overworked, under payed, and disrespected by you and your administration. I need protections from harassment, a raise, job security, better resources on campus, and real and honest shows of respect from you and your administration to start my healing process. I am a person, not a cog in your profit making machine.

Graduate workers haven't had a cost of living increase in five years. I'm essentially making $1,800 less than I did when I started at Rutgers, while New Brunswick rents have gone up by nearly 30%.

I am sick of barely making it to the end of the month with the salary we get as TA/GAs. The rent in NJ is sky-high. The salaries have remained the same since the last four years while inflation has risen. I am also sick of the indifference that the authorities show towards graduate working conditions. If you need proof, please come and take a look at graduate offices in the old engineering buildings on Busch campus. A university with over 1 Billion $ in endowment can and should do better!

I'm tired of having to work odd jobs all summer when I should be supported so I can continue my work. I'm tired of not having things covered by insurance, like being hit by a car in the cross walk. A fellow TA was hit and the bills are on her because RU TA health insurance doesn't cover it. I'm tired of funding packages only being 4 years, if you're lucky. That isn't enough time and makes final year completion even harder. I'm tired of having to be a union organizer on top of being a teacher, grader, writer, researcher, and conference organizer. Too many hats, not enough pay.

7 years ago Featured

I'm sick of having to grade hours and hours every single week while accruing more and more credit card debt! I don't have enough money to buy meals, but I don't have time to cook for myself either. I need my research time protected from excessive TA workload!

1. I am sick of being unable to afford childcare. 2. A raise of course would help, but support of grad student parents in terms of childcare provisions/discounts is very much lacking.

1. Unclear offers vs. contracts for work/funding 2. Compensation (fellowship and salary) adjustment to reflect higher living costs

The cost of living in NJ is on higher side, and a raise in salary is needed to counter the inflation

1. Increasing tuition without giving raise. 2. Increase wages and give long-due raise so we don't have to live paycheck to paycheck or worse for 6+ years of our adult lives, all while pursuing groundbreaking research towards the betterment of society.

I'm sick of paying out of pocket for medication, often without reimbursement due to red tape, every time my health insurance switches between fellowship and TA and I have to wait three months for it to kick in

I'm sick of Rutgers not considering fellows as a grad workers and therefore not receiving equal pay and benefits of TA/GAs.