UT-Austin Faculty & Staff Solidarity with Graduate Student Workers

Many graduate students complain about the price of parking, food, health care, housing, child care, etc., etc., and for one good reason, above all: that their income is just too low. They're hard-working and dedicated employees of our University yet the rich individuals who can raise their wages choose instead, time and again, record-breaking salaries for administrators, for themselves, and allocate monies for countless pointless luxuries. How many millions are wasted on consultants? (Poorly doing labors that UT experts would do correctly and for free.) How many millions are burned on athletics administrators? 23-carat gold leaf. The luxury carpets. The expensive dinners with fine wine. The entertainment budgets. The flights. The expensive hotels. The $8,700 per locker. The Yellow Brick Speedway, poorly constructed, replaced, now cracking again. The bonus "loans" for the rich, which don't have to be repaid. The leftover catered meals thrown into the trash. The former Law School Facilities Director who stole $1.2 Million. The consultants again. Etc. There are individuals who can fix the salaries of graduate students simply by changing their priorities. That is, by choosing to live up the moral standards that the state and the public expect of them. https://www.insider.com/university-of-texas-longhorns-college-football-locker-room-remodel-2022-5#each-locker-costs-8700-and-former-head-coach-tom-herman-wanted-them-to-literally-glow-14

Many graduate students complain about the price of parking, food, health care, housing, child care, etc., etc., and for one good reason, above all: that their income is just too low. They're hard-working and dedicated employees of our University yet the rich individuals who can raise their wages choose instead, time and again, record-breaking salaries for administrators, for themselves, and allocate monies for countless pointless luxuries. How many millions are wasted on external consultants? (Poorly doing labors that UT experts would do correctly and for free.) How many millions are burned on athletics administrators? 23-carat gold leaf. The luxury carpets. The expensive dinners with fine wine. The entertainment budgets. The flights. The expensive hotels. The $8,700 per locker. The Yellow Brick Speedway, poorly constructed, replaced, now cracking again. The bonus "loans" for the rich, which don't have to be repaid. The leftover catered meals thrown into the trash. The former Law School Facilities Director who stole $1.2 Million. The consultants again. Etc. There are individuals who can fix the salaries of graduate students simply by changing their priorities. That is, by choosing to live up the moral standards that the state and the public expect of them. https://www.insider.com/university-of-texas-longhorns-college-football-locker-room-remodel-2022-5#each-locker-costs-8700-and-former-head-coach-tom-herman-wanted-them-to-literally-glow-14

The well-being of graduate student workers is critical for their campus experiences, personal and academic outcomes. This has a direct bearing for the wider positive campus-wide outcomes. It would be great if their living wage is improved. Thank you.

UT commitments to diversity and inclusion are empty without real investment; recruiting and graduating a diverse student student body (our future faculty, mentors, and change-makers) begins with making sure that students are not facing additional undue hardship. And without collective bargaining rights, faculty and staff support on this issue is critical.

Many students are working multiple jobs and taking out loans! UT Austin wants to be the best in the US and the World: this is a great investment toward those ends and graduates who will support their alma mater!

Attracting and retaining the very best graduate students has become all the more challenging when GRA, GTA, and AI wages have not kept up with cost of living in Austin. We can do this!

Living costs in the City of Austin have increased dramatically in recent years. This poses a significant risk in the ability of graduate programs to recruit new students, but also signifies a significant burden for current students. Departments and Programs that I am familiar with lack the capacity to significantly increase student income to match these increases while still complying with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board requirements. This situation creates friction between programs and students that hurts students' progress and productivity. This is probably the biggest challenge that graduate education at UT-Austin is facing at this point in time. Something at the 'University level' must occur for this situation to stop being an obstacle to the quality of our graduate programs.

Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) and Graduate Research Assistants (GRAs) should receive a livable wage. This will allow them to focus on their employed position and studies, and not have to take a second job. At UT Austin, the Provost can change the university-wide minimum for GTA and GRA positions. Each of the 18 Deans can set an even higher minimum for those employed in their college or school, and each Dept. Chair can set an even higher minimum for their department. The funding for GTAs primarily comes from State Funding that goes into the Academic Core Budget. The funding for GRAs comes primarily from external gifts, grants and contracts brought in by faculty members and other researchers. We can do this!

We need to show our students that we stand behind and them, and alongside them.

Long overdue. Not only "underpaid" but also overworked. More pay; less work - to enable more study, better education.

While I realize that the UT budget has many constraints and that decisions regarding staff and grad student pay are ultimately controlled by the Texas Legislature, we do need to remind our administration to advocate as forcefully as possible for better TA/AI pay. Our grad students deserve more.

The cost of living in Austin has skyrocketed and our graduate students need the financial support to be able to make ends meet. UT can do better!

UT's reputation depends on the excellence of our graduate students. The institution's material support for them needs to be excellent as well.