Graduate student employees considers bill of rights

The Graduate Student Organization is considering drafting a bill of rights for graduate students employed by the University as assistant instructors, graduate assistants and resident advisers, said graduate student Amy Criss, the cognitive science representative for the GSO.\nCriss said the proposed bill is being discussed by the Graduate Employees Committee, a branch of the GSO, and is looking at issues such as greater faculty support and departmental representation and acknowledging the contributions of graduate students. The committee wants to ensure all graduate student employees are treated with respect by faculty, are given proper training and are represented in decisions affecting their departments, Criss said.\n"We are also interested in investigating non-remittable fees, the differences in AI, GA and RA salary among departments, working hours and treatment of graduate students," said Criss, who is also a member of the committee.\nBut the Graduate Student Employees Bill of Rights is still in the early stages of development. The issue being discussed by the committee is the bill's content.\n"The first issue is to decide just what should go into a document," said graduate student John Johnson, chairman of the employment committee. "It looks like most of the issues that we are concerned about are rather not controversial in principle, but the details might be some trouble. Of course, details are something that we aren't dealing with yet." \nGraduate student Sarah Stevens, GSO moderator for the fall semester, said the bill has not been a priority because of other issues. She speculated that a draft will not be completed until some time next year.\nCriss said other universities such as Harvard, the University of California-Davis and the University of Minnesota have Bills of Rights. Susan Cable, administrator for the Graduate Assistant Employment office at the University of Minnesota, said although there is no stated "bill," graduate students employed at Minnesota get an hourly wage of $12.74, tuition benefits based on hours worked and comprehensive health care.\n"There has been an effort for graduate students to unionize and was defeated," Cable stated. "That does not mean that it will not come up again."\nShe said while some graduate student employees feel they put in too many hours, most are content with the way things are at Minnesota.\nBrian Schaffner, a fourth year Ph.D. student in political science and co-president for the Political Science Graduate Student Association, said he is content with the current conditions for graduate employees at IU.\nSchaffner said graduate student employees earn about $5500 a semester for no more than 20 hours of work a week, on top of a scholarship that takes care of most academic fees. He said the relationships with faculty are good.\n"I would say that if an AI feels like he or she is not being treated with respect by a faculty member, it is probably because they haven't earned that respect," Schaffner said.\nMike Miller, a first year associate instructor with the political science department, said he holds similar views.\n"My particular position requires a great deal of time both in class, and more so, outside of class, though I certainly do not regard it as a burden, but as a beneficial and rewarding experience," Miller said.\nHe said the relationships he has had with faculty during his time as an AI have been more as colleagues than as taskmasters.\n"I will certainly not retire on the money I am now earning; in fact, I must often buy a six-pack instead of a 12-pack." Miller said. "However, the value of the opportunity in itself is indispensable, and one that would probably be performed free of salary"