Can President McRobbie help graduate students?

Like the students who expressed their optimism about IU’s president, Michael McRobbie, in the Oct. 19 front page article, I, too, want to voice my hope that our new leader will show that he’s as committed to bringing IU to the forefront of research and education as he claims to be in his press releases and speeches. Certainly, we have no reason to suspect otherwise. As an Associate Instructor and a member of the Graduate Employees Organization, I urge President McRobbie to ensure that graduate student researchers, whether they are working in the hard sciences, social sciences, arts, or humanities, receive the kinds of health benefits that one would expect a top-tier research institution would provide. \nAnd, affordable health benefits, such as dental and vision care, shouldn’t be limited to graduate student researchers, either. Many graduate students perform teaching duties as graders, instructors or lab assistants that allow faculty in their respective departments to perform research, and as such, they’re a vital part of IU’s community. But, I’m sure President McRobbie is well aware of graduate students’ grievances about affordable health care. After all, he was quoted as saying in Friday’s edition that he’s been here for 11 years and knows IU quite well. So, how about it President McRobbie? Are you ready to put IU in the same class as other Big Ten schools? Providing grad students with dental and vision insurance is one of the first steps in \nthis process.