The IU Task Force on Graduate Education announced Tuesday it will begin waiving the fee for international students. The fee will be waived beginning this academic year, according to a release from the Task Force.
Ending the international student fee was a major demand of the Indiana Graduate Workers Coalition- United Electrical Workers. The international student fee at IU was $357 per semester, or $714 per year, according to the Office of International Services.
[Related]: IU increases graduate student stipend, waives mandatory fees
The Task Force also announced short-term sick leave for Student Academic Appointees and that it will create a centralized website with health resources for graduate students. It will also ensure that SAAs are covered by insurance during approved leave.
“These are massive wins that directly result from our organizing, our spring strike and our fall strike date,” IGWC-UE member Anne Kavalerchik said.
The Task Force was created to make recommendations, such as the ones just approved, to improve the experience of graduate students at IU. Interim Graduate School Dean David Daleke will create a guide on how graduate students can bring their grievances to the attention of the university, according to the release.
A Graduate Student Advisory Committee will also be created to continue improving the graduate student experience, according to the release.
These new commitments from the Task Force addressed some of the demands of IGWC-UE, who have been fighting for improved wages and benefits, a better grievance procedure and fees being waived for international students since the spring.
