22 NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 2009
CAMPUS
Budget cuts decrease GTAs, increase class sizes
BY JUSTIN HILLEY
jhilley@kansan.com
William Price said he felt "lucky" to be a graduate teaching assistant in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Price, Stillwater, Okla., doctoral student, was a graduate student in Oklahoma State University's geography program last year. He was in the physical geography basement at OSU when he received an e-mail from a graduate advisor in the University's geography program. It notified him that he had not only been accepted to its doctoral program, but had been offered a GTA position for the fall of 2008. It was one of four programs he had applied to.
As a GTA, his tuition would be
Mary Huntimer, Watertown S.D. doctoral student, instructs during a KU Jazz Workshop Tuesday morning in Murphy Hall. Huntimer said that without being a GTA it would be "almost impossible" to reach her goal of teaching saxophone at the collegiate level.
Chance Dibben/KANSAN
waived, he would receive a salary and he would be able to work and teach in an environment conducive to his goal of becoming a geography professor.
"I called my mom at the house and I called my dad at work just to say I had got in and I got a GTA position. I was very, very happy". Price said.
Price said that it was an "easy choice" to come to the University after he received the GTA offer, and that if he had not received it, he would have had to take closer look at the other schools.
enough income to afford housing and food.
Because of increasing tuition, many students' decisions to attend graduate school rests solely on whether they can obtain a GTA position. It is a role that allows students to pursue graduate studies without the pressure of paying tuition. It also provides
The University announced July 8 that because of a $32.3 million, or 12 percent, loss in state funding, there will be 121 fewer positions on the Lawrence campus this fall. There will be 55 fewer faculty members and a reduction in the number of GTAs. The college alone will have 25 fewer GTAs and will offer about 75 fewer class sections.
"My first reaction is shock," Price said. "That seems to be hurting everything across the board."
The reduction in GTAs next year could affect class dynamics, the chance of GTA positions being renewed and the health of the University's research mission.
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According to a University press release, as a result of the loss of GTAs, some students might have difficulty enrolling in specific classes needed to meet degree requirements. This could increase the amount time it takes some students to graduate and reduce retention. The press release stated another "negative effect" of the dwindling GTA numbers would be larger class sizes.
the future, the college would try to restore the lost GTA positions, but that it would not help this year's or next year's undergraduates.
the same financial benefits as a GTA. He said he knew the effects larger class sizes would have in the college on both the student and teacher.
Greg Simpson, interim dean of the college, said in an e-mail that in
"In particularly desperate situations, we might be able to hire lecturers to help with the teaching of a course here and there, but that's only a partial solution and a very temporary one," Simpson said. "It does nothing to enhance the strength of our graduate programs. There's no getting around that these losses will be painful."
Price will be a graduate research assistant this fall, which comes with
"I never realized this when I was an undergrad, but I do think you learn a lot more from discussion-type courses where you ask the students questions and they ask you questions, and you can actually get a discussion going amongst the students. But when you have a really big class size, you can't do that." Price said.
SEE GTA ON PAGE 25
ENTERTAINMENT British comedian will host Video Music Awards again
NEW YORK — MTV liked Russell Brand so much, they called him back for more.
The British comedian-actor known for his deadpan,off-kilter humor will host the Video Music Awards for the second year in a row, MTV announced Tuesday.
Brand, 34, says he feels "invigorated" to return as master of ceremonies for the live event, which will be held in New York on Sept. 13.
Brand's most famous role is as a scene-stealing rock star in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
"There's gonna be huge performances all over New York City," Brand said. "On Brooklyn Bridge, there will be a performance. You know that spike on top of the Empire State Building? Someone is gonna perform on top of that."
MTV said nominees and other performers will be announced later.
Associated Press