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University Daily Kansan / Thursday, March 26, 1992
OPINION
Graduate assistants deserve a better deal
For those graduate assistants wondering just how seriously the University administration takes them, the administration recently made its position clear.
In a legal challenge intended to deny graduate assistants their statutory right to vote on forming an employee organization, the administration has claimed that because graduate employees come to The University of Kansas primarily for an education and not for jobs as graduate assistants, the jobs they take do not really qualify as jobs at all. The pay they receive, the administration argues, is financial aid.
David Reidy Guest columnist
Graduate employees, of course, do come to KU primarily for an education. Only a fool would come to KU primarily to work as a graduate assistant. But what motivates a graduate assistant to come to KU and take a job is, quite simply, irrelevant to the legal status of the relationship established when a contract is signed with the University to render services for pay.
The University requires every graduate assistant to sign such a contract. That legally establishes an employment relationship. But there is more. From graduate assistants' salaries the University withholds a deduction for worker's compensation insurance. Why?
Because this protects the University from liability in the event a graduate assistant were injured at the workplace. Indeed, the University has in the past, by classifying them as employees, successfully limited the
legal remedies of graduate assistants injured at the workplace to worker's compensation.
Still unconvinced? Well, the University requires them to sign the "drug free workplace" commitments required of all state employees. And the University requires them to conform their conduct to the handbook governing the rights and responsibilities of faculty and classified staff. The University even classifies graduate assistants as employees for the purposes of its own payroll.
The only fact supporting the administration's position is that the University does not withhold social security from graduate assistants' salaries, are presumably because those salaries are "really financial aid." The University should withhold social security from salaries year-round. And the University should increase the gross salaries to offsetany further reduction in graduate assistants' take-home pay.
In short, the University lacks a consistent policy regarding graduate employees. Its policy has evolved in recent years constrained by neither principle nor a strong graduate
employee organization. The University classifies graduate assistants as employees when that works to its advantage, but it classifies graduate assistants as students when that proves more advantageous. At the moment, the institution apparently prefers the student classification because students do not enjoy a statutory right to vote on forming an employee organization for the purposes of improving the terms and conditions of their employment at KU.
The administration may succeed in dragging out the organizational process. But it will not prevent the hundreds of "graduate students on financial aid," teaching close to half of the undergraduate credit hours and performing a vast amount of the research at KU, from getting a fair deal.
The Kansas Public Employee Relations Board must now determine the legal status of KU graduate assistants. It will likely reject the administration's argument, just as the New York Public Employee Relations Board recently rejected a similar argument advanced by the administration at the state university of New York.
That's all graduate employees really want. And a formal graduate employee organization appears the only way toit. Graduate employees, at the least, deserve the opportunity to vote on the issue.
David Reidy is a Lawrence doctoral student and GTA in philosophy.
THE UNIVERSITYDAILY KANSAN
Legal Services serves students
Decision to allow service to advise students in matters against the University is right
Student senators reached a verdict last night that may help get students out of trouble. They approved a bill that allows Legal Services for Students to advise students in matters involving the University — a service students desperately need.
Jo Hardesty, director of Legal Services for Students, says the University currently has so many different grievance procedures in so many different places that students may shy away from pursuing grievances or take a private attorney.
Now these students can turn to legal services.
Before this bill, legal services could not even point students in the right direction. Now it can. The bill allows legal services to advise students against the University. And it provides the necessary tools to do that. Legal services has the right to enter into informal resolutions, observe hearings and use written University policies and procedures for advice.
With this bill, Student Senate has followed the example of other universities that allow their legal services to counsel against the university.
The bill stays short of letting legal services represent students against the University, and rightly so. If legal services were allowed to represent students it would become an adversary of the University of which it is a part.
But students are entitled to advice. After all, they are the ones who finance the service with their activity fee. Legal services currently receives $186,781 from Senate to pay three full-time attorneys, five law student interns, a secretary and an assistant.
These people now can help students who have complaints about student housing, want to defend themselves against accusations of cheating or try to reverse disciplinary measures against them.
John Robertson, graduate senator and coauthor of the bill, said, "We are getting a little bit of help to those who need it."
He is right.
Expand loan eligibility to all
Alexander Bloemhof for the editorial board
A revision of the Education Act would extend financial support to more college students
If all goes well, Uncle Sam will enable students from middle-income families to have a good fiscal year before the fall of 1993. A proposal to revise higher education laws will allow more college students from middle-income families to be eligible for financial aid.
The reauthorization of the Higher Education Act of 1965 would make eligibility for middle-income families easier by excluding home, farm and small-business equity in determining financial aid eligibility.
The change would create an unsubsidized loan program that would make loans available to all families despite their income.
Grant eligibility to four-person families with an income of up to $49,000, which most likely will increase the eligibility of students from 1.4 million to 1.8 million in the fall of 1993.
The revision also would extend the Pell
Currently in the House, the revision should be be reviewed by the full House next week, reaching President Bush before this fall.
It is hoped that the House will pass the revision of the Higher Education Act of 1965. Increasing the number of students who are available for financial aid will increase the number of students who attend college. We only are helping ourselves by making more students eligible to receive a college education. The more students who are enrolled in college, the more literate our children of tomorrow will be, making the United States a better nation overall.
Editorials reflect the majority opinion of The University Daily Kansan editorial board. Opinions expressed in letters, cartoons and guest and staff columns are solely those of the author or artist. Views expressed in columns and cartoons are not necessarily shared by the Kansan.
Tiffany Lasha Hurt for the editorial board
Members of the editorial board are: Alexander Bioemhof, Jim Brown, J.R. Clairborne, Mark Coatney, Amy Francis, Tiffany Harness, Tiffany Lasha Hurt, Kate Kelley, Julie Eileen Li, Stephen Martino, David Mitchell, Chris Moeser, Beth Randolph, Martin Scherstuhl, Jule Wasson, Frank Williams and Sarah Zercher.
GTAs do not get 'aid'
That position bears scarc relationship to reality. GTAs are here to earn a degree, but in their role as teachers they perform a necessary and invaluable service to the University — and it is for this service that they are paid, though not especially well.
I must take issue with the University's position regarding the status of graduate teaching assistants as it is represented in executive vice chancellor Del Shenkel's memo of March 12 (Kansan, March 19, 1992).
To characterize a teaching assistantship as "a form of financial aid" is laughable. It belies the very nature of this kind of appointment. In the English department, for example, new GTAs undergo a rigorous training program consisting of a summer orientation and a six-hour practicum in the teaching of English. We require this of them to help them perform the duty for which they receive their "stipend" — teaching.
Financial aid? GTAs perform some of the most difficult, time-consuming and labor-intensive teaching at the University. After 16 years at KU.
I'm still amazed when I receive, on time, a quality 20-page research paper from a GTA who know has spent the past few weeks grading 45 freshman themes, holding numerous student conferences and painstakingly preparing lesson plans.
GTAs are here to pursue a degree, but the responsibilities we ask them to accept and the duties we require of them make that pursuit more arduous and complicated than it would otherwise be. That they accept these responsibilities and perform these duties with the skill and enthusiasm they do is inspiring. That they successfully complete KU's rigorous M.A., M.S. and Ph.D. programs while doing so is incredible.
Given this context, to call what GTAsreceive in salary and benefits "aid" is, to say the least, misleading. And to deny their status as
Letters to the editor
Bernard Hirsch
Associate professor of English
employees of the University is unjust.
Zo overlooks Howard
I was dismayed to hear Alonzo Jamison describe Howard University as "a school on the East Coast."
For Alonzo's information, Howard is located in Washington, D.C., and graduates half of this nation's African-American doctors and scientists.
Additionally, Howard was the site of numerous sit-ins and strikes of the Civil Rights movement in the early 1960s. The school was actually closed for a period of time due to these disturbances, but the student body was able to achieve dramatic change in the curriculum of the university relating to its emphasis on African-American studies.
So, So, you're an unreal basketball player with a bright future but take a break from the
basketball court sometime and learn and appreciate your proud African-American heritage!
Don Knutson
1982 KU graduate
Reasons for abortion
In David Carusso's column "Core of abortion issue is respect for all of life," he brings up an important issue when he says, "That is, respect for humans and respect for all life, everybody."
Let's not be hypocritical here, pro-life activists who want to protect the right of life for the unborn. What about the animals' right to life? Are you all vegetarians who also fight for the rights of the innocent animals who aren't able to voice their opinions?
All life includes the unborn and born. Let's think about the effects of making abortion illegal. If abortion becomes illegal, a chain reaction would occur. We can expect a population
increase, which in return will create a greater demand for food, clothing and shelter, just increasing our current problem of starvation and homelessness.
Another concern is the increase in crime rate which is bound to happen. For the poor, unwanted children born by mothers who cannot provide for their child will leave that child stuck in the lower class. Often, lower class children see no alternative but to resort to a life of crime in order to satisfy their needs.
For teenagers and other mothers who face the issue of unwanted pregnancies, it is likely that if the child is unwanted, the mother will fail to provide the necessary love and emotional support. Children who suffer from depression and other psychological disorders turn to suicide and other forms of crime. When debating abortion, it is important to consider not only respect for the unborn, but for society as a whole.
Karyn Gross Chicago sophomore
KANSANSTAFF
TIFFANYHARNESS Editor
VANESSA FUHRMANS Managing editor
TOM EBLEN General manager, news adviser
Editors
News...Mike Andrews
Editorial...Beth Randolph
Planning...Lara Gold
Campus...Eric Gorsei/Rochelle Oleson
Sports...Eric Nelson
Photo...Jule Jackson
Features...Debbie Myers
Graphics...Aimee Brainard/J Jeff Meesey
JAYSTEINER Retail sales manager
JENNIFER CLAXTON Business manager
JEANNE HINES Sales and marketing adviser
Business Staff
Campus sales mgrs ..Bill Leibengo
Regional sales mgrs ..Rich Harsharger
Marketing mgrs ..David Bryant
Co-op sales mgrs ..Amel Johnson
Production mgrs ..Kim Wallace
Marketing director ..Lisa Keeler
Marketing leader ..Clikton
Creative director ..Leah Bryant
Classified mgr ..Kip Chin
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Loco Locals
by Tom Michaud
SORRY, DEAR... NO,
HE ALREADY READ
THE HANDBOOK... I
DIDN'T GIVE IT TO HIM...
CAN YOUR BROTHER
FIND WORK ANYWHERE?