Anger among Hopkins graduate students has recently reached new levels, prompting some to consider a strike in an effort to elicit a stipend increase from the University. If they were to refuse to work, it would be the first-ever instance of a strike at Hopkins.
Citing the inability to cover the rising cost of living, some graduate students have been forced to take on multiple part-time jobs due to what they consider an unacceptably low payment for their work as teaching and research assistants.
The leadership of the Graduate Representative Organization flatly denied that any strike was in the works, though they recognized that the number of complaints regarding stipends is on the rise.
"We are not talking about a strike. And there's no strike imminent. I think there's been some idle speculation," said GRO Co-Chair Ben Tilghman.
Among its many other functions, the GRO serves as the official liaison between Hopkins graduate students and the administration.
Stipends have become a contentious issue on a national level, as the supply of funding for graduate study -- much of which is provided by the federal government -- has dropped of late.
"Right now we're doing a search for the dean of the [Krieger] School of Arts and Sciences," said Provost Steven Knapp, "and among committee members there's been a lot of discussion about the priorities of the school. One of the issues that there is unquestionably a concern for is the money for graduate students."
"We know from conversations with administrators that they understand stipends are low for students to the point where grad students in mostly the humanities and the social sciences are having trouble making ends meet," said GRO Chair Chris Long.
Though she recognized that the University is making efforts to raise graduate student stipends, she noted, "There's no immediate increase as far as we know."
The hardship caused by a low stipend goes beyond difficulty paying rent and an overall tightened budget, according to Tilghman. If a graduate student cannot cover living expenses, he often must take on a part-time job, which means he has less time for research, leading to an overextended research period and extra months or years of work toward obtaining a degree.
Furthermore, many graduate students earn their stipends by working as teaching assistants. This is your primary duty as a student at Hopkins," Tilghman.
"When you have to take on more jobs, that means you have less time for class and less time to focus on your duties as a TA."
Facing similar difficulties, graduate students at Columbia University went on strike in April to have their stipends increased and their set of benefits improved upon. Teaching assistants withheld grades and contacted the parents of undergraduates, asking them to put pressure on the administration to meet their demands. Eventually the administration folded and worked with the graduate students to devise an appropriate compromise.
Long said, "There are some grad students here who think that their stipends are getting lower and lower as the cost of living goes up, and they look at Columbia and think, `Maybe we should try that here.'"
She added that this is not the position of the GRO and that the relationship between the administration and the organization is currently amicable.
Knapp commented that the University hopes the situation will not deteriorate to the point where a strike becomes a viable option. The only way to avoid such a situation is to maintain an open dialogue, he said.
"As a research university, graduate students are crucial to who we are and what we do. They are the scholars of the future," Knapp added.
