Dear Chancellor Larive and Campus Provost/EVC Kletzer,
Throughout this campaign, graduate students have given testimony of their experiences trying to survive in Santa Cruz on the inadequate wages and funding we receive from this institution.
These stories aren’t novel or surprising to most of us. And they shouldn’t be surprising to administration, who have completed multiple assessments of graduate student wellbeing. Administrators have ignored and dismissed their own findings, which demonstrate that it is impossible to survive on our stipends in Santa Cruz. We will not be ignored. We will not be dismissed. We will not wait. We will not submit.
We want to give voice to these anonymous accounts to illustrate to administration and faculty how dire our situation really is. We also hope that by sharing these unedited stories, graduate students will realize that they are not alone in these experiences:
“I’ve moved 6 times in grad school, had to work 2+ jobs on top of research, and am taking time off to work on saving money. I go hungry sometimes if I don’t work, because I prefer to have internet to do work at home. I’ve avoided medical care due to the cost, escalating to hospitalizations.
I’m financially independent, but that’s not enough to rent and deal with landlords taking deposits b/c you don’t have a lawyer to fight it. The only people I know who make ends meet are rich grad students whose mom and dad pay for everything.”
