Executive Vice Chancellor,
1. This strike is not illegal. Spreading false information in an attempt to intimidate faculty, undergrads, and grad students has not worked well for you so far, so why do you think continuing to do it will work any better? This strike is not against any federal or state laws. Additionally, this is not a work stoppage. If this was a “work stoppage”, then tell me why my TAs have been hard at work grading essays, responding to student emails, holding office hours, etc? Undergraduate support is with our graduate students, never with the administration.
2. Creating more (and, may I add, limited) on-campus housing is not going to fix anybody’s living situation if they can’t afford to live there because they don’t make enough. This goes for undergrads as well. I couldn’t afford to live on campus, so I had to find the cheapest place I could off campus. More on-campus housing will not help people who are not paid enough to live in this area! That is why graduate students need a cost of living adjustment now!
3. If you are so interested in meeting and discussing “solutions for greater support in the face of this severe housing crisis”, then why did the administration fail to show up to the meeting graduate students requested on Monday, December 9th at 3 pm? The community at large (including many undergrads and faculty eager to support graduate students at UCSC) were there. Where were you?
4. It is simply not true that UC Santa Cruz cannot negotiate a COLA while grad students are under contract. As others have stated, there has been precedence for this at UCSF. The only thing stopping you from meeting with graduate students is your own poor attempt at intimidation.
5. You are not “working” with faculty to “ensure grades are submitted in a timely manner”. You are attempting to intimidate faculty, and it is not working considering over 400 faculty members have asserted their solidarity with grad students. Most undergraduate students (including myself) are not at all worried about receiving our grades by December 18th, which would be clear to you if you had at all paid attention to the incredible amount of undergraduate students in every department writing “I support the strikers” on their final exams as well as the outpouring of support on social media. We trust our TAs and GSI’s; they are not doing anything to hurt us, they are working with us if we need help and are looking out for our best interests as well as their own. It is you, the administration, that we do not trust. You, who always prioritize your own profit and income over the needs of your students. This grading strike is the administration’s fault, and it rests on the administration’s head. Grant grad students a COLA and end this now.
6. “Any student in need of help during this stressful time of year or at any point in the year should know that the campus has staff and resources here to support them….” That’s hilarious, truly. As an undergraduate student who struggles with extreme anxiety and depression, the administration and its “resources” has made me feel alone in that fight every step of the way. It takes weeks to get appointments with CAPS unless you’re literally in the middle of a panic attack, and they do not offer long term solutions. CAPS tries its best but is not funded nearly enough to support a campus as large as this one. In addition, it’s extremely difficult to get registered with the DRC in order to get the needed assistance. I would know; I’ve tried. But you know who has never made me feel alone in my fight against depression and anxiety? My TA’s and GSI’s. They are always there to offer support and help when needed. Grant them a COLA now so that they no longer have to live with the stress and anxiety of financial insecurity. That’s a resource you can provide to “help during this stressful time of year”.
There is no “path forward” unless you give graduate students a COLA now. You may rest easy and have a “good winter break”, knowing you have a comfortable income of $360,000 dollars, but our graduate students are starving. I cannot rest while they, who are the heart and backbone of this university, are homeless, starving, or barely making it.
Sincerely,
A Really Pissed Off Undergraduate