HomeTop StoriesIndiana University graduate students will earn more starting in July

Indiana University graduate students will earn more starting in July

The minimum amount that Indiana University graduate student workers earn will increase by $1,000 per year starting July 1, the university announced Friday.

Stipends have increased by $9,000 since 2022

The increase to $24,000 for a standard ten-month contract marks the second stipend increase for Student Academic Appointees (SAAs) since 2022, when IU increased the minimum wage from $15,000 to $22,000. Since 2021, graduate stipends at IU have increased by more than 60%.

“This increase ensures that we remain highly competitive with our peers for minimum stipends, which is critical to recruiting the best students to IU’s flagship campus,” Provost and Executive Vice President Rahul Shrivastav said in a statement Friday.

IU’s administration created a task force in 2022 to compare the stipends of university graduates with Big 10 peers every two years, with the goal of staying in the top half of the now 18 schools. SAAs work 20 hours a week in addition to taking classes and are often involved in research and thesis work.

See also  Fire-ravaged Los Angeles area braces for more high winds as 'extremely hazardous situation' warning is issued

Protesters march outside Ballentine Hall on campus during the graduate student worker strike on Wednesday, April 17, 2024.

Graduate workers’ union calls for higher ‘living wage’

The $24,000 stipend is still about $10,000 less than the “living wage” needed for a single, full-time employee in Bloomington, according to the MIT Living Wage Calculator. IU’s graduate union, the Indiana Graduate Workers Coalition (IGWC), has argued since last January that a “living wage” should be the benchmark for college scholarships as it takes into account the cost of living.

Indiana University student Mia Holtzman, left, and graduate student Joe Simmons, right, hold a sign outside Ballentine Hall on campus during the graduate student worker strike on Wednesday, April 17, 2024.

Indiana University student Mia Holtzman, left, and graduate student Joe Simmons, right, hold a sign outside Ballentine Hall on campus during the graduate student worker strike on Wednesday, April 17, 2024.

IU also announced Friday that Carissa Ciampaglia will join the Task Force on Graduate Education as an ombudsman to address graduate student concerns. Ciampaglia previously served as an ombudsman for Hopics, a homeless shelter in Los Angeles.

See also  Blizzard passing through most of western NC, snow totals for Asheville, Hendersonville, WNC

The press release credited the task force with increasing stipends, and made no mention of the IGWC, last spring’s three-day strike, nor a four-week strike in 2022 as students demand union recognition and a living wage demanded.

David Garner, communications chair for the IGWC, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Reach Brian Rosenzweig at brian@heraldt.com. Follow him on Twitter/X on @brianwritesnews.

This article originally appeared in The Herald-Times: Indiana University graduate student salaries rise to 24,000 per year

- Advertisement -
RELATED ARTICLES

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Most Popular

Recent Comments