After a protest from the Teaching Assistants’ Association, the Associated Students of Madison unanimously adopted a resolution Tuesday declaring support to the organization in their fight against a new segregated fee policy.
The policy would require graduate students to pay all tuition and fees prior to the beginning of the semester.
Before, students could pay in increments to the Bursar's Office. Graduate students pay over $1,200 in segregated fees annually, which accounts for 10 percent of their paycheck. If students are unable to pay the fee in full, they are allowed to enroll in a payment plan separated into three installments for an extra fifty-dollar fee.
This policy voids the previous agreement between the administration and the Teaching Assistants’ Association to accept payment following the third paycheck.
“This fee schedule change is the result of a need to align campus policy for graduate assistant payment of student segregated fees with broader UW System policies,” said Meredith McGlone, a UW-Madison spokesperson, in defense of the change.
But in the legislation, ASM said the administrators did not follow shared governance by including the graduate students in the construction of the policy.
“It just makes it harder for TAs, when they haven’t gotten their paychecks yet, to pay the segregated fees,” said Outreach Director Yogev Ben-Yitschak. “It’s symbolic support. So, when they go into meetings they have support from all students when they try to negotiate decisions.”
McGlone said Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration Laurent Heller and graduate school Dean William Karpus are addressing student concerns about the policy.
This is not the first time the TAA has fought back.
Previously, they lead protests on increasing graduate student wages, health care for transgender students and paid parental leave.
“The university is actively working to resolve this issue with flexible, reasonable payment options that don't place additional financial stress on graduate students,” McGlone told The Daily Cardinal.
The details are currently being finalized and there is no specific timeline for the implementing the policy, McGlone said.
