The University of Wisconsin-Madison chapter of the Teaching Assistants’ Association recently launched a campaign to increase graduate students’ incomes to make UW-Madison a more attractive place for graduate students.
TAA Member Michael Billeaux said he has “never seen a campaign get so popular so quickly,” with over 400 letters sent to Vice Chancellor for Administration Darrell Bazzell requesting university officials initiate a segregated fee remission for graduate assistants since the “Pay Us Back” campaign launched Feb. 11.
According to Billeaux, segregated fees, which he called a “long-standing issue” placing a burden on graduate assistants, have increased even though graduate assistant incomes have remained stagnant since 2009.
“A lot of people resonate with this issue very deeply,” Billeaux said, noting how balancing fees and wages has remained a top priority of the TAA for the past decade.
According to data from an Association of American Universities Data Exchange report Billeaux emailed to The Daily Cardinal, UW-Madison ranks the third lowest in graduate student compensation when compared to other Big 10 universities.
Additionally, UW-Madison graduate assistants have faced increases in healthcare contribution due to Act 10 in recent years, according to Billeaux.
“It’s been a struggle,” Billeaux said. “But it’s what inspired the campaign.”
TAA representatives will continue to meet with university administration about wages and fee issues, according to Billeaux. He also said the organization hopes to work with other organizations on campus, such as the Faculty Senate, to accomplish their goals.
