Proposed Fees: Graduate college: $1,000, Technology: $215, Library: $95, and some course-specific fees.
GPSC has appealed to Dean Comrie to have the $1,000 graduate college fee covered by GAT or RA tuition remissions. Dean Comrie has written to Pres. Shelton in favor of this support, but Pres. Shelton is reluctant to approve it.
Pres. Shelton has stated that for every $20 million cut by the state, $1,000 in additional fees are needed to keep the university running. In the best case scenario, we are looking at $50 million in state cuts for the 2010 fiscal year. That comes out to $2,500 in fees per year, per student. If you are a GAT or GRA making $18,000/year (many earn less) then this would equivalent to an almost 14% pay cut. Projected maximum cuts from the state are $155 million, meaning $7,750 in resulting fees. If these fees were not covered by the GAT and GRA remissions, they would amount about 41.6%.
Keep in mind that only 40% of graduate students at U of A have GAT or GRA positions. According to Bieda, the average graduate student at U of A graduates with $38,000 in debt (increasing 7% per year for inflation). With the loss of faculty, the hiring freeze and fewer opportunities for research and innovation, we have to ask ourselves: will our degrees be valuable enough to pay back this debt?
GPSC supports the increased fees for the library, which hasn't gotten a budget increase in 7 years, even to adjust for inflation. Sallygradstudent also supports the library fees, as long as they are spent on materials acquisition and maintenance, not laptops and presentation rooms.
The projected results of the upcoming cuts are:
- Dramatic tuition hikes for both undergraduate and graduate students. ABOR is currently looking into suspending its previous limit on next year's tuition increase.
- Pres. Shelton has stated that there "definitely" will be fewer TAs next year.
- The TA to student ratio will certainly increase. Pres. Shelton has publicly stated that he is not worried about TAs working 5 more hours a week (for which they will not be compensated).
- It has been proposed that Centennial Hall be used as a classroom. Centennial Hall seats 2,500 people.
- The University of Arizona may be forced to dissolve their Land Grant university status. Because the Land Grant commitment requires state support, and the state has withdrawn this support, this may release U of A's obligation to stay in the lower 1/3 of tuition at comparable universities.
195 FTE (full time equivalent) jobs were cut in 2008-9. 12% of those were faculty. There is also a hiring freeze in effect. For the next year we will lose a predicted 600 employees, including 180 FTEs for graduate students. These jobs will not be eliminated by taking back unfilled positions or through early retirement or attrition. These are real people actually working at the university today who will be laid off.
What can you do?
President Shelton will be attending the entire (2 hour) GPSC Meeting on April 8, 2009. Anyone can attend and comment or question during the call to audience. Because of the anticipated large turnout for this meeting, please e-mail the gpsc to get on the call to audience list ahead of time: gpsc@email.arizona.edu. You do not need to e-mail if you are just planning to attend.
Continue to check the GPSC for updates: http://www.gpsc.arizona.edu/
Write another angry letter to your elected (or appointed) representatives. How dare they violate this government's commitment to education?
Governor Jan Brewer: Telephone (602) 542-4331, Toll Free 1-(800) 253-0883, and it might not be a bad idea to mail an actual letter that can't be deleted without even being read (as some e-mails are rumored to have been):
Honorable Jan Brewer
1700 West Washington
Phoenix, Arizona 85007
and don't forget your legislators:
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