Campus Rallies for Grad Students
Campus Rallies for Grad Students By Mitch Horowitz "'he two-day graduate student work stoppage culminated Wednesday with one of the largest rallies Stony Brook has seen in recent years, drawing about 1000 people to the academic mall at its peak. The work stoppage, organized by the Graduate Student Organization (GSO), forced the cancellation of a number of classes, labs, and plenary sessions Tuesday and Wednes- day. Of the 900 teaching assistants and graduate assistants at Stony Brook, about 700 participated in the stoppage, according to GSO officials. The GSO has demanded a hike in the minimum $6000 yearly graduate stipend to $8000, lower child care rates, a univerity health insurance plan, and the right to unionize. The GSO has requested, with the support of the University Senate (see related story) that the administration spend half of the Graduate Research Initiative (GRI), a major upcoming state grant, to meet these demands. "The administration wants to take the GRI money, which was earmarked for graduate student standard of living, and put it into research," Debra Swoboda, a graduate student in Pyschology, told the crowd. University President John Marburger showed up about two hours into the noontime rally to speak and hear the tally of signatures on petitions supporting the GSO demands. 'There is no question in my mind that graduate students are inadequetely supported for their activities on this campus," he told the crowd. " ... Whether we can solve the problems as fast as we'd like is an open question at this time." Mar- burger said it is necessary to wait about three weeks until PMp jlL%Jlf %0 oLIN IWJvwU III tLVV 4SaUCIURSMI 1114311 Stony Brook's 1988 budget is known before anything is settled.
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