Grad students praise new compact

Several graduate students said this week the new teaching assistant compact will help both undergraduates and graduate students by formalizing TAs duties. The compact, which was approved in December, is a written document that allows professors and TAs to explicitly discuss their mutual responsibilities during the course of a semester. The compact defines the role of the graduate student, states the amount of financial compensation and any other specific details relative to a particular course. "It was definitely a good idea," Romance Language and Culture Studies graduate student Judy Filc said. "We need a contract." Chemistry doctoral candidate Darin Katz said he felt the Chemistry Department "is very good as far as responsibilities for TAs being equal." He said in the past, information "wasn't written, but it was verbally discussed." Katz added, however, that he's glad that the agreement is now in black and white. "It's a good idea to be written so there aren't conflicts later in the year," he said. Despite the primarily positive reaction to the agreement, some graduate students had not heard about the compact and many were unsure as to who was supposed to use the compact. English doctoral candidate David Golumbia said he was not even sure the compact was supposed to be used for his department. He said he liked the idea of the compact but added that the administration needs to do more. "I find the fact that the administration won't have a binding agreement [with graduate students] disturbing," he said. And some graduate students echoed Comparative Literature doctoral candidate Bradley Jordan's view that the current situation is adequate. "I don't see anything particularly tricky about what goes on now," he said. "I've never had trouble with a professor before." Not all departments have begun administering the compact and not all are planning on using it. Physics Department administrator Regina Cummins said the graduate chair of the department decided not to use the compact immediately. "We may use it in the future," she said. "But it was understood to be optional." The Chemistry Department said it is not using the compact this semester, but according to Academic Administrator Margaret Holman, it will "absolutely" use it next semester. The compact was distributed by Associate Dean of Graduate Studies Donald Fitts to School of Arts and Sciences business administrators. It was also distributed by the Graduate Student Associations Council to its graduate representatives. They were responsible for distributing their copies of the compact to students in their respective departments. The document is to be kept on file for the students to review at any time. GSAC President Anne Cubilie added that it is the department's responsibility to keep it on file.

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