Labor Day thoughts on US PhD student compensation (or why students deserve a raise!)
When I first visited Germany, I insisted on buying the PhD students drinks & dinner.
The PhD students thank me & carefully explained that would pay next time. One elaborated that this wasn't like the US - they were paid enough.
We had an eye-opening chat about the difference between US & German PhD programs - the style of training differed, the methods of recruitment, the relationship between students & advisors, & more.
The difference that still stands out is compensation.
My German PhD student friends were paid enough to live reasonably well & received healthcare benefits.
My US PhD students made barely enough to pay rent & lived in fear of healthcare emergencies.
Some of my US PhD students went on government assistance so they could pay for formula & childcare for their babies.
All of my US PhD students often worried about about how to make ends meet - esp. if there were a medical emergecy.
My US PhD students deserve a deal like German PhD students.
So I asked admin why don't universities in the "richest country in the world" pay PhD students living wages?
I've received three inadequate responses.
(1) we don't have a budget.
We do have a budget to pay Presidents, Deans, & Coaches extraordinary sums of money.
We don't have a budget to pay the graduate students who support them living wage?
Nonsense.
Universities choose to prioritize administrator salaries over student well-being.
(2) we pay as much as our peer institutions.
So, if our peer institutions undercompensate PhD students, then we should suppress our student salaries?
Nonsense.
If university administrators took a basic course on economics, they would understand that cost of living differences further undermine the value of comparisons across institutions.
(3) our students make a lot more money when they graduate.
We ask our students to defer their well-being today in order to secure a brighter future.
A variant on this narrative is that the admin made very little money as a student & I make great money now.
Nonsense.
This explanation is tone-deaf at best & unrealistic at worst.
In many disciplines, PhD students have few opportunities for academic jobs at all. In every discipline, there is no promise of a great job after graduation.
The truth of it? I suspect?
American universities pay low salaries to keep overhead down.
So what to do?
First, American universities need to acknowledge that there are better ways to do business. Earning revenue on the backs of low-paid PhD students isn't ok.
Second, institutions' rankings should take into account student compensation. When rankings change, administrators will pay attention to the problem.
Third, faculty need to speak up. We need to yell at our President & Board of Trustees. They control the budgets.
We can advocate for change & build a better academy - our students deserve it!
Have a safe Labor Day Weekend!
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