Thursday, November 21, 1996
STRIKE:
A new plan for apprenticeship is in order to reflect changing
societyBy Eddy Lin
In response to Chancellor Young’s e-mail info bulletin, I have a
little humble opinion of my own. I am currently an undergraduate
engineering student, and I find that the situation the university
puts itself in is very ironic.
I make this statement with some assumptions: 1.) The university
is having all if not most of its discussions taught by teaching
assistants instead of professional educators 2.) Only graduate
students may be TAs, RAs, etc. and 3.) TAs, RAs, etc. are paid a
reasonable wage for their service.
Now, if the first assumption is correct, we can infer that the
university as a whole can’t function if graduate students are not
willing to be TAs and RAs. But assumption No. 2 states that only
graduate students can be TAs and RAs. Should they decide to boycott
for an extended period of time, that leaves the university no
choice but to hire professional educators at much higher rates. And
that expense comes out of the pockets of students and
tax-payers.
On assumption No. 3, the university is basically given the
absolute right to control the graduate students’ pay. With the
right price tag, the graduate students and the university would be
peacefully compromising. TAs and RAs would feel that they are
getting paid at a reasonable rate for what they do, and the
university, in turn, would save costs in providing quality
education. But circumstances outside of the university’s control
(i.e. budget cuts) can force the university to adjust the pay rate
and thus throw the compromise off balance. The university is again
in a very sensitive situation where there are no easy backup
plans.
In both of these situations, the university is constantly trying
to avoid stepping on its own toes. It has devised a plan that
requires more and more delicate handling as it progresses through
our changing society. And putting this matter in the hands of the
courts just avoids the task of handling this matter responsibly. I
am sure that a university of this size has more than enough social
science professors to devise a "stable" and "flexible"
apprenticeship system that will satisfy both the university and
graduate students’ needs. When it comes to reform for the good of
the university, traditional conservatism should be used sparingly.
Tradition takes us so far then we need to adapt to suit our
changing society.
Thank you for reading my humble opinion on this matter. Just for
your information, I believe walk-outs are not a productive solution
to the problem either. Not only do students lose time in their
studies, it’s disruptive. Some students, like myself, cannot afford
to miss a lecture or discussion when the class moves at a fast
pace.