This post was updated Nov. 21 at 4:28 p.m.
Graduate students expressed concern about funding cuts and rising housing costs at a meet and greet with the dean and vice provost of graduate education Nov. 6.
The Graduate Students Association hosted Brian Kite, the dean and vice provost of graduate education, in Kerckhoff Hall and allowed about 10 graduate students to share their concerns with Kite and ask him questions.
The meet and greet began with an introduction from Kite, who is also a professor in the department of theater – which he used to chair – and was previously the dean of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. Kite said he has deep roots as a Bruin, having attended UCLA as both an undergraduate and graduate student.
Kite said his role as dean includes advocating on behalf of graduate students to the UCLA administration, adding that he is open to hearing graduate students’ perspectives so he can better understand their educational experiences.
After Kite introduced himself, he opened the conversation to the students. Kite said he was open to answering all questions except ones about union negotiations, citing a need to “stay neutral” on the topic.
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299 – which represents nearly 40,000 patient care, service and skilled craft workers – struck across campus Monday and Tuesday.
The union, which has been in negotiations with the UC for more than a year, has struck across the UC five times since November 2024, alleging that the University has failed to settle for a fair contract with its workers. However, the UC has said the union has not submitted a substantial counterproposal in negotiations since April.
[Related: Hundreds of UCLA AFSCME Local 3299 members strike Nov. 17 and 18]
Kite said the biggest concerns graduate students tend to bring up to him are the lack of funding to support their education and research, unaffordable housing, the high cost of living, food insecurity, limited mentorship opportunities and mental health concerns.
He added that the Division of Graduate Education gives out a substantial amount of fellowships to address housing and food issues students are facing. These initiatives include a newly formed unit of Graduate and Postdoctoral Success that will provide mentoring and professional development opportunities to graduate students, according to the UCLA Graduate Education website.
Jack Feng, the external vice president of GSA, said graduate students are struggling to secure affordable housing and sustain themselves.
“If we cannot even put food on the table, if we cannot even have a livable wage in Los Angeles, if we cannot have funding support from the department, … we don’t have a safety net right where we can build upon to thrive and succeed in these programs,” said Feng, a third-year doctoral student in epidemiology.
Kite said he believes Bruin Financial Aid – a new system implemented by UCLA Financial Aid during the 2025-26 academic year – has also negatively impacted graduate students, as it adds unnecessary steps to the fund delivery process.
Graduate students depend on these funds to cover basic needs but have faced complications because of the new system, Kite said. Before the system was implemented, graduate students were paid directly, but now they must click a button to accept their grants, Kite added.
A graduate student who attended the talk and did not provide their name also expressed concerns about delays to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which provides benefits to people with low incomes to support their grocery budget. SNAP benefits were delayed earlier in November due to the federal government shutdown and President Donald Trump’s subsequent decision to not use an emergency fund to provide benefits, according to Politico.
[Related: Federal government shutdown threatens CalFresh benefits, students’ food security]
Naomi Hammonds, the GSA president, said the Community Programs Office, which provides basic needs and fosters academic achievement through support services – is increasing its food stock, expanding food carts to additional graduate schools and giving out fresh produce.
Students have struggled to have access to basic needs such as food, Hammonds said, and added that graduate students can use their EBT cards to get five dining swipes or ASUCLA vouchers.
Priscilla Soun, a first-year graduate student in Asian American Studies, said it is crucial that the Division of Graduate Education focuses on catering to the basic needs of graduate students.
Kite and the attendees also discussed how the 2028 LA Olympics could impact researchers. UCLA’s campus will serve as the Olympic and Paralympic Village for the quadrennial games.
Graduate students who work in labs and conduct research could be heavily impacted by the Games because of campus being mostly locked down, Kite said.
Kite added that the offices of Chancellor Julio Frenk and Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Darnell Hunt are creating solutions to ensure that graduate students’ housing, research and academic success are not affected by the Olympics.
“If you have a lab in the summer, or you’re working here or you’re doing something – it’s going to be pretty complicated.”
Despite concerns raised by graduate students about teaching assistant appointments, Kite said he believes graduate students will always have the opportunity to be TAs. He said that he will advocate for UCLA hiring graduate students as TAs rather than non-graduate students.
TAs should be able to work reasonable hours, since working for many hours a quarter can make it difficult to graduate on time, Kite said. He added that he believes the current TA model is unsustainable, as some TAs are not focused on teaching entirely but also have to work as TAs to financially support themselves.
Several attendees said they would like to see more opportunities to talk with UCLA administrators about specific issues rather than town halls that cover broad topics.
“Our ability to focus on advancing our research and academic progress and actually to finish these degrees is truly rooted in our financial security and stability,” Feng said.
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