What do we mean by Our University? Part 1, Our Degrees and Secured Funding
Date: Wednesday, September 17, 2025
How long does it take to finish your degree? For almost every graduate student at IU since 2006, the answer is about 6 years. Balancing classes, research, writing, and our labor for the university means that it takes time to produce high-quality academic work.
IU benefits from our academic work directly: every academic article, conference presentation, or teaching job raises the reputation of the university and the value of the degrees it offers to students. IU profits from our work in the lab, classroom, or archive, but they also profit from our academic work outside of it.
Yet, for some reason, IU does not guarantee funding for duration of the degree. If, for decades, it’s taken 6 years to produce that quality academic work, why does IU only guarantee funding for 5 or less? The College of Arts and Sciences is already trying to cap funding for graduate students in their 6th and 7th years, with an eye towards reducing time to degree. This follows the lead of other colleges around campus who limit funding. At the same time, graduate workers are forced to pick up second jobs because IU pays so far below the living wage.
The situation has only gotten more precarious in the face of federal funding cuts. Graduate students across campus have won grants and awards, only to find themselves without funding this fall because of federal cuts. The university has both the means and the ability to fund these students without placing the burden on departments, faculty grants, or the students themselves. IU benefits from our work both inside and outside the lab or classroom; it needs to fund that work.
When we demand secured funding as part of our campaign, this is what we mean. IU must provide living wage employment for graduate students to finish their degree, including alternative sources for programs for which federal funding has been cut, without financial burden placed on departments or faculty grants.
Fighting for secured funding starts with signing a union card. Even if you’ve signed a union card in past semesters, be sure to sign this new card!