Column: Sustainability means more than the environment. It means the grad workers too
As the sustainability officer for Indiana University Graduate & Professional Student Government, it is primarily my duty to “develop resolutions and initiatives related to issues of sustainability governing the practices of the GPSG and the campus community.” Traditionally this has limited sustainability officers to working on issues regarding environmental sustainability.
While I will certainly work on issues within the realm of environmental sustainability, I intend to use my office to also address issues of socioeconomic sustainability. And the graduate student strike at Indiana University is a prime example of why sustainable management practices are desperately needed now more than ever at IU.
Another view: Why you shouldn't support unionization of Indiana University graduate students
Throughout the strike, we have heard testimonials from my fellow graduate students. While working for the university often comes with benefits such as health insurance and tuition remission, those benefits can be costly as well. For example, we heard from union members who say that their cash stipend is almost equal to the cost of their or their family's health insurance plans through the university, unfairly punishing those with costly medical issues for simply existing within the university system.
In addition to the costs of university health insurance, the university (specifically Provost Rahul Shrivastav) fails to recognize that tuition waivers are not income. They cannot be used to buy groceries, pay rent/utilities, fill a gas tank, or any number of other necessities that graduate students need to live like everyone else in Bloomington. In fact, most graduate workers I know at IU receive less than $20,000 a year in cash benefits and are often discouraged from, or not allowed per university/academic policy to, pursue a second job off-campus.
Sustainability means more than just green infrastructure and climate change adaptation. It has three main pillars — environmental, social, and economic. Environmental sustainability is rather straightforward, whereas social sustainability requires the support of the community an organization, such as IU, finds itself in. Economic sustainability is often referred to as good corporate governance — leaders of the organization must align with shareholder interests, as well as the interests of the surrounding community.
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In terms of the graduate student union, Indiana University is not complying with the pillars of social or economic sustainability. IU does not have community support in its attempts to quash the union or their efforts — in fact, they have managed to align the Bloomington City Council, Bloomington Faculty Council, and IU student governments against the administration. And IU does not have shareholders' interests in mind, as the 2,500 graduate student workers who oftentimes teach and run classes have made clear through multiple votes to strike.
The fact remains that IU needs graduate student workers to keep the university moving forward. There just is not enough money to replace them with full-time employees or faculty. However, unless the university is willing to provide graduate student workers with appropriate benefits and recognition, the IU model of academia is not sustainable in the long term. It will only become more difficult over time for IU to recruit and retain graduate student workers as they continue to refuse to negotiate or work with the union.
To the IU Administration: your position on this matter is shortsighted. It will only harm the IU community in the long run as we continue to struggle to fill graduate student roles. When it comes to the unionization of graduate student workers, IU is stuck in the past. And IU’s operation model is anything but sustainable.
For the good of IU, I urge the administration to work with the Graduate Workers Coalition immediately. Otherwise, we risk much more damage to our community than we’ve already undergone.
Andrew Guenther is former chair of the Bloomington Environmental Commission and a graduate student at the O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Guenther has declared his intention to run for Bloomington City Council, and this column was submitted to the H-T prior to his declaration.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Columnist writes IU stance on grad worker strike is shortsighted
