By Alexandra A. Adams

Although we narrowly avoided going on a teaching strike at Rutgers University, it has become clear that central administration does not recognize the tremendous value that teaching assistants like me — and graduate workers in general — actually bring to students and the future of the institution. I find it incredibly saddening that the opportunity to provide a public service in research and education is typically accompanied by incurring a tremendous amount of debt and— at least in my case — going bankrupt.

It may not be possible for future scientists and educators to pursue what should be meaningful careers if they are not offered living wages. Individuals who enter an academic career are deeply passionate about our work. But if it is fiscally impossible, the future of academia is bleak.

In 2015, I was hired as a teaching assistant and started a PhD program in biology at Rutgers University-Newark. What I have learned is that “teaching assistant” is not entirely an apt title. We often prepare the majority of materials for the courses we teach, and proctor lecture exams for other instructors. Even with the raises in our new contract, the president of Rutgers, Robert Barchi, makes my annual salary in two weeks.

During my first summer here, the small amount of funds I had managed to put into savings was quickly depleted, credit cards were maxed out, and I had to borrow money from friends to pay rent as my bank account repeatedly dipped into negative values. I convinced myself that I would bounce back once I started receiving my normal salary again.

However, if you have ever accrued a large amount of credit card debt and existed on less than $26,000 per year in a high expense state like New Jersey you would quickly realize that it is near impossible to keep up with high monthly interest payments. This is especially true if your salary is just over 50 percent of what you pay each month in rental expenses.

Eventually, I took out a personal loan to consolidate and repay my credit card debt. After four years, my financial circumstances had deteriorated beyond repair. At 27, I filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy because I was no longer capable of keeping up with my bills. This is unsurprising, given that the average household income in New Jersey is approximately twice my gross income. Graduate employees here fall well within the salary cutoff that qualifies individuals for housing assistance in New Jersey.

I am not an isolated case. The results of a graduate student survey in my department indicated that approximately 63 percent of the participants did not feel they received a living wage, defined as “the minimum wage necessary to meet basic needs.” Twenty percent of participants also faced housing insecurity. Many reported having to deplete their personal savings or rely on funds from close friends and family.

Despite all of this, it’s important to note that graduate workers are not at all ungrateful for the opportunity we have been given. It is a privilege to be accepted to a graduate program. In addition to the education I’ve received, I’ve had the opportunity to become an educator myself. We are glad to have settled our contract without a strike. As graduate employees, the loss of wages would have quickly led to the inability to pay rent and bills. Our hope is that in winning fair contracts, education will remain a public service.

One outstanding issue is the high cost of health insurance that graduate workers pay. Management will meet with us to discuss modifications and we hope they will be reasonable, considering healthcare should be considered a human right, instead of adding to all the fiscal pressures on lowly paid workers.

No one wanted to strike — but we would have if that’s what it took for graduate workers to win fair raises and avoid economic insecurity and bankruptcy while conducting research and teaching the next generations of students.

Alexandra A. Adams is a PhD candidate and Teaching Assistant in the department of Biological Sciences at Rutgers University-Newark.

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