Graduate students here at Stony Brook are fighting multiple fronts for livable conditions. In addition to negotiating for a new contract for graduate assistants, teaching assistants and research assistants, a coalition of graduate groups are also fighting against rent increases for the on-campus graduate apartments.

It was announced in February that rents for the Schomburg and Chapin apartments would be increased by 4.8% for the next year. That is why on Tuesday, March 2, about a dozen residents of those apartments, organized by the Graduate Student Employees Union, Research Assistants Union and Graduate Student Organization Housing Committee, rallied for a cessation of unfair rent increases for the graduates living on campus. Zhixun Dou, a graduate student in the Cellular and Molecular Biology Department, was one of the rally’s organizers, and helped create a petition against rent hikes that was later presented to administrators. “Within a month,” said Dou, “we have collected more than 400 signatures in Schomburg and Chapin calling for no rent increases.” The petition was later presented to Peter Baigent, Vice President for Student Affairs, and Dallas Bauman, Assistant Vice President for Campus Residences.

Dou, a Chapin resident in his third year, says he will likely have to move out at the end of the semester because of the rent increase. There are others facing similar situations, too. Charilaos Papadopoulos, the secretary of Schomburg Apartments Residents Association sees this as the breaking point for many graduates, especially international students. “We’ll be paying more than 55% of our monthly income just for rent,” Explained Papadopoulos about the upcoming increase, “and we are without any alternatives.”

According to the National Low Income Housing Coaliton, for housing to be considered affordable, it must cost no more than 30% of the renter’s income. This has forced students to explore other possible alternatives.

But for international students, off campus residency may not be an option without proper transportation, like a car or location in the university area. In addition, visa restrictions prevent them from obtaining employment outside of the university to supplement their income.

This isn’t the first rent increase to hit the graduate apartments, either. Over the past five years, the rents at the two apartments have both increased by over $100, to $1,284 at Schomburg and $1,070 at Chapin. “This means the rent at Schomburg has risen by 25%, and Chapin by more than 17% in the past five years,” Explained Dou. The Housing Committee which organized the rally was formed last year in response to inadequate eviction warnings sent to apartment residents, and now advocates for all graduates seeking fair housing on and off campus. Kai Wu, a graduate in the Molecular Genetics and Microbiology department, is one those students forced off campus. Campus residences at Chapin, deciding to turn Wu’s shared-family apartment into four singles, had given him two options. Either move into a single-family apartment for $300 more, or move out. “This is pure discrimination against married students,” explained Wu, about his now limited options on campus. The additional cost was too much for Wu, who moved off campus a year ago.

Apartment rent prices, as high as they are, however, are still around the affordable limit, according to the NLIHC. The problem lies with students’ stipends, which are much lower than most comparable universities’. According to Lauren Sheprow, Director of Media Relations, “Graduate student pay is union negotiated, beyond University control.” Graduate stipends have remained unchanged for the past couple years, despite rent increases.

Juhi Tyagi is a second year graduate in the sociology department, and hasn’t seen an increase in her salary in the two years she’s worked here. Without a commensurate salary increase to accompany rent increases, there is less money students have to work with. Because of this, some students are looking at the increases as an unfair way to balance the budget. “Don’t look at students as your source of revenue,” said Tyagi. “It’s ridiculous to put all of your burden on us.” In addition, the higher rent compared to lower cost regions, like Binghamton, may scare away potential graduate prospects—a problem that the rent increases aren’t helping. “Having rent consume more than 55% of stipends puts Stony Brook University in a less competitive position on the education market,” explained Papadopoulos.

Some suggestions put forth by the protestors included a commission to review the budgets of Schomburg and Chapin apartments. A reputable third party, jointly selected by student representatives and administrators, could potentially cut costs by eliminating inefficiencies and waste. Sheprow says that the administration is receptive to this and has been over the years, so a review may be in the future for the apartments.

Zhixun Dou summed up the plight of the students well, saying, “Our message is clear: We want no rent raises.”

Fox News host Glenn Beck rails against college education, and sites Stony Brook's GSEU as an example of indoctrination.

The Graduate Student Employees Union at Stony Brook University earned a badge of honor last week, courtesy of Glenn Beck.

On his nightly show, Beck devoted his 5pm hour to exploring the evils of a college education, using a new study that shows that colleges are in fact liberal breeding grounds as evidence that students are being “brainwashed.”

Here’s the offending piece of video. Scroll to just about the 4:00 mark and keep your eyes on the screen behind Beck.

Awesome, no?

Beck’s attempted demonization of the organizations involved with the March 4 Day of Action was part of a broader theme, a special entitled “Indoctrination of our Kids, An American Epidemic.” In addition to calling out university student groups, he resurrected two videos of elementary school classes singing about President Obama; a video from the campaign where a college-aged student (Beck estimated her age to be “no more than 14.”

By Jake Conarck

         On the afternoon of September 15, about 150 research assistants, students, elected officials and union members gathered in the SAC auditorium to rally for research assistants’ right to unionize. RAs work for the SUNY Research Foundation and assist professors in conducting research but many feel they deserve better working conditions, including higher wages and health benefits.

         Teaching assistants and graduate assistants employed by the university are already members of the Graduate Student Employees Union, a member of the Communication Workers of America Local 1104. However, research assistants do not enjoy the same benefits as TAs and GAs and have been organizing to join the GSEU for several years.

         Out of the approximately 800 RAs who work at Stony Brook, about 500 have expressed their support for joining the union by signing onto the RA unionization mission statement.

         Several RAs as well as union officials and elected officials chastised the university for what they believed to be union-busting and intimidation tactics carried out by the administration.

         Although the GSEU had a written permit allowing them access to use the SAC auditorium for the rally, the administration had revoked that permit the Friday before the event.  Any efforts to organize a union are prohibited on university property according to state and SUNY policy.

         Despite the revocation of the permit for the rally, the GSEU and RAs decided to go ahead with the rally in the auditorium as planned.

         “If we don’t have a place to hold our rally, we no longer have our freedom of speech,” said Xiao Xu, a research assistant studying cures for leukemia.

         The administration eventually decided to allow the GSEU to hold the rally in the SAC auditorium after arriving at a compromise with union officials. “Our friends who are elected officials and legislatures helped us and put pressure on the university to allow us to hold our rally,” said Xu.

         Several local officials were present at the rally including State Senator Craig Johnson, State Assemblymen Marc Alessi and Pat Eddington and representatives for Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy and Congressman Tim Bishop.

         Many of the officials expressed dismay at what they perceived to be the university’s intimidation tactics in preventing the RAs from unionizing.

         “The Research Foundation is acting like a schoolyard bully.  When you dealt with a schoolyard bully you got your big brother or sister and you went back and kicked the bully’s ass,” said Chris Shelton, a representative for the CWA, to wild applause. “Well we’re coming back to kick some ass.”

         Administration officials were unavailable for comment at press time, despite several calls and emails.

         Although SUNY is bound by state law to ensure that its workers and not subjected to union-busting pressure tactics, the SUNY Research Foundation is a private corporation and claims to be a separate entity.

         “SUNY respects the right to organize. So should every SUNY entity, including the Research Foundation,” said George Bloom, president of the CWA Local 1104. “The past lies and intimidation by the SUNY RF, which is a research institution supposedly interested in public service and the pursuit of truth, were outrageous.”