Students, faculty say ongoing Oregon State University graduate worker strike is taking a toll on learning

By TIFFANY CAMHI/Oregon Public Broadcasting

CORVALLIS — Fall term finals begin next week at Oregon State University. It’s usually a nerve-racking time for students as they prepare for end-of-term exams. But this year it’s even more stressful.

“We’re definitely going into finals more underprepared than we should be,” said Kylee Porter, a third-year undergraduate student at OSU’s colleges of engineering and agriculture. “It worries me, especially since a lot of people’s academic standing is important for their degrees.”

Porter said student learning, especially among undergraduates, has taken a hit during the nearly monthlong OSU graduate student workers strike. Many of her engineering classes are taught by graduate teaching assistants, who often walk through problems and help students understand and complete assignments.

But since mid-November, some of Porter’s classes have been canceled or moved completely online.

“We’ve been negatively impacted,” Porter said. “Not at the hands of graduate students, but at the hands of the OSU administration for not giving [graduate workers] what they need and deserve to live.”

As the end of fall term nears, some OSU faculty and undergraduates are frustrated with the way university administration has been handling the graduate student workers strike. Students and faculty OPB spoke to say they blame the university for unfair bargaining and dragging out the strike.

Hundreds of graduate student teaching and research assistants represented by OSU’s Coalition of Graduate Employees have been striking since Nov. 12. The union, which represents more than 1,700 graduate student workers, has been negotiating a new contract with OSU administration for over a year.

The last remaining sticking point between the two sides appears to be wages. CGE is seeking a 15% increase for its lowest-paid members, down from a 45% increase request from before the strike started. With the reduced wage request, the two sides appear to be close. OSU administration proposed a 13% increase to salary minimums earlier this week. The two parties meet for another bargaining session Friday morning.

A spokesperson with OSU said the university is hopeful it can come to a tentative agreement with the union at the Friday session.

Alicia Leytem, an instructor in OSU’s College of Agriculture, normally has four graduate teaching assistants to help out with her students. Now she’s down to one and can barely keep up.

“I went from having 78 students to having 260 students who are now contacting me directly for everything,” said Leytem. “I’m still three weeks behind on grading because that’s an insane amount of papers to grade.”

Leytem said the only guidance she’s received from university administration is to come up with creative solutions to keep classes running during the strike. She’s combined classes into larger lecture halls, moved classes online and tripled her office hours to try and make up for the lack of one-on-one time with undergraduates.

And with finals week around the corner, Leytem’s students still aren’t getting the attention they need and her workload is ramping up. She wants to see OSU move closer to graduate workers’ demands so CGE can end its strike.

“Graduate employees are a key piece of our higher education system,” said Leytem. “If OSU is not investing in its teaching and research faculty and graduate employees, what are they investing in? That is a basic need at this university.”

OSU’s faculty union, United Academics of Oregon State University, also wants to see CGE and the university come to an agreement quickly. UAOSU is in contract negotiations with Oregon State administration, as well.

“It’s just simply not sustainable to keep wages low, keep quality education and keep people here at OSU,” said UAOSU president Joseph Orozco.

In anticipation of an increased workload for its members amid finals, UAOSU also requested university administration to not direct faculty to take on additional work during the graduate workers’ strike.

“Faculty cannot and should not be expected to do everything a graduate employee does,” said CGE member Sarah Sellke. “I hope that this strike has made that abundantly clear to administration mostly, but also to undergraduates and faculty.”

In a statement, an OSU spokesperson said the university will continue to find ways to support faculty and students throughout the strike.

Some undergraduate students see CGE’s strike as a painful, but necessary disruption.

OSU senior undergraduate Emerson Pearson has had some of her classes moved online and a debate tournament she was looking forward to canceled because of the strike.

“I think it’s unfortunate but I don’t for a second blame CGE,” Pearson said. “I see the impact of the strike and the cancellation of the tournament as symptomatic of OSU failing to address the rising cost of living in Corvallis.”