On December 12, members of TSSU, GSS, and community allies launched the gradCOLA campaign. Graduate students came out during the busiest time of semester to demand a cost of living adjustment. It has become clear this semester that graduate students across the university are struggling with the rising affordability crisis which has only been exacerbated by stagnant funding packages, limited affordable student housing, and tuition hikes. We’d like to thank the folks from CUPE 2278, who are currently organizing RAs at UBC, and the undergraduate students who came out in solidarity.
The CBC was there to cover the story: you can watch at this link (timestamp 26:00).
The gradCOLA platform demands a cost of living adjustment for graduate students, including a guaranteed minimum funding offer of $32,000 (after tuition deductions) with annual increases for all research based graduate students, eliminating the practice of using funding offers as an artificial cap on grad student incomes, graduate student housing that is linked to 30% of graduate income with the addition of more units, and 7 other demands.
Next Action: March 30 9am!
BRING POTS, PANS & UTENSILS TO MAKE SOME NOISE!
Free t-shirts, coffee, hot chocolate and snacks.
Where your t-shirt if you already have one!
We’re already gearing up for our next action on March 30th, 2023, 9 AM out front of SFU’s Halpern Centre Building (North east of Convocation Mall)! We hope to see even more of you there this time, so bring a friend or colleague. We can win a cost of living adjustment if we work together!
If you’d like to get involved, please fill out this sign-up form or email Félix and Catherine at organizers@tssu.ca.
