TAs receive $470 increase for next year

and SHELLEY TABOR University officials said yesterday they will pay teaching assistants over $400 more next year, prompting cautious praise from graduate students who claim the stipend is still inadequate. Starting in the fall, School of Arts and Sciences teaching assistants will receive a $9000 stipend, an increase of $470 from the current year's $8530 award. Teaching assistants also receive full tuition and general fee. "The stipend is pretty standard," Susan Garfinkel, graduate and professional student association vice chairperson for policy said last night. "It would be great if it was higher." Garfinkel said she was concerned that the stipend increase would be off-set by expected increases in the cost of health insurance. "It's ridiculous how much money we have to pay for [health insurance] and other fees," Garfinkel said. The new stipend will be an increase of five-and-one-half percent over last year's award, while last year's was an increase of four percent over the 1989-1990 academic year. "It's an increase in the rate of increase from last year," Donald Fitts, SAS associate dean for graduate studies said yesterday. But graduate students noted that two years ago they had asked for an increase to $10,000 by the 1992-1993 academic year. Yesterday's announcement falls $1000 short of this goal. "It's less than our resolution [called for] and the increase is less than the cost of living," Graduate Student Activities Council Treasurer Michael Polgar said. "But it's more than we received last year -- in percent increase and in absolute numbers." Fred Trezy, GSAC vice president of social activities, also said yesterday that the University increase should be higher to meet cost of living increases. "Of course it's good that they increased the stipend, but the University should make more of an effort to keep pace with the cost of living," Trezy said. "Graduate students are having enough difficulty as it is meeting their expenses." Polgar noted that after taxes and health insurance, a teaching assistant's monthly pay is not sufficient to match costs. "If you live in Graduate Towers, have to pay meal plan, buy books and supplies, its not enough -- it would easily exceed that monthly allowance," Polgar said. "Some departments supplement them to be competitive on a national level." Historically, the University has given teaching assistants a low stipend when evaluated on a national scale, Polgar added. But in the past few years the Univeristy has moved into "the average range."

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