In an unprecedented move from Indiana University, graduate workers at the Bloomington campus will see a 46% increase of the minimum stipend and are no longer expected to pay university and program-specific fees.
While these demands have been floated for several years now, echoed by campus-wide protests and even a recent labor strike, IU administrators point to the university's specialized task force as being a catalyst for the change. Late last week, the task force's associated committees issued a slate of recommendations — including a stipend increase, fee coverage and regular review of SAA stipends — intended to improve the graduate student experience on campus. Days later, IU Provost Rahul Shrivastav and President Pamela Whitten approved the changes as a sign of commitment to improving graduate worker conditions.
Now, graduate workers will be paid a minimum stipend of $22,000, a substantial increase from the previous minimum of $15,000 at the beginning of the fall 2021 semester. This is $1,000 more than what the task force recommended.
Previously:IU Board of Trustees says no to a student labor union, grad workers prepare for fall strike
With this pay increase, administrators said IU Bloomington is now above average for graduate stipends compared to other Big Ten universities. It previously was in the bottom half.
"I hope the naysayers see this and realize that action can happen when our existing structures and administration work hand in hand. I can't think of another institution that has done something this big at the pace at which we did it," Shrivastav told The Herald-Times, noting the advancements come just shy of his first six months as provost.