'Enough is enough': Western graduate students claim they are living in poverty
Preparations are underway for a rally Tuesday at Western University’s UC Hill.
The focus of the rally is the annual income of graduate students.
“This is to bring attention to the university that graduate students are living in poverty,” said Karuna D’Souza, president of PSAC 610, the union which represents teaching assistants (TA’s) and post docs at Western University.
PSAC 610 said it is nearly impossible for its researchers to get by.
“With rising rent costs, and inflation — the highest it’s been in years — how do graduate students survive on the meager income stream from the university?” asked D’Souza.
D’Souza added, “The minimum is $13,000 per year from the university. When you take off the ancillary fees, students who are doing research the university profits from are getting about $1,000 per month to live on in London. Rent in London for a one-bedroom is $1,600 per month.”
Graduate student Kesavi Kanagasabai said she and many of her fellow students need multiple jobs on and off campus to earn enough money.
She recently led a study among grad students which produced some staggering results. 76 per cent of grad students’ report challenges finding housing, 44 per cent identify as food insecure, and 55 per cent couldn’t afford clothing or basic hygiene products.
“That's concerning, because our students should not feel as insecure,” said Kanagasabai, who is vice president of the Society of Graduate Students (SOGS).
“A lot of them have mentioned that they've gone to the food bank as well. About five per cent of our membership — which is about 7,000 students — have already gone to a London food bank. That is very concerning, and we do not want to deplete city resources,” Kanagasabai added.
Western University said it meets regularly with the Society of Graduate Students to discuss and implement ongoing supports.
Graduate students are full-time students and approximately 2,000 are employed on campus as graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) for about 10 hours per week or less (depending on the structure of their funding package),” Vice-Provost of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, Linda Miller, told CTV News London in a statement.
“The current hourly pay for GTAs is $47.22 per hour,” she added.
Miller added that the PSAC collective agreement expires on Aug. 31, 2023.
“Hourly rates and hours of work for GTAs will be discussed during the collective bargaining process in the months ahead,” said Miller.
To make their voices heard, PSAC 610 will hold a rally at UC Hill on Tuesday at 11 a.m. They want to make noise and demand action. They claim that students have been “living off credit cards,” and “working multiple jobs while Western U reports millions in excess revenues.”
“We're not asking for much,” said D’Souza. “We are asking just so that we can survive and do our work and do our research and contribute to society like we want to. But we can't do that, if we don't have enough to eat, or we don't have a place to live. How do we do that?”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
B.C. theatre to pay $55K to neurodivergent actor in discrimination case
British Columbia's human rights tribunal has awarded a neurodigergent actor, who was diagnosed with sensory and learning disorders, more than $55,000 after finding that a Kelowna theatre company discriminated against him because of his disabilities.
Who's responsible for regulating cannabis stores operating under the sovereignty banner?
It's not quite clear who is supposed to be regulating so-called sovereign cannabis stores or even ensure they're benefiting Indigenous communities.