Yale Grad Students on Hunger Strike for Better Benefits

[SB Shock]

A group of Yale University graduate students announced Tuesday evening that they would be undertaking a hunger strike to pressure the administration into granting them better union benefits. The strike is taking place in front of University President Peter Salovey’s home.

Yale doctoral students currently earn a stipend $30,000 a year, receive free health care, and have their $40,000 tuition paid in full, according to Yale News.

The kicker is that the hunger strike is "symbolic" and protesters can leave and get food when they can no longer go on.

[WstateU]

I'm sure Michael's proud of their efforts...

[RoyalShock]

The kicker is that the hunger strike is "symbolic" and protesters can leave and get food when they can no longer go on.

So they are being handed roughly $75k (allocating $5k in health care benis, no need to quibble over pocket change) to get a degree which should improve their future earning potential and professional prospects, and they want more?

At the risk of being stereotypical: Delusional. Spoiled. Brats.

[Walker]

This video gives pretty good insight into the entitlement and derangement epidemic at Yale. Pretty reflective around across the country really. Around 3:30 mark especially with the "shrieking girl".

Sometimes I think there's a good case to bring back gladiator games, or have a Hunger Games, Battle Royale type of scenario to where these people have to fight to the death. Okay, I don't truly feel that way, but sometimes these crazies have me convinced I do.

[WuDrWu]

I don't even know where to start. There is so much wrong with that.

The guy in the blue shirt deserves a medal for not punching her in the mouth until she stopped breathing, which is what she actually deserves.

[SHOCKvalue]

Certain segments of higher education are fostering and creating a subset of literally unemployable and non-functional citizens, and ironically the phenomenon seems to be directly related to academic rankings and/or costs of attendance.

[Walker]

Without a doubt. A lot of these professors are starting to get eaten by the monsters they've helped create, and then they're cut loose into society with little to no useful skills and 100K+ of debt. Our whole university system is clogged with curriculum that is either pseudo science or just straight up indoctrination. It make you think about past civilizations that eventually fell, and wonder if they experienced the same things within their culture and education prior to their fall.

[atlwsu]

Is this going on at WSU?

[wufan]

Is this going on at WSU?

Yes.

[wu_shizzle]

Yale College Republicans set up a BBQ next to these fools.

Future leaders of America right there...

[mini-shock]

Yale College Republicans set up a BBQ next to these fools.

Future leaders of America right there...

Checkmate.

[atlwsu]

BBQ trumps everything but bacon

[shocker43]

Was a doctoral student and got 7,000 a year for teaching two under grad classes and got tutition remission. Still paid for student fees. Nothing like yale.

Accurate. Currently a graduate teaching assistant at WSU. I would be so happy to get even half of what the Yale students get paid. We also don't get health insurance.

[WuDrWu]

Was a doctoral student.........

Here's my stunned look.

[Kung Wu]

There is a difference between a teaching fellow and a non-fellowship doctoral student. That's actually at the heart of the debate at Yale.

Teaching fellows are generally treated as full-time instructors, given a smallish but reasonable salary, and tuition to boot. They are usually given an opportunity to enroll in healthcare too. Non-fellow doctoral students are generally paid some fixed amount per course, like a part-time instructor, and aren't offered much in the way of benefits, though their tuition is generally covered.

It is this way at WSU. A few doctoral students are offered fellowships, but most are not.