By approving a salary raise for graduate teaching fellows and teaching assistants, the University has taken a progressive step.
If you spread out the $4,100 that teaching assistants receive per course over the semester, it amounts to a little over $500 per month. Considering most graduate students are self-supporting, $500 per month isn't enough.
Besides, teaching assistants at UNC are underappreciated. They are expected to be more accessible to students than professors and prompt in grading, which they usually are. Additionally, their department expects them to put a great deal of effort in their own research.
Keeping in mind the kind of effort teaching assistants put in, they deserve not only the salary raise but also more appreciation from the University community.
Aishwarya Kumar
Junior
Economics and Management & Society
