Tell admin: masters grads need a living wage!

Masters grad teaching assistants are being paid only $3,300 for the entire summer. Send a letter telling admin that MFA grads at Brown need a living wage!


A week ago, Masters grad teaching assistants in Theatre Arts & Performance Studies and Literary Arts were surprised to learn they’re only being paid $3,378 for the entire summer - $1,664 less than their pay last summer. That's only $1,126 per month, well below a living wage. Many of these grads had already made plans to travel for research and professional development. Now they don’t know how they’re going to pay rent.

Brown says this apparent cut is the result of a temporary COVID fellowship the previous year, and that the University has no obligation to pay these grads per our raise agreement because they don’t teach over the summer.

Most PhD grad teachers also don’t teach over the summer, but we’re receiving over $9,500, after Brown committed in our raise negotiations to equal summer pay between Humanities and STEM. The University also committed to a consistent 12-month stipend for everyone - there was no carve-out for Masters grads. So why are they being left out?

These are grads who teach for Brown 9 out of 12 months of the year, many as the sole instructors of popular classes. No one who works for Brown, a corporation worth 7 billion dollars, should have to worry about basic living expenses.

A few weeks ago, Brown started cutting funding to top-ups in DEEPS and CS, reducing their raise by ~$3,000. Now Brown is leaving Masters grads out of what they've agreed to pay PhD grads. We can't let admin undermine our unity by cutting out one small group at a time. Join us in telling Brown that MFA grads need a living wage over the summer!