Starting July 1, Indiana University graduate students will earn an additional $1,000 annually, raising their stipends to $24,000.
Since 2022, stipends have gone up by $9,000, which is pretty impressive. Back in 2021, the minimum pay was just $15,000, so this is a huge leap. The university wants to stay competitive with other schools, and this increase is part of that effort.
To keep track of how they stack up against other Big 10 schools, IU set up a task force in 2022. They check in every two years to make sure they’re in the top half of the 18 schools. Graduate workers usually juggle 20 hours of work each week along with their classes and research.
However, the new stipend is still about $10,000 short of what’s considered a “living wage” in Bloomington, according to the MIT Living Wage Calculator. The Indiana Graduate Workers Coalition has been pushing for a living wage since last January, arguing that it better reflects the cost of living.
In other news, IU announced that Carissa Ciampaglia will be the new ombudsman for the Task Force on Graduate Education. She previously worked at a homeless shelter in Los Angeles, so she brings some valuable experience to the role.
Interestingly, the press release didn’t mention the graduate workers’ union or the strikes that happened last year and in 2022, where students demanded better pay and union recognition. David Garner from the union didn’t respond right away when asked for comments.
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