thirsty_for_a_cola

To our knowledge, newer admits are not receiving better stipends. In fact, many prospective graduate students have informed us that they intend to decline an offer to UCSC unless a COLA has been successfully negotiated before the acceptance deadline. It’s worth considering that if grad students do not receive a better stipend, then UCSC will become an institution that attracts only those grad students who are already financially well-off.

First, congrats on being accepted to a PhD program! Second, inform yourself. Our website is as good a place to start as any: https://payusmoreucsc.com/

The advice that we've been giving to prospective or accepted graduate students can be roughly grouped into three main messages: (1) Make sure you can afford it, accounting for your offer's financial support package and the rising cost of housing in Santa Cruz. (2) Ask your department if you can defer your acceptance decision, with the intention to accept only after grad students have won a COLA. (3) If you're down to organize and are willing to take the risk, come join in organizing for a COLA for all! It starts with grad students at UCSC, but it's owed to grad students, undergrads, faculty, staff, and lecturers across the entire UC system.

One of the most effective ways that people outside the UC system can help is to put public pressure on the UC administration.

1. Write a solidarity statement to add to our growing list from over 70 supporting groups: https://payusmoreucsc.com/statements-of-support/
2. Call our administrators and public officials directly: https://payusmoreucsc.com/contact-admins-and-public-officials/
3. Boost our social media and reach out to the press. Follow us on IG (@payusmoreucsc and cola4all), and Twitter (@payusmoreucsc and cola4all).
4. Go to our website to find other ways to support us: https://payusmoreucsc.com/

I don’t think it’s entirely appropriate for us to say who we are voting for in the upcoming election. In addition, the strikers probably have a variety of candidates they favor, and stating who we personally are voting for could be seen as the COLA campaign as a whole favoring one particular candidate - we do not. Having said that, Bernie Sanders did endorse the COLA campaign in a tweet yesterday, so make of that what you will.

Striking grad students stand in solidarity with undocumented students. At UCSC, the total budget allocated to Undocumented Student Services, which supports hundreds of undocumented students, barely exceeds the salary of our chancellor. Increased financial support was one of several demands issued last December by the Undocu Collective, a group representing undocumented students at UCSC. Our university has been unwilling to negotiate with them in good faith.

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