Grad student strikes, enough to look over that school?

[JoshLeon]

I got into UIUC in the MS/PhD program. However, the graduate student union is debating the university because the university wants to eliminate tuition waivers. (c.f.   http://www.uigeo.org/ or http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-met-university-of-illinois-grad-students-strike-20180208-story.html), and provides low stipends.

Out of all my options, UIUC is the one that pays less, and also requires you to pay for health insurance...

Are these sufficient conditions for me to rule out this university? It's a really good school for what I do, but it looks like it sucks regarding finances.

Opinions??

Edited February 12, 2018 by JoshLeon

[fuzzylogician]

I think it would be useful to talk to some current students about how they manage their finances before you make any decisions. If you can wait and see what happens with the negotiations before you need to decide, that's probably useful, too. But overall, yes, finances are an important component of the decision and could certainly influence one's decision one way or the other. 

[E-P]

I live in Illinois now.  I ruled out applying to the many applicable programs here, although not due to your specific reasons.  My master's institution had furloughs for 2 years because the governor refused to pass a budget.  I refuse to put my academic future on an unstable, incredibly corrupt state.

[Bayesian1701]

I finished writing after E-P and fuzzy posted but I basically concur.

Did they offer you a multiyear funding package or just a year?  If there is some uncertainty about future funding and the funding is insufficient to the point where you would have to take on debt to survive and you have other options with better funding especially if they are of similar quality I could understand why you would decline UIUC.  I wouldn't rule it out completely yet personally but I definitely am considering funding as a factor in my decision.  But if you have a better offer at a similarly prestigious program that would be enough for me to rule it out.

[Sanskriti Prakriti]

Hi JoshLeon! Current UIUC grad student here. It is true that the administration here wants to put language into our new labor contract that would allow them to tinker with tuition waivers in years to come. Another factor for you to consider about Illinois is the state's budget situation. Lawmakers couldn't pass a new budget for two years, from July 2015 to August 2017, meaning that lots of programs had to be cut back (mostly humanities) and that some departments are still in a hiring freeze. I love this school, and I think it's a great place academically. But lately, it's been pretty stressful in terms of financial security.

Edit: Another thought came to mind after I posted. We don't actually have a contract at the moment, so you may want to wait and see how that turns out before making a decision. That's all.

Edited February 12, 2018 by Sanskriti Prakriti

[rising_star]

This is probably due to my personal politics but I wouldn't shy away from a school just because the grad students may go on strike. In fact, that'd be a selling point in that it reflects a union and strong position for grad students overall. If it's a good research fit and the stipend is livable, I'd keep it on your list, at least pending the negotiations the grad student union is doing right now.

[hats]

I am pro-union and pro-collective action as anything, but the UIUC administration's demands seem particularly nasty. I wouldn't shy away from a school because of a strike. For me, strikes generally are neutral to positive. However, I might shy away from this school because of the concessions the administration is demanding that have led to this strike.