If the University of Toronto does not come to an agreement with over 4,000 of the univiersity's Teaching Assistants by midnight tonight, what lies ahead for students like me?
Thats the question that is clouding my thoughts and studies. Members of CUPE Local 3902 have been trying reach an agreement with U of T officials since early April of 2011, but still have not come to an agreement.
The negotiations have stalled over 3 key issues:
- Class Size
- Research Funding
- Upper-Year Students
Although these negotiations are going on between the two main parties involves, namely the University and the CUPE Local 3902 group, I feel as though one party (perhaps the one that will be most affected) is being left out...US, the students.
Having spoken to friends that TA for a variety of Professors in a vareity of Departments, I have to admit that the end game for us students, if a strike does happen to result, does not look good.
Some professors have already stated that the classes will be cancelled, and that students will need to retake the course next year. If this was to happen, consider not only the money that we have put in, but also the time and effort. In my case, if even a few of my classes were cancelled, I would face the need to take an additional year of school in order to complete my Honours' Bachelors.
What a lot of people overlook is that the Teaching Assistant IS a very important part of the class. And without them, many classes would simply not be able to go on. The TA's are responsible for marking tests and papers, organizing the midterms and final exams, and of course teaching and instructing tutorials. As a student doing a Double Major in Philosophy and Political Science, I am quite worried about my fate.
My professors simply would not be able to run the class of such a size without their TA's, and with multiple papers and tests coming up...what should students do? I sit at my computer trying to study for a test that I am not even sure will happen...
So yes, please come to an agreement tonight in order to avoid a strike. Not for the sake of the TA's. Not for the sake of the University. But for the sake of us students, who are about to fall victim to something we simply had and have no say or part in.
Leave comments please,
xx*courtney.
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