Although laudable, changes to graduate-student stipend not as significant as reported
To the Editor:
We all should certainly applaud the University for its latest increase in graduate student funding. In particular, the extra two years of summer funding will play an important role in helping students make year-round progress on their research. Especially for the large number of graduate students, whose dissertation research entails time-intensive methods such as qualitative data collection, this improvement is essential given the increasingly exacting time-to-degree schedule expected of us by the administration.
On the other hand, simple arithmetic reveals...
I'm more than a bit confused by #1's post. The grad student lauded the increase, but pointed out that the increase was 12% rather than the reported 20%. This does not count as whining. Neither does indicating that the corrected increase represents a below average increase rather than above average.
Debating the merits of sociology is way outside the scope of a comment on strict mathematical analysis of stipend levels, so I won't bother to address #1's obviously angry concerns.
Yet another shining example of why I wish Benno Schmidt had succeeded in disbanding the Sociology department.
Yale should not be in the business of stamping its imprimatur on professional whiners. Praise gosh Yale has thrown its weight behind some REAL sciences, lately.