At U. of Missouri, Grad Students Rally for Better Conditions, and Faculty Come to Their Aid
At the University of Missouri at Columbia, long simmering concerns over poor working conditions for graduate students have boiled over. On Wednesday, several hundred graduate students, faculty members, and other protesters marched on the campus to push the administration to raise stipend levels, offer better housing and child-care options, and make other improvements. Rallying under the iconic columns at the university’s Traditions Plaza, the crowd chanted "M-I-Z, shame on you," with many wearing red T-shirts with slogans that supported the graduate students’ cause. The uproar began earlier this month after university officials told students that because of changes in federal policy they would no longer receive health-insurance subsidies, a message sent out only hours before the benefits were set to expire.