By the time the semester ends, graduate student unionization will probably be the topic that was most heavily discussed on the Daily's Viewpoints page.  Few undergraduates bother thinking about it, for good reason, but it remains an important issue.  If recognized, such a union's primary purpose will be to finagle University funds that could go to far worthier causes.

    Unfortunately, there's nothing the administration, faculty, or undergraduates can do about it.  The National Labor Relations Board has now recognized Tufts' graduate students, and the union's formation will be determined by a vote of the graduate student body, which should not hesitate in dismissing it.  The cleverly-named Why Have a Union at Tufts (WHUT) should be applauded for speaking out against a movement that in theory has their best interests in mind.

    No one would question the importance of graduate students on campus.  Furthermore, the inferiority complex that seems to fuel their desire for a union is understandable enough; Tufts is known primarily as an undergraduate institution, one to which they heavily and actively contribute.  They serve as instructors, teaching assistants, residential assistants, and to use the example of the drama department, work closely with undergraduates whether it be choreographing fight scenes for a play, or coaching actors outside of rehearsal.  But such responsibilities, which could be interpreted as employment, are part of their education.  Moreover, that their obligations resemble employment is a testament to the quality of the training they receive.  The hands-on experience is even more meaningful here rather than at other universities, since the admissions office boasts that a vast majority of courses are taught by the faculty, and not graduate students.

    This is first and foremost a liberal arts college; the strength of the graduate program has only surged in the past 30 years, under the DiBiaggio and Mayer administrations.  But grad students are painfully mistaken if they think that the program has reached such heights that it can ever resemble those at gargantuan institutions such as UMass, UC-Berkeley, and UCLA, the schools frequently cited in pro-union arguments.  Tufts does not have nearly the resources those schools have and a union will not make such resources magically appear.

    WHUT intelligently argues that a union will create an unhealthy campus atmosphere and inevitably cause conflict within the graduate student community.  One needs only read the article on today's front page to realize it already has.  Union leader Tiffany Magnolia complained that her forum on Monday was marred by "a couple people asking lots of questions," an explicit reference to WHUT members.  She should realize that their questions are the right ones, and completely in line with the best interests of both the graduate students and the University that is educating them.

This editorial was originally published in the Tufts Daily on 04/03/02 and has been reproduced with permission.