Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

With finals ahead during historic strike, UCSC undergrads face uncertainty.

A mixture of striking academic workers and undergraduate supporters gather at the entrance to the UC Santa Campus.
Frances Horwitz
/
KAZU News
A mixture of striking academic workers and undergraduate supporters gather at the entrance to the UC Santa Campus.

As University of California academic workers round off the third week of what they’re calling the largest academic strike in history, many undergraduate students are preparing for final exams without the teachers who help prepare them.

Teaching assistants, or TAs, are considered academic student employees — one of the four groups of academic workers represented by the United Autoworkers (UAW) Union. They often grade assignments and lead small group classes that support lectures that are typically taught by full-time faculty.

Because TAs often develop closer relationships with their students, many undergrads, like Juliana McCullen, support their demands.

“I think being down here is really important for spreading awareness and showing support for grad students that are on strike,” McCullen, a fourth-year environmental studies student, said from the picket line.

But some students worry that without the help of their TAs, they won’t be adequately prepared for their exams.

“It directly affects our finals,” said Phil Cagan, a fourth-year creative writing student. “The level of work is not there…the communication and collaboration with students that gets the work to that point, it just isn’t there.”

Cagan says he doesn’t blame the TAs. Instead, he believes the university is at fault for not meeting workers’ demands, like a cost-of-living adjustment that would help offset the price of expensive rent in California’s college towns.

“I think the school would be doing itself a huge favor and showing a lot of dignity if they made that cost of living adjustment now,” he said. “And also not cheating (undergrads) out of their money and suspending education even longer.”

The University of California recentlyreached a tentative agreement with post-doctoral researchers and academic researchers, but there has been little reported progress with other groups, including TAs. In a statement, the UAW union said all groups will remain on strike until each bargaining unit negotiates its own agreement with the university.

Union members who spoke with KAZU News say they expect the strike will continue through the end of the quarter.

Related Content