State Board says Temple U.
grad students can unionize
by Billy O'Keefe
TMS Campus
October 19, 2000
In a decision that could spark a na
tional trend, the Pennsylvania Labor
Relations Board ruled this week that
graduate students hired by Temple
University as graduate assistants are
employees of the university and are
entitled to the same protections and
benefits as any other employee.
The ruling ends a 20-month legal
struggle between the university and
the Temple University Graduate Stu
dents' Association, which represents
the school's more than 1,100 gradu
ate assistants.
At issue is the TUGSA's members'
right to enjoy the protections of the
state's Public Employe Relations Act,
which allows public employees to
unionize and collectively negotiate
wages, hours and other stipulations of
their employment.
TUGSA's first stab at forming a
union in February 1999 was supported
by more than 60 percent of its mem
bers, who cited insufficient training,
flimsy benefits and the lack of a den
tal plan, among other issues, as rea
sons.
University lawyers argued that the
assistants' status as students barred
them from sharing the same privileges
as full-on employees, despite the fact
that grad students at Temple teach a
third of all undergraduate classes, con
duct research in laboratories on cam
pus, and provide administrative sup
port for various departments and pro
grams.
Survey:
to be millionaires
by Stephen Sharkey
TMS Campus
October 18, 2000
No offense to Regis Philbin but it's
one thing to ask. "Who wants to be a
millionaire?" and quite another to ask,
"Who expects to be a millionaire?” A
recent survey by accounting firm Ernst
& Young revealed that most college
students do, in fact, expect to rake in
the big, big bucks.
In August, Ernst & Young conducted
a survey at their intern convention at
Disney World in Orlando, Fla., in
which they polled 800 college students
from around the world. The survey
sought to learn the financial expecta
tions and future priorities of today's
college students.
Of the students that responded, 75
percent expect that they will someday
be millionaires. Thirty percent expect
to be millionaires when they are in
their fourties.
Seventy-six percent responded that
they do expect to be better off then
their parents. Several students speci
fied that they will place more empha
sis on their own career development -
- 25 percent while others plan to
place more emphasis on balancing
their careers and personal lives -- 47
percent.
The survey also showed that nearly
50 percent intend to retire with finan
cial security in their fifties, a stark con
trast to the seven percent that never
expect to be comfortable enough to
retire.
More highlights of Ernst &
Young's survey:
When do you expect to be a
millionaire?
Of 797 surveyed:
• 30 per cent expect to become
millionaires in their 40s
• 19 per cent think they will become
millionaires in their 50s
• 17 per cent expect to become
millionaires in their 30s
• 5 per cent expect to become
millionaires in their 60s
• 5 per cent expect to become
millionaires in their 20s
• 25 per cent think they will never
become millionaires.
Do you expect to be better off then
your parents?
Of 796 surveyed:
• 76 per cent think they will be better
off than their parents
• 19 per cent expect to have the same
level of income and quality of life as
their parents
• 5 per cent think they will be worse
In January, the labor relations
board's hearing examiner dismissed
TUGSA's proposal, citing a similar
opinion handed down in 1976 by the
Pennsylvania Supreme Court. But
TUGSA, along with the American
Federation of Teachers, appealed the
decision, pointing out that new regu
lation by National Labor Relations
Board rendered the 1976 decision
obsolete.
The three-person labor relations
board sided unanimously with
TUGSA, concluding that assistants
are not obligated as students to seek
employment at Temple, and that their
work and presence should command
as much respect as that of any other
employee.
“ I'm ecstatic. This ruling vindicates
what we have said all along,” said
Temple grad student Ayanna Laney
who is employed at the university as
a researcher. “We do a third of the
undergraduate teaching at Temple. We
keep the labs and offices running. Of
course we're employees. Temple
wouldn't work without us.”
The board has now relegated the
case back to the hearing examiner in
order to determine the size and scope
of the union. Predictably, the two sites
are again at odds, but while TUGSA
hinted at hopes of including all 1,100
students in the union, the university
remained has taken a wait-and-see
approach.
“As we have stated on numerous
occasions, we will continue to follow
the legislatively mandated procedure
for resolution of these issues,” read a
statement issued by the university.
students expect
off than their parents
How do you plan to invest your
money?
0/796 surveyed:
• 30 per cent plan to invest in long
term conservative stocks or mutual
funds
• 29 per cent plan to invest in high
risk, aggressive stock investments
(such as World Funds)
• 10 per cent plan to invest in their
company's retirement plan
• 10 per cent will invest in an
individual retirement plan
• 2 per cent plan to invest in bonds or
CDs
• 17 percent don't know how they
will save for the future.
When do you think you will retire?
Of 703 surveyed:
• 49 per cent think they will retire in
their 50s
• 22 per cent expect to retire in their
60s
• 14 per cent think they will retire in
their 40s
• 5 per cent think they will retire in
their 20s
• 4 per cent think they will retire in
their 30s
• 7 per cent expect to never retire.
What is your top priority in the
next 3 years?
Of 703 surveyed:
• 47 per cent say that balancing their
career with their personal lives is a
priority
• 25 per cent place an emphasis on
career development
• 8 per cent want to build a sound
financial base
• 7 per cent want to pursue continu
ous learning opportunities
• 6 per cent want to pursue work
opportunities in other countries
• 6 per cent want to become dot-com
billionaires
What will be your top priority
when managing work and per
sonal live?
Of 703 surveyed (42 per cent male,
57 per cent female):
• 81 per cent view family and friends
as top priority in balancing work and
personal life
• 9 per cent view their career as their
top priority
• 3 per cent place an emphasis on
sports or outdoor activities
• 3 per cent place continuing
education as a priority
• None view community service as a
priority
• 4 per cent have other priorities
NATIONAL CAMPUS NEWS
There’s no excuse for student vote
apathy, former President says
by Andy Argyrakis
Campus Correspondent
Benedictine University
TMS Campus
October 23, 2000
Former President George Bush,
along with his wife and former First
Lady Barbara Bush, feel young
people within society need to take a
pro active stance within the nation's
current political realm. The couple is
tired of hearing the media speak of
declining voter turnout and apathy
amongst the college aged citizens of
the United States.
For many college students, this
year's election marks their first as be
ing old enough to go to the polls, but
the Bushes don't want to hear any
complaints when it comes to this
year's candidates not appealing to
young people, including those against
their son George W. Bush, Texas
Governor and Republican presiden
tial hopeful.
“ I am not particularly sympathetic
to those who say ‘What are you go
ing to do for me’ or ‘Are you going
to get me involved?’” Bush said on
Sunday, Oet. 22, when TMS Cam
pus caught up with him before a lec
ture at Benedictine University in
Lisle, IL. “ Well, suit up and go down
to some campaign headquarters and
support a candidate. You have to get
out there and get involved.”
The couple has recently relived the
former president’s 1988
and 1992 campaigns as
they watched their son ex-
perience the same tri
umphs and challenges.
However, they made it
very clear that in the case
of their son, or any other
candidate in this election,
it is crucial for young
people to get out on their
campus and in their town
to spread the word. Bush
noted that students during
this election year have
many more ways to get
informed about a candi
date then they did just
over a decade ago when
he ran for office.
“ They ought to
get out and work for a
candidate,” he said. “ Col-
lege kids have plenty of
access. They have all those comput
ers they use these days and can get
on that Internet and get more infor
mation than they can digest.”
The former President went on to
mention that each voice that gets in
volved in the political scene, regard
less of who they support, adds fuel
to the fire of anyone that cares about
the future of government. “ It doesn't
matter where you start, but pick a
candidate [whether it be] a Republi
can or Democrat, liberal or conser
vative and get in and work,” he said.
“Then you're going to be part of the
process. The minute you do that, you
disproportionately can be heard
over the people who sit around and
complain and whine that nobody
understands them.”
The couple wanted to use
Benedictine University as a plat
form to share such thoughts because
of its location just outside of Chi
cago and the connection Mrs. Bush
already had with the university.
“ They have a speaker series here
and Barbara was a huge success last
time,” laughed the former Presi
dent.
“ The college thought it was a
huge success before and I enjoyed
it a lot,” echoed his wife, who last
appeared on campus in 1998.
Despite the warmth the couple re
ceived this time around from the
university's administration, their af
ternoon speech as part of the
university's “Great Issues, Great
Ideas” lecture series was sparsely
attended by Benedictine students,
making a case for the couple's frus
tration with apathy on college cam
puses.
However, the couple still had
Former President George Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush
discuss the role students must play in the upcoming election dur
ing a visit to Benedictine University in suburban Chicago.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2000
some specific advice to share about
maintaining a successful balance
throughout the college years. Mrs.
Bush broke up her code for success in
school into a simple, yet poignant for
mula. " First you have to study hard.
You've been given a wonderful gift,
not just to learn, but to learn at a col
lege institution," she said. " Next, play
hard. Life is meant to be fun after all.
Just don't break the rules. [Finally 1 in
your mad dash around campus every
day, don't forget to cherish your rela
tionships with your friends and fam
ily. You won’t regret failing a test or
not closing a business deal at the end
of your life, but you will regret (ne
glecting! those relationships."
Fler husband mirrored such state
ments, adding that a complete person
needed to also be active in their com
munity and always seek to help oth
ers. “ There is no definition of a suc
cessful lifestyle that does not include
service to others." he said.
“ We live in an era of prosperity that
mankind has never known before.
Good people can get involved and
make a difference no matter what."