Georgetown University has announced that it is granting raises to all of its graduate student assistants just weeks after accepting $6.1 million in federal coronavirus relief. Other wealthy institutions, such as Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, rejected federal aid in April after facing pressure from President Donald Trump and the public.
According to a report by Campus Reform, Georgetown University has announced raises for more than 1,000 graduate student workers. Unlike its peer institutions, Georgetown University accepted millions of dollars in taxpayer-funded coronavirus relief in April.
The raises amount to a 44 percent increase over the previous pay rate for graduate students and teaching assistants. Doctoral program assistants are also set to receive a $4,000 raise over their previous annual salary. The raises were inspired, in part, by the high cost of living in Washington D.C. where Georgetown’s campus is located.
Georgetown University, which boasts an endowment of approximately $1.4 billion, accepted $6.1 million in federal relief that it was eligible for under the CARES Act, a coronavirus relief program passed by Congress in March.
Breitbart News reported in April that Harvard, Yale, Princeton rejected millions in CARES Act funding. Harvard, which holds approximately $40 billion in its endowment portfolio, initially planned to accept the funds but reversed course when President Trump condemned the university’s decision.
A spokesperson for Georgetown said that it is pleased with its agreement with the graduate student union. “We are pleased to have reached this tentative agreement with GAGE/AFT and look forward to the result of their ratification process,” the spokesperson said. “We are grateful for the leadership and collaboration shown by both parties in order to reach an agreement in these challenging times.”
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.