Michael Hoerger is looking for an increase in stipends for graduate assistants and a guarantee that they will get that money.

The Midland graduate student got half his wish Thursday during the Board of Trustees meeting, where the board approved the recommended raise in stipends for graduate assistants.

“It’s not getting our cause anywhere,” Hoerger said. “Usually people working full time are at the bottom of this recommendation.”

Graduate assistants who have fewer than 30 credits beyond their baccalaureate degrees will receive a raise in the stipends from $9,475 to $14,400 and students with more than 30 credits from $10,550 to $18,550.

David Burdette, vice president of finance and administrative services, said the increase in stipends goes into effect July 1.

Despite the raise, there is no guarantee graduate assistants will receive the full amount because each department is responsible for paying them individually.

“We just recommend the stipend amount,” said Interim Dean of Graduate Studies Roger Coles. “Each department does it differently.”

The initial problem, Hoerger said was some graduate assistants working full-time were only receiving half of their supposed yearly income.

“I think we’ve been reasonable in what we’re asking for,” he said.

The lack of stipends, which has left a few students resorting to food stamps and the inability to seek medical care, is the biggest target among the objectives sought by the newly-formed Central Michigan University Graduate Student Union.

Other goals include an increase in tuition reimbursement, health care access and overall improvement in CMU’s graduate program.

The group, which has received increasing support from their student union awareness Web site, has been in the works nearly a year and a half.

“We’re looking for more people to help,” Hoerger said. “They can raise these issues.”

In order to reach a solution, Hoerger would like to sit with any CMU official capable of dealing with the issue.

University President Michael Rao addressed the situation after Thursday’s Board of Trustees meeting.

“I think we just need better communication,” he said. “I believe that’s important for us to understand that the diversity of opinions and of the situations with our graduate students is very, very broad.”

Graduate students can apply to get up to 20 credits for tuition reimbursement, but some programs call for students to take four to 10 more credits than that.

Hoerger, a clinical psychology major, said he had to take 30 credits during his second year, resulting in $4,500 worth of tuition.

“I think that’s a concern that the psychology department is aware of because they have several Ph. D. programs,” Rao said. “What they’re trying to do is take the resources that they get for graduate assistantships and tuition reimbursement and spread that among the students that they have as best they can.”

If the university spends more money on graduate students, it would help the university, Hoerger said.

“If they invest more in us we’re able to attract more students. We’ll get more money from the state,” he said. “The state really gives a lot of funding to programs that are involved in graduate schools that are involved in research. …So ultimately all of these changes are great for CMU’s long term viability.”

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