Kiley Dorton helps a professor teach a class at the University's By CAREY O’NEIL
Many teaching assistants lecturing in classes every day aren’t doing it just for fun ― they’re getting free tuition.
The more than 3,000 University of Georgia students on assistantships—whether they're research assistants studying biomass or teaching assistants lecturing on the differences between classicism and neoclassicism—have their graduate school tuition waived and receive a monthly stipend.
“It's a huge economic benefit,” said Judy Milton, assistant dean of the Graduate School.
David Knauft, associate dean of the Graduate School, said students on assistantships receive a waiver for all but $25 of their tuition and are covered for 40 percent of their health insurance premium costs, but are still responsible for student fees.
Although the stipend varies depending on assistantship, Milton said students are typically paid the same as the University’s other hourly employees for their average 13 weekly hours of work.
Kiley Dorton, a Grady College grad student working as a TA, said he spends anywhere from 10 to 15 hours a week planning lectures, grading papers and creating tests for his tuition and $1,000 monthly paycheck.
“It pays just about right for rent and food and gas,” he said. “The only problem is, since I have a girlfriend, I have to have another job.”
Dorton said he works three nights a week at Locos and does odd jobs like create Web sites for extra spending money, keeping him constantly occupied.
“I'd say it's better to be busy than bored,” he said. “[Is it] hard? Yes. Fun? Definitely.” Milton said the Graduate School doesn't recommend students work jobs outside the University and limits the hours students can work on their assistantships to 20 per week.
“If you're already working 20 hours a week and you're taking 12 hours of classes, there's the reality that we actually want you to have time to devote to your studies,” she said. Nick Browning, a Grady graduate student and research assistant, said he's content with his schoolwork and 16 hours of research every week.
“Most of the time I'm pretty busy,” he said. “Sometimes I've got to borrow money from my folks. I know other people get loans.”
Browning said even though he's sometimes short on spending money, waived tuition is an offer too good to refuse.
Milton said assistantships are incredibly attractive, but equally difficult to get.
“Most of the students who plan to attend grad school full time have explored the possibility,” she said. “They may not apply for it because they have to be nominated, but they've probably looked into it.”
Milton said each department at the University is allotted a number of assistantship nominations based on the demographics of the college. Nominees are then rated by the Graduate School and the top rated students are awarded the assistantships.
“The Graduate School only funds a small portion of the total graduate student population, primarily through competitive programs designed to help attract high quality students,” Knauft said.
If students don't make the cut for grad school assistantships they still have a shot at getting one through their individual colleges thanks to things like research grants and extra money in the budget, she said.
Dorton said he's happy with his job as a TA and glad he got his assistantship. “Every minute there's something new,” he said.
Edited by AUTUMN ECKENBRECHT
